Pushing hallway more into living room - Stud wall rough costs and good idea?

[Tack]

Please see attached image for reference. Red = proposed to remove & purple = proposed to erect. Oh and the small circles are light switches. Hope it is clear!

We have currently no room in our entrance for even coat hooks or a shoe rack which feels very out of proportion with rest of our house.

So we are thinking of removing the current stud wall and putting up a new one that will eat into the living room. This would make our window more balance with the same amount of wall either side of it. We aren’t too worried about losing this space as our living room is plenty big enough for us but my Step Dad and my PILs aren’t sold on the idea, believing people prefer living room space over entrance hall space. For us though we need room to store our coats and shoes that isn’t the cupboard underneath the stairs as we find it unpractical.

What are your thoughts but also importantly what would the rough cost of this be? DH does know how to plaster (done it in college and does it for family & friends but isn’t a job) but isn’t sure about how to move electrics or take down and erect a stud wall. So it is literally just needing the job done up to the point where DH can plaster.

[Tack]

Forgot the image!!! oops

oh and for measurements, sorry, the larger stud wall (one with door in) is 192cm.

[ColonelCakes]

It’s hard to know without knowing dimensions - what size is your living room?

[Tack]

Hi there,

I'm not sure actually as in the office. But to give an indication of size, our decent sized 3 seat sofa with chunky arms is same size as that window in the image.

I think we are just going to watch a youtube tutorial on how to put up studwork and only pay out for an electrician.

I think option 1 is also probably better one because then our two armchairs can go by the window nicely.

[ColonelCakes]

Would making the door to the hallway a pocket door help? With coat hooks on the wall by the door and then an ikea shoe storage cabinet immendiately within the living room?

[Tack]

As much as I love pocket doors, not sure it would work with the existing wall by the stairs if we didn't expand or if we did expand the hallway, there wouldn't be any where for the door to slide into.

[lutjanus]

Any scope to put a porch on the front of the house?

Though don't know if you would need planning for that.

[Tack]

unfortunately planning wouldn't be granted because the house frontage is already well within 3m to public highway

[DownUdderer]

I’d prefer to just have what suits us as a family an enjoy it and not worry about reselling, unless you’re going to sell in the next couple of years?

[Tack]

That was our thinking DownUdderer as we will be here for at least 10 years

[Tryingtogetitright]

Not sure about how much etc, but we moved to a house with a huge hall and I love it! Makes getting in and out the house with the kids so much easier. I never considered it as a feature before but I would gladly give up a bit of lounge space for a decent sized hall.

[Tack]

Yeah it is hard enough to invite people into our house with the small hall and awkwardly opening doors, cant imagine how cramped it will be getting DS ready once he starts wearing shoes and coats this winter!

[mum2015]

Would adding a wardrobe in living room work?

[Tack]

That is what MiL suggested, we did consider this but only place it would make sense to have a large piece of furniture would be at back of the room and It would annoy us having to go through living room with shoes and coats to take out/ put away.

I think just extending entrance into living room is making most sense for us

[MismatchedPJs]

I don't know about costs. My reservation with your first option is the door opens into the hall which really reduces its usable space. My reservation with your second is the door overlapping with the window isn't ideal. I'm not sure I can understand your measurements though. Which wall is 192cm? Both of the proposed walls look not much wider than a door, so I'd guess about 120cm. If you have 192cm that sounds much more spacious but I can't picture it with ref to that diagram.

Btw we have a small hallway and small feet, and we had bespoke undersize shoe cubbies made. I would really recommend this, it really wasn't that expensive and makes the most of the space. Though a trug in the understairs cupboard is probably the most efficient solution.