Downstairs layout

[BarrelOfOtters]

Getting extension built.

Looking at a utility off the kitchen while will have a new back door. There will also be sliding doors into kitchen diner.

We could also have a door from utility into hall. So you could walk through hall into utility and out of back door, bypassing kitchen diner.

If we don’t have that door into hall we get more wall space in what is a fairly large utility. But when you come in back door you’ll have to come through kitchen diner to get into house.

Any thoughts on practicality? We have pets, there are likely to be visiting grandchildren at some point.

[Karcheer]

I wouldn’t have a door, the extra wall space and the ability to keep the pets/children in the Utility/ kitchen with Muddy feet would be important for me.
I would always accidentally forget to shut the door to the house and end up with muddy paws in the house!

[Baxdream]

We did similar and had a back door in the utility . We've never used it! We always use the bifolds

[BarrelOfOtters]

Hmmm, interesting, I was thinking keeping wet muddy paws in the utility and not having to bring through kitchen diner and the bifolds would be a positive?

[Karcheer]

@BarrelOfOtters for me, and you may be different, if I had one door to the kitchen and one door to the rest of the house (from the utility - which is what I think you’re saying), I would frequently forget to shut the one to the main house, let the dogs in and have mud in the house. If I on,y had one door there’s more chance I’d remember to shut it and if I didn’t they’d on,y get into the kitchen.

I must admit though in my old house I never used the utility door, only the French doors in the kitchen (we didn’t have bifolds).

[Baxdream]

We have a dog too. We really thought we would do that. We've got a Belfast sink in the utility to bath him. We do use the sink but we still walk him through the house if he's mucky.

We have two sets of bifolds plus the back door so three doors to lock at night.

If we were to do it again, we would definitely have gone for a bigger utility

[Baxdream]

Plus the dog got into the habit of sitting by the bifolds to go out for a wee. The easy thing is to lead them out that way rather than going through the utility

[My0My]

I would have a door to the outside from the utility rim but I’d make it a boot room too. It would need to be big enough to do this but you need to have a dedicated dog and walking boot area which is separate from the kitchen. What better than the utility? Dog leads, food, towels can all be in there. You’ll have a sink (get a big one) for water and the washing machine handy for dirty towels etc. It’s a no brainer in my view.

I would have bigger doors from the kitchen to the outside. Bifolds or whatever. However if you have a dedicated boot room you will use it. I don’t think it needs a door to the hall. You don’t want it to be a passage. Just a door into the kitchen. Then you get more storage.,