Please critique my bad attempt at being an architect- floorplan included

[ThatChirpyLurker]

Dh and I are moving house. So far I have really not found anything that I particularly like. Dh does not care for aesthetics, just does it have the right number of rooms, are there transport links etc. Whilst I definitely enjoy design and consider myself an armchair architect.

I have found a dilapidated cottage in a great location, a couple of hundred grand below our budget. Probably not doable due to the numbers involved but I am going to suggest it to Dh when I see him at the weekend (he is away on a work trip).

Normally I have no problem playing around with floorplans but this house stumped me on account of there being no connecting hallways.

Please critique what changes I have made.

Thanks in advance

2nd plan

The massive hallway would have a sitting area or operate as some sort of music room.

and hopefully the walls could be pushed back to make the large hallway smaller and the lounge bigger. If possible.

On the train now to the city to go view.

I take it the main entrance will be the new hallway? Are you going to keep the double fireplaces in the sitting room/ dining room? And where will you put the door to it? From the music hall? Would there be space to put a door in the new hallway?

It looks good! You might need to check how easy it will be to put plumbing in the the utility and wc.

I have no skill in this area and not good at visualising but it looks good to me if the numbers worked. Good luck.

OK so in an ideal world with no budget restrictions.

I would keep your boot room/wc idea. The 2 store rooms below that I would turn into a kitchen or kitchen/diner if big enough

I would knock through to make a longer hall way like in your plan

What was the kitchen I'd have as a sitting room

What is currently the lounge I'd have as a snug/reading room/ second sitting room or dining room (whichever you feel you'd need most)

What is currently a sitting room on the right I'd turn into a study.

What is currently the small store I would turn that into a small utility/walk in pantry and have access only from the kitchen diner.

Yup. hallway is where star is.

In the dining room we’d probably take out one fireplace.

I do wonder if there is space for the door. I worry not

Thank you! Drawing this out now to see

What’s the upstairs plan - are any of those walls you plan on removing supporting walls/part of upstairs walls ?

What condition are the rooms marked ‘store’ ? I would imagine they’ve been called as such as they aren’t a habitable room. I’d be wary of damp/ is there heating, to what state are the walls and floor insulated, is there power to these rooms? Windows?

without seeing further details it’s hard to comment but I’d imagine converting them would be costly.

Could you have your main door at the back?

Not sure if these sizes would make decent enough sized rooms but maybe another idea to work from?

Doors from living room as patio type doors. And keep the door in to the music room. The main door at the back going in to central hall.

Valid points. There are bedroom above the store rooms so I assumed they were useable. Obviously will need to do all the relevant research

Where’s the front of the house? Where utility is? Interior design grad (very long time ago!) firstly I would establish which way the house is facing, so you know where you would be getting the best light throughout the day, you want that to be your most used space. I never think that hallways with multi uses I.e the music room get used effectively. Are you someone who uses the main front door or like me use the back door to enter your home? I think you’re restricting yourself by roughly keeping the existing rooms as the same function.

Front door into the store with WC/utility combined on the left and built in cupboards and shoe storage in front of you.

The store to the RHS becomes the snug/music room and the other store becomes an internal hallway. Even considering opening up the stairs to the new hallway.

Then kitchen and living as you’ve said, knocking out the utility to make the kitchen massive.

Upstairs

I'd also be wary of the 3 "store" rooms at the back. How strange that there are no doors connecting it to the rest of the house. Is this an original part of the cottage, or is it an extension that's in fact more like a garage or outbuilding? (so e.g. single skin brick walls, no insulation or heating, etc.) As pp said it may not be all that easy to convert it into living space.

Valid points. There are bedroom above the store rooms so I assumed they were useable

Not necessarily true, even new builds often have bedrooms located above unheated garages for example.

What are the front and back aspects and is there garden space? It could make more space to have the kitchen in back right leading onto the utility/boot round, living room front right with a new small corridor just before the stairs so they both have a separate entrance. The space on the left can be divided into your office & music room.

Post a Rightmove link if you're feeling brave! Sounds like it would be £150K plus to do.

It looks relatively solid but who knows if any of it is structurally sound

You need to know where the utilities access the property. Might not be simple to swap kitchens and bathrooms due to drainage, soil etc. Make a note on your plan.

Think about what each side overlooks - consider the views and direction of light. North/South etc. Do you want to swap living room if the view is of neighbours parking space etc.

As previously mentioned - load bearing walls and structure - can a support beam be used?

Are there planning restrictions - listed or conservation area which you will need to work around.

Cottages can have low ceiling height so consider this - if any are really low may be better as a guest bed/ not main living space.

Sounds really exciting, hope the viewing goes well!

I would but I’m afraid of someone else getting ideas!

If you do end up doing a WC/utility where you’re suggesting on the ground floor would it be worth adding an en suite to the big bedroom? Are you indeed thinking of an additional bathroom somewhere? It’s the kind of house where future purchasers would probably expect more than one and, if your a family it will probably be needed!

The garden is stunning. 1 acre. Mature trees. The only aspect of new builds I don’t like at all are the gardens. It’s rural but close to a very nice town (5 mins away) and then a major city is 30-40 mins away depending on traffic. Dh would have a 20 min commute - very necessary for his job.

Not sure of aspect, trying to work it out from street view/maps. Will let you know for sure post viewing.

I would definitely add a bathroom upstairs and work out an en suite for the master. I was thinking of turning a bedroom into a bathroom. Dh and I do not need five bedrooms.

So at the moment the water and sewage are all in the bottom left hand corner of your plan. Fairly major ground works to get water and soil pipes to distant locations ( believe me, I have done it.).

I like this! Your way has more living space. I would have no problem coming in the back.

My sister has a gorgeous cottage and they never use their front door.

The wall to the left as you come in the front door/hallway has a chimney in it and looks like it's load bearing. Ime, if a house looks like it needs walls to be moved and they haven't been, then it's often because there's a structural reason making it too expensive.