Would you buy a house with no hallway?

[user1479289699]

We've been looking for our first house for a while and have found a lovely one; the only thing is, the layout is slightly odd. They used to have a garage and they've converted it into an actual room and added a porch. This means there's no hallway.

So you walk into the porch, open a door on your right and you have (what they use as) the dining room. Once you've exited the dining room, you're technically in the kitchen. You have a door to the living room on your left, and then stairs to your right. Running perpendicular is the kitchen which leads to conservatory.

Is it really odd a) having no hallway, b) having stairs from the kitchen and c) having no door on the kitchen? If we needed to sell in future would this affect that?

thanks!

Personally, I wouldn't buy a house that had stairs going up from a kitchen, cooking smell would waft up and I'd worry about fire safety, unless there was a door at the bottom of the stair.
Lots of new build go straight into a living room to save space, so it's not uncommon. I don't care for that design myself, but I doubt it would put people off.
If you do decide to offer on the house, I would check that the unusual design was passed by building control before the conversion.

I would imagine that any house that has been badly extended would be more difficult to sell. Is it cheaper than other similar size houses on the market in the area? If so then there is your answer.

I think I need a floorplan

any chance of adding in a hallway? Sounds like not?

To be honest I think it was an improvement on the previous layout - apparently before you walked straight into the living room - no porch or hallway. and the stairs came down directly into the living room. Now at least it feels like the stairs are a bit separate (even though they arent!). So I don't think they've done a 'bad extension' as such, but if I was them I would've added a hallway and made the dining room smaller.

I didn't think about smells etc from the kitchen and fire safety - that's very valid. I guess if it's making me think twice, it would make any future buyers think twice too!

It's hard to compare it to other houses on the street as they're all bigger than this one, so have gone for a bit more.

Nope. I am extending my house now and a critical part of it is a short extension of the existing hallway. They are essential for getting rid of daily bumph like coats, bags, cleaning muddy paws. I have a thing about beautiful hallways.

No I wouldn't buy a house with no hallway and I agree with pp about not wanting stairs from the kitchen . If they have no garage what storage do you have for all the outside crap / paint pots / tools / junk .

No, that layout would not work for me.

I think that might be unmortgagable.
Pretty sure stairs in the kitchen is a no-no, if it's the only flight.
Obviously in a Downton Abbey type scenario backstairs in the kitchen would be normal.

whatever happened to LeQueen

I've lived in two with no hallway - both were Victorian terraces and front door opened into living room. The first one didn't have front porch - we found we ended up using the back door all the time, as that had a lobby where we could leave coats etc.

The second had a porch so was a bit better. The first one was rented; the second I owned, and I didn't have any issues selling it at all. It's very common in old terraces - the hallway is often knocked out to give a larger living area which is generally seen as desirable.

Our house doesn't have a hallway. In fact most small victorian houses don't - the 2 up, 2 down types like ours. Plenty of people cope with no hallway.

The stairs as you describe would put me off though.

It would put me off and my house is tiny with only a small hallway, but it's still a hallway so somewhere to put the pram/shoes/etc. Can you post a layout as I'm struggling to see how the stairs work!

They do have a shed for bits and bobs, and obviously a porch for shoes and coats - but you're all right it is a tiny bit odd and I've never lived without a hallway so think I'd find it weird!

ArchNotImpudent I would think it is common on terraces, as hallways can be seen as a waste of space - however this is a detached house and think it wouldn't be see as common in other houses like it e.g. i don't think any of the other houses on the road have a similar layout

Thanks for all replies - I think this answers my question!!

I lived in a flat where the hallway was much bigger than the kitchen and sort of wrapped round it. I should have removed the kitchen wall and walked straight into a large kitchen-dining room.

Having said that, I lived there alone. I'm not sure odd layouts work for families.

No.

I've lived in two houses with no hall or porch. One you stepped off the street into what the estate agents called a vestible - just a tiny area partitioned off with no room for coats. Then all of downstairs was one room, with open plan stairs going up - no kitchen door or understairs cupboard.
The second, you stepped off the drive straight into the sitting room. Stairs went up on your right, through an arch to the dining room, doors to bathroom on right, kitchen on left.

It wasn't ideal in either case, but the house prices reflected the layouts, and it wasn't too much of a pain to live in

Houses I have known where the front door opens into the lounge have been 2up 2 down format.

The stairs then come off the 2nd reception room BUT almost always they have a door on them. P

My first house was a 2 up 2 down, a small porch leading straight into the living room. It's manageable, but it's one of those things where you don't realise how undesirable it is until you've lived in one. I don't think many people would set out deliberately wanting that layout.

I've never ever bought a house like that since. The 3 houses I've lived in since then have all had a proper hallway where you can access almost every downstairs room off the hall.

Having to walk through the kitchen to access any other room would be a complete no for me.

I would hate to live in a house with no hallway, but that's personal choice. Plenty of people do it! Our old house had such a tiny hallway you couldn't have the front door fully open and get around it. A porch would probably serve the same purpose, however I do like stairs to be separate ie not in a room.
I agree with all the pp's re the stairs in the kitchen, I wouldn't be happy with that.

Here's a badly drawn and totally not to scale pic!

How big is the dining room? Could you put a hallway in that goes from porch to bottom of stairs solving both problems?

BreatheDeep around 4m x 2m so would lose alot of space. As a side note, we probably don't need a dining room now so could change the use of that room but not sure adding a hallway and losing so much space would be worth it...?

Whilst I wouldn't choose it, at least the living room is still separate and it looks like you don't really have to go through the kitchen to get to it.
Is there an upstairs hallway? We had friends who had stairs from the kitchen without a problem, and round here walking straight into living room is very common; often bathrooms are an extension upstairs through back bedroom (which I'd consider worse).

If it's lovely, well-priced and gives you space you couldn't otherwise afford I wouldn't write it off...

Could the dining room wall move to the other side of the stairs (i.e smaller size kitchen) to avoid the smell potential issue? I think that layout (as drawn) would be OK provided you could put hooks/shoe racks either in porch or down the LHS of the dining room wall. Something neat and tidy obvs so it doesn't muck up the dining room.

Thanks BreezyThursday The living room is definitely separate, I guess it's the flooring that makes it feel like you're in the kitchen before you're in the living room!

There is an upstairs hallway yes, upstairs layout is not a problem at all. I think rather than the stairs being in the kitchen issue, it's having to walk through a room to get to the rest of the house which is putting me off!

Hmm, I do find walking into the dining room a bit werid but i'm not sure why. It just seems weirder than walking into a living room for some reason! The stairs aren't as bad as I thought though. I think I would add a hall straight through to the kitchen and have the living room one one side and the dining room on another, but that might be too much work.