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!

In my house you have to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen. Loads of people don't like that kind of layout at all but it works really well for us, I've actually lived in three places with this kind of layout (two flats and my house now) so I must seek it out on some level. I really like it that if i'm cooking I can still keep an eye on DS if he's in the living room or keep an eye on what's on tv!

My point is, work out if your layout will work for you. Lots of things that other people don't like are actually useful to many people.

Houses with stairs in the kitchen don't pass fire regulations now. Even if that doesn't apply there as house already it may affect applying for a mortgage and you have to ask yourself is it a good idea to buy a house that may not be safe in a fire. I wouldn't buy out as the whole lay out will annoy you constantly. If it's cheap and your prepared to pay more money to improve it that's different. Put in a hall. Make rest of dining into small TV room / playroom / study depending on ages of dc. Stairs in hall

I'd try and put a hall in. I know a house a bit like that and it feels like the dining room is the hall - it's odd.

With children there's no way I'd have a house with no (or tiny) hallway - we discounted a couple last time we moved for this very reason. With 3 young children we need somewhere to put coats, dump coats/shoes etc. Before having children, I bought and sold 2 houses with no hallway - both had a small porch then straight into the lounge. They were lovely, but I wouldn't buy either of them now!

Also, as others have said, stairs out of the kitchen is a definite no!

Stairs out of the kitchen would do it for me. It wouldn't pass modern building regulations, because it is a seriously bad idea in terms of fire safety.

I've never had a house with a hall. 2 up 2 down terraces here. Enter bottom of the stairs, door through to living room and through there to kitchen. I dream of having a hall. I'd try and put one in your dining room. Even I find that layout odd.

The house I grew up in didn't have a hallway so it's completely normal to me. But it was a Victorian Terrace so pretty typical

In fact I've lived in 5 houses so far and 2 of them didn't have hallways.
4 of the 5 were/are terraced houses and the ones of those that did have hallways were such small ones that shoe racks/buggy storage etc is pretty much imposSible anyway

Our house doesn't. You walk into living room, stairs ahead to your left. Walk through to get to kitchen/diner.
Would have preferred a hall but for the price and location, this ticked more boxes than it missed so we compromised on the stairs. It's link detached but fairly compact and all the houses on the development are the same - I've only seen one for sale that blocked them in.

In your layout, my concern would be stairs into a high fire risk room (kitchen).

Is it the use of the front room as dining room that's odd? I can imagine that being a lesser used room so it becoming a walk through. Where as ours you walk into the living room so it instantly feels like the heart of the house.

I agree with a lot of the points raised. I also think if you're living in the British Isles, the climate is definitely does not lend itself to the front door is opening directly into a room. The energy efficiency will be pretty terribleand you would risk spending a fortune on heating costs. The stairs in the kitchen are a separate issue but equally will be unappealing. So why some people may be willing to overlook one inconvenient aspect, the potential buyer of this house would need to overlook both.

I wouldn't. My first house was a terrace and the front door opened into the living room. It took up a lot of space, meant we tracked dirt in and let heat out. Luckily we had a small porch/lobby off the back door and used that most often. I'd just had my DS and the front door straight in was a pain (wasn't enough room to bring the park through the galley kitchen). So that is another thing to consider depending on your circs.

I think walking into a dining room would be strange - don't know why but it would really put me off.

Also, from your drawing there doesn't seem to be a door to the back garden from the kitchen. You are going to have to carry rubbish bags through the conservatory/dining room to empty your bins. It could also mean children/pets are tracking dirt through different rooms when out in the garden.

I'd steer clear if it were me, but only you know if it will work for you/your family and if your heart is really set on it.

I think they have been very clever with the work they've done. It's not ideal not having a hall, but at least you have a porch. And far better to have the dining room rather than the lounge to be the corridor room. The stairs coming off kitchen isn't great but I'm assuming it's an old cottage so not much to be done.

Thanks for all your responses, we slept on it and come to the conclusion to not go for it. All points made were good ones, and I knew deep down as soon as I saw it that it was a bit odd to me!! It will definitely sell, and be right for someone else, but not for us!