Downstairs layout stress

[DJDawn83]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I disagree over whether to block a doorway leading from the kitchen to a front reception room (study). The study already has one point of entry from front hallway and this second door would be out of back of room into brand new kitchen.

If we block the door up it would be a separate room entirely which wife says could be classed as a downstairs bedroom.

My point is that keeping second door leading into kitchen would also give more convenient access to new downstairs toilet and shower room which we are getting put in just off side of kitchen.

The kitchen is open plan on other side leading round to a diner and living room so in effect we would be able to circulate around entire downstairs floor space in a circle if we keep this second door in study.

If we block it off, to get to downstairs toilet from study would be a longer walk back in opposite direction.
What do people think? Would blocking doorway be a wise move so our study is a quiet separate room? Or would keeping door through directly into kitchen /downstairs corridor be a more practical use of space? My wife says it would feel like a glorified corridor but I disagree. I think being able to walk right round house in a circulating fashion is handy.

As you can see, fact I'm writing this at 3.45 am shows you how stressed I am about making decision about doorway. Plasterers are in this week so need to decide asap!

Attached are some photos of how it would look with doorway unblocked

Snapshots of what it would look like with door unblocked

Another photo

I would keep the door, I think. Does it also give you another exit from the kitchen in case of fire?

After seeing the photos, yes definitely keep it. It looks fine. Nice to be connected to the kitchen as the hub of the home.

I am with your wife - sorry!

I think if you have open plan that is one thing but a door doesn't add much and can subtract a lot.

So if the room has no door then you have another wall to place furniture against etc.

Also you have a separate space for when your kids are teens and you want them and you to be in 2 different spaces - especially if they have friends over.

Unless your house is massive, how hard could it be to go out a door, down a corridor and into the downstairs loo?

I like the idea of a separate room and don't see the benefit of a door - I think you might end up with a sofa or table against it anyway.

Also don't stress so much (I know easy to say - we did a major renovation just this year and I was so stressed about all the decisions) but if you block off the wall and regret it in a few years time you can easily recreate the door again - and vice versa.

Here is Birdseye view of downstairs floor plan.

Doorway I'm referring to is second door leading out of study (room at front right of house to left of garage) into kitchen. Note where our downstairs toilet and showe room is located just to right of kitchen. My point is we would be able to get to / from there quickly if we keep doorway unblocked

Noticed a typing mistake earlier. Didn't mean to say study leads into a corridor - I meant to say leads into a kitchen (which has downstairs loo next to it). The word corridor was on my mind as wife says study would be like a glorified corridor

But if you have teens or guests using the room, they don't want to have to traipse through the living area in order to go to the loo.
Either way though, it is just a door...

I'd block the door. I live in a house that you can run round in a circle. We had another room added which only had a door off the hall. It is nice to have a separate room. Privacy , less noise etc. Every room before felt part of another do no quite place to work, watch a different tv channel etc
In the kitchen you could have a couple of bucket chairs or such like to have a cuppa. The kitchen will be a family area. The filled door would give you more options in both rooms.
The route to the loo doesn't matter

We live in a 3 bed semi detached house by the way. Would turning that front room into a sealed off separate study / 4th bedroom add value? We're not intending on moving as we've only just moved in. We don't have 1 child yet let alone 3! We're both teachers hence need for study. I want to still feel part of hub of house hence why I'd like to be connected to kitchen still. I could also envisage using the study as s child's playroom so being able to keep an eye on them whilst being in kitchen appeals

Hmm, I'd was with your wife till I saw the groundplan, but now I'm not convinced. How far down the planning route are you? Did you do the plans or have you got an architect? Reason I'm among is because the groundplan looks like it need some serious thought put into how the downstairs space would actually function. So as it stands you come inthrough the front door and have the store ahead of you but to access the rest of the house you have to travel through either of two rooms to the right or left of the immediate hallway? Would it not be better to have a radical change of layout and divide the current study into two spaces to create an entrance hall on the left side and put your downstairs loo and shower on the right hand wall against the garage wall and then have a loevky study at the back of the house that faced out over the garden? You could use the hall to access the open plan kitchen through the door hat your talking about blocking up, create a more open environment to walk into the house, big mirror and sideboard, loo off the hall, and easily accessible then from everywhere... more structural work probably but makes sense in my head!!

Minnowbear, that's what my Mam said. If we were working on study and wanted to nip to loo or pop into kitchen to make a cuppa it would take about 5-6 steps but if sealed door up you would have to go all way back through hallway, through living room and then into kitchen and into toilet area which would take about 25-30 steps. I'm a PE teacher so not averse to steps but like the shorter convenient route myself!

Alias, we're seven weeks into a major single storey extension across back of house which is providing us with open plan kitchen diner and utility room behind garage etc. So your plan is out of the question I'm afraid!

Back of house

I think you need the door. Yes the study IS a coridoor, you need to get to the kitchen somehow, so either the study is a coridoor or the living room is! I think it makes more sense to walk through the study to/from the front door / upstairs than the living room. In my current house the living room is a coridoor and I hate it! I don't think that it is really a viable 4th bedroom. Study/occasional guest room yes, sealed off permanent bedroom , no.

Sorry, didn't really need to post those pictures as nothing to do with subject of my original post. My concern is that the only way we would be able entire rear part of house would be through one door (glass panel one in hallway leading into living room). You can just see it on right hand edge of this photo. I'm proposing we keep doorway in middle of this photo open as we can then enter study that way and it's an alternative way to get to our front door or hallway stairs from back of house. Door on left of this screenshot is door that leads into utility room / toilet / shower

Joinourclub, I share your opinion. But as you can see on the thread, others don't so it's a huge dilema which is causing a lot of worry as it's a decision we'll have to live with for a very long time.

Silverdream, I agree having a quiet room with less noise would be nice which is why I would 'close' the study door in such a situation. Being able to then 'open' it for quick and easy access to kitchen / entire rear of the house would be welcome flexibility IMO

So far, I've counted two people in favour of keeping the study door and two people in favour of blocking it up. This is why I'm stressed haha 😂

Could you temporarily block the door you are considering closing off and live with it for a few days to see how it effects you use of the room/space? Then you would know if you should close it off for good.

I would definitely just have one door. It is correct that a study that size with two doors is basically a glorified corridor. I've lived with a so-called "study" like that and it's really useless as either because it's too much like a corridor to be a good study for concentrating on work and too crowded with furniture etc to be an easy corridor.

User 1471, its funny you should say that as that's exactly what's happened. Builders blocked it on Thursday and this weekend I've had a change of heart after feeling frustrated / restricted in my movement around ground floor. I would need to tell builders to unblock it again either this morning or tomorrow morning as plasterers begin their work today. I think they are working on utility area first but very soon they'll be onto the kitchen bit

I think I'd have the door. It's not an ideal layout (just like my house) but I think having a door would offer more flexibility. Maybe use a heavier weight door than help with reducing noise ... or maybe a glass one to help with light... 🤔

Perhaps you could embrace the idea of the study being the corridor and design it accordingly.

We have a family room off our living room with no other access - it's ok but definitely not great. I think a kitchen off a living room is even less desirable.

Either option is ok though.