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

The study is basically the front hallway.

I could convert the front half of the garage to a study (is that the garage in front of the car in the birds eye view?) and make the study the hallway with a shed load of storage.

I also thought you should close it until I saw the full plan.

Seeing the floorplan I would keep the second doorway. Can you create a study elsewhere and use the room as a central hallway instead?

Seeing the floorplan I would keep the second doorway. Can you create a study elsewhere and use the room as a central hallway instead?

I would take your plans and photos into a local estate agent and ask them for an opinion , this is what I often do in such a situation , they know local market needs and trends and will advise you accordingly

Personally I would like both doors for the easy access to the loo but realistically how many times do you need to visit the loo during a work session in the office ? Are you in there for more than 3 hours or so any one time ? And wouldn't a little walk help clear the brain - another thought would be cooking smells infiltrating the office space or too much distraction with the kitchen being easy to access .

Value of the house would probably increase by getting rid of the doorway making it more versatile

You have no hallway, so something has to double as the hallway to access the back of the house. I would definitely prefer the study to be the hallway instead of the living room (ie two doors in the study), unless you need to work in the evening a lot?

I can't see a room in that location with no window ever being taken seriously as a bedroom regardless of how creative your estate agent is.

After seeing the floor plan I would say keep the door. It seems an awfully long way to go just to get a cuppa

You Fridge is very far away from your main kitchen prep zone - there's so much more you could do with this space - regardless of the door !
IMHO !
You could benefit from professional help to design this space as this is a large investment !

What about pocket doors for the study to make it more corridor like for when it's being used as a corridor - ?? It might look neater

Looking at the layout either your lounge acts as the corridor or your study does. So while I agree with your wife's opinion maybe you embrace it and make it work as both. And give up on the idea of it being a future playroom! Maybe a place to chuck the toys at the end of the day if you have the energy, but your dc will want to be where you are and will bring all their stuff out with them.

The thing is if you have a door then into the kitchen then the chances of it becoming a playroom are greatly increased. If you don't have a door no child will stay in it!

I'd keep the door if only because from your floor plan it looks like there is no other way into the kitchen.

It will drive you mad not having the door!! You will definitely use it as a corridor to get to the kitchen as it is the most direct route. The only thing I would say is that if the room will ever be used as a guest bedroom or 4th bedroom, then you should seriously consider extending the utility/wc further into the garage now, so it could easily be accessed directly from the bedroom as a jack and jill ensuite in the future (guests will not want to have to nip past you in the kitchen in the morning to go to the loo!) If the room does become a bedroom (or to sell you want to make it look like one) it will then be easy enough to block up door to kitchen and put in door to WC.

I think you need to create a hall. Your OP is unintentionally misleading. The issue with the study door is not needing the loo when using the study, it's being unable to access the kitchen from the front door without walking through the living room. I used to live in a house like this and hated it. (It was a rental, would be a deal breaker for a purchase) I would definitely keep the door as a minimum and ideally knock the study into the hall to make a spacious hallway, maybe wit built in storage. I would move the study to the utility room, which looks enormous.

I was all for blocking up the door till I saw the floor plan.

I agree that the study is effectively the hall and agree too with the suggestion of pocket doors. So I'd make it the hall and you can still have a desk in there.

Whilst you don't have kids right now you may grow to regret a big free ranging space. I'd suggest you have some doors that can be fully opened or closed between your sitting room and the dining area of your kitchen.

Think through and visualise some scenarios. Eg you're having 10 people round for Christmas dinner. So what happens after they ring the door bell? Where will they put their coats? Shoes? Dump their stuff?

I'd turn your smallest bedroom into a study.

Keep the door, it's useful.

Agree with Houzz. I am not sure the whole flow works at all. I don't think it would need lots of rework but it would benefit from a professional having a look before you fit the kitchen.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I would definitely like to keep the doorway open, but need to discuss it again with my wife.

The kitchen has been designed by Howdens. I might get back in touch with the designer to try and get the fridge down in bottom end of kitchen near sink and oven.

I take on board people's comments about creating a new hallway but we just can't afford to do all that. I personally want to keep small space in the garage too so that we can store wheely bins, garden tools, lawnmower etc in there.

I'm sure whatever we end up with will look lovely, and will be a vast improvement from what it was like when we bought it.

David

Howden's design at minute.

As you can see, we have had a plan with door filled in and the whole wall being filled with tall cabinets and the fridge under the slope of the stairs.

More of the kitchen design. It's yet it to be fitted yet (due next week)

I also asked for one picture of what it would look like with a door back in place leading to/from the study / front reception room. This is what I would prefer, but again, I would need to speak to Howden's designer to see if we can get fridge somehow moved nearer to sink and oven down bottom end of kitchen

Hope all this makes sense

Oh, just in case anyone is critical of the potential kitchen design, the Howden's designer was only putting in place what we asked her to do, and not vice versa. I have just spoken to her on phone and asked to see if fridge could be moved to the pillar next to the oven, but it would mean moving pan drawers to the breakfast bar. A tall tower would replace the space vacated by the fridge

Did you choose the dishwasher position too ? As it's a trip hazard between your hob and sink... pretty dangerous actually .

Am highlighting it - rather than actively critiquing/picking holes etc - purely for your safety !

I think I would resign this kitchen! It is a bit odd! You have to walk all the way round the island to get to a fridge freezer and you have virtually no work surfaces around the hob and sink area. There is a huge waste of space and the door does not help.

A tiny study or fourth bedroom is not that much of a bonus if there is no hall. I wouldn't buy this house with the layout you propose as it would be difficult to live in. Forget the study and work on the dining room table. Forget the study and get a hall - this is vital. I think you have to afford it! Keep it as a three bed semi - there are only two of you! Why worry about guests in a poky downstairs bedroom. Do you always have a houseful? If you don't, plan a house for your needs and one that is appealing and will sell. You seem to want everything on the ground floor. Maybe a bungalow would have suited you?

I'd say keep the door because you want the flow of walking easily through the house.

I'm planning a very similar extension! How did you do the drawings? We're really struggling with what to do with the 'old' kitchen but which I think is the equivalent of the room you're wondering about

The kitchen design is odd - you've lots of space but it doesn't look workable. Put the dishwasher the other side of the sink for starters. If you keep the door to the study then consider not having full height units either side of it as it will be tunnel like to access it.