I've got my extension plans! Comments anyone?

[HTK]

Having a 5.5m rear extension and got the final plans back today. I would love any thoughts anyone has! NCed as have shared with friends also x

Looks really really good! I like the flow and the downstairs loo, utility etc. IMO it is good to keep the front sitting room total separate as you plan and not to put in doors between that and the play room.

The extension will make the playroom a but dark but that is the price you pay with back extensions - hopefully the roof lights you've got on the plan will be enough to help the playroom out a bit,.

Looks fantastic and sensible. My froends kitchen is the exact layout as your new one. It's lovely and the counter is great!

I agree that the play room will be dark. Is there another house next to it?

Thanks guys! Yes it shares a wall with next door. We've put in a glazed panel on the wall so hopefully some light will come in from hall. Going to make it super cosy and play up the darkness, have cosy seating area etc.

Sorry, I mean on the side where the window of the play room is?

But of course going all dark and cosy will be really nice.

Yes the play room will be very dark, and you'll have a lot of corridor to walk through to get to the main space.
Better to reconfigure the space closer to the centre of the house, we basically knocked down everything behind the stairs and built your extension in the existing space but slightly longer. Basically in your play room and existing kitchen area plus a couple of more metres.
Makes the space feel much better and usable even though it's less square metres.

I like it a lot but the playroom could be an issue depending on the age of your children - if you had people over for dinner, say, would you have to completely tidy the playroom or have the kids' clutter all on display? It might make more sense to have the front room as a family room with TV, place for homework etc, and the middle as a sitting room for guests, open tot he kitchen to avoid the issue of it being dark.

There are some bifold doors that we can use to separate the playroom from the rest.... day to day they'd be open but if we wanted to we could shut any mess off.

Is there a door from the playroom to the corridor (and the loo) or just the window? I think a door into the hallway could be a good idea. Otherwise it looks good. With good lighting design the lack of daylight in the playroom won't really be a problem. I have led strip up lights which give a very natural light to the room.

I would disagree with a door into the hall from the playroom, there are too many doors there, there's the loo, the laundry, the kitchen.

I agree that I'd put a door into the hall from the playroom - could make it a glazed door so that you'd get some light coming in from the hall. I'd envisage having people over for lunch, adults congregating in the big open plan space at the back and children running between bedrooms and playroom, or playroom and lounge. They'd be running in and out of the playroom, through the kitchen and back through the hall to get to the lounge /up and down the stairs.

Yes - put a door off the hall to the playroom. Too many doors off the hall? It a hall, that's what they are like! Plus the door to the laundry is off the kitchen rather than the hall.

I love it. In terms of resale, I would definitely be happy with a home like this. I would love that the play room could become extra seating space when the children are older. Love it!

Hi - because kitchens often come with loads of fancy lights that can be left on all day - we often design them into the darker spaces that extensions can create - so in this case the playroom might work as a kitchen - providing you can get water too and from it ?! Freeing up the extension as a big family space perhaps ?!

Thanks so much for comments.... could put a door in on playroom, interesting, although had envisaged a corner sofa. Def don't want the kitchen there, want the kids toys tucked away..... just going to play up the dark/cosines I think. It's really exciting!

I'd make the window to the hall in the playroom opaque glass pocket doors, you don't have to have them open but useful if the doorbell rings when you're in there otherwise it'd be a hike to the front door, in fact I'd have both those walls as opaque pocket doors

Consider the lighting & the decor in the playroom. We have an internal family room like that with glazed doors into the large garden room and when we moved in it was unbearably gloomy despite adjoining a very bright light filled room.
We put in a better centre light, and led strip lights in the alcove shelves to backlight those spaces as well as having an up lighter in the corner.
We then went for a clean unfussy white & hints of red colour scheme which was brighter than the creamy yellow original decor. Its a much nicer space now.

Also I'd move the kitchen door back to the dotted beam line and have it opening outwards from the kitchen and have a proper door on the laundry, it'll make the hall seem more spacious and that laundry area seem less fussy imo