Which layout? Please vote, I can't decide!

[Theknittinggorilla]

Please help - I need to decide on a layout and just get on with it...

Floor plan attached, narrowed down options below. In all cases the laundry room is going upstairs (washer/dryer/sink/iron etc). Also relevant we park at the back so come through the current utility most of the time.
We also have a large separate lounge.

1. Knock through kitchen and utility to make breakfast kitchen, keep dining room as second reception room. No boot room/utility
2. Knock through kitchen dining room for big kitchen diner, one separate reception room, decent boot room/utility
3. Swap kitchen and dining room, so decent kitchen, two reception rooms, boot room/utility

Dimensions are kitchen 4m by 4m, utility 4m by 2.4m, dining room and lounge 5m by 5m

Which would you do?

Forgot picture....

2 definately, I have a kitchen diner and it is so practical, and you still have a separate room which is important. You don't want to lose your utility room, and having it coming off the dining room would be annoying and you'd end up with washing on your table all the time!

I vote for 2 as well. What do you envisage doing with the utility room if laundry is going upstairs?

Given that you will have a laundry room elsewhere I would go with option 1 with a tweak and put a small porch on the back of the kitchen for wet or muddy shoes and coats. Your utility will be an underused room if you don't use it for washing.

Utility would be a boot room, so coat and shoe storage, bench for taking shoes off, some extra cupboards (for cleaning products,Hoover, mop etc), a big Belfast sink for muddy boots etc (we have 3 dc so there will be plenty of muddy belongings I'm sure) .

Good point that in option 3 the new dining room could end up being a bit of a through room. Would probably use it as family/play room rather than dining room as there would be a big table in the new kitchen

2 all the way!

I vote option 2 too

I think I'd go with 2 but use utility room as a study or playroom. I wouldn't need a 2.4 x 4m boot room if there's a utility room upstairs and an under stairs cupboard for storage.

2!

I was all set for option 2 but had an estate agent round who suggested option 1 or 3 as he thought that potential buyers would expect a second reception room at the price our house would go on the market (say £750k, in the north) which has made me rethink!

For those saying option 2, only having two rooms downstairs wouldn't put you off? We do have lots of space upstairs (6 beds across 2 floors). We are not selling by the way but obviously want to make a sound investment as well as getting the house to work for us.

You need some kind of coat / bag / boot room otherwise all that shit ends up dumped in the kitchen. Do option 2

It's a small house for 750 in the north! where abouts are you (out of interest). For that sort of money (my budget/midlands though) I would expect 2 proper reception rooms, large utility/boot room and a large kitchen diner. Can you post full floor plans? Is extending an option?

It's not a small house (3500 square feet) but is a typical Edwardian townhouse so has big reception rooms but small ish kitchen. Lounge and dining room are 5m by 5m each, has six large bedrooms.
We are in a very expensive spa town in Yorkshire....house prices are very high and we are in a very good location close to the town and in a popular period property. But I get your point!

Expensive Harrogate I assume? I would say to maximise value in that case get the kitchen/diner wow factor right. Then second reception. Then utility room. That would have been my priority when living in that area. The reasons to buy one of those (expensive) houses would have been external appearance then kitchen diner space. So basically I'm sticking with option 2...

I'd go option 2 unless you could steal a bit of the dining room and make that say 4m x 5m and the kitchen 5m x 4m and keep the utility.

I was all set for option 2, but if it is the sort of houses I'm thinking about in Harrogate then I'm not so sure. I think you'd lose a lot of character from the room by knocking through.

Option 2

Most families want a big flashy kitchen diner living space plus 1 other reception room. Which is what you'll have.

If you're not selling any time soon I'd do what you want. Option 2. Fashions change and what buyers want in a few years could be different.

No votes for option 3? I was wondering if that was a good compromise to keep the character but improve the kitchen?

This would be one of those projects where we'd set up all three in 3D to help you decide - on an investment this size - its a worthwhile thing to do - only a few hours design time - so not vastly expensive to do ! Often something else springs to mind too while we do it - so you could end up with another option you hadn't thought of !

That sounds very interesting one plan - I've been trying to find some software to do this but they are all quite clunky. Is this something you could do? If so could you dm me with cost?

1. Move wall between kitchen and utility for smaller boot room and bigger kitchen?

I get what you mean by losing character if knock between kitchen and dining room.

Could you extend kitchen to utility, making small boot room and wc, then change door position to allow knock through dividing doors to the dining room? Hopefully this will keep the character and the option of a second room while creating a more open flow? Although given the size of your kitchen I would be tempted to keep it separate.