Almost ready to join the extension thread but can you critique this layout for me first!

[bobkate]

I have been waiting and watching avidly lurking, gleaning tips along the way and am hoping my builder will not be a teamrick sort ( sorry teamrick ).
We are having a ground floor extension which I'm fairly okay with layout wise. That's sorted....it's the first floor extension which is niggling me.
We are in a typical 1930s detached with bathroom at the front, 2 doubles and a box room. We're pushing out over the top of the rear extension and the only way we can access this is through the box room.
We are also wanting to make sure we have scope to put a stair case into the loft in the future so we're hopeful that we can fit those into the box room space when we get another pot of money ( that's not likely to be any time soon but I can but hope ).

So photo one is as we are at the moment except the current windows are along the back wall not on the sides of the house. We're wanting to re use the windows in the extension ( they are quite new and trying to keep the budget on a tight leash ).

Photo 2 is how I think I can work the new master bedroom and en suite. The current box room window will have obscured glass put in so we can reuse that on the en suite side. We thought about re using it in the box room but that would leave not much usable space around it so we'll get a new smaller window for there.

Does that look like a usable/workable space for an en suite/large double? I was thinking that we don't really need a door to the en suite - just the opening. Is that a no no or okay? DH would be banished to the family bathroom for a poo, and my youngest would never be allowed in there either

We've had planning granted, but need construction drawings drawn up and I feel I need to have a definite plan before he comes to measure up on Wednesday.

On a side note, I had no idea how long and how complicated this would be and we haven't even started the build yet. We have never done any alteration work on anywhere we've lived so this is a bit straight in at the deep end for us really.

So any feedback would be gratefully received. Or if there's anything glaringly obvious that I've overlooked/got wrong please point that out!

Similar house but our rooms are slightly bigger and bed 3 is at front of house and bathroom at rear. Same issue though with accessing bed 4 in rear extension.

We actually moved the wall of bed 2 in by amount 80cm to create a little corridor, rather than putting the corridor through your box room (our bathroom). That way, we still have 4 proper bedrooms. Bed 2 is still 2.9m x 4+m so a good size.

In terms of your ensuite, I would absolutely have a door. I don't want steam coming into the bedroom, nor do I want my H to hear me having a wee!!

Is the bed in the bedroom to scale? If so, assuming each square is 50cm and that is a super-king bed, your wardrobes are only 30cm deep which is too slim. Pax are 60cm deep.

Draw to scale to make sure you have enough room for your bed, 2 bedside tables and enough wardrobe space to be a master.

100% put a door on the en-suite.

The most efficient use of space is to have your stairs up to the loft above your current stairs - if you can do that then maybe consider putting your ensuite in part of the box room with the box room door being the entrance to your 'master suite'.

If that doesn't work for you maybe still keep the box room door as the entrance but use the box room as a dressing room?

Whilst it wouldn't bother me not having a door - it might affect a future sale. I'd also take the en suite where the toilet is up to the opening of the bedroom door.

I think you need to be certain about where you can put stairs into the loft. Where are the roof timbers and where can you get headroom for a legal staircase that meets fire and building regs. That may be from the box room. You may not have room on the landing to put it above other stairs. So start with this staircase position or it could be a very expensive mistake if you use discs now you eventually need for the staircase.

I agree that the en suite should have a door.
It may not be great in winter if steam comes into the bedroom. Also make the width wider so it comes up to the door into the bedroom. The space you have left is useless in the bedroom.

Also don’t have wardrobes either side of the window. It isn’t a big window and it will compromise light. Have a wall of wardrobes on the door wall. Put the bed against the longer wall at right angles to the window. That frees up the window wall for a chest or seating.

Make the en suite bathroom walls straight and you could easily have a very large walk in shower. A shower with a window in it is not a good idea so I would change it round with the loo. You cannot keep a window free of water in a shower.

discs!!! Space....

@BubblesBuddy's idea for bed and wardrobe placement is a million times better

Brill - all good points...some of which were the things niggling me. Like the shower next to the window, etc,
Namechanged we really didn't want to move any walls upstairs as we're already pushing the budget with the amount of walls moving and going downstairs. So having to work with the layout as is.
With regards to the loft stairs I am going to ask the construction drawing man tomorrow so that we have a definite plan where they can go. As you say bubbles It would be a very expensive mistake if we didn't plan correctly now.
So door on en suite! Got that! I hadn't thought of the steam, and when I showed DH, he said it needs a door. How can I poo in peace with no door . I wondered if a pocket door ( sliding up the loo end ) would make more sense.
Does this look like a better solution. We can always use the box room as an overflow should we need to until we do get ourselves in the loft.

I am slightly worried about if there's enough gap for the window and if it would look really odd from outside to be so far over.... grrr
If the gap is 1500,, and the window is 1200mm - is 150mm either side of the window enough?

Oh, would this be any better or is this just a bit strange? So gap of 400mm either side of the window.

There may be building regs which dictate the space between windows and your end wall.

Both of you new options look good to me and I personally wouldn't be too worried about it looking odd from outside.

I like the second one you posted (not the third) - it will be awkward squeezing round the loo.

Pocket door woudl be great, or I woudl have a normal door opening into the bedroom I think.

I don't quite understand the window question/issue, probably being a bit dense. If its only an issue of outside aesthetics, you hardly ever look back inside at your house...

Yes, it was only outside aesthetics I was worried about...and also the gap issue. Will ask the drawing man tomorrow ( he's looking at what steels we need but should hopefully have an idea ).
I wish I was at the end of this process!! And I can only imagine this is just the tip of the iceberg

Our plans are very different but we have gone for even windows outside and worked around it indoors!
Our front windows are both the bigger ones and the rear ones are smaller but are even and flush with the bifolds.
This is the plans but we’ve made the above adjustments

Laughing at the thought that a TeamRick Builder becomes the new word for a cowboy one on Mumsnet! Ha ha

Like being Wendyed!

I hope you don't get a TeamRick one too Op! 😀

Can you not put the window on the other wall above the sink?

You might struggle to get enough width for a pocket door with your measurements (internal width of ensuite 1500mm,door width etc) - the walls are thicker to accommodate the door sliding inside the wall. Just have the door opening into the bedroom.

I also wouldn't rejig the layout to accommodate the 1200mm window - can you not have a smaller window?

I'm hopeful ours is not a 'TR" one - he's been blooming brilliant so far with everything.

Okay.... so I had originally wanted to save money on windows by re-using the box room room at the end of the house for the en suite. I think this isn't going to work. ( see option 1, first photo - window squished right to the side. )

So how about making the en suite just 3m x 1.5m and having a new little window on the side, then there's space next to the better spread out window in the bedroom for a dressing table.

The box room room? The box room window....

Where is the family bathroom? Does the ensuite really need a shower? We have a shower in our ensuite, but never use it, as our water pressure wouldn't cope with a second shower running simultaneously, which makes having more than one shower in the house a rather pointless waste of space.
I can't figure out the rest of the layout from what you've put on here, but it does look like you're reducing the usable living space upstairs.
We moved into a house with loft conversion already and then did our own downstairs extension, which makes the middle floor a bit odd, I'd definitely rework it if we were putting in a loft conversion now.
In the future, what do you picture going in the loft?

Still Family bathroom is at the front of the house. I didn't bother drawing the front part of the house on the original post plan.
The family bathroom only has a shower over the bath so yes, I am so having a standalone shower in the en suite. I can't wait for that! In total on this floor as it will stand after the extension...
Large double with bay at the front, family bathroom next to it at the front, decent double in the middle, then large master at the rear with en suite. Box room will be used as a study area until that time we move up in the loft. I reckon in the loft we could fit 2 small doubles and a shower room. Hoping that one day the 2 kids can go up there and that can be their floor.... with their mess.
Or it could be a very large master with en suite and we de camp up there.
Just added one more option! Chucking it all into the mix.

I'd go with your 14:01 option. If a proper pocket door isn't an option then you could go for a face mounted sliding door which wouldn't need any expensive wall adjustments. We have one of these on our kitchen and I think it would work well.

I reckon you'll find the straight walls option better to live with as it's more flexible.

A PP mentioned putting the bathroom window on the side wall (above where you've shown the sink); depending on the aspects of your house and whether your neigbours have extended this option combined with a glass door (sometimes open) could make your bedroom brighter as you'd get light from two angles.

What's the middle double going to end up like? Presumably it's losing a window?

Thanks statistically
I love that door. We have actually got planning permission for a window there. It's just the rear aspect. If we go with the 14.01 - that's where the end window is too squished to the side of the house. If we remove that window to just have one on the side then the rear of the house would only have one window and that seems too odd to me.

Next option - door at the end. Or we could do it as in my post 22.09 and use a lovely sliding door. It would help with the evening light that's for sure.

Thanks for the input so far....has really helped.

Join the middle double ( which is currently our room ) at the moment has the window looking out to the rear. The window is moving ( had the planning approved ) to face the side of the house, in the alcove next to the chimney breast.
The size isn't going to alter at all on that one. Just won't have such a nice outlook.

You could keep the window where it is and have obscure glass or shutters. Put the loo where you have the sink in the 14.01 drawing. The sink is not so deep as a loo. This makes space around the shower better and you need to fit in a radiator between the sink and the shower for warm towels.

To me, how a house looks from the outside is important and this keeps the windows balanced and is cheaper than adding a new window. The basin and the loo can be on the same wall. We have this layout in our downstairs cloakroom ( minus the shower but with a window by the loo) and it’s fine. My sink is long and narrow but it’s stylish. Deep sinks (back to front) are not necessary. You can also get fairly close couples loos if you need one (not too deep back to front). The shower room will feel more spacious with the sink in the middle. You should have enough room for a large showing space too.