Advice on kitchen/diner please

[Thiscantreallybehappening]

We are planning on replacing our kitchen this year and we are in a real dilemma over whether to keep the kitchen separate or knock through to the dining room.

Downstairs we have a lounge, family room, separate dining room, kitchen (which is a good size and I have a table in there that can seat 6 people) we also have a utility room.

This is my dilemma - my DC and DH do not want to knock through and have one big kitchen diner. They like the separate dining room. DH probably more so because of the actual cost of knocking through and disruption. I think there are pros and cons to both.

If I keep the set up the same, I would not have a central island in the new kitchen with a breakfast bar coming off it, I would keep a stand alone table. My thinking is that if/when we sold the house it would give new house owners options to have the kitchen as the main eating area and use the dining room as a playroom/study etc. If we knock through I would have a central island with a breakfast bar, move and slightly extend the utility room and we would use the dining room daily (at the moment it is used couple of times a week). Now, as I am typing I am thinking this is a no brainer and we need to knock through.

BUT DC and DH say, when we are eating you've got all the mess from the kitchen there, food smells will be worse, noise from the kitchen, and they love the dining room. All my friends say knock through. I am so confused.

What do you all think and am I being really silly to even consider not knocking through?

Thank you

Hi MessySurfaces, yes, I totally agree with you - I am sure if we stayed here for the next decade or so new owners would want to rip out my kitchen but my dilemma is whether I knock through at this stage. At the moment we have a kitchen diner and 3 reception rooms, if I knock through we will have a kitchen diner and 2 reception rooms. In the future new owners might not want to use my existing dining room as a dining room but it might be useful for them to have the 3rd reception room for something else.

We are veering towards keeping the existing layout and really redesigning our existing kitchen/diner to make much more use of the space. DH and DC really don't want to knock through, they all love the dining room. I don't normally have a dilemma like this, other projects seem much more straightforward. If I make a mistake, there is no going back as we wouldn't be able to afford it, I think this is another reason I am struggling to make a final decision. This is before I have even looked at a kitchen cupboard/floor etc!!

Why not get an architect to have a look at it and brief out some ideas? A trained eye con often see things we cannot and it could be worth the investment .

Also- children tend to be against change, so possibly take their position with a pinch of salt.

TDHManchester - thank you that is a very good idea.

Messy - I agree, I thought it was very odd yesterday that my youngest DC was totally against us even changing the kitchen . It really does need doing and has done for a number of years. We have been sort of sticking it together and making do. I am finding it amazing that we are now actually going to be having a new kitchen.

Heh, that puts a nice spin on your username OP! You deserve that kitchen it open plan space for YOU and your family- whatever works. And actually, from everything you have said, either would work so you won't have mucked it up either way.

Messy - thank you. I need to stop dithering and just move on with the next stage, lots more decisions to make.

I hadn't clicked about the connection with my username.