Kitchen extension or loft conversion?

[Sallycinnamum]

For the past nine months or so, we have been planning a small kitchen extension (3m x 3m) that will basically be an extra seating area and will look out onto our garden (we aren't moving the kitchen).

I was just about to contact an architect to draw up the plans when DH suggested we think about converting the loft into an office/spare bedroom instead.

To do this we would need to borrow a bit more money but it is still perfectly affordable as we have a relatively small mortgage. DS currently has the boxroom and the plan is that he will move into the loft when he's older (at least another 3 years).

DH is really against us borrowing money to do both the loft and kitchen as he feels we will be over extending ourselves but I'm in a total pickle as what we should extend first.

Both DH and I work from home four days a week between us and having an office instead of sitting at the kitchen table would be a massive bonus plus MIL stays fairly often and currently we give up our bed and camp out in the lounge.

So wise Mnetters, what would you do?

I’m no help but I would do both because once there is builders in the house it’s better and cheaper to get everything done at once.

The kitchen extension won't be too invasive as it's being tacked onto our existing kitchen but I get your point.

The kitchen extension is probably worth more to a potential buyer if you ever decide to sell.

We will do the kitchen at some point and we have no plans to move in the next 10 years. It's what will be more useful in the short term.

I would think about what you will get from each thing. It sounds to me like:

Kitchen extension - nice, gives a bit more space
Loft - gives an extra bedroom for visitors (no need to give up your bed any more), and gives somewhere to work from home.

It's a no brainer to me!

No contest: the loft. It will improve your life much more than having a slightly larger kitchen. But if you can possibly afford it, I'd get both done at once - cheaper, and all the mess done with at the same time.

I'm not too sure. I'd probably go for the loft but they're usually not that cost effective. In 3 years time you may have another child and want more space or need to move house. Making little alterations might not be worth it.

There will definitel be no more children and we plan to stay in our current house for at least another 15 yrs unless we get new nightmare neighbours (next door is up for sale!)

Thanks for all your comments. It's giving me food for thought.

Did you watch Kirsty and Phils Love it or List it last week? They were going to do a loft conversion but Kirsty suggested an extension instead. It made real sense, although I didn’t agree with her positioning of the furniture!

I think this depends a lot on your financial circumstances. It depends on the ratio of your disposable income to your mortgage. If you have a lot of money spare each month, and this is likely to continue, then you could think about borrowing slightly more than if you are stretched. You want to keep a comfortable margin of money so you aren't just unable to do anything because every penny goes into the house.

At a guess, it sounds as though an office might work better than a kitchen for you. Not least because your kitchen will feel more spacious if you're not also working there.

Usually I would say to go with the extra downstairs living space but in your circumstances I’d make the loft a priority. It will be much nicer to keep your workspace up there and have it away from your kitchen. Also your son will definitely need a bigger room eventually so you may as well do it now.
However if at all financially possible I’d do both at once, it takes so long to find a reliable builder and wait for them to become available, once they are ‘on-site’ at your property it is much easier to get them to do everything at once. If you’re planning on staying at this house for many years you will benefit from the extra space every day.

I'll definitely look into doing both. It might be we just do a basic loft conversion and add an en suite at a later date. Our builder is coming round on Friday so he might be able to suggest a way of saving money.

Could you build a slightly bigger extension that would fit an office?

No we"re limited to 3m X 3m although we could put a desk in there.

I think the main issue is that we want to do both so what cones first?! I know it's a totally first world issue!

Whatever you choose to do first, submit plans for both at the same time. Then when you have the cash for phase two you can just get on with it rather than having to go through planning again.

I’d go for loft conversion first in your circumstances. Gives MIL a bedroom to stay in and a proper space for you to work from home.

If you do the extension later, you may decide to redo the kitchen at the same time. It will give you more options for the layout of the kitchen if you do together.

Your son doesn't need a bigger bedroom and extending for a guest room rarely adds up. Say £45k for 15 years worth of guest room, assume MIL stays 10 times a year. That's £3k plus mortgage interest p.a. so what, 4.5k pa? Or £450 per MIL visit. You could get a very nice hotel for that. And once DS moves upstairs you'll be down to the boxroom doing for both office and guest room. Is that viable or would you effectively lose the guest bed, and end up giving her your bed again and sleeping in the lounge?

That said the loft extension does sound like a good idea. Kitchens do sell houses but an extra bedroom to make a 3 or 4 bed house sounds like quite a sound plan. Just think carefully about how it would work when DS moves up or as your guests get older and frailer.

Will you loose the box room to make space for staircase to loft space?

If this new space is to be office temporarily - where will the office go after your DS moves up there?

If you add and ensuite - would it be better then as the master?

Could you do a garden office? (put the MIL in there when she visits!)

Great idea to get one integrated plan drawn up and submitted for both at the same time - also plumbing for loft might impact on new kitecg extension.

Sounds like you'd use the kitchen extension every day, but it is worth thinking about how much your kitchen area could be improved by the loft extension. As PPs have said, you'd get rid of all the work clutter from the kitchen so it might 'feel' more spacious anyway.

Also, get lots of loft companies round and pitch you ideas about what you could do up there. I live in a very average and ordinary semi but because of the shape of the roof we managed to get two double bedrooms and a bathroom up there. Has completely changed the rest of the house, and is so much nicer having people to stay now. If you could somehow squeeze in both an extra bedroom and a study, that might swing it for you? So have a small office AND a spare room/study up there. Then you could either hang onto the small office when DS moves up there or he could have it for school work when he's older and you have an office/spare room in his old room. Just a thought really, you never know what they might be able to fit in. But regardless, I'd go for the loft probably.

Also, I think the loft will be less invasive, if anything, than the kitchen extension. They do it all 'from outside' to begin with and then break through last minute. There was only a day or two when there was any dust or mess.

No luckily we won't lose a room because the stairs will go where my laundry cupboard is at the moment.

The boxroom is tiny though and while DS is happy in his cabin bed, I can't see him wanting to sleep in it when he's a teen!

I thought I'd made a decision to go with the loft last night but the sun is steaming into our kitchen this morning and I thought how nice it would be to be able to extend it and put a sofa in it.

The other thing is, although MIL and my parents are in good health at the moment, there might come a time when they'd need to stay with us if they were poorly which is adding weight to the loft idea.

I like the idea of having a separate office up there too. Bloody DH's work stuff on the kitchen table drives me round the bend!

Poorly parents might not be able to climb 2 flights of stairs though. We are going for kitchen extension as we figured we could put a sofa bed in the front room for guests , and the new kitchen will be big enough to not to need to use the living room when there are guests sleeping in it! i think the need for office space does complicate matters. Is there space for a desk in the living room, or where the laundry cupboard is?

I recently worked with a professional who offers simple loft conversion London service, and I’m sure that availing this kind of work is way more affordable than doing an extension. Also, it allows you to maximise the space your house already have. You can search online for different loft conversion ideas and suggestions so you can come up with excellent plans for your home. Hope this helps!

Also no help here as we did both at the same time a few years ago.

However, I'd consider getting a designer/architect in to get their views on maximising your space considering how you use your house. They might be able to think of things you haven't.