Which floorplan please? A or B?

[Goingslowlymad123]

This is A

B

But I'd knock reception rooms 1 & 2 together and cleverly decorate / use mirrors to make it brighter. Then put folding doors into kitchen area? That way the whole space could be opened up. There are also some good LED daylight/window like wall lights you can get I think.

I'd also be tempted to widen reception room 2 into the corridor area and move the doorway into the shower room.

A, more open and nicer flow and will also help you sell in 5yrs while adding £ notes

A. With a conservatory off the kitchen if possible. The windowless room would put me right off regardless of the rest of the house

Yes, what about A but just extend a bit further out all the way across?

That way 1) no windowless room (I'd still have the angled skylights to get light to the kitchen area) 2) room for a sofa in the kitchen/diner room and 3) study/guest bedroom becomes larger.

Thanks so much for all the comments. I would like to keep B's kitchen/utility design, but think we will have to get rid of windowless, second reception as it could put buyers off.

Such a shame as we would love two reception rooms, plus kitchen/diner. Thing is though even if we do go for B, that corner of the kitchen (where second reception is planned for) will still be dark. I suppose it's better to have a dark corner in a large kitchen/diner that is full of light elsewhere, compared to a windowless room.

Converting the garage is not an option. We need the storage and I don't want to take rubbish through house to bins that are permanently out the front.

I can't get my head around having the utility where the second reception is. It doesn't seem to flow right with a front adults room backing onto the utility. Besides, we need the door from the utility into the garage for access. The utility room will probably be my favourite part of the house!

Arrgh. Want to get this design right...

A

I'd go B but;

Move the kitchen to the other end (left hand side) and use reception one as dining space with family living area in the space to the top right?

How about A with a small extra extension top right, shove the study bit up into that to leave a bit more space for utility & loo. I really like the design of utility and bathroom in B but not A.

I don't think utility in second reception woul feel weird, and while a door into the garage from house is useful, it could be from any room really. The windowless room inB cuts off the main living space from the kitchen diner, but that's the case whatever you use the windowless room for. I think using it as kitchen to get it open plan to big windows at the back is the best option.

A.

I'd rather have less done well than more with compromises.

I'm not sure a windowless room will put people off too much if it's clearly a playroom/tv room and you have a separate "nice" sitting room. And families with small DC would value a playroom where they can shut the door.

Two other ways to increase the light into the windowless area:

1. Glass double doors into the front room (esp since yours is S facing), will let light in. Reduces the available wall space for sofas/storage/Tv however

2. make your extension narrower so it doesn't cover the full width of the house and leaves space for a window into back reception. You have plenty of width so could afford to lose a bit, and you could make the extension bigger elsewhere to compensate if you wanted.

Yes, extending the guest room to a double and the utility room a bit in A.

There’s no reason it can’t be used as a playroom. I think it’s more flexible usage wise from guest room (particularly if accessibility is good for elderly/disabled), home office, treatment room if someone is a therapist working from home, play room etc

I'd go B all the way as A feels much smaller to me. I'd completely knock out the wall between reception 2 and the dining area so it's one large space for daily living. It won't matter that there's no window on the side as you'll get lots of natural light if the wall/bifolds aren't there.

I would go with B layout, but have kitchen units where Rec2 is and make the kitchen diner long instead of wide. Utility and wc can stay where they are and the space where the kitchen is (on your plan) becomes Rec2.

I like A best although I'd lose the door from the study to the toilet/shower room for privacy reasons. If you made it a little bit bigger you could get a sofa in the kitchen diner (like move the extension 1m further back) and the study would be a better size.

Is anyone kind enough to draw their proposals? I am struggling to visualise anything. Sorry, going insane.......

How about having your main reception room at the back and knock through the windowless room. Have the front sitting room for piano/guests. Have sliding doors between the kitchen and living space at the back, so you can chose when it is open plan or not.

pros and cons - I much prefer the utility in B, as I like a sink in utility
A has a guest room/study which would suit me more than second reception, which you couldn;t really use as a guest room. Is there a guest room somewhere else with B

second reception in Bshould make a good playroom/kids room, but it is out of sight of the kitchen somehow, so less likely to be used.

really don't liek windowless rooms, so the study in A is a mush more attractive space to me than reception room in B.

I think in balance the square kitchen in A is nicer than the L shaped in B

Is it single storey extension? If it is, how is the roof going to work?

Thanks so much for all these suggestions. Yes, single storey.

A without doubt. My Sil has a windowless room and it is a waste of space. It feels oppressive and claustrophobic. I think having a guest room/ study is a great idea.

A but without 2 doors on the bathroom.

Thanks so much for all the comments. I would like to keep B's kitchen/utility design, but think we will have to get rid of windowless, second reception as it could put buyers off.

It won't. Loads of people have this. As long as you have rooflights and wide French doors at the back of the extension, it'll be fine.

Rooms and layout a generic prospective family buyer would possibly want:

Kitchen /diner with sofa max glass looking out to garden.
Posh adult lounge.
Another separate room that could be playroom, office, TV room
Utility & loo.

Nicest way to achieve this is to have the kitchen /diner with sofa across the whole back with of house - all floor to ceiling glass looking onto garden. Utility and loo in darkest corner behind posh lounge and then separate playroom/office/TV room behind the garage so that there are windows to the side outside wall.

BUT - What rooms to YOU NEED & WANT....

Thing is I can't get my head around the utility backing onto the main lounge. Just doesn't flow right. Going to be up all night thinking about this floor plan!

Would it help to see the possible re-positioning of the utility/loo if you moved the dining section in plan B to the other end of the 'L' and put the kitchen where you have Breakfast/Dining marked out? That would definitely help with the flow and, seeing as you have coats/boots etc., in the inner hall, might work better with that too. You can still have a door to the garage, but just from the hall - ideally understairs but could have one on the wall between the front door and the stairs either?