Critique my extension plans please

[figgyroo]

We've had our first draft of plans for a proposed single storey side extension and I'm not sure on a couple of things.

I would really like to fit a sofa/TV in the kitchen as well as a small dining table (we have a separate dining room that can be used). Do you think the room will be too small for this? I'd really like to fit an island in too as love the social space they give.

I also think the utility is too small. Not sure if there is a reason the store is set back from the house so much, but if not, I'm thinking about moving it forward a bit and stealing some of the space for the utility. Thoughts?

Anything else I'm missing? Would you choose vaulted or flat ceilings (with cut out for velux) for the extension?

Can't see the dimensions on your plan, but depending on the size, this sort of layout (excuse the scribble!) might work - no island, but a breakfast bar with the hob in it facing your dining area could possibly fit? Giving you that social cooking space. Could even build in seating at the window to give you more space...?

Yes @minipie it’d be so much easier if it was on the other wall

Thanks @hobbes39 I like that, I’ll try and plan it to size see if it’d work.

If you're north facing and you square it off will the dining room area get enough light? I'm not saying it won't, just pondering. If you go vaulted all the way across the back that might solve that issue. We didn't square off (also north facing) and had the resulting space decked. It almost never got the sun, except in high summer but it was nice to sit out occasionally there and we kept the BBQ there too. If we were doing it all again, of the many changes we would make we probably would square it off but it never caused us any probs.

We did a similar extension but didn't have the fireplace in that location so didn't have to worry about that. In terms of future resale everyone who saw it loved it (they may just have been being nice of course) and it sold at first viewing last year for full asking price. We kept a separate front room, as you could. We did have enough space for a sofa in the kitchen area but also had a full corner sofa in the bit that is currently your dining room.

I'd recommend Velux roof lights that open and as many roof lights as possible to maximise natural light.

What are the dimensions of the utility? Do you still have side access?

I'd stack the washer and dryer on wall opposite door and put an external door where the window is.

I would cut the worktop down by half along the longest wall and keep it at the utility end, then I would put a long island worktop infront of this. This would free up the whole back area near the doors and window, for a dining table near the window and I would put a sofa to the wall on the left near the doors so as you walk in the kitchen you will also have a nice clear view of the garden. I would definately go for vaulted if you can makes it feel a lot bigger. Good luck x

A bigger utility would be nice. I think you could probably fit a sofa in the kitchen diner if you keep the table small. What about having the kitchen units in the bottom half (as you look at the plan) and the dining table and sofa in the top half.

If you can't have windows at all down the RHS I think you need to carefully consider light. Could you potentially have a window / doors in the left hand wall of the kitchen bit (where it sticks out beyond the dining room) to bring in some additional light?

Thanks everyone, I’m really undecided and driving my other half mad.

Option 1 is not extend to the side but fill in the space to the rear of the dining room on the plan, put the utility where the kitchen is now, and have the kitchen leading through to dining, through to living. Advantage is it’d leave the side free and fill in an unused space and probably be the cheapest option and give a bigger utility. Disadvantage is not ideal walking through a utility to a kitchen, not sure the kitchen would be big enough and no room for the island I’ve imagined.

Option 2 is go with the plans but move the garage forward to increase the size of the utility. Try and see if we can squeeze a kitchen with island in the bottom half and small sofa and table in top half. Not sure room is really big enough plus we still have a dead space next to the existing kitchen extension.

Option 3 is to as per option 2 but also square the house off. That’d make a huge open plan kitchen dining, leading to a lounge. My other half thinks that it’s too big and we don’t need the space (we’re a couple who have been trying for a child but not having any luck and running out of time) so it may just stay as us two. I’m worried that it’d cost a fortune, and still be a 3 bed house with a small garden at the end of the day, albeit with a really big downstairs.

I’m going round in circles....

Ps the kitchen on the plans would be 5894mm x 4776mm.

What about this for option 1, similar to what we have. We blocked off the kitchen door and made a small utility. We have units down the RHS with an island, dining table in the squared off part and a sofa / seating area where the dining room is now. Depends how you think you'd use the space & what your priorities are.

Should have said the orange bit is a pocket door - means we have maximum flexibility for utility. Obviously none of it is to scale!

Thanks for the ideas everyone. We've asked for updated plans to include squaring off the house, and thus incorporating the back room - see attached.

I think I'm going to ask for the utility to be increased to 1600mm wide so that we can have a run of units down one side. Would we be able to put the washing machine and dryer on the long wall if so i.e. on the dividing wall with the kitchen?

What do you think of the plans? Anything we're missing or you'd recommend changing? I am planning a kitchen island but that isn't on the plans.

Thanks

Looks great. Just one question - why do you want a door from the garden store into the utility?

To answer your question, you can have a washing machine on an internal wall and a dryer, but the plumbing for the washing machine is trickier and may take up space behind the washing machine. You'd probably need a condenser dryer.

We are thinking of keeping the bins in the garden store as they’ll take up valuable space in the small back garden, and whilst there’ll be enough room down the side for bin access, there won’t be room to store them there and get to them.

Definitely wouldn't want a door from garden store then into utility - thinking smells etc. Block up that doorway and you'll get max storage in utility. Take rubbish out through front door.

That’s a good point, thanks. Suppose it depends what sort of doors/how easy it’ll be to get into the garden store as don’t want it to be a faff getting to the bins.

A bit irrelevant but you need to make sure the kitchen and dining room internal doors are hung the opposite way to what is on the plan. Imo there is nothing worse than a door that you have to walk around to enter a room because it doesn’t open backwards against a wall

All of the doors in the house open into the room rather than against the wall at the moment, must have been a 1930s thing as they are all the original doors.