Side Return - split level

[EffRam]

Hi,

We are in a Victorian mid-terrace and considering a side return onto kitchen. The issue is the back of the house is lower than the front - there are 8 steps down to the kitchen. Apart from that it's standard lay out - two reception rooms, down to kitchen. There is a utility and loo on back of the kitchen that we may also consider although they're very useful, and boiler is there too...!

Has anyone done an extension like this? We are imagining knocking through to join the dining room onto the new extended kitchen but can't visualise how it would work with the level difference. maybe stairs all the way across (taking out the wall in the hallway?). But would this then leave all of the downstairs very open plan... If we don't open out, the dining room will be very dark with only one high up window from the kitchen!

If anyone has done this, any idea of cost would be great (i'm bracing myself! We are in SE London).

Has anyone else on the street with the same kind of house had a side return extension? You can have a look at the plans on the council planning site and you could maybe ask them if they would let you have a look at the finished extension and layout?

Ooh, thanks @wowfudge will have a look at the council planning site. The street is actually wonky so houses at one end are all on one level and there are progressively more stairs down to the kitchen as you go along (we are near the steepest end!).