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What would you do with this floor plan?

19 replies

MakeLemonade · 31/08/2018 16:20

We’ve recently moved, whole house needs renovating including a new kitchen. I’m up for moving walls around and opening up the space but I’m just not sure what to put where.

Any ideas?

What would you do with this floor plan?
OP posts:
JamMakingWannaBe · 31/08/2018 17:11

NOTHING! The layout looks fine to me! (I like to be able to close doors on separate rooms). That's a great space.

Did you want to keep your garage?
Do you have DC and if so, how many and their ages?
Would you like a separate dining room?
Do you have any hobbies? Sewing / yoga / music?
What do you feel is "missing?

Wendygoesfar · 31/08/2018 17:16

I would open up kitchen family room as the main living space, even straight out to the garden.. you could leave the doors to sitting area or close it up as a lounge. Works as it is too though!

MakeLemonade · 31/08/2018 17:25

We have two DCs (10 and 2) and another on the way. We won’t use garage as a garage so there is potential to use as gym/utility room etc. Definitely need to keep study where it is as we both regularly work from home.

I think the kitchen is too small in current layout, due to the bay window and side door, there isn’t enough space for all the units we need and I prefer a space where I can cook and watch the children which this wouldn’t offer me in current layout.

DH has an issue with kitchens at the front of a house but this doesn’t bother me so much although I’m not averse to the idea of shifting it towards the back of the house. The children could play nicely whilst I’m cooking dinner and keeping an eye? yeah right

Current kitchen could potentially become dining room with the kitchen/living space along back of the house but then I’d worry about cooking smells and lack of separate living room.

OP posts:
Cornishclio · 31/08/2018 17:32

I think the kitchen is too small so I would take down the wall between that and the family room. Block up side door to have better run of units and have French doors out to garden from back of house. You could make it a kitchen diner which is ideal with kids. Where do you eat at the moment?

fresh · 31/08/2018 17:32

I'd put the living room where the kitchen is, looks like there might be some sort of hatch between the kitchen and family room? Close that up, and make that room a grownups living room. Make the family room and sitting room into kitchen/dining/family space. Put a utility room in the garage, accessed directly from the new kitchen.

alc3254 · 31/08/2018 17:37

I would be tempted to swap the kitchen and family room but open plan the kitchen and sitting room. I might even add a door through to the garage for washing machine etc. Potentially even creating a utility/toilet in the garage. Back of garage could be another study/gym with very front of garage as a 'store'.

StatisticallyChallenged · 31/08/2018 17:38

I'd knock down the wall between the family room and the sitting room. Get rid of serving hatch and the direct door in to it and have the kitchen in the family room area - probably L shaped along the right hand wall and the wall between it and the current kitchen. I'd then have a dining table in the narrower bit of the sitting room, and a seating/living area in the left hand side of the sitting room. If you wanted to have the garage as a utility space then I'd just stop the long leg of the L before it gets to the back wall and have a door through to the garage/utility there.

Old kitchen I'd make in to a second sitting room - tv room/family room/toy free adult space as appropriate.

WhispersOfWickedness · 31/08/2018 17:40

Similar to fresh's idea, I would have the old kitchen as a more formal living room and move the kitchen to the back, would it cost a lot to locate it in the left hand corner of the sitting room area (other side of the wall to the study)? Then you should be able to fit dining table and a bit of a sitting area, but leave the family room as it is, joined with double doors and have that as an informal living room?

NapQueen · 31/08/2018 17:44

Id open living/family into a big kitchen diner with space for comfy seating. Front kitchen would then become an evening sitting room/snug. If you need an office, keep the study. If you have smaller dc create a play area in the new kitchen diner room and then keep the new front living room as a grown up space.

Newkitchenideas1 · 01/09/2018 10:12

I would open up the kitchen into family room for a kitchen diner and convert the garage into a playroom/second seating area to hide all the toys etc and keep everything else the same

Ylvamoon · 01/09/2018 10:21

I 'd have a kitchen - diner - family room, knocking the wall down between kitchen and family room.
I would also divide the garage in 2 parts: 1 for "outdoor storage" (bikes, lawnmower, ...) other utility room access through kitchen - diner.
We have done something similar and it works really well for us.

serbska · 01/09/2018 10:27

I’d knock kitchen into the family room to make a large duel aspect kitchen diner.

Have the lounge fully separate.

Chop the garage in half and have half for bike etc stiorage and the back half as a utility off the kitchen diner.

serbska · 01/09/2018 10:28

Actually changed my mind. I like @NapQueen idea better.

OftenHangry · 01/09/2018 14:45

I would open kitchen into the family room and got rid off the side door so you can fit all units. Remaining door into what is now a family room would be enough. Add french door into the garden and you got wonderful and really light family space

FrangipaniBlue · 01/09/2018 14:56

I would take both walks out between the kitchen/dining room and dining room/living room so that it's one big space, but I'd still keep the kitchen area where it is, dining table in the dining room but etc.

If money was no object I would also replace the whole rear wall with those sliding glass doors that open all the way and put decking outside with an extendable electric sun awning.

FrangipaniBlue · 01/09/2018 15:00

Basically one big room like I've outlined in blue with the folding glass doors where the green is

I also think I'd replace the side garage door with French doors into the gym !

What would you do with this floor plan?
PostNotInHaste · 01/09/2018 15:19

Current kitchen with side door blocked in to become sitting room, useful when children older., teens and open plan often don’t go well together. Knock family room plus sitting room together incorporating that bit of hall as per Frangipan’s diagram.

Kitchen in old family room end with door into garage split into storage at front, then utility room

MakeLemonade · 01/09/2018 21:44

Some excellent ideas here, thank you all for your input.

I think I’m leaning towards opening up the back and putting a grown up living space where the kitchen is that can potentially evolve into a space for my eldest DD to have pals over away from the little one.

Love the idea of taking away those walls and all the doors to create a new entrance to back rooms - there are so many doors in that little space between hall and living room and family room. Peculiar 1970s design with frosted glass doors in all of them. It’s delightful Grin Builder is coming around one night this week to take a look - from some amateur tapping they all sound like stud walls so fingers crossed they’ll be easy to get rid of.

OP posts:
Jonathan1972 · 05/09/2018 19:05

One option

What would you do with this floor plan?
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