Garage & kitchen conversions

[magicpeople]

Just wondering if anyone knows of any downsides to this idea.

I am planning to knock the wall down between my kitchen and dining room, and also into the garage through the utility room, and have a big kitchen (the full width of the house) and and the garage will be a snug/small sitting room.

It will be a big L-shaped open kitchen/living space.

In theory I think it some sounds perfect and have been planning it this way for years, but then a friend mentioned noise (ie cooking in kitchen, washing machine etc, or DS and friends in the snug playing the x box)

I still think it will be fine, and could always add doors through to the snug if it was a problem later on.

Does anyone have a living space like this? Does it work??

The idea is fine but actually living it is very different.

A large open family room/kitchen works well but you will still need a utility room for washing stuff and to keep the noise of laundry’s washing and drying.

Think about how you will use the area cooking, dishwasher, extractor fan,radio, TV, phone and gaming if all these are going on it will be very noisy.

I have lived in a house like this and for a couple it was lovely but when we had our adult children to stay it became quite chaotic.

I added a door onto my utility. It was originally just an archway through and the noise from the washing machine/tumble dryer plus extractor whilst cooking was too much for me.

So the archway was squared off and a door added which made a huge difference.

Could you attach a drawing of what your house is now and what you plan so people can suggest how you can use the space?

My children have a converted garage as a playroom but it isn't off the kitchen. Even with just 2 of them at 15 and 12 with headsets on playing online with their mates it is very noisy and good to be able to shut the door.

Photo attached (totally outing I know!)

I am thinking with the cooker, sink etc being far enough away from the snug, the collide noise won't bother anyone in the snug. It's the appliances which may be annoying as you've quite rightly mentioned. (Although our current dishwasher is so quiet I sometimes don't know it's on!)

Oh, the hob is on the wrong place on that drawing, it's going to be at the other side of the island, so I'd be facing the seating area when cooking.

I had my house reconfigured a few years ago to make a large kitchen dining and living space. Ideally I would have loved a separate utility but I just couldn’t work one into the space so the washer dryer is integrated into the kitchen. I must admit noise does bother me so I’ve got quite organised at filling the washing machine and dishwasher in the morning before work, I rarely put them in in the evening. It’s an absolutely stunning room and everyone who visits comments upon how nice it is. It’s lovely when the kids come home from school and watch tv in the living area and chat to me whilst I cook dinner in the kitchen. The only other drawback is that it doesn’t feel particularly cosy so on winter evenings I much prefer watching tv in the main living room, but that’s a minor criticism really. It looks from your drawing as though you could easily add a partition wall between the kitchen diner and living area in future if you wanted to.

Is the garage as well insulated (floor, ceiling and walls) as the rest of the ground floor? A friend has a garage conversion into a dining room and it's cold compared to her lounge

@PizzaPlanet that's true, I could always put doors or a partition wall in if it didn't work out. I just love this idea of a big open living space!
@didireallysaythat we're putting underfloor heating in the garage conversion bit & there's a bedroom above about 2/3 of it, I assumed builders/joiners would insulate it appropriately but that's a question I'll ask, thanks!

It's relatively simple to substitute plaster board for insulated plaster board which is only a bit thicker (our builder put it on the external walls of our lounge by default as you can't have too much insulation). If it's a flat roof above your garage you can cram lots of insulation in as long as you take care to avoid wiring.

Can you tell I hate being cold?

@didireallysaythat I was getting the impression 😂
I have made a note to add insulated plaster. Good advice, thank you!

We have a big kitchen / diner / family and then a separate sitting room. It works well and noise in the sitting room isn’t an issue (though there is a hallway between the rooms). I’m glad we have a separate utility though.

Oh I misunderstood, I thought you were calling your sitting room the snug but you mean the bit labelled family living on the plan.

I’m not really sure how that will work as a space, with the family space around the corner. One of the massive benefits for me is I can be in the kitchen but still interacting with the children as they play in the family room bit, draw at the table etc. Also when we have friends over it’s easy to socialise & cook at the same time as they can sit on sofa / at breakfast bar & chat while h & I are cooking. You don’t really get either benefit with the layout you have there. What if the kitchen were on the other side, in the dining area...that might then give you the option to put a separate utility too at the current kitchen end.

But that may not be the things you’re looking for in the space...everyone will want different things. I expect your friend is right about the noise though.

It looks great.
Just make sure you have a tall cupboard to hide ironing board, mop and hoover. Put a socket in the cupboard so you can charge a cordless hoover etc or the potential to charge one in the future.

We have done something similar OP, converted the integrated garage into a kitchen and made the old kitchen a dining area overlooking the garden and then knocked through what was a downstairs loo and toilet into the lounge area, we love it, the tv is far enough away from the noise of the kitchen and it feels a bright, sociable, modern space. The dishwasher is quiet enough to put on in the evening, the washing machine only really gets noisy during the final spin but I tend to put that on in the morning anyway.

Thanks for all the tips @Notmymug @cushioncuddle @sdaisy26 I do need to plan carefully as I'm losing my utility room by doing this. I am boxing off under the stairs, but that probably won't hold all the shoes, coats, hoover, Ironing board etc

We only have 1 DS at home and a grown up DD who has her own flat. I also work from home full-time, so can plan washings to avoid inconvenience.

I am thinking it might work out ok and, if DS & friends are too noisy in new sitting room/snug, they can always go to the other living room or upstairs (or vice versa if we're too loud in the kitchen)

I will give a bit of thought to switching the kitchen/dining round though @sdaisy26 I hadn't considered that but that might work out well for where we're keeping the French doors.

I am dreading the upheaval this is going to cause but also can't wait - I've been planning it for 5 years!