WWYD with this floorplan?

[salema]

The conservatory has got to go. It’s searingly hot in there and we never use it. However it does contain our dining table and there is only space for a 4-seater table in the kitchen.

Thought about adding a solid roof to the conservatory but it would make our already dark and dingy living room even darker (living room has no windows except patio doors to conservatory). Kitchen is in a state and needs replacing, but we’re going round in circles wondering about extensions, removing walls etc... Would love a big dining table where DCs can do homework, crafts, we can do work etc. Like a big open plan family space. An extension would require us to remortgage so needs to be a decent improvement!

Here’s the floor plan - WWYD? And thanks!

I’ve been trying to find a picture of a similar sized kitchen diner and haven’t quite managed but this one is fractionally longer but narrower than yours, I think your square footage is bigger though not enough caffeine to be sure.

It might not be to your taste but they have a fair bit in it, they could have had bigger table and no sofas. Also they’ve worked round utility room door in kitchen end.

Extending full width will be really expensive with the steel work Required or would need a supporting post. I would extend the kitchen side only. Look at slim windows as additional way to get light into the kitchen. Too windows won’t be too hot with a properly insulated room which is very different to the conservatory you have at the moment.
If you extend the kitchen you can keep most of your utilities in the same place which will reduce costs. I think you should keep WC and utility where they are. I would do the attached or similar-not to scale though but you’ll get the idea....allow at least 1100mm between kitchen cabinets for it to feel spacious. I would also look at Victorian terrace rear extension floor plans for kitchen design ideas. The dimensions of your kitchen wide of the house is similar...

Controversially I'd say take down the wall between kitchen and living room and keep the conservatory.

But, change the conservatory into an orangery or a sun room with brick walls and a lantern roof, or at least a conservatory roof conversion. I know a couple of people who have done this and they say that the conservatory is actually usable all year round now.

Food for thought, really good to hear everyone’s experiences. Thanks for the picture @PostNotInHaste. That does look spacious compared to our kitchen. Where is the fridge though? It is interesting how much space they seem to have for dining/sofa. A good kitchen designer is no doubt the way forward.

I’ve taken a picture of the store. Excuse the mess. You can see that as soon as you open the door, the sloping ceiling begins. So it’s not a hugely valuable space, I don’t think...

@YogaDrone, I wish I knew someone that had done this. I would like to see an ‘orangery’ in real life... If we did something like this, how would the space be used, do you think? Dining in the orangery? Or sofas in orangery and dining in the current (dark) living room?

Really good idea to look at Victorian terraces, @Whattodowithaminute. I can see where you’re going with that.

Salema I think if you've opened up the kitchen and current living room the living room should be getting more light anyway. If you could take down the wall between conservatory and living room that would really let in more light but is a more serious piece of work as it's the rear supporting wall. A lantern ceiling on the new orangery should let in a decent amount of light too.

I think personally I'd use the ex-living room as the dining room and then the ex-conservatory as a garden room with some easy chairs and some potted plants which would like the sun - perhaps even some citrus trees to reinforce the point that you have an orangery now

I would do a not quite full width extension, leaving the kitchen space pretty much as is, with a really big sliding/bifold door opening into the garden. Put dining table in the extension area. Could look at slit windows to help light into the lounge area if that's possible.

Meant to say, I would open up the lounge into the extension, so you have an L-shaped room

If you have enough space upstairs and this is not a forever home but is a reasonably long term one then I would get rid of the conservatory and knock down the wall between kitchen and living room. Would keep study and family room as they are, and would keep store for stuff, but perhaps get it really properly kitted out with drawers or whatever necessary to make it proper usable storage rather than dumping ground.

I think you have enough space downstairs really, and the extension doesn't seem worth it to me given the current costs of building work. A new kitchen, properly designed, will really help. I think pp's suggestions about different access to the utility is worth exploring, if feasible.

I think there's a danger, with extending, of just adding space without it actually being usable. We've seen a couple of houses where it's as if they've just automatically done a rear full width extension without actually considering whether it's necessary. The space was almost too big, and we were left wondering what you'd fill it with.

For me, your money is better spent on the existing footprint and an amazing garden office if you want/need. It would be much quicker and less disruptive too! I would definitely get rid of the conservatory.

There are companies that alter conservatories into usable rooms - got to be worth a quote? Then maybe you could move the kitchen into there instead?

How about a low wall betwee the kitchen and living room so you can still see and hear the kids but have a separation - you can add not cupboards and near the toilet you an add high cupboards for storage

Then extend the conservatory - but rescue the doors increased the brick and add a roof with skylights

So small and use what you have

i've had a look again at your plan after reassuring you that a flat roof wouldn't be hot, I am not sure extending is the right thing. I don't think I had appreciated how big the rooms were.

I don't like open plan living, but you have a utility room for noisy stuff, a study for quite thinking and a family room that is the size of most living rooms anyway. Knocking down the conservatory and taking the wall from the kitchen/living room doest seem like a bad idea at all. It would certainly be much cheaper. It would be a big space with a lot of light and get used a lot if it was arranged carefully.

@whatsthecomingoverthehill you have drawn exactly what our initial thoughts were. I like the idea of the kitchen linking through to the extension but still with the option to close off. Can picture a long table in the new bit. It would look awesome. Do we need the space? Probably not...

Thanks for popping back with that, @Grasspigeons! I have a friend who has changed the layout of her downstairs and I’m going to get her architect round I think. I really value all the input here, thank you.

I guess the main question then is whether you need the extra space or not. I'm normally a fan of the open plan kitchen/living but I'm not sure it would really work knocking them together here. If you did that you would be making your current living room basically into a dining area, which seems a bit of a waste of the biggest reception room. (Looking at your photo of the store cupboard, do you have a bit of a slope from the stairs in your kitchen too?)

I know someone with a lovely orangery that doesn't get too hot/cold, but you would still have an issue with light in the living room I suspect.