Extension dream shattered - what do I do with this kitchen now?

[Fooferella]

I've had a few threads on here asking for help finding a builder for a small yet tricky extension I have been dreaming about for the last 5 years and this week a couple of builders finally put me out of my misery and gave me quotes ranging from £45,000 to £55,000. This is far and away out of our budget so I'm back to square one.

We still need a new kitchen so we're getting one in the original footprint but I'm totally deflated and uninspired now that my bubble has been so rudely popped. The kitchen is awkwardly shaped and small but I'd like to try and improve it for my own sanity. You can't fit 2 people down the narrow corridor in front of the stove and we have to bring our bikes in from the back door through there too. The oven door has 2 cm clearance between it and the wall when it is open. We hardly ever use the table and chairs, they are normally piled up with crap and we're forever moving them out of the way to get at the washer.

I've included pictures of how it is now. How would you organise it? The two things I insist on are an upright fridge/freezer and a dishwasher. Any ideas? Recommendations for kitchen designers good with rubbish spaces? HELP!

Motherofdragons that sounds really nice. Do you know does the door have to be a single door or could you fit double glass doors in? What you describe sounds so similar to an extension but I like the price I wouldn't mind doors tbh

We had the washing machine and tumble dryer in the old coal house in the garden, it was fine.

I think the layout with most of it going under the stairs and going open plan would look huge spacious. You could possibly put folding glass doors in for when you really want 2 separate rooms.

Ripple effects plan but open plan and instead of the back door double doors opposite the bay window.

We boxed our stairs in rather than have a hallway made the downstairs huge!!

The layout of the house for sale is lovely and then you can see the view from the dining room too! Maybe with the washing machine outside or under the stairs too.

I considered WM under stairs in our revamp. Our designer ( OnePlan, mentioned by a few people previously on this post ) said only do this if you first created a fire proof space under the stairs for it . Stairs can be your only route out in a fire. So protect them from any possibly self combusting appliance especially laundry ones that have a bad rep.

@Hopesorfears we had large double French doors into it.

We had a quote from Anglian for £26k and guy was rude so we had a local company do it. We don't live there anymore but it made such a difference and we used it all year.

Thank you that's very useful. It's madness that someone who wants your money was rude, but I've seen it happen!

Take inspiration form the tiny house movement for your kitchen and boat building. It's a tiny space but you could do so much with it. Pull out work surfaces. Folding breakfast bar/chairs. Use the full height of the walls.

Claiming the under stair space and moving the back door look like great ideas.

Keep us updated? Love this stuff. I know the area well.

I know a great builder, local, clean, tidy, professional if you would like details ?

Awful sketch but keeping sink where it is cheap plus look out onto garden.

Drawers or 2 skinny pull out ladders hold so much stuff it's unbelievable! Corners don't make the best use of space.

Open plan would work really well but glass fold away doors are a good compromise.

@VicsterD yes please! Pm me details.

DH and I have conferred and our first priority is a full rewire asap. (Our wiring is ancient, and scary). I'll get the spark to make the kitchen refurb ready and start looking for a builder to start some time after Christmas. It's not feasible to do kitchen and rewire together because we've been trying get the extension done for a year with no joy and just need the rewire done so I can sleep at night.
Whomever recommended fireproofing under stairs due to fire, thank you. I will defo keep that in mind. I think an under stairs washer would work best. I'd move the crap that is there currently (tool box, ladder, painting materials, random sports equipment...) outside instead.

Unfortunately rippleffects plan wouldn't work as that space is only 1.3m wide. I wish we had the same view out our back door as the house for sale but sadly we look uphill at the back of another terrace. We wouldn't think of buying that property even though it's gorgeous because it's on a private road in very bad shape and worry a statutory order to fix it is coming down the line.

@RandomMess, folding doors between kitchen and living room might be a good compromise.

Once the kitchen is built you can experiment with different table shapes to see what would work best and if need be get a custom built size and shape.