What would you do with this layout? Pic attached

[ImlexiandIknowit]

Hello

Recently bought a house, although we're not in yet. Would really appreciate your thoughts and advice though.

Firstly, apologies for my awful sketch, but hopefully you get the picture....literally!

So initially we were going to knock through the wall to the dining room and kitchen- easy job, it's a stud wall and seemed like a no brainer solution, but then thought actually we might extend the kitchen out into the garden, creating a large kitchen diner and leave the dining room as a seperate area. Realistically, we won't be able to do that for a couple of years and that's not definite.

The kitchen is definitely too small, but is nice enough. If we did knock the wall down, it would need a new kitchen completely, because of the lay out. There are units and a fridge etc against the stud wall.

Option 1: We knock the wall through within the year and a create reasonably sized kitchen diner, but then we effectively just have two rectangular rooms downstairs, so not much flow, but the extention can be put on the back burner for longer. Potentially not happening at all.

Option 2: We live in it as it is and wait for a few years and save, hopefully have a bigger salary before making a decision in terms of extending.

Thoughts? Or if you have a secret option 3, let me know!

TIA

Here

I'd wait and build the extension. Then I wouldn't feel like I'd have to compromise with the kitchen - it'd be exactly how I'd want it.

Plus - the dining room would then become my snug where I could shut myself away with a million books and a bottle of wine.

Not like I've been dreaming or anything...

@morpurgo, sounds heaven

I suppose the only problem with option 2 is that we might not get that money back when we come to sell it on. If this was a long term house, which it could be, then it would matter too much, but I don't think we'll know until we're in, realistically.

Have you got a garage either side ? If so you could concert the garage and make a big kitchen diner and still have room for the snug . Cheaper than an extension

I would knock the dining room & kitchen into one, and design the layout to accommodate an extension in the future, where you could add sofas and a TV to make the bigger space into a family room.

It depends how you like living. I would like one open plan huge space, so no hall, no kitchen/dining wall and take out the small dividing wall between hall and living room.

This might be too extreme for you and other buyers though. Why not take out the kitchen and dining room wall and reuse the kitchen units? I'll try to do a drawing...

Re use the units on the WC wall, add double doors to garden for light. If you ever want to add a conservatory or extension.

We are about to move into a house with the same issue. I’m defiantly keeping the dining room and extending the kitchen in the future (garage will be converted into music studio, dining room will become library.

I would go with option 2, otherwise you will be doing a large, messy, expensive job twice.

Personally, I like a small kitchen. There's nothing I like less than loads of people in the kitchen chatting to me when I'm cooking. But I accept I'm unusual there.

If you don't see yourself staying more than 5 years or so, I wouldn't bother extending.

Is the hall as wide as it looks, or did that bit of scaling go wrong? If it is wide, I'd be te. Pted to create a lootility where the loo is and open up all of the downstairs apart from the lounge.

Thanks for all your replies.

@oohnicevase, there is a garage, but it's not attached and sort of diagonal from the kitchen. You could extend and attach, like an L shape potentially.

@BonnesVacances, that was my thinking initially.

@Booboostwo, hmm I'm not sure. I haven't thought if that as an option. I quite liked having the hallway.

@Comefromaway, looks good 👍

@Nextphonewontbesamsung, I kind of get where you're coming from. Usually I quite like having a chat whilst I'm cooking, but sometimes like when my nan in law comes over and tells me how to cook I quite like my space.

@PickAChew, I think this was more a 10 year house, but we'll see. If our aim was 5 years, then we definitely wouldn't be considering an extension. Oh and no, the hallway isn't to scale I lost it a bit there! It's a good size, but yeah, not that big.

I like having a kitchen table.

If you knocked the kitchen and dining room together would it be a big enough room for kitchen/dining/living so a big family room. If so I would do it rather than wait years for an extension that might not happen.

You need to your do some research . We have done an extension and I got a estate agent to come and clare the house before and asked a rough value for after showing him the plans. He was pretty spot on as we have had it valued post extension and are quids in ( by about £100k).. I wouldn't have extended unless I knew I could at least break even or add value . I think taking the wall down from the kitchen to the dining room and added a breakfast bar would work .

@SebandAlice, it would be ok, but not as big as we would like.

@oohnicevase, impressive! You must be very happy with that Do you mean you made 100k on top of your extention costs or including?

Are you buying my house?? Even the diagonal garage sounds the same!

We're saving to do the extension - 2 windows out the back to drop down into openings and then a dining room out there, and massive kitchen with an island going top to bottom, if you follow me. Tall cupboards on the internal wall to include space for hoover, coats etc. and maybe a hideaway office so DD can do homework there / printing whilst still being with us.

We bought the house for £435, spent £75k on it and it's valued at £600 k now .. mortgage nearly paid as we used savings for the extension .. we were really lucky and had amazing builders and got a great deal on a bespoke kitchen so I think that helped the value as everything is done well .
I'm hoping to move again in a few years but if we stay it's a great house , open plan but also a separate snug and utility and very big bedrooms and loads of parking with a nice outlook .. we are in the south and houses are so expensive so who knows . 😬

I'd do option 1. We have recently extended and have a kitchen/diner/ seating area 6x6m and it feels very large. This option is better imo if it's a 10 year house and not a forever house.