1930s knock through design advice

[Yodaismyspiritanimal]

Hi all, I'm at the very early stages of this design process, and to be frank I don't even know where to start!! We are hoping to exchange on a 1930s semi in January. Until then I cannot get anyone in to measure up, so appreciate this is all speculative but I think I need to have some sort of idea of what I want.
I've attached a picture of a similar floor plan. We don't have enough money for an extension, but we want to knock through the kitchen/dining room. But we also want to add a wc. The catch is my husband really doesn't want the door to the etc directly off the kitchen. So we have options of blocking up the kitchen door etc. But I just feel like I need someone to help me go through all the options, including the layout of the kitchen (again because I know that a tumble drier in an open kitchen is really loud and especially because the lounge/dining room are already knocked through so I need to discuss utility room vs integrated cupboard etc). So who do I go to, an interior designer, architect, architect technician? Any thoughts?
Thanks

Can you put a compact WC under the stairs?

I have a similar layout. In hindsight I would much rather have the lounge completely separate and knock the kitchen/dining room into one.

It isn't easy when you don't know the structural layouts as some may be much harder than others.

The other option to consider is bi-fold doors between the lounge & dining room.

I have a 1930s semi with a knocked through kitchen/dining room and have an understairs loo opening into the hall. The lounge is separate. The loo is very small but still better than none.
I don't like completely open plan. Can you put doors between lounge and diner, then the noise of tumble dryer and washing machine won't be so noticeable.

When we had our kitchen/dinner knocked through, we added a utility cupboard which is basically washing machine on the bottom, tumble dryer on the top. It means they can be hidden away and the noise doesn't bother anyone. Our layout is different to yours so sharing mine wouldn't help but I'm wondering if you could fit that in somewhere so noise becomes less of an issue?

We have kitchen and diner knocked together. Bifold solid doors to lounge. Washer and dryer in garage/,car port. No downstairs loo but a lot of neighbors have fitted one in. Singles storey extensions across the back are commonly done too.
Have s good look on Rightmove at floorplans of nearby houses.

I used to have exactly that design house. WC fitted under the stairs and kitchen is fairly simple to knock through to dining. If you might have further cash at a later date ponder how you might add the extension to compliment any design, maybe by removing any new kitchen and adding back into the extended bit.

think carefully about your loo.

We spent a long time trying to work out how to move our downstairs loo. In the end we realised that we could, but then we would need a compacted thingy, as it couldn't connect directly on to the main sewer pipe. These are really common in en-suites for example.

I thought about how we use our house. That downstairs loo is the most used loo. It frequently gets used for poos and vast quantities of loo paper. I have 2 dds, so now there are 3 mestruating women in the house, so more paper. We also have a lot of visitors (have a meeting here every week) and while I can teach my dds not to flush tampons I can't guarantee that visitors won't.

When I looked at the advice and recommendations round th ecompacting loos, I decided that it was not worth it, as it was highly likely that it would get blocked by the loo paper, and tampons are a massive no go.

A long way to say, think hard about your loo, where it is, and if it can be on the main sewer pipe (where is the upstairs bathroom for example)

Our house had this layout. Washing machine was in the cupboard under the stairs.

There were double doors between living room and dining room. But, in yours, I wouldn't block kitchen door from hall as you'll end up walking though the living room all the time bringing in shopping/coming home and putting the kettle on/making dinner.

How wide is the kitchen? Ours was only about 6' wide so could only have units in an L -shape.

We have just moved into a 1930s semi this week and have a similar layout to yours except we have a small extension of the kitchen which is the utility room. We are planning on putting a downstairs toilet in if we can if not it will be going under the stairs. And then we will be knocking through the kitchen and dining room together for a bigger open plan kitchen. The wall between the dining room and lounge will be blocked up.

@GerardWay123

Can you put a compact WC under the stairs?

The annoying thing is that the current owners moved the wall back a bit so we would need to move it again, which I'm conscious would make the kitchen quiet small ...or even smaller than it is. But I guess this is what I need to find out, is it possible etc

@GerardWay123

I have a similar layout. In hindsight I would much rather have the lounge completely separate and knock the kitchen/dining room into one.

I'd have preferred that too but the current owners knocked it through and I'm not sure we'll have the budget to block it up again

@woodlandwalker

I have a 1930s semi with a knocked through kitchen/dining room and have an understairs loo opening into the hall. The lounge is separate. The loo is very small but still better than none. I don't like completely open plan. Can you put doors between lounge and diner, then the noise of tumble dryer and washing machine won't be so noticeable.

Is your etc under the tallest part of the stairs, or a bit further out iykwim? Do you have a u shaped kitchen?

@Jemma2907

When we had our kitchen/dinner knocked through, we added a utility cupboard which is basically washing machine on the bottom, tumble dryer on the top. It means they can be hidden away and the noise doesn't bother anyone. Our layout is different to yours so sharing mine wouldn't help but I'm wondering if you could fit that in somewhere so noise becomes less of an issue?

I think this is going to have to be the solution as I doubt we'll get wc and white goods under the stairs. Glad to hear that they are effective in minimising the noise!

@NotMeNoNo

We have kitchen and diner knocked together. Bifold solid doors to lounge. Washer and dryer in garage/,car port. No downstairs loo but a lot of neighbors have fitted one in. Singles storey extensions across the back are commonly done too. Have s good look on Rightmove at floorplans of nearby houses.

I've been scouring Rightmove and annoyingly not a single similar house has come up in the last month, I'm now progressing to look all over the country in search of ideas!! It's sooooo time consuming!

@steppemum

think carefully about your loo.

We spent a long time trying to work out how to move our downstairs loo. In the end we realised that we could, but then we would need a compacted thingy, as it couldn't connect directly on to the main sewer pipe. These are really common in en-suites for example.

I thought about how we use our house. That downstairs loo is the most used loo. It frequently gets used for poos and vast quantities of loo paper. I have 2 dds, so now there are 3 mestruating women in the house, so more paper. We also have a lot of visitors (have a meeting here every week) and while I can teach my dds not to flush tampons I can't guarantee that visitors won't.

When I looked at the advice and recommendations round th ecompacting loos, I decided that it was not worth it, as it was highly likely that it would get blocked by the loo paper, and tampons are a massive no go.

A long way to say, think hard about your loo, where it is, and if it can be on the main sewer pipe (where is the upstairs bathroom for example)

The upstairs loo is right off the stair landing above the kitchen, so hopefully should work re pipes etc. I definitely wouldn't want a compactor.

@SwedishEdith

Our house had this layout. Washing machine was in the cupboard under the stairs.

There were double doors between living room and dining room. But, in yours, I wouldn't block kitchen door from hall as you'll end up walking though the living room all the time bringing in shopping/coming home and putting the kettle on/making dinner.

How wide is the kitchen? Ours was only about 6' wide so could only have units in an L -shape.

Good point thanks. The kitchen is currently 12'3 x 8'3, and where I would've put the wc is where the current owners have their fridge/freezer because the moved the wall back to accommodate these.

@Iseeyoulookingatme

We have just moved into a 1930s semi this week and have a similar layout to yours except we have a small extension of the kitchen which is the utility room. We are planning on putting a downstairs toilet in if we can if not it will be going under the stairs. And then we will be knocking through the kitchen and dining room together for a bigger open plan kitchen. The wall between the dining room and lounge will be blocked up.

Worse case scenario is to have the washing machine etc in the detached garage, but I just know that will irritate me, especially in the middle of winter/rain etc. I just have no idea how the kitchen should look. Do you think I'll miss the kitchen door which goes out onto the side of the house which is the drive way to the detached garage in the garden?

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions, amazing!!
Any ideas on who would be the best professional to consult with?

I really wouldn't have it fully open plan. Blocking up between dining room and lounge shouldn't be expensive.

I'd then open up the kitchen diner, I'd make a small utility off the kitchen door with loo and washer, and with the 2 rooms knocked into one, you will have more flexibility with kitchen design - moving it further along for example and having units on the new wall with the lounge.

Try looking at your council's planning website for the street and seeing what other people have done if no-one has moved recently.

Ok here is an idea. You will need a structural engineer to get this right. I'm in the middle of a 1930s remodelling and have attached a picture of my ex kitchen and dining room to show you the steels we have needed to put in. We are having a rear extension so you wouldn't need all of these but to open it out properly you definitely will need one supporting the wall above a removed wall. A structural engineer or builder can give you fairly reliable price-per-metre estimates for steels.

Green is to keep/add and red is to remove. What I've done is make your kitchen diner not quite all of your back width. You've got a sort of ante-room to the side door, in which you could put your WM and TD, a loo and sink. Probably you'll end up hanging coats in here as well so if you can, don't skimp on the width.

The secret to this is the marvellous Victorian invention of pocket doors, which are definitely A Thing in 1930s design and won't look wrong. If you use one of them off the kitchen, you don't have the problem of the back door possibly clashing with the inner one. I don't think there is any way of having a downstairs loo that doesn't go off the kitchen, realistically.

Is the any way of re-jigging the front hall so you could squeeze in a small toilet/cloakroom near the fro t door at the bottom of the stairs?

@TyneFilth

Ok here is an idea. You will need a structural engineer to get this right. I'm in the middle of a 1930s remodelling and have attached a picture of my ex kitchen and dining room to show you the steels we have needed to put in. We are having a rear extension so you wouldn't need all of these but to open it out properly you definitely will need one supporting the wall above a removed wall. A structural engineer or builder can give you fairly reliable price-per-metre estimates for steels.

Green is to keep/add and red is to remove. What I've done is make your kitchen diner not quite all of your back width. You've got a sort of ante-room to the side door, in which you could put your WM and TD, a loo and sink. Probably you'll end up hanging coats in here as well so if you can, don't skimp on the width.

The secret to this is the marvellous Victorian invention of pocket doors, which are definitely A Thing in 1930s design and won't look wrong. If you use one of them off the kitchen, you don't have the problem of the back door possibly clashing with the inner one. I don't think there is any way of having a downstairs loo that doesn't go off the kitchen, realistically.

Ahhh very interesting!! I will investigate pocket doors!!!