Request: in need of your architectural skills

[Newyearnewrule]

I have a lovely house in a lovely location. The back of the house has views of a nice big lake and a park. The garden itself is also nice to look at. I want to make the most of that view in the downstairs. We are about to do some renovations and I thinking about where to put what. The rooms I am thinking of are: living room, dining room, gym, utility room, relaxing/reading/board games room. The kitchen is already in place.

Any advice please?

OP just to clarify, the bottom of your drawing is the front of the house, and the top of your drawing is where the views are? You have a challenge already because you only have two windows towards the views (if I've understood you correctly).

I know you said the kitchen is already in place, but do you feel like the kitchen is in the best location for you/ your family? Lots of people - myself included - would have that along with the day/ sitting room where you can enjoy the best views. Dining room I would think of as more of an evening room (so views not so important) so would put that at the front.

If you had the budget I would be moving the kitchen in a flash, moving the staircase and opening up the whole of the back of the house, with everything orientated around those lovely views. Utility can go in part of existing kitchen area.

Which is the front/ back and which way is north?

I assume the front of your house is shown at the top with the bay window and front door in the centre and that you want to maximise the views from the back of your home, at the bottom of your sketch.
It depends hugely on your budget, so it’s tricky to comment, so all I’d say is that I’d include downstairs loo in my wish list

I am terrible at this. South, bottom of the drawing, is the back. The steps lead into the garden. North, the top of the drawing, is the entrance.

We have a significant budget.

The back of the house has sliding doors but very, very old.

Could you split the top-right 3x6m room into a gym (accessible from the entrance hall) and a utility (accessed from kitchen)?

I'd then keep the big room (top-left) as a sitting room and make the room overlooking the garden as a dining area at one end with comfy seating area at the other end. So you can eat with the view or sit on comfy chairs.

Alternatively, split the 4x10 front room with a snug at the front with a new wall to split it in half and a dining area in the other half. Then make the entire room overlooking the garden into a sitting room.

If you have a good budget, get an actual architect. Also don't let your kitchen restrict you, you can always reuse parts.

Look at some top of the market new builds or neighbours for ideas. Currently designers seem to go for an open plan kitchen-diner with casual seating, separate utility, study, quiet lounge, downstairs cloakroom. I would be looking at circulation, flexibility for future or for opening/closing rooms, possible working from home and how you get light into the middle of the house. Is the back add-on single storey?
Maybe a multi purpose room that can be a study/gym/snug rather than a warren of little spaces.

Is the 7x 3 an extension? What's above it? Is the garden flat or sloping down to the lake?

What do you currently use the 10m long room for- it's huge!

@PragmaticWench

Could you split the top-right 3x6m room into a gym (accessible from the entrance hall) and a utility (accessed from kitchen)?

I'd then keep the big room (top-left) as a sitting room and make the room overlooking the garden as a dining area at one end with comfy seating area at the other end. So you can eat with the view or sit on comfy chairs.

That is exactly what my husband wants. Wow.

The 10m long room is slit into lounge and dining room but I am open to another configuration.

The 7x3 is a single storey extension.

We will get an architect to do the drawings for any renovation but I want to have some options to put on the table.

We were also thinking of removing part of the wall between the 7x3 extension and the kitchen so that it becomes a kitchen with easy access to the diner. I wanted an island but the kitchen might be too small?

The front view is of a road and trees on the other side of the road.

We will be in this house for the foreseeable future.

One of the reasons I do not like the dining room where we have it is that walking from the lounge to the back extension means manoeuvring pass the table and chairs. I would prefer being able to move through an open path. We are considering a reading space but it might look silly to have a lounge and then something like a lounge right after. It is a long room but separating it with a wall would cut off the spectacular view for the front room.

I hope I am making sense.

An architect will help you formulate your idea, might even make suggestions and should not charge for an initial visit.
Get a firm fee quote for all the relevant stages and ensure there is some provision for developing the initial design (before the drawings are completed, obvs., it can’t be endless) - you’d be surprised how much you can change your mind about things as you get on with the design - it really focuses your mind and other things you’ve not considered might suddenly appear to be important.
Get more than one to visit as you need to be able to get on with the person and communicate well, which is crucial.
If the renovations are substantial, consider employing the architect to project manage i.e. keep control of the budget and liaise between you and the builder as this is the most stressful aspect of any renovations.
Get client references for both your builder and the architect before you appoint either. Even though they’ll provide you with only very happy clients, an informal chat can reveal a lot about working relationships and how problems were managed, so this is really important
Sound a great project to look forward to in the New Year - good timing!

OP if I were you (and I have tackled a couple of projects like this) I'd actually look at it from a totally different perspective. I think your architect will also find it really helpful when you brief them in.

Rather than focus on the space as it is now and imagining how you could rearrange it, concentrate on what it is that you want. It's so hard to design anything without knowing how you live, who is in your household (children/ teenagers/ pets) and what's important to you. That really drives everything.

Pull together a list of what you'd like to have, what you must have, and what you don't want or like. You can then eventually whittle that down to the few things (for us it was three) that we MUST HAVE otherwise we would consider the final project a "fail". And then things that you are willing to compromise on. So that might be your #1 priority is an amazing sitting room with fabulous views.

It will help your architect understand which areas they need to make "wow", and it will help you judge the plans they come up with.