extension and utility/new WC plans = any thoughts?

[MaryIsA]

This is getting built at the moment. The house is a semi detached with a big lounge at the front of the house not shown on the plans and the double doors at the bottom of the plans lead into a more formal dining room/study.

We'll have to decide on a kitchen soon.

We'd like the highlighted area just to be seating dining.

I think that means pushing the island down in the plans nearer the new double doors. That area has no windows so the only lighting will be from the ceiling lanter.

The utility is the current kitchen but we are putting a WC in there. I'm not sure we are makign best use of the space. The space under the stairs marked cupboard is literally a 1/2 height space under the stairs.

We would like a coat cupboard. Thought about putting another door in to the dark end of the kitchen from the hall and getting a stud wall built in the kitchen to create a cupboard accessed from the hall.

I'm not sure there's enough space in the utility for tumble dryer and washing machine.

The window in the downstairs loo is the only window in that room and the new back door will have to be half glazed. That room will be dark with no window.

Can't see any plans?

can't get them to post

plans

There looks to be an awful lot of wasted space at the 'bottom' of the kitchen

yes, that's why we want to move the Island down a bit and/or utilise the bottom left for a coat cupboard. Either accessed from the kitchen or the hall.

I don't think you could just move the island, it would need to be the whole kitchen.

I think the door to the utility is in the wrong place (as drawn) - I think it will drive you nuts having to walk around the island every time you want to go in there. I agree too with the wasted space at the bottom of the kitchen. Do the walls between the kitchen / hall / utility have to be in the locations as drawn or do you have any flexibility with that?

Yeah the kitchen- you can't really see it on the pland but its there - is also down that left hand wall, it'll be a run of tall units with fridge freezer, pantry unit...etc.

Where would you put the utility door? At the moment that's the door from the kitchen to the conservatory we've just knocked down, its where the back door would have been originally so that wall is a big solid stone wall.

Do you need a door from the utility out to the terrace? Seems unnecessary and removing it could help fit your tumble dryer in.

We've talked about whether we need the door from the utility to outside. Cons - space.

Pros, we've got a cat and a dog and need somewhere for a cat flap.

It'll also be the back door, so when coming in from garden if it isn't there we'll be just using the sliding doors.

We have a similar layout with double doors from the kitchen into the garden, and a separate door from the utility into the garden. Like you, we thought it was important to have direct access from utility to garden. We haven’t opened that door for about 15 years, it’s just easier to use the double door.
You could put a cat flap through the wall of the utility - a fap on each side of the wall connected with a tunnel.

I have been wondering if we've got a bit fixated on having a 'back door' at the expense of quite a lot of space in the utility. We could find somewhere else for the cat flap I'm sure.

It's not a big garden. But I quite like the idea of having a door I can come in when I've been gardening and a bit muddy....

Keep the utility door if you have pets.

@Shmithecat2 that's a very definite response!

I've been reworking it to see if we can shift the loo over and have the washer and dryer by the window. Smaller loo with no light but I think I'd rather have the natural light in the utility and more space.

You have a dark, windowless bit of the kitchen and a utility and loo that looks onto a terrace.

Could you move the utility and loo to the dead area in the kitchen and put wide doors in the utility area to widen the kitchen?

Whenever a large extension is added on, there will be a dark area. I’ve only seen two successful solutions 1) a utility room/loo or 2) a tv area, embracing the lack of light.

The dark area looks big enough to fit a loo, utility and walk-in pantry.

@Witchlight - you are spot on. The dark end of the extension is an issue.

The original plans were to open up the utility into the new extension, have a shorter extension and turn the dark area into a loo/utility. But the structure of the house above made that really hard and expensive. More expensive than it looks on the plan.

The terrace makes it sound grander than it is. It's quite a small back garden and the sliding doors at the end give a great view of it.

Putting the WC in the dark bit is still an option but the plumbing isn't easy from there to the soil stack but it might not be insurmountable.

I would have the kitchen where you have the dining. Lovely and bright. I bet you spend more time cooking than eating at a table. Yet the table has pride of place. So swap it round and the the loo, coat storage, utility and dining in the centre of the house. Kitchen at the light end. It will make you happier!

If you keep the utility where it is, stack the washer and dryer in a purpose built cupboard. You don’t need much floor space. Make sure you fit it out with drying and a towel radiator.

The thing the house is missing for us is somewhere you can sit and look at the back garden. There are no windows in the back of the house at the moment. So we'll be having the light end where the dining table is as more of a sitting/eating area/lounging area/looking at the garden area.

I do spend a lot of time cooking but am used to a kitchen that isn't terribly light.

It's not ideal, it's a bit of a compromise due to not wanting to completely remodel the entire house. And we are both slightly worried its going to end up as a complete corridor or like a warehouse.

[quote MaryIsA]@Shmithecat2 that's a very definite response!

I've been reworking it to see if we can shift the loo over and have the washer and dryer by the window. Smaller loo with no light but I think I'd rather have the natural light in the utility and more space.[/quote]
I've got multiple cats and we are buying a house - a door from the utility to the outside was a non negotiable for me!

The best solution is to extend into the patio by the utility room! You are trying to squeeze in a lot. Two lots of dining seating - breakfast bar and dining table. Why not try and have one area of seating? Maybe build in seating into the kitchen but at the end that overlooks the garden.

The kitchen you have planned is a corridor because it leads to utility and dining and external doors. You could be a lot more creative with the space.

We are probably trying to fit too much into a small space. The built in seating sounds like a cool idea.