Extension - please share your thoughts and wisdom [smile]

[BrightGoldenHazeintheMeadow]

Hi there

We are going to extend downstairs – larger kitchen at the back, turn what is currently the kitchen into a loo and a utility room. We’ve never done anything of this magnitude before and it’s quite daunting. Would welcome comments from anyone, particularly who has had any experience of extending – what to look out for and not. Thank you.

Overall, we want to have the following work done:

1. Removal of the existing conservatory at the back of the house
2. A full width extension at the back of the house as shown in the plan. We are keen to make the space bright so will likely go for glass doors at the back and skylights in the extension
3. We want to use the extension for a new kitchen and dining space.
4. Our current kitchen is in the galley space to the left of the plan. We want to covert this area into a utility room (sink, washing machine, storage) and a loo. The plan shows a shower in the loo but we doubt that will fit so we will probably omit the shower downstairs.
5. We currently have a separate loo and bathroom upstairs and we want to combine them into a new bathroom upstairs. This will involve installing a new bathroom (toilet, bath/shower, sink and storage). The boiler is currently upstairs in the bathroom and we’d like it removed from there with a new boiler installed in the extension downstairs.
6. Our sitting room downstairs has a fireplace which we want removed. We have been advised this can be done without causing any structural issues. The sitting room downstairs will need to be redecorated (new flooring, possible re-plastering of the walls, painting and decorating).
7. We currently have a walk-through sitting room and dining room downstairs. We’d like to have a separation between these two rooms when the extension is put in. We are looking into options to have this separation in a way that provides separation between the rooms but does not block too much light - perhaps glass doors between the rooms.
8. Wrt the kitchen we would like as much light as possible however a conservatory style kitchen (with patio style doors) will be very hot during the summer – does anyone have any experience on this particular aspect and how to minimise this?

This is the picture the architect has come up with which shows the back of the house.

This is the architect's picture for inside the kitchen. Lovely, open and sleek looking but not a lot of storage.

Bump

Can you put in one of those cupboards that pulls out and turns (if you get my drift) on the corner? Is there room for another full length cupboard next to the fridge? I have a v similar kitchen to yours and those are my go to cupboards!

So you are taking a fireplace out of the middle reception and adding one to the front reception?

There is no light source for the black of the reception so it will be a very very dark room especially if you put in doors to close off the front reception room.

Are you looking at different glazing to that in the architects image?

Also your dining space will be tight if you have a breakfast bar with seating on the peninsula. so the dining will need to be quite far back into the darker area. which means there is something of a deadspace by the back door.

If it were me I would actually put the kitchen in the darkest i.e the back of the double reception, with lots of very good/clever task lighting and use the newly extended area as a generous living and dining area. the current plan leaves quite a lot of dead space IMO.

I had a similar project with my kitchen.

It faces East, and I chose French windows with a window seat and half height window each side. I also have sky lights. The rest of the structure is brick and slate.
It's lovely, light and cool in the summer with the doors open. In the winter I sit at the breakfast table and watch the sun come up.

@TheFunBus

Can you put in one of those cupboards that pulls out and turns (if you get my drift) on the corner? Is there room for another full length cupboard next to the fridge? I have a v similar kitchen to yours and those are my go to cupboards!

Thanks TheFunBus. We've had a B+Q design where they've put one of these very useful cupboards in.

Another view.

@korawick12345

If it were me I would actually put the kitchen in the darkest i.e the back of the double reception, with lots of very good/clever task lighting and use the newly extended area as a generous living and dining area. the current plan leaves quite a lot of dead space IMO.

Thanks korawick Yes, neighbours have used that design but we were a bit put off by having it so open plan. Plus, if we wall off the front room we don't have the option of opening up when we have people round. However, as you say, it does leave a lot of dead space.

@Mintjulia

I had a similar project with my kitchen.

It faces East, and I chose French windows with a window seat and half height window each side. I also have sky lights. The rest of the structure is brick and slate.
It's lovely, light and cool in the summer with the doors open. In the winter I sit at the breakfast table and watch the sun come up.

Thanks Mint. I like the sound of sitting at the breakfast table and watching the sun come up

Any more thoughts on laundry? Where do people dry their clothes? Is it better to keep them in the bathroom and open the window or to have them enclosed in a utility room which can't have a window but could have a fan - will the fan be enough to get rid of the moisture? Thanks very much.

we have a tumble dryer in the utility room (one of those condensers, but one that actually works!)

if not in there, we dry them outside (as long as it's not raining - we only use the tumble dryer in winter when it rains really)

Thanks Fun

we also dont have a window in our utility room (we have a v similar lay out to you overall!)

if you look at the last picture, we have the cupboards in each of the corners that do this - uses up a lot of dead space and has given us loads more storage

www.diy.com/departments/goodhome-pebre-matt-anthracite-soft-close-lh-pull-out-storage-h-639mm-w-855mm/3663602480235_BQ.prd?storeId=1018&ds_rl=1272379&ds_rl=1272409&ds_rl=1272379&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj9fSyPD48AIVirh3Ch3Uogn-EAQYDCABEgJpVvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

and one of the cupboards next to the fridge does this

www.toolstation.com/sige-pull-out-larder/p28478?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI78PR-fD48AIV4u3mCh2FagAaEAQYBCABEgLY6PD_BwE

I got our kitchen from Wickes and it wasn't even that pricey but it does look good (if I don't say so myself!!) - but including these sort of storage solutions has made a big difference to my usage of it (and we are selling it now and the people coming round to look at it really like it too)

Thanks very much Fun

I would:

• move kitchen to the dark back middle room space
• roof light in extension to try and max light
• replace the patio doors and windows with full width sliders to maximise light
• have the bit closest to the windows and a light and bright sitting and dining area
• keep downstairs shower (good for future proofing) and utility as they are

I wouldn’t have the kitchen at the back. I’d block of the doors between the front and middle room, put the kitchen in the middle and have the dining area at the back to take advantage of the garden.

Thanks very much Yellow and Soon.

Whatever you do it will be lovely having the extra space and big windows onto the garden

@YellowFish12

Whatever you do it will be lovely having the extra space and big windows onto the garden

True. Thanks Yellow. It's easy to start thinking there's only one way of doing things but I'm sure that whatever we do will be an improvement.

We’re planning a similar extension / refurb (first draft of architect’s drawing attached). We opted to put the kitchen in the darker middle room but will have Crittall-style folding doors (similar to the pics) so we can keep the smells and noise contained if needed!

Bonus of putting the kitchen there is we can steal some of the original kitchen for a pantry. And we’re putting the much-needed ground-floor loo under the stairs.

Thanks MsShopper. Your plans look really good - very detailed.

We live in a 1930s detached house, and are planning something very similar.

We are looking at removing the chimney breast from the 'middle room'. Each of our builders have emphasised that it is very important that steels are inserted to support the remaining parts of the chimney breast (i.e. those in the bedroom above and the loft). Without this apparently the whole thing can collapse.

We have opted for a utility and toilet in one room, with a door from the hallway. I'm happy with the door there as 1. Laundry comes from upstairs rather than the kitchen, 2. I don't fancy the toilet door opening into living areas- the hall feels better. We don't envisage using the loo a great deal- it's more for when our increasingly old parents visit, so I don't have an issue with the two rooms being combined- the advantage being that the kitchen is larger.....

We also intend to block off the front room. Currently everything is open plan, and we would like to have two separate areas. We find it tricky with teenagers' friends visiting. Plus if I have a friend over for a coffee DH and DS can hear our conversation.....

The front room will be quite small but think we can work with it. I love the idea of sliding doors to the middle area, but think that might take up valuable free wall space and make placement of the sofas difficult.

We are currently thinking about bifold doors with integrated blinds at the back of the house , plus three velux windows. I agree that the middle area may be rather dark unfortunately. Hopefully the velux windows plus the window at the side return in the kitchen area will help.

Sorry for the long post- it's very exciting to read that someone has similar plans. I've been trying to find images of this type of set up, but haven't had much luck.