Side return or just replace kitchen?

[AwkwardPaws27]

We've been extremely lucky to have an unexpected windfall of £35k and are considering how best to use it to improve our home.

I think our options are:
A. Pay off the car loan (c.£9k). Replace the shabby kitchen & downstairs bathroom without changing layout. Finish some other jobs, new rads upstairs, skimming and decorating hallway & bedrooms etc. Hopefully have enough left over to sort out the garden...

B. Borrow more, plus windfall, and have a side return, plus turn current dining room into study & extend hallway.

C. Do something completely different and have a loft conversion, which we could use as an office - may add more value? But then house might feel "top heavy" and I like working downstairs as nearer the garden and fridge.

I've attached an annotated floor plan. We've recently finished adding an upstairs shower room on the 1st floor, splitting the middle bedroom.

The plan before the windfall was to pay off our car loan over the next year, then look at a new kitchen (ikea, DIY kitchens or similar), with the bathroom to follow later.

We'd love a side return extension but not sure how much we'd need and whether it's worth the upheaval and money for the extra space?

Also, what do I do about the existing single storey bathroom extension (in orange).

We have no DC yet (TTC on hold for now after a shitty miscarriage experience), and are now likely to both work from home most if not all of the time... so the current dining room has essentially become an office (the two spare bedrooms are awaiting rewiring and new radiators before we can decorated them).

It'd be lovely to have a side return so the kitchen could become a kitchen-diner and the current dining room could become an office. I'd also love to put a wall up creating a proper hallway (as currently the stairs are walled in and you pretty much come straight in and up - too narrow for coats or shoes... or a pram). (Purple outline on image)

This probably isn't a forever home - we'd like to move somewhere more rural (we're on the outskirts of East London currently) but in all likelihood we'll be here 5 years, possibly longer

I'd say repayment of loan is not priority - assuming interest is low? Can you refinance it or move the amount onto a 0% credit card? Paying off the car is not a good investment.

Side return would add value and if you do have DC ( by the way) then you will 100% be grateful for the downstairs space I totally guarantee! Also others buying your house would see the value.

Loft conversion would be lovely but not essential - you probably spend most of your days downstairs and with DC you need spaaace!

Definitely B!

I do like a side return extension!

I would be tempted to move the bathroom and utility (bathroom accessed from hall, utility from kitchen) to the end of the newly formed corridor and extend the side return out to where you currently have them. The bathroom will be more accessible to upstairs and you will be able to keep the kitchen and dinning area near the back with garden views.

Would mean you have to walk through the office space to get to the kitchen though which isn't everyone's preference.

Also - velux lights close to the office space will bring some light into what could be a very dark room.

Fleurchamp I like that idea... we may be able to put a window in the office wall (it's semi detached on that side, with a shared sideway. The neighbours have a window there, I'd have to check regulations about overlooking their window i guess?).

My dream layout would probably be splitting the dining room space in two, creating a bathroom (mostly for washing the dog!) off the hallway and a small laundry room, then having a massive kitchen/dining space with bifolds into the garden, but I doubt we can afford that & we really need the office space .

I'd say repayment of loan is not priority - assuming interest is low? Can you refinance it or move the amount onto a 0% credit card? Paying off the car is not a good investment

Interesting, thank you! I'll look into it more - I should have done more research but the old car totally died, DH fell in love with a 2yo Mini, and we just used the dealership finance for ease
I thought we'd be better paying it off but I'll definitely look into it.

I'd pay off the loan and replace the kitchen.

But I don't like debt or mess/builders/hassle.

I'd get rid of the bathroom by extending and squaring off the whole back, putting in a loo under the stairs and a utility and office by dividing the now redundant diningroom, with glass doors to side return extension which will have skylights above to bring some more light in (utility can just be an internal room). Upstairs I'd forgo the en suite for a decent family bathroom and a smaller bedroom.

Changingwiththetimes it isn't an ensuite; its a shower room accessed from the hallway, so serves all the bedrooms. If we'd have made it any bigger the small bedroom would have been tiny.
Unfortunately the understairs cupboard is the wrong side of the house to the sideway and soil pipe for a loo there. I'd like to keep a bath downstairs as it's very handy for the dog
Love the glass doors & skylights suggestions though.

Here's a pic

*I'd pay off the loan and replace the kitchen.

But I don't like debt or mess/builders/hassle.*

This is a VERY good point. The actual experience of getting the work done is not something I'd enjoy.

Excuse my appalling diagram, but what do you think of this idea for a layout?

It'd give us an 8x6 study and an 8x5 bathroom (or vice versa) - terribly rendered in green. No utility/laundry room, but I could have a "tall wall" of cupboards housing washing machine etc near the doors to the garden (Purple line)?

It doesn't solve the issue of where to dry clothes but gives us the office space and a downstairs bath for the dog or me and a glass of wine.

Any ideas on pricing? We're on the edge of East London - Google has suggested £3-4.5k per m2 but I'm guessing that just the building and doesn't include an average of the costs for flooring/kitchen units/bathroom suite/tiles etc?

I like your idea AwkwardPaws27. However, will the office be accessed through the kitchen? It sounds inconvenient, I would prefer to have a utility room...
How big is your understairs cupboard, can yo do something like this?

I like your idea, but agree that you'd want a door from the hall rather than the kitchen. I'm not sure how feasible it is, but if you're thinking of reselling could you get pipe work in place so that if someone did want to turn the office into a utility room it would be easy?

Definitely a door to the office from the hallway - sorry my diagram is crap!

Understairs cupboard is needed for coats, shoes, hopefully a pram eventually - & it's small without natural light so I wouldn't want to work in there all day.

Maybe a laundry room is better than an office? I guess we could pop a desk like that in the corner of the kitchen-diner, it'd be more pleasant than under the stairs...

I would go with plan A as I would feel very stressed with any debt. I only have under 4 years mortgage left to pay but I am insisting we repay it it under 2 years. When I have no debt I feel safe.

I work from home full time and a separate office is on my wish list! I used to have one and physically leaving the room was definitely a much better to create that feeling that you've actually finished work. I've never had a utility room and don't really understand the necessity, but people who have them do seem to think they're essential.

caringcarer I totally understand that; if we had a few years left I'd absolutely focus on paying it off but we have over 26 years to go and this windfall would only reduce the term by 4 years.
Option A is tempting but equally I don't want to regret it in a few years...