Just got my extension plans today. Would anyone like to have a look

[TubbyMcFatfuck]

and tell me what you think?

The extension is everything in line to the right of the stairs. Have we missed anything? Any suggestions for improvement?

I’m thinking that the utility room is very small- is there any point?

Instead of having a walk-in wardrobe I’m minded to just have 2 sets of built in wardrobes facing each other in that space.

I find it a bit odd that there are no windows on the entire right hand side of the house. This side looks down over the street onto fields beyond and has the best outlook so I’d like to make the most of the view.

(The kitchen layout is just for illustration purposes. We haven’t decided on any of that yet)

Agree with statisticallychallenged, much better use of space.
This way you keep your existing kitchen door from the hall, the current kitchen and under stairs area becomes downstairs loo, cloaks, storage, utility with outdoor access too. Really practical from a living point of view. Cheaper because the soil and wastes are already there. Plus you could leave in some existing supporting walls so less need for expensive beams etc.

Right hand side of the house is daytime living kitchen with views, left hand side of house is quiet posh sitting room and study.

First floor: do you need four beds? I'd be tempted to make the smallest the utility - makes far more sense to have it where the bedrooms are than squeezed in off kitchen. Think of all those journeys up and down stairs saved!

If the utility is upstairs they have to carry down heavy wet loads of washing to hang them out. No journeys saved and harder work and more dangerous.

I agree you need to think about how you will use the space now and in the future. In a few years your DC will be going to bed later than you and you won't have the chance to sit down in an adult only space, they'll be there too. When you have guests do you want a busy family room as part of the same room as you eat and cook in like you currently have? I'd want to reinstate the wall between the current sitting room and dining room. The pandemic has shown us we need separate spaces.

If you reinstate that wall you could put the utility and loo on the left (but it will depend on drainage, are you detached or a semi?). Then enter from the hall into what is now the kitchen but make it the dining room in the middle (with french doors to the garden) and the kitchen is then to the right with no doors outside so you can have a U shaped kitchen. Or keep the utility and loo where they are and put the kitchen in the current dining room.

Wow, lots of replies- I've just had a quick skim as I'm juggling kids at the moment. Will come back in a bit when wee one is napping. Have attached diagram of where new house sits on the plot for SoupDragon

That is a huge extension. Would be surprised if that got through planning. Mass, scale etc. Possible overlook or light blocking. Consider your neighbor

My utility room is small. Literally has washing machine, fridge and freezer but it's so handy as l can shut the door when the machine is on full spin

You could have a wc-come-utility. Definitely needs a window. The walk-in wardrobe and ensuite doesn't "work" for me but moisture what I'd do to change it. Window in new lounge for the view.

Having looked at the plot, I think I agree with this I think if it was me I'd probably do a long kitchen/dining/family space down the right hand side I'd rethink the layout.

(Having doodled on the plan, I still can't make it work though! Bearing in mind the current location of plumbing and drains, it's tricky not to split the family lounge from the kitchen area)

I was thinking long room with kitchen to the rear with door to utility, dining area in the middle, seating area at the front. Then the left hand side accessed from hall, utility and loo in some config in the old kitchen space.

Somewhat drastically different but I would have (sorry, can’t draw):

A downstairs loo about a m back from where the door to the lounge is (so extending entrance hall a bit to the right of stairs) then a utility along front wall.

Move windows to rhs

Kitchen diner in the rest of the new area (accessed by door from new bit of hall)

Family room at the back where kitchen diner is now

Lounge stays where it is

I think you’d get a much better use of the space.

Personally I'd have all of the right hand side as a kitchen and dining room. Have a lootility where the word "kitchen" is on the plan (i.e. behind the stairs). Have the current dining space as a study or snug. Leave the Lounge where it is.

That way you don't have to go through a living space to get to the kitchen. I appreciate that you'd lose a lounge and only gain a "snug" though.

Upstairs I like the idea of a walk in wardrobe as long as it's big enough for two people to use at the same time, otherwise I'd just go for a slightly larger ensuite and a set of large walk in closets along the wall.

Sorry, not fully walk in closets, just a bit deeper than a standard wardrobe closets.

Sorry, it’s been a busy day, thanks for all the continued replies.

@PragmaticWench - I saw an insta account where the couple had a very similar style of property to ours with a similar extension and they put a vaulted ceiling in their master en-suite. Last I checked it wasn’t finished but it was shaping up to look incredible. I’d love to do it, but again, no room in the budget for anything fancy.

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles - that’s a great tip- thank you!

@ineedaholidaynow - at the moment, we personally don’t need wheelchair access, but I think it’s a building reg that new builds and extensions must be accessible, hence the space to manoeuvre in the wc and bathroom.

I really like your layout @SoupDragon thank you. Your wardrobe configuration makes much more sense and definitely tidies up the entrance to the master bedroom.

Lots of suggestions to make the whole of the downstairs extension a kitchen/diner and the current kitchen the utility/wc
This hadn’t even crossed my mind before but is worth exploring. The way it’s configured just now was to try and make it all as simple (and therefore cost effective) as possible to tie in with the existing plumbing/drainage/boiler.

Also, those who are commenting on the kitchen layout with the position of the hob, breakfast bar being awkward etc- that’s not the layout we’ve chosen. The architect has just drawn it in like that for illustrative purposes. Same re the en-suite and wc- we hadn’t asked for those configurations.

Also few suggestions for utility upstairs: I’m not sure that’d work for us as I tend to hang washing outside when possible. Makes more sense for us to have it downstairs

@clairethewitch70 I’d say about 70% of the houses in my street and the adjoining street have been extended. Many of the detached ones the same as ours have similar sized extensions. We have no immediate neighbours to the right. The nearest neighbour on the right is across a wide road. I’m not entirely sure, but I think the shadow of the house will be cast onto our own garden and maybe the street to the right hand side. I’d need to sit and properly work it out though.

I’ll keep going through the rest of the replies...

Ok, so lots more of you think we need to totally rethink and reconfigire. Gawd! it all seemed pretty straightforward and obvious when we spoke with the architect. Will need to sit down with pen and paper and have a play about. Or are there any recourse for an app for floor plans?

Thank you all so much for all the suggestions though, it's very helpful to get others' opinions. Lots of things I'd never considered.

Just to go back to a very early comment:-

When we got plans drawn recently for a similar extension ours also didn't include a window looking out to the amazing view! The architect said it was due to it being on the boundary that the planners wouldn't like it..

I would say that isn't generally a problem - unless it means that you're looking directly into your neighbour's bathroom or bedroom for example.

Although I do remember one example where a couple built a conservatory on the back of their house right bang up to the boundary of their property. However, the neighbour got fed up with them and put up a six foot fence on the boundary (as he was totally entitled to do) and they lost all the great views that they had formally had from their conservatory.

Anyway, from the most recent diagram it looks as though your extension is nowhere near the boundary so that isn't an issue. The only possible issue about having windows on that side of the extension where there aren't any at the moment would be if this meant that you would end up staring into the bathroom or bedroom window of your next door neighbour.

However, it looks as though on that side of you it's just a road and you don't have an immediate neighbour on that side.

If that is the case then there is no reason why you shouldn't have windows there for the view if that is what you want.

Will need to sit down with pen and paper and have a play about. Or are there any recourse for an app for floor plans?

I can really recommend two:-

www.roomsketcher.com/

www.sketchup.com/

Here is a youtube video of a couple who are renovating an old house and you can see examples of the two apps in use here:-

With regards to the lack of windows, our architect says it’s much harder to get permission for them on the first/second floor if they’re positioned on side aspects than on front/rear aspects. Especially if an extension takes you closer to the boundary. We’re asking to put an extra dormer in anyway - the neighbour has a 2 storey wall built on the boundary, so we won’t overlook anything by adding one (there is an existing dormer - part of the original house).

Thank you for the app recommendations (not recourse- silly autocorrect)

Re the windows- we currently have 3 windows on the existing right hand exterior wall: kitchen, downstairs and upstairs hallway. We look down the street which slopes downhill away from us and onto the fields beyond. If we put windows in the new extension wall, we wouldn't look onto anyone that we don't already. I guess we'd be 4.6 meters closer to them then though.

Found a new-build layout which I think sounds similar to what pp are suggesting.

Is this a better layout?

Not sure how I'd turn that one big lounge into 2 rooms with access though and I do prefer the idea of a family room and a "good" lounge

My head is frazzled!

@SoupDragon

I do love fiddling with a floor plan 🙂

I think you should leave out the door from "posh" lounge to kitchen to avoid a corridor issue and children running circuits of the house.
I also would reinstate the door to the kitchen.
Shifting the loo round downstairs makes it smaller and increases the utility space.

Upstairs I'd shift the door to the master slightly outwards (still inset from the stairs but not as much) just to widen the access inside.
I'd shrink the walk in wardrobe to square off the ensuite and put in a big shower that's just a glass screen rather than an enclosure with a door.

I think soupdragon's got it.

I think that newbuild is shallower than your house but it's in the right territory. To keep two rooms on the left the easiest solution might be to have the smaller one to the front so that you can still have doors to both from the hall.

rough idea

Actually, I've moved the wall between the left hand rooms but you might not even need to with the extended hall.

Thank you @StatisticallyChallenged That's so helpful