How would you do this house?

[Honeycombskl]

Looking at buying a house and struggling as I live in an area which many people are now moving to from much wealthier areas post lockdown. Everything is going so fast and for way more than valuation (in Scotland).
There is one house that really isn't selling and I think it's down to the layout so DP and I are considering it, but thinking of how we can reconfigure it. The main issue is that you can only go into the back garden either via the garage (which you need to go out the front door to enter) or via a conservatory/porch which has been added onto one of the bedrooms. As we are the type of people who enjoy having people round I'd rather people not go through our bedroom to go out back. I also feel like it limits the use of the porch which could potentially be a dining area if not on to a bedroom.

We have considered opening out the two bedrooms at the back of the house and turning them into an open plan living room and kitchen, and then making the old living room and kitchen 2 bedrooms. This will be pretty expensive though and a lot of work (I'm 6 months pregnant just now).
Can anyone see a simpler solution that we might have missed? I suggested converting the garage to turn that into the kitchen, and extending it slightly to the front so that it would be accessed directly from the house but DP thinks we should keep the garage. Does anyone have any other ideas?

You might find that is an expensive way of doing it, @Honeycombskl. Moving the kitchen to the back of the house will involve installing gas and water to the opposite corner of the building. Then you will need a new kitchen, new flooring and bedroom carpet and have to make good the walls in the old kitchen, lose the worktop plug sockets that are in the middle of the wall etc.

As long as the wall between the 2 back bedrooms isn't a load bearing wall, the cost of knocking it down and the extra redecorating/flooring costs to make the back of the house and open plan living room/kitchen with a dining room in the porch, will only be a fraction of cost of the work you are planning to do in moving the kitchen.

I think just moving the kitchen might reduce the value of the property or at least not make it any easier to sell than with the current layout (it is another strange, inconvenient layout and not great to have the lounge next to a bedroom, particularly for kids, from a noise perspective). You will lose the money you are investing in the remodelling if it doesn't increase the value. On the other hand, for just a small amount more, it might increase the value/saleability so you recoup the costs of the remodel, if you create an open plan kitchen/lounge/diner that leads to the garden. I think you need to get a builder in for quotes (vendor willing) and get advice from an estate agent on how the changes will affect the value for both scenarios before you decide.

Or just live with it, if you only plan to stay for a short time. The porch room would make an excellent play room attached to a bedroom for the older DC.

It is going to cost many thousands just for convenience of direct access to the garden for just a few years.

Swapping it all was my intial plan but going back I don't think it's the best call. The current living room has floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the street so not ideal for a bedroom.
The kitchen needs redone anyway, as does the whole house need redecorated, hence why I don't want to live in it for a while as it is because I would want to redecorate it all anyway.
I think our plan to swap the kitchen and bedroom is the best one for us.

Just make sure you work out all the costings and offer accordingly. Could be fabulous if you get the price right!

Have you considered just demolishing the garage and rebuilding it (or a large shed at least) behind where way in to the front door is ? You could leave the house alone layout.