Please come critique our plans...

[cancancan]

We are having a single story extension. All with in permitted development. We are terraced so going out 3m.

We have managed to fit in everything we want.... downstairs loo, utility room, living space, dinning area, and a larder. But we are worried the kitchen will be small. Fair enough with the utility and larder the cupboard space isn't an issue but worried about work top space?

In terms of worktop space, measure what you have now and see how it compares.

It doesn't look like enough worktop to me. Could you have a peninsula rather than an island to create more? Perhaps coming from the wall on the left and turn it 90 degrees. You would face towards the dining and seating areas rather than the wall when you stood at it then too.
I would also try to find a way to combine the utility and loo on the right, it would free up a lot of space.

Well they may hold more korawick but they have to be much larger as they have to have space for you to stand in as well - whereas with a larder cupboard that space is part of the kitchen so helps make your kitchen more spacious. That’s what I mean by space inefficient.

Also depends how tall you are - I’m short so any space above my head height is not much use - a set of wide deep drawers are much more useful for me as food storage.

@minipie

Well they may hold more korawick but they have to be much larger as they have to have space for you to stand in as well - whereas with a larder cupboard that space is part of the kitchen so helps make your kitchen more spacious. That’s what I mean by space inefficient.

Also depends how tall you are - I’m short so any space above my head height is not much use - a set of wide deep drawers are much more useful for me as food storage.

Oh I see what you mean! I am not short so getting down to low drawers for food what not suit at all! Ceiling height all the way 😀

I'm hoping the larder will be big enough to store food and also have space for things like the food mixer, bread maker etc which currently takes up a useless corner cupboard.

We have a peninsula at the moment and it's just a dumping ground. We don't use it at all for any sort of food prep or anything.
We currently have a very small section of work top that we actually use for food prep.

I don't think people are reading the scale right here, your island is going to be just under 2m? That's pretty big and you'll have a big run of worktop on the wall behind too... When I see giant kitchens full of units I just want to tell people to have a clear out. It's also silly having worktop which extends far beyond where you would actually use it.

I think my only issue would be the user of space in the larder. There are a couple of awkward corners which only seem to be there to allow the door to open. I would measure the appliances you want to go in and make sure there is space for them that is accessible. Also if there are any you want to actually use in there without taking into the kitchen (bread maker?), that there are appropriate sockets, etc.

I just taped it all out on the floor.

Yeah the island is 2m x 1.7m so it's big.

The larder we will have a door that opens outward, possibly split in half. So that means we could fit an extra freezer in there if needed.
We can fit a fridge and separate freezer along the wall that backs along the toilet and possibly fit the oven in as well depending on how much space the cupboard housing takes up.

Thankfully we have no fixed ideas about having an American fridge freezer or range oven so we are open to having undercounted appliances if needed.... we are def after function not form!

We currently use a tiny workspace area of 93cm by 60cm to do food prep! 🤣🤣🤣 so anything will be more then that!!

If you have a sitting room, get rid of sofa and tv. Put dining area in that corner and extend the kitchen

You don't need a huge tv and sofa in the dining room as well as sitting room do you?

Or, have a tv on the wall and kids sit to the table or on bar stools with iPads

I love it @cancancan. We met on another thread where I sought feedback on mine. @korawick was a great help. The island will provide a lot of worktop and I totally agree a compact kitchen and a pantry is a great idea.

The space is working very hard- for “just” three of you there are 8 seats and a 4 seater sofa. So the room is intending to be social and zoned- but is it a bit more than you need?

I agree with previous poster who said to pinch some space from you toilet to make the pantry bigger. The freezer in the larder will warm it up and be noisy, so might want to reconsider that. You want to avoid dinky spaces your squeezing past each other to move around.

I would put bench seating along one side of your dining table and have a couple of big comfy chairs by the tv instead of a sofa and put the play stuff in the unused space by the utility.

So in the kitchen, tall units (f/f oven and cooking aid storage along the toilet wall and just work surface with your job and draws on the other wall between larder and dining table. Also get a dining table that can be extended from 4 seater to 8 so you get a bit more space back when it’s just family for dinner.

What’s to stop your island becoming a dumping ground like your current peninsula? Think about what gets dumped and make strategies for how to deal with that now at the design phase.

Finally think about your route from your utility to your back door if your planning on drying clothes outside.

Also make sure you can see the tv while washing up! Love a sink on an island for that alone! Good luck

you have a lot of wasted space in front of the door to the utility room.

you could move that door to the other wall & then have space for a big dresser to store extra pots & pans, plus to be the 'dumping ground' for phones / chargers / cookbooks etc.

And don't have the sofa right in front of your garden doors. how about turning it around so you can see the garden.

Also, I agree with a PP that bench seating could be great for the dining table.

I've put a suggestion here of moving back the WC and the entrance to the kitchen space. I've made the sofa a bit smaller! Only a touch. Maybe there is something to consider here? I'm considering this type of layout now.

But I still love yours and think it's a runner. There are always trade-offs!

@RichmondMumof2 I love that design, might consider swapping the sofa and dining areas with an Lshaped banquette seating in the area by the pantry? (so you can’t see mess of kitchen and are focused out to the garden and social spaces

yes @littlejalapeno!

I really like that latest one @RichmondMumof2 has done. I think the L shape of kitchen units will flow better.

I’d be tempted to replace the pantry with a big double door full length cupboard though - the‘standing space’ inside the pantry could be better used as part of the main room.

Think @RichmondMumof2 has definitely improved the design - looks better and more space

You could consider sliding/pocket doors for utility/pantry

@RichmondMumof2 yes exactly! If your build is like this it’s gonna look👌

I wouldn't have the bulk of the pantry or utility as far into the room as @RichmondMumof2 has suggested, IMHO, you'll lose some of the feeling of space. And also lose flexibility as the space is narrowed.

I actually think you've got a good amount of space given the size of the island and if you really kit out the pantry smartly (a mix of floor to ceiling pull outs plus some work surface with cupboards above and below) then you won't need much work surface in the kitchen.

I would agree with pp to have the loo door open outwards and then I'd square off the pantry properly and remove the dog leg.

I would also move the utility door around the corner so you can make full use of the space where pp put a dresser. You could also consider having it as a pocket sliding door.

Thanks so much for everyone comments.

Again the sofa on the plan is not one we asked for it's huge. We will only have a small 2 seater sofa out there

@parietal moving the door to the utility is a good idea . We are going to have a sliding barn door so we don't have to have space for the door opening into the utility so will have to see how that fit with the opening into the actual kitchen. And yeah we are thinking of putting something in that gap by the utility room... thinking a drinks station... coffee machine, top cupboard for alcohol, bottom cupboard for glassware etc.

@RichmondMumof2
Wow that is amazing work thank you. And yes I remembered posting my plans Ona bother thread but couldn't remember which one! Hello again! 👋🏻

The reason the toilet is where it is, is because the door to the toilet is the current door into our kitchen/diner and the door to the kitchen we will be putting back the original door that was there to the old separated kitchen... hope that makes sense.
I do like your plan apart from the pantry being away from the kitchen and. The TV backing onto the garden.

@littlejalapeno I had thought about the dumping ground element... I'm hoping that once we've got the extension sorted, next will be the hall way. I want to open up the understairs to be a place for coats, shoes and other crap! So the dumping ground will likely move there...

And whatever you do, make sure there's enough distance between the island and the wall units/counters for two of you to freely pass each other. Nothing worse than having one side disproportionately small and always having to do a shimmy shuffle past each other!

Also consider getting a smaller extendible table if there are usually only 3 of you - e.g. 140cm long, which seats 2 comfortably on each long edge. To improve circulation space.

Cross posted!

@RichmondMumof2
That 2nd one is really good.... is there enough space for doors though?
Our architect is gonna hate use

And yes to those of you who recommended having the toilet door open outwards!

Arh man you've all given me even more choices to make!!

Could you merge the pantry & utility into one room rather than having the dividing wall?

You could then reduce the floor space element of it by only having one door into it. There would then be a little more space either for the dining or family area. Hope that makes sense, I've no idea how to do drawings on Mumsnet

loads of great ideas. @jackstini's pocket doors would be awesome. I've updated with the doors going into the pantry and utility.