Help me renovate my kitchen

[Jaffacakeman]

Hi Lovely folks

About to exchange contract on a new property soon. we love house but the kitchen is too small for us and it doesnt have enough storage.

We have two options -
1 - Move the kitchen to where the lounger diner and convert kitchen to a lounge.
2 - Knock though the wall between kitchen and reception room and make it in to a bigger kitchen diner ( but lose the fire place :( )

If this was your house, what would you do?

Any scope to extend the kitchen to meet the utility? Why would you lose a fireplace if you knock through between kitchen/reception room?

I would avoid option 1 personally and do option 2.

There is a oil tanker by the kitchen and the utility room.

I'm thinking we might need the wall space where the fireplace is for cabinets if we knock though and extend

Option 2.

Option 1

I'm struggling with where your front door is?

Seems quite complicated with number of doors and wondering if you need to consider the ground floor as a whole before making any big decisions.
I'd be tempted to live in it a while first. Work out where is warm, cold, nice in an evening etc. You may find that cosy reception room is the place you want to be in winter.

The current kitchen layout doesn't appear to be maximising the space. Get something where the dresser is to improve the storage as a temporary measure

We moved our oil tank, it's not that difficult. If you can extend the kitchen I would, otherwise I'd knock through into the reception room.

It looks like there is a huge amount of wasted space in the current kitchen, have you measured up how much you think you will need in terms of storage and counter space? From that photo it looks like you could probably triple what is in there currently.

@PragmaticWench

We moved our oil tank, it's not that difficult. If you can extend the kitchen I would, otherwise I'd knock through into the reception room.

Roughly how much did it cost to move the oil tanker?

@Calmdown14

I'm struggling with where your front door is?

Seems quite complicated with number of doors and wondering if you need to consider the ground floor as a whole before making any big decisions.
I'd be tempted to live in it a while first. Work out where is warm, cold, nice in an evening etc. You may find that cosy reception room is the place you want to be in winter.

The current kitchen layout doesn't appear to be maximising the space. Get something where the dresser is to improve the storage as a temporary measure

Front door is directly in front of WC.

It use to be by the reception room but the previous owner built a porch and downstairs wc

Looks very dark. The obvious thing is to knock through the two back rooms and assuming you have a garden put in French/sliding/ wall of glass to let in some light and views. That way you keep the utility close to the kitchen and snug and library off the living room which makes more sense.
Is the only access to the stairs through the kitchen and rear reception? I'd put a door in your living room to access the stairs without having to go through those other rooms.

You can put that kind of fireplace against any outside wall.

I'd do option 2 - the fireplace isn't on the wall you are knocking down, so you can keep it if you want.

I'd also open a door from Lounge to the stairs so that people don't have to walk through the kitchen.

BUT - where is the garden? the house looks fairly dark & enclosed. If there is a good garden on one side where you can open up a good connection between house & garden, I'd prioritize that and then re-arrange the kitchen to suit.

I'll be tempted to extend the kitchen to the left and include the utility.
Or if you want the utility then box it off.

There is actually a garden off the utility room.

The garden is really long with a self containing annex at the bottom of the garden

With that garden, I'd go for jaffacakes plan and put the utility in the back reception room. A big light kitchen with big doors onto that gorgeous garden would be lovely