Love opinions on layout/design of our extension

[LAlexander7]

Hello, pencilled this in for spring 2023. Only thing to note is the toilet on the downstairs is going to go in the cupboard under the stairs. So that space will all be free.

On the floorplans everything on the left handside is the extension.

The toilet door opening into the lounge is a bit grim when it won't have a window. I'd reconsider having it in the utility area, that would work better.

My wife thought this, but I don't really think we need a downstairs loo so compromise is to have it there IF we need it.

On the front doors, thats already how it is, so we will take the inner door out and trim the wall to create a bit more space

You might not think you need a downstairs loo if you don't have one now, but as soon as you've got one, why would you traipse upstairs to the loo. And when it comes to re-sale, having the loo opening into the living room would be the biggest turn-off ever. Please don't do that, whatever you do.

The snug really isn't a snug, however you look at it. It is a glorified corridor to the back of the house. Have a desk in there if you must, but it won't be a cosy snug. Why not use the area at the back of the lounge for that?

Definitely keep a utility - even if you need to start again with the layout to fit it in. And echo what someone else said - you have more than enough space for a washer and a dryer - don't get a washer-dryer. And don't put them in an open-plan living space.

You have so much square footage to play with, but everyone makes a lot of very good points as to how it could be optimised.

I would have a corridor where the snug is. Use the rest of that space to the left of the corridor for a downstairs loo and a utility/boot room. You don't want a downstairs loo directly off the kitchen, and definitely need out if you have children.

Then I'd put a wall, maybe with sliding doors, between the lounge and the lounge/dining space. So the lounge will then be a sort of snug, separated from the rest of the house.

I agree with comments above about the dark bedroom.

given this is all new & I assume no constraints on pipework, you could put the bathroom at the front (B) + some wardrobes (W) and then have a big light bedroom at the back which will probably have room for a chest of drawers / bookshelf / dressing table too.

Also - why isn't the front door on the front? Why do you see a window facing you with the door at the side?

The more I look at the plan, the more I think it needs stripping out and starting again!

For downstairs, why do you need a snug? you already have a great big lounge. I'd put double doors (maybe crittal glass doors) to separate the lounge from the kitchen so you can have different conversations / tv etc in that space.

and then make the new space on the left into one big utility / boot room / store room. With lots of cupboards so it is neat enough to walk through as your main route to the kitchen, and LOADS of storage for sports kit / diy things / laundry things etc. That would be very valuable space. And keep a proper downstairs loo there too.

@ReviewingTheSituation

Also - why isn't the front door on the front? Why do you see a window facing you with the door at the side?

The more I look at the plan, the more I think it needs stripping out and starting again!

This is the front of the house.

Have you used an architect? I find the overall design a bit odd. It's not permitted development so do you already have planning permission?

Why not go for a pitched roof instead of a flat roof on the 2 story side extension? It looks like a box stuck on the side right now. What have other people in the street done? A pitched roof at 90 degrees to your current roof would look much better.
You are blocking access to the side of the house for maintenance, and sticking to 90 degree walls you end up with a lot of wasted space in a dead spot. You could have the wall follow the boundary line as an alternative.
Are you detached or a semi?

I would want a hallway between the rooms; at present, you can only access rooms by going through another, which could make them feel a bit corridor-like.

Good move on putting WC under the stairs, it's currently in a very awkward position coming straight out into the snug.

Upstairs is lovely, I wouldn't change anything there.

The 3d drawing and the room layouts don't match then! On the flat plan, it shows a window at the front with a door on the side of the porch.

And the dimensions don't look like they match at all - on the flat plan, the sticky-out porch is just the width of a door, but the 3d external model makes it look a lot bigger than that.

Where did the plans/drawings come from, and who did them...?

@Rollercoaster1920

Have you used an architect? I find the overall design a bit odd. It's not permitted development so do you already have planning permission?

Why not go for a pitched roof instead of a flat roof on the 2 story side extension? It looks like a box stuck on the side right now. What have other people in the street done? A pitched roof at 90 degrees to your current roof would look much better.
You are blocking access to the side of the house for maintenance, and sticking to 90 degree walls you end up with a lot of wasted space in a dead spot. You could have the wall follow the boundary line as an alternative.
Are you detached or a semi?

Yes architect, permission is ongoing

no to pitched roof the other houses on the street all have flat roofs planning won't allow it. And there was a technical reason we couldn't do a pitched roof. I can't remember what.

Its detached we can get around from the other side there's plenty of space.

It can't follow the boundary line because our neighbours house is about 50 degrees and we didn't want the extension to be wonky.

@ReviewingTheSituation

The 3d drawing and the room layouts don't match then! On the flat plan, it shows a window at the front with a door on the side of the porch.

And the dimensions don't look like they match at all - on the flat plan, the sticky-out porch is just the width of a door, but the 3d external model makes it look a lot bigger than that.

Where did the plans/drawings come from, and who did them...?

oooh my error I've uploaded the original plans.

Two issues for me.
The flow is awkward, carrying shopping to the kitchen involves 3 doors.
There isn’t a door between the lounge and kitchen so smells etc will carry, the lounge needs the ability to be fully shut off.

I think you’ll struggle to change the whole flow through to the kitchen without moving the stairs which is obviously going to be expensive and will mess around with the upstairs layout.
For us as a family I would use the snug/utility as a boot room/ utility to store away coats/ school bags, pushchairs, muddy dog etc, a kind of ‘family entrance’ and take visitors through the lounge. It just looks too small to be a snug and (to us) would be much better utilized as a boot room/ utility.
You might think you’re losing a room but houses without a dedicated space for coats/shoes/pushchair to live are a hundred times more messy and stressful to live in.

And I would keep the downstairs loo in the boot room/ utility space too.

@GVmama

I think you’ll struggle to change the whole flow through to the kitchen without moving the stairs which is obviously going to be expensive and will mess around with the upstairs layout. For us as a family I would use the snug/utility as a boot room/ utility to store away coats/ school bags, pushchairs, muddy dog etc, a kind of ‘family entrance’ and take visitors through the lounge. It just looks too small to be a snug and (to us) would be much better utilized as a boot room/ utility. You might think you’re losing a room but houses without a dedicated space for coats/shoes/pushchair to live are a hundred times more messy and stressful to live in.

I agree, I can't see how we can change the flow to the kitchen. I guess if the open plan gets too much we can always put up a stud wall or partition if we needed to.

The plan was it was likely to be my office space.

I get what you're saying though re muddy dog/boots/coats etc.