Which floor plan/ any better ideas?

[Iwantsnazzyshoes]

We have a 1900s double fronted semi which has been extended by previous owners leaving a bit of an odd layout which just isn’t working for us as a family. We want to do an extension and redesign the ground floor but we’re getting stuck on the layout. We have an architect working on it with us and these are (we think) the final options:

option 1: long kitchen diner with utility room right at the back separated from dining area by glass wall/sliding doors, playroom to the new extension to the side. Pros - nice open layout, simple flow. Cons- need to knock down wall which is 1meter thick (builders not keen on this), utility room takes up nice view of garden

Option 2: utility room in centre of house with kitchen diner at the back and playroom to the side. Pros- good views of garden, don’t need to knock down any big walls, pantry. Cons - kitchen far away from front living room, is it less of a flow?

I’m so fed up of looking at these plans. Can anyone offer advice/alternatives or see anything obvious we’ve missed?

Can you fit in a utility room upstairs or just a drying space?

It's not the best time to do any building work due to costs, what do you need the most?

Add one extra room that could be the lounge or living room and use the existing room as playroom?

Were buying at the moment. The only one id view is plan 1. 2 has a weird layout, and I would need to put too many walls back in Mysterious's openplan version.
I'd go back to the drawing board. I dont think any is right.

Does blocking up the door from the livingroom into the kitchen create possibilities? I think I'd block that door, put the utility (and shower room?) at the back of that wall, knock down the big wall, and have the kitchen at the back. If the shower room and utility could be adjacent, the study could be left as a bigger room, rather than turning one decent room into lots of bits?

Op I actually think the current layout looks more space efficient. Using the lounge on the left as a everyday room and the living room as a family space with dining table and TV space.

What are you actually trying to add?
Do you actually need a study or just desk / storage space? 🤔 I'd be tempted to use a corner of the lounge.

Could downstairs loo go under the stairs?

Depending on what you need the study for, WFH? Occasional use and admin storage? I’d redesign the front left as utility and shower room with shutters or blinds to obscure the window and make the most of garden views for living space. The garden is wasted on utility options and the light would be much better used for living space. The study area could be designated in one of the other living areas depending on your needs and how much of a priority it is.

What are your priorities?

Personally, I would go for option 2 but with the utility and pantry just as part of the kitchen diner rather than as a separate room. But I would definitely prioritise the separate study as we both WFH a lot and need to be properly separated from the kids. But you might prefer to prioritise the utility

It’s very expensive for extra clothes drying - a drier and annual electric would be cheaper even solar panels would be more efficient!

Reconsider your priorities- Back needs access to daylight as it would hear your home better -

Agree with this. There's no reason utility can't be at front and it's more convenient to the stairs there.

Play area - what will that transition to as children age? Is there a way to prep now for making it a more private study?

How about this or is the wall between the front living room and the kitchen also one of the very thick walls?

This.
And if you really need a pantry you could combine it with the utility or, if that's not acceptable and you still want a pantry, then consider buying a pantry cupboard.
There's no way I'd give up the view of the garden as in option 1, but the loss of space and higgledy piggledy arrangement of option 2 isn't a goer either.

I would do option 1 but block the door off between living room and kitchen and put the utility there.

Sorry I'm another in the 'is this worth it' camp.

You seem to be losing proper living space for hallways.

I'd take out the wall/widen the gap between the living room and kitchen so that the right hand side of the house is a big family area. I don't think play rooms really work that well as kids want to be with you!

I'd flip the utility to the back so it's long and thin and combine with the downstairs loo so it's a lootility with the washing machine in a built in unit with worksurface on the top. Then I'd have a pulley on the ceiling for clothes drying.

I'd then put french doors on the left hand side of that space so it feels bigger and put a table there. If it's not big enough then would it be more cost efficient to just extend the extension back a bit further? Is it single storey or double?

It means you don't get a proper study but the left hand room would probably become more of your adult evening room anyway so I'd just get a clever built in desk with doors that hinge and slide so you can work in the whole room but just shut it away at the end.

Of course if you intend to stay here for ever money may be no object but in the current climate it seems a massive cost to gain so little

Blue is lootility, green new doors. Red opened up

Plinkplonk has the best idea yet.

Its great to see everyone else’s view on this. To try and answer some of the points being raised:

The current layout really doesn’t work for a family. Neither of the front rooms are really big enough to be a living room/diner. We did have one room as a playroom/diner for a while but the dcs got too distracted by their toys being out to eat or we kept having to put everything away to have dinner even if they hadn’t finished playing. If we have the playroom in the left hand side it’s cut off from the kitchen so I can’t see/hear the dcs if I’m cooking etc, if it’s in the right side there is a working fireplace in that room (which we use) and the playroom is like a corridor room everyone has to walk through.

The utility as it is is far too big and such a waste of space. We want to use that more for living space but also want to keep some sort of utility for laundry mainly. No space for a utility upstairs unfortunately.

I work in the hospital so I would like to keep a shower downstairs if I can to decontaminate when i come home so I’m not traipsing through the house after a shift. We don’t need an office really, just using up that space.

We were originally just going to add an extension to the side (in the playroom bit on the new plans) but then the kitchen has no window and would be dark.

For everyone saying we need another plan, can anyone suggest anything? We’ve had architect and builders look at this and have been trying to sort it for 6 months! I just don’t feel like we’re getting anywhere! We don’t especially like very open plan and can’t afford to knock down more than one big wall or square off the back completely.

Ok, sounds like you really want a utility but aren't bothered about the office so why not have option 1 with the utility instead of the office? You could then have a nice kitchen diner with lots of light and could probably get a coat cupboard next to the utility as well

I'd stick with the playroom / dinner, idea your kids won't be at the toddler stage forever. Even if it means using a moving screen or a kallax unit to divide the room and screen their toys.

Can you put the shower in the utility room?

Carving up the front room to put in bathroom is nuts.

Block up all doors to the living room except one by front door.
Utility becomes playroom, using door from what's marked play room in option 2.
Have pantry off kitchen as per option 2.
Washing machine under stairs (space because you've blocked off that door).
Dining table in what's marked play room in option 2.

Why not a playroom come utility?

using build in cupboards for the machines and toys and over head drying racks? Keep the floor space clear - or as the office is nice to have - have a utility and office combined - then the room would be bigger and more useable

I’d rejig option 1. Put the utility and pantry where the play room is. Block the door to the hall, which would give you a bigger shower room. Widen the door area, maybe double doors, from the lounge to the new kitchen area, and then you can have a larger, long kitchen dining area.

What works best for me is double doors from the kitchen into the garden, and double doors from the dinning end of the kitchen into the living room. If you have a party, you open the doors and everyone is at the same party. On a hot day, you can open all the doors and you get a good flow of air. Our doors from the kitchen open out onto decking.

In light of your update.
Keep the window opening in the kitchen to allow views of the playroom along with removing the door and widening as much as possible. Put breakfast bar and seating/ storage on other side to extend the size of the kitchen.
French doors or very large window in playroom should give light into the kitchen along with light coming from new sliding doors in new diner area.
Wc to front of house with daylight blind/ obscured glass film or plantation shutters.
In the future the playroom could be used as a diner and the space where diner was used as office.

Something like this for kitchen hatch.

With Plink's latest floor plan you could easily switch dining room and lounge around if you wanted to enjoy garden views at a later date.

Also you could go through the loo/shower to the utility room.

Taking Plink's idea but adding a hallway on the left and removing the door from the lounge to the kitchen so you can have more kitchen area.

Maybe the utility is still to big...perhaps a pantry? It's hard without knowing actual dimensions but I do love this sort of thing. As long as it is someone else's house.😁