Page 2 | Dividing long living room?

aiskabash · 2022-08-21T15:43:50+00:00

Hello, Working through home renovations and would like opinions on whether to divide my long living room in half to create two rooms. Thinking a separate dining room might be nice. A typical 1960s boxy number with a living/dining room combo and a galley kitchen across the back. Including current and new plans. Not extending into garden due to crazy building costs. Thank you.

Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 08:34

chopc · 27/08/2022 06:57

I would knock down the wall in between kitchen and living room to make a kitchen diner then divide off the living room if you wish to. Your living room is the only big space in your home and lots of small rooms certainly won't attract myself as a buyer so maybe others feel the same

It is a dilemma whether to divide the living room for the reason you stated. Houses here crazy expensive and I wish the layout was more modern yet I struggle with open plan to the kitchen. It would be nice to have an extra room (snug) but it is not a deal breaker.

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Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 08:36

whimsicalwillow · 22/08/2022 23:47

I would put folding doors at the divide of your 'L' shaped lounge.
We have a through lounge dining room with a square opening of the dividing wall in the middle and folding doors. Both rooms have plenty of light. We have the flexibility to open up the doors to create a bigger space if we need it, and a godsend when we had the heatwave. In the winter especially both rooms are warmer for being closed off.
I love having a separate dining room having had an open plan kitchen diner in our old house. I hated being able to see all the clutter when I served up a meal.

Thank you. Another good option. Swimming in choices!

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Milkand2sugarsplease · 27/08/2022 08:41

We had similar layout of rooms and had a wall up to split the living room from the dining space and then the wall between the kitchen and dining room taken down to create an open kitchen/dining/family room

Different house type but I've just used you pic to illustrate.

Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 08:52

Slopey · 27/08/2022 03:16

This is quite like ours.

I have friends who have done modern folding glass doors between dining and living room and it's fabulous. It works visually and practically.

We kept ours as a lounge diner, mainly because we have a fireplace and woodburner in the middle of the long wall, and I couldn't cope with getting rid of it or leaving it oddly in a corner. Instead, we moved the hall-kitchen door slightly to the left to make space for a small kitchen table in the bottom right corner of the kitchen. We also considered butting a bespoke, narrow table up to the left hand kitchen wall, but decided it was a few cm too tight on our measurements.

Knocking the dining and kitchen through would be a lot more popular though, I think. I just couldn't get past compromising the fireplace. Having 2 separate tables is actually really practical for us (one for homework /craft and one for eating) but I am sure it would feel more spacious with just one.

We have the same fireplace position issue but ours is a relic of the 1970s (flat crazy paving gem) so would like it gone. Photo below from listing.

Thinking maybe a new fireplace in the centre if the room (if divided)? Can have a new flue so not restricted to using chimney stack.

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Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 08:55

BloodyCamping · 27/08/2022 04:01

Forgot to post this!

Thank you. I think a long discussion is in order to decide the fate of the first garage (labelled store). All the other the houses in the small close have retained a double garage so not sure if this will cause any future issues.

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MargaretBall · 27/08/2022 09:07

Unless you need the store room, I would turn the kitchen /dining / store space into an l shaped kitchen dining snug , with the kitchen in the store area so that you have dual aspect . Separate living room for when you need to escape.

Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 09:28

MargaretBall · 27/08/2022 09:07

Unless you need the store room, I would turn the kitchen /dining / store space into an l shaped kitchen dining snug , with the kitchen in the store area so that you have dual aspect . Separate living room for when you need to escape.

The store room is mislabelled. It is the first garage. Husband has a motorcycle so one garage is already taken. Neighbours all use their garages to park their cars inside so it is a bit of a dilemma. I hoped to park one car inside but May need to rethink that.

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BloodyCamping · 27/08/2022 12:58

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 08:55

Thank you. I think a long discussion is in order to decide the fate of the first garage (labelled store). All the other the houses in the small close have retained a double garage so not sure if this will cause any future issues.

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As long as you’ve one garage you could always have a shed for storage.

MaChienEstUnDick · 27/08/2022 13:03

What's going to be in your utility room? Because having to continually trek through the whole length of the house to get there would be a pain, ime. Especially if your dishwasher is going to be in there.

Slopey · 27/08/2022 13:05

When you say you're not extending into the garden do you mean you are doing the bit marked "dining room" and utility but not going further out?

I think the dining room on the right in your plans would be a bit small. 2.9m is a little bit tight to get a full size table in crosswise if you are also using it as a thoroughfare with baskets of washing etc. I think moving the fireplace and dividing the lounge diner is a good idea. My only question is whether you need the extension at all, if you do that. Remodelling inside is ever so much cheaper.

Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 17:23

MaChienEstUnDick · 27/08/2022 13:03

What's going to be in your utility room? Because having to continually trek through the whole length of the house to get there would be a pain, ime. Especially if your dishwasher is going to be in there.

Just washer and dryer with utility sink. Also storage cupboards. Dishwasher in the kitchen.

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Original poster

aiskabash · 27/08/2022 18:31

Slopey · 27/08/2022 13:05

When you say you're not extending into the garden do you mean you are doing the bit marked "dining room" and utility but not going further out?

I think the dining room on the right in your plans would be a bit small. 2.9m is a little bit tight to get a full size table in crosswise if you are also using it as a thoroughfare with baskets of washing etc. I think moving the fireplace and dividing the lounge diner is a good idea. My only question is whether you need the extension at all, if you do that. Remodelling inside is ever so much cheaper.

The only extension in the plans is where the new utility room is located, so the corner behind the garage. In the original plans there is an empty corner behind the second garage.

We had hoped to go out into the back garden for an extended kitchen diner but extension costs (3.5 metres into the back) along with a remodel was well over £200k. 🙁

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SerotinaPickeler · 28/08/2022 08:11

chopc · 27/08/2022 06:57

I would knock down the wall in between kitchen and living room to make a kitchen diner then divide off the living room if you wish to. Your living room is the only big space in your home and lots of small rooms certainly won't attract myself as a buyer so maybe others feel the same

This option. A smaller living room area with dividing doors will be grown up and evening-cosy, the larger kitchen diner can include sofa and be the multi purpose day time area. You can have a breakfast bar between the kitchen & dining space to make it even more flexible.