Anyone up for a re-design challenge?

[StalkedByASpider]

I've posted on this board a lot about my DM's annexe and our house move, possibly quite a bit under my other name. I keep forgetting to switch.

My DM has recently moved into an annexe. A small extension is going up in a couple of weeks to create the overall space, extending what's there.

She needs:

A kitchen
A 4-seater dining table (not a separate room)
Living room
Shower room
Second toilet
Bedroom
Study (stepdad has a hobby)
Small utility (for washing machine/tumble dryer and freezer)

It's only her and my stepdad. We're going to be in the adjoining house.

Attached are two plans. One is the overall property as it will be with the extension put up. The other one is how we're considering laying it out.

My DM has cerebral palsy and doesn't like open spaces so she's happy for things to be more cramped than I would perhaps like. She seems quite pleased with this layout - does it work? Can we get a kitchen, living room and dining table in the 19ft room?

One other complication - the shower room and study are lower than the rest of the annexe so you have to step down to that level (which DM struggles with). The shower room is also a complete state and needs ripping out and refitting but we won't be able to raise the floor. I had considered making the shower room the utility and putting a new bathroom in the extension at the back but the step down makes that tricky.

The bedroom will be fairly narrow but DM is happy with that as it means she won't need her walker to move around.

Any suggestions? Any better ideas? Quite literally open to anything as long as it includes the above rooms.....

I employed an architect to do this and he turned out to be a giant shitbag (long story). So I'm trying to figure it out for her myself.....

Thank you!

Any comments on the layout? 😊

The study seems massive. If he only needs a desk then make it smaller and give more space to the bedroom which seems cramped to me. I think that you will struggle to get a double bed and a couple of side tables in easily.

I would rather have room to move around the bed than risk falling in a small gap if I was reliant on a zimmer frame (had experience with a zimmer after breaking my leg).

Bookmarking to come back to it tomorrow ☺️

Thank you @DesignerOnCall 😊

@MrsMoastyToasty - sadly it's not just a desk he needs. His hobby takes up a lot of space and requires tons and tons of bookshelves, filing cupboards etc. Even with that room as the study he might still need an overflow lock-up. DM is trying to make him reduce his collection but it's not going so well 😅

DM uses a walking frame in open spaces but she likes small spaces because she can get around without her walker. Providing there's not an open space, she can move around by holding onto furniture. One of her hopes by downsizing to an annexe is that she'd use her walker less.

She has a habit of trying to stuff too much into rooms to make it easier to move around but then it just looks like a bloody storage unit. She's also a nightmare hoarder and doesn't like to get rid of furniture. Example, I'm currently trying to persuade her she doesn't need two tables in her kitchen.

The bedroom is narrower than I would like but I think it's OK - it's about 8ft wide so comfortably fits a bed with a bedside cabinet either side. I've put it in red on the plan.

I think I might have sorted it. I had another chat with her tonight and she likes this amended layout (attached).

If I swap her shower room and utility around, it minimises her needing to go up and down the step. And it means she won't have to walk through my stepdad's study dripping wet back to the bedroom.

I was a bit concerned about the washer/dryer in the utility being a long way and off my stepdad's study. However, DM's walking is getting harder and apparently she's been getting stepdad to put the washing on and do the drying most of the time anyway so actually it might be more convenient.

I think what I was asking really was:

a) is there a radical layout that works better than what I've come up with? It doesn't matter how much we have to move things around, we're open to anything but minimising the amount DM has to use the step is key.

and

b) Do you think that 19ft room is large enough to take a kitchen (minus a washing machine/tumble dryer), a dining table and a living room?

I want DM to have a really lovely space that flows nicely. I've been looking at her floor plan and moving things around for the last five months and my brain hurts now 😅

I think your latest plan is a good one. I've suggested an alternative which might give you more living space but you'd need a step/ramp down to the shower room from the bedroom. Also there is no separate utility! 😂 Is there a reason to have a separate utility when it could be incorporated into the kitchen and give you more living space?

The kitchen and living area would be open plan L shape.

Hi - I just had a quick look and your last one looks good. There’s not much you can do layout-wise if raising the floor is not possible, unfortunately. Depending on how much that level difference is, you could have a ramp but they take a lot of space if the difference is big.

The only thing about your plan is the shower room - that is very very small. Is a wheelchair a possibility in the future? Does she need bars and rails to get on and off the toilet, or a shower with a seat? You might need to steal a foot or so from the living/kitchen to make it accessible.

I’m still thinking about it - I’m sure there will be other solutions, I’ll see what I can do