Review Utility/Bootroom Plans

[Redcloud89]

Any changes you would make to these utility/bootroom plans? Working with a limited space, finding it difficult to visualise. Thanks.

Is the kitchen diner already done?

You could stack the washer and dryer
Where are you hanging/folding stuff?

Is this the whole of downstairs or are there existing rooms? What are the dimensions of this space?

Is the door on the left the entrance to the house/garden? If so I would try to close off the utility area somehow, otherwise you’ll be walking through the laundry mess all the time.

If you stack the washer and dryer you could perhaps build a sort of cupboard with foldback doors around the utility area, to enclose the mess.

Do you definitely need a downstairs shower?

What's the wiggle line? And is it a fireplace or tv behind the seating area? Is your kitchen already done?

You're trying to cram an awful lot into a small space. Do you really need a shower? There's very little space in the bathroom for someone to dry off. Do you definitely need a boot room? How many people are likely to use it at any one time (ie will lots of muddy kids be in there or just you) - if it's going to be busy, you've got a couple of pinch points by all of the doorways that could become annoying. Do you really want guests walking through your utility to get to the bathroom?
TBH if it was mine, I'd be rethinking the entire plan you've posted. Having to walk across the room to the pantry would drive me nuts!

Reposting the full ground floor floor plan. It’s a renovation so working with the existing space we have, we’re not extending so limited in that regard (hence the pantry being on the other side of kitchen which we’ve made peace with). The door on the left is access to the side entrance, 2 kids and beside beach which is why we have a shower downstairs. Utility feels very limited space wise so open to all suggestions, thanks!

Hi, I would forgo the pantry and turn that whole area into a shower room and utility.

I'd then get rid of the bar seating and make your island a double width, to make up for lack of pantry. There are so many seating options in your house you definitely don't need bar seating and a table.

This works make it all less crammed. I'd also consider if you really need an access from your kitchen to lounge when you have the sun room on the other side. This would give more wall space for storage/to extend your island to be a peninsula.

Forgot my amazing picture.

Ffs

What is a boot room? Is it different from a cloakroom? When coming in through the hall will you have to walk through the kitchen to the boot room to take off shoes and coats?

Too much going on in the utility/pantry area. The bathroom looks too tight. As it's the only downstairs loo, I'd lose the shower to make the loo feel a bit more luxurious. You can install an outside tap works to wash off dirty feet before coming in the house. The pantry is a very useful space to hide long items you need hidden away but the 2 doors break up that wall a bit too much. I'd consider installing pocket doors to reduce the breaks along the wall sight line. Also would consider losing the sink to make the pantry a bit larger.

Could you also have a cloakroom under the stairs so guests don't have to walk through the boot room?

The pantry is quite far from the cooking area. We have a large island with cupboards on both sides plus overhang for bar stools and use these cupboards as extra storage.

Can you put the shower outside if it's just for rinsing off after the beach? Also avoid putting the fridge and oven next to each other. You might need to rethink that area, it's useful to have work surface immediately adjacent to ovens in case of needing to put hot stuff down fast.

Pic is of a laundry layout which is a neat solution to space issues.

Outside shower could be a better option
Pantry is too far from the cooking area and do you want fridge and oven next to each other.
Where will you put stuff when you take it out of the oven?

I agree with a previous suggestion that you could remove the stools from the island to free up space for food. We have a dining room table behind an island and people eat there/ do homework there etc without any need for island seating. The biggest battle with islands is not letting them be a dumping ground for reading books/ keys/ Amazon deliveries etc and if you let people sit there I reckon this makes that problem worse!

Then you could put some of the bathroom in the pantry maybe and bring the boot room round a bit. Unless you're going to be hoovering all the time you'll be battling a dirty floor where you are dealing with clean washing and that will be annoying!

Not sure why people are commenting on the kitchen but the boot room : utility looks good to me - are you having worktop across both the washer and dryer ? I think a run of worktop is vital for folding and sorting

Here are a few thoughts. However they may not work if you have original features or structural walls in the places I’m mentioning.

Side door: I would swap the door and window next to it, to provide a straighter “run” to the kitchen. This should also allow you to extend the bathroom a little.

Living room: I would steal the top slice from the living room and make that kitchen instead. (Ditch the doors from kitchen to living room.) This way you can have a bigger L shaped kitchen. The space stolen from the living room can contain a big larder cupboard with deep drawers (better IMO than a pantry across the room) and a bigger fridge. Or put the ovens there and increase the fridge size in its current position.

Lose the pantry and make it a larger, closed off utility accessed from the boot area.

If the study will get regular use I would try to close off the study and create a direct access to it from the boot area.

I like it!

And wouldn't get rid of the pantry or the shower. Downstairs shower is super useful. Pantry means not needing loads of units for storage.

Could you swap the kitchen to the other side and use hidden doors within tall units to go into the pantry and utility? The kitchen could continue ground with the sink looking to the garden. Then just swap the island and dining table, the island might have to be a bit shorter but overall I think kitchen space would be similar.

Would mean the pantry is part of the kitchen and I think gives you a bit of a better utility room if you can move the washer and dryer over to the long run and just have a straight run of units where the sink is instead of the L.

Tried to draw the idea on my phone but it's a bit rubbish.

Where will you put your airers/clothes horse?

The open boot room/utility would drive me mad. Mud would get mixed with clean washing. I think I’d sacrifice the pantry to get a bit of separation between them as it’s a long way from the kitchen.

I would keep the washer/dryer low down and have a hanging rail across both to them for any clothes that are either just damp and need to hang to dry and a worktop so you can fold clothes.

Keep the pantry and have an appliance shelf so anything heavy is at waist height and easy to lift into the kitchen to keep your kitchen worktops clear of these sorts of things.

I agree the island doesn't need the seating around it and I would put cupboards underneath instead of bar stools or at least not have those 2 bar stools on the side. If bar stools then ones that tuck all the way under and not with backs for a more streamlined look.

I would close off the living room to the kitchen too. There is no need to have those doors which then gives you the potential to wrap the kitchen round that side. I am not a fan of hobs on islands, just personal preference but I am a fan of tall larder cabinets which hold an awful lot of stuff.

Any guests will have to walk through your utility to get to the loo. This may or may not bother you. I think keeping a shower is a good idea.