Is my extension plan too adventurous?

[ThisLimeBiscuit]

Hello ladies

i I am a silent lurker of mumsnet and cannot express my gratitude to so many of you for making me feel assured and not a failure through so many of my moments in life. Now I am stuck on another one and who better to ask than you?

we bought a fixer upper 3 years ago and wanted to live in to see what doesn’t work before embarking on extensions/ renovations. My dream plan is below….before I venture out and have my dreams shattered, I though I would ask you ladies if I am being too adventures and will ultimately face rejection? My current house plan vs my dream house plan….please be honest and wake me up from my dream 😂

Did you start from the existing floor plan? It looks like an entirely different property, and not just because of the extension.

I think the rear extension is too big and there's a lot of wasted space.

One of the best things you can do to start with, assuming you are in the UK, is to look at your council planning portal and see if there are any planning permissions for extensions on similar properties. If so, look at the approved plans and get an idea from there what people have done with the space and extensions.

Then play about with them.

Thank you, I think the only comment to say go for it if you like it☺️ I designed it on magicplan app and I don’t know how to navigate the doors or change their directions so they are opening in all kind of directions 😂😂 if you look closely, you will see sofas positioned so funny too because I couldn’t turn them around haha

as fir why the two doors, because my understanding is you need two points of exit for a space to classify as a room otherwise it’s a store? Maybe I am wrong. So I put two set of doors as it would remain open space, I could just put arches there rather than doors…

and no garage won’t be used to store the car, just my husbands tools that he will never use! And wires….so. Many. Wires!! Which I am not “allowed” to throw away 😂

True, what an architect can advise is something I can’t think of. Although if you or anyone else follows Emily Norris on Instagram, her back extension is something I really like…that whole flow of kitchen dining and sitting area…

@ThisLimeBiscuit "and no garage won’t be used to store the car, just my husbands tools that he will never use! And wires….so. Many. Wires!! Which I am not “allowed” to throw away"

I would include the garage into the renovation as it may allow a better layout - build a large shed for your husband and his wires!

If only I could build the shed for my husband 😂😂😂

I’ve been in your shoes and we built a daring extension that many architects told me would never get planning permission. In my view we built a perfect house for us. We now have tons of storage, so the house is always tidy. The downstairs layout is flexible, to accommodate ILs who come and stay often and can’t do stairs. Relocated laundry room upstairs. Built very large pantry with sink, dishwasher and second fridge. Cupboards in the hall to accommodate cricket, rugby, football etc kits, dozens of coats and shoes. Wet room downstairs with secret door to IL’s “bedroom” (which is a living room most of the time). It has ticked almost all the boxes that I had on my list.

My advice would be to actually write down a list so that you can check that your design meets it.

You’ve already had lots of comments on the layout so I won’t repeat them, except to say that the D/R with no windows will be completely overshadowed by the great room at the back and you will never want to use it. Unless your D/R is secret code for sex dungeon ☺️, please don’t keep that design as it will be poky and tight and a waste. Likewise the playroom, it’s only a few years when children want to use them and then it’s a wasted space.

Your central hallway is too narrow. With the benefit of lots of extra space, please consider how it will feel as you enter the house. You should aim for a much wider hallway that is in proportion with the rooms.

Your kitchen plan needs a complete rethink - the triangle of fridge/cooker/sink is way too wide and you will hate it. The sink works best close to the hob so you can wash your hands as you cook, drop dirty dishes in the sink etc. I used to have that layout in my old kitchen and hated it with a passion. You would be better having either sink or hob on the island. When you cook, try and note how you use the space and count the steps you have to take so you can maximise efficiency.

Oh and you probably need to budget closer to £1m than £200k.

Good luck!

Do you know off hand how much you are allowed to extend? I thought it was 10% of existing space, but this might vary from area to area. 72m2 is an enormous kitchen. With our 4 x 7 extension, our kitchen/diner/living room is about 50 m2 and it is huge.

Sex dungeon 😂😂😂 my in laws may get a shock when they come and stay 😂😂 although it’s a great idea about having that room. Getting feedback has been amazing as it makes you think of things you didn’t before! Already trying my hand on a different floor plan for downstairs. Also for the kitchen, there will be a sink on the island near the hob so that should take care of the problem….i will hope my dad can save me some bucks off the million! 😂😂 how about the floor plan now?!

You can go 6m for detached houses can’t you?

Please ignore the fact that thefe is no door on the bathroom! I am still learning how to draw things in the app and was trying to work it out how to put the door😂 the space is dedicated to coats/ shoes and then the toilet!

Generally speaking you have a triangle between sink, hob/oven and fridge. The proposed island blocks that flow. Also the whole plan seems distorted now with lounge overly large in comparison. Do you mean to have a tiny garage? I would suggest you need to leave it at least standard size for a car/bikes. I assume closet is a larder? Ideally a Laundry room has direct access to outdoors, maybe combined with a Boot/cloakroom so kids can come in from outside and not trail mud everywhere. Could you create a small area in your extension for that rather in the middle of the plan.

I think you need your coat / shoe space much closer to the front door. If you have teenagers it’s still a push to get them to use it but that far away from the front door, no chance in my experience. You’ll just have a pile of shoes by the front door and costs and bags dropped anywhere.

If you use the Houzz app, I would suggest posting your plans there. There are some really good posters in that community who may review them for free if you ask nicely 😊. They often come up with very clever designs.

Do you not hang your washing outside at all?

@FriendOrNo , I don’t hang laundry outside either, except quilts and duvets, but as these don’t get washed as often, the upstairs laundry room is a lot more efficient. No more trudging up and down two floors with clothes, sheets and towels.

Only for the three weeks of British summer when it's warm enough!

Plus, with a baby a toddler and both parents working full time I'm very pro tumble dryer! (Which I know is unpopular on Mumsnet but hey ho)

@Bedtimewoes91 i agree, the new generation of tumble dryers with heat pumps are super efficient and low energy. Ours is powered by solar panels so I don’t feel guilty

@ThisLimeBiscuit think about maximising the sunniest parts of your house. In most houses the middle is dark as far away from windows - so that’s where you should put utility rooms such as pantry, lavs etc.

your ‘garage’ means the living room only has one window. The back of the room will be very dark. If you don’t use it for a car, lose it and reorient the l/r.

Think about your path from the laundry baskets in each bedroom, down the stairs, through the hallway, kitchen, pantry and finally to the laundry room. So many steps each time - wouldn’t you be better having it upstairs and saving all that time?

Also please think early about energy. If you want solar panels, super insulation, heat pump, mesh Wi-Fi, air conditioning etc, these things take space so you may need a plant room somewhere.

It's obviously a matter of preference and I guess where you live then. I live on the south coast and have a south facing garden so plenty of sunshine/drier days for a lot of the year even though I do have a tumble dryer, I prefer to dry outdoors when I can...I do also work full time and parent a few children though if you feel that's relevant.

An architect can easily resolve any layout issues in your plan, but honestly I think you need to add a zero onto your budget. Remember that the typical £/sqm cost is before VAT at 20% unless you knock the house down.

How big will the house be? It looks to be over 400 sqm, but assuming it is 400, then at £3k/sqm average across the house that’s £1.2m plus £240k VAT = £1.44m, before fees. And £3k/sqm is likely to be too low since you are in the south. You also need to factor in new furniture, lighting, curtains, carpets/rugs etc etc

I don’t think you should have both the extension at the back and the front infill.

How about this? Large entrance way, with some seating and open to the stairs. Lots of storage in here, close to the front door.

You have planned a lot of cupboards in the kitchen so I don’t see the need for a pantry as well, which gives you space for a lounge without the infill..

As for the garage - work out how much you house is worth per square metre and then figure out how much of that is barely used storage. A properly, purpose built shed would be a lot more cost effective.