A way to change floorplan or extension?

[lstedham]

Hi there, I know how great you all are with honest advice and experiences so thought would ask you all for help 🙏🏻 (sorry for long post!)
We have a 3 bed bungalow on quite a small plot, 2 adults and 2 children. I feel like it's getting quite cramped in terms of space and a few things are niggling at me, but not sure whether to try and address them or just take the plunge and move.
I've included the current floor plan.

So the main problem is that the dining area is too small, forever feel cramped and can't walk around the table (partner thinks I'm overthinking it and it's not an issue!) is there a way of changing the internal layout at all? The house was originally built for a disabled woman so all floors are different levels (living/dining area is higher than conservatory, hall and kitchen surrounding it)
Second option is to extend out into the side return and possibly incorporate the conservatory into it to try and create a larger open plan living space? But is it worth the hassle?!

Do you use your dining table a lot? I'm wondering if it is seldom used, or if your conservatory is heated/usable all year, whether you should just relocate the table into the conservatory, as it's a bigger room.
If you'd rather keep it where it is have you thought about turning it and/or popping one end against a wall, given that you need only 4 seats not 6. The table doesn't have to sit squarely in the middle of the room, from your drawing it is completely blocking the way into the kitchen. Is the floorplan correct that there's no door from the hall into the kitchen? That would make the house 'flow' feel awkward.
I'll be honest, I'd consider buying a smaller table before I'd alter layout. Though I would definitely want a door from the kitchen into the hall.
I'm a big fan of assessing issues and seeing if changing storage, furniture and doors can fix them before spending any big money.

Can you change some of the dining chairs to banquette seating so you can move the dining table closer to the wall and have more space around it?

Whats the red bit at the bottom of the floor plan?

OK, I'd do this...

I'd use a round dining table to start with.

Bench seating on one wall and a smaller dining table is the cheapest and easiest way to save space.

Is the lean-to in the side return? If there is good access to the garden around the other side, then an extension that fills in from both kitchen and dining room into the side return would give you a lot more space.

Options in order of probable expense

1. Move the table into the conservatory.
2. Buy a folding table, so it is more compact when you aren't eating
3. Knock the end of the kitchen wall out and have open plan.
4. Extend along the full wall where the conservatory is.
5. Extend upwards to create more bedroom/bathroom upstairs and leave more downstairs for day time.

I don't really understand what the lean to bit does or why it is there. I wouldn't extend all along that long wall as it makes it a bigger job and you haven't said the bedroom or bathroom sizes are an issue.

Thank you everyone for your responses.

@OttersAreMySpiritAnimal yes we use the dining table all the time! (Which is why it gets on my nerves so much I think 🙈) We're quite a social family, have dinner together, like playing games round the table and often have friends/family popping over, so reducing the size isn't really an option. The conservatory currently houses toys as sons bedroom is small and a sofa bed for when friends/family stay, so again think we'd be lost if we lost that "extra room". But floorplan is correct, door goes into living room and is open plan from there, then door into conservatory and door into lean-to (washroom).
@Seaside3 thanks for the floorplan, I definitely think this is an option we've considered and might have to go with it (apart from still needing the door into the lean-to which is our wash room). Just means we'd have to adjust floor levels.
@RandomMess this is also something we've considered, have drawn it out on the floor and everything! But don't think it would actually make much difference unfortunately.
@parietal yes, the back of the lean to is the party wall between us and our neighbour. But the space increases as you go further towards the dining side.

What about knocking down the conservatory and replacing with a real room extension on the same footprint. Then you can have a big dining table in there, and have a wall of cupboards in the current dining table space for storage.

I think I’d see if it’s possible to make a door into the kitchen from the hall. Then I’d brick up the door from the hall to the lounge area. There would then be room for a round table and chairs in the area where the door was. This will give more space to move around the table. And also free up the whole area adjacent to the kitchen where your table currently is situated.
Otherwise leave everything as is and turn table 90 degrees so it is lengthwise in the space.
Good luck with reconfiguring.