(floorplan included) any thoughts on extension?

[vanHalen]

hi all! we’re currently debating whether it’s be worth extending our long galley kitchen to the side?

has anyone found a great solution for this kind of elongated space ideally without resorting to a side extension?

Currently, ideas are:

• move loo & shower under the stairs
• knock through the two receptions,
• then move kitchen to front room (to fit a kitchen island)
• make galley kitchen into a living room

would love to hear any ideas or feedback you may have

No advice but we did do the classic Victorian side return extension and I regret to tell you that it was absolutely worth all of the money and faff 😂

I don't know much about Victorian terraces and side returns but did see this one on George Clarke and thought it was really well done.

haha! Glad you got it done! How long did it take, cost, and any tops tips I’d be glad to hear.

Trying to avoid the extension as apparently these days it doesn’t add value anymore. Wish we were more decisive

@FiveBlackbirds thank you! Something to obsess over!

and anyone reading who’s NOT done the extension but has a great layout please do comment 🤗

I will preface this by saying I watch a lot of renovation shows, DIYers etc. This is certainly an interesting idea of changing the dining space into the kitchen connecting the lounge to the new space. However, your kitchen is very long compared to this example but worth a look to see if it sparks some ideas.

Plus it depends on drain location as you can plumb water anywhere but the waste is the one thing that can scupper moving a kitchen or bathroom. Water regs are 1 in 40 so 1cm fall for every 40cm of horizontal pipe.

thank you @FiveBlackbirds that’s so useful! It’s exactly what we’re thinking about the water pipe stuff. Are you DIY renovating somewhere or have you done this?

I wouldn't turn the galley kitchen into a living room, long thin living rooms are dreadful, they tend to look crowded and awful once furniture goes in and getting furniture to fit is difficult. It ends up looking like a corridor with seating against the wall.

To be honest I'd do the side return extension if you can.

Do you have access to the left hand side of the house, where the stairs are? If not putting in a tpiket msy mot be feasible as you need a 100mm sool pipe to connect to the sewer.

(Personally I wouldn't even contemplate one of those macerator types which only need a much smaller pipe...)

100% do it. You won't regret it

Ooo you could do then thing that I always wanted to do. An internal light well and courtyard. Build the kitchen extension but leave a 2m or so gap by the reception room. This way that window still gets light. You can open it up in summer for ventilation etc

Is there room for a shower and wc under the stairs?

Ditch the conservatory , move the wee sink and make the kitchen units run in a L shape to make it feel wider and shorter

Or as above but make the wee loo bigger - more into a loo + utility

What are you wanting out of the work? Additionally living space? Larger kitchen? An additional bathroom?

@vanHalen We have renovated 2 houses over the years and most of it has been done by us except the kitchen extension where we brought builders in.

A couple of things to consider. We ploughed money into this house to make it into a house that would grow with us. From having a preschooler to an adult child returned from uni and living and working from home whilst saving for their first house.

Long term the house has risen in value anyway but this wasn't about making a profit just about making a home for us. The last house we renovated we sunk £20k into and due to when we bought, the market crash and when we sold we did not see a penny back of that investment. But am I glad we got rid of the horrible green swirly carpets and replaced the leaking bathroom? Absolutely. It was our home for years. How long are you planning to stay in this house?

I have never lived in a Victorian terrace so this might be impossible. I would consider adding another wall (as I am assuming the kitchen wall at the stair end is load bearing) and taking that top area and making that into the toilet area if drains allow, then a new kitchen door a bit further down. That means the door to the toilet is not in the kitchen.

The kitchen length could work in your favour if you remove the conservatory from the back and the toilet etc having french doors to the garden. You can zone the kitchen at the top end and have a banquette seating area near those french doors.

The two things I would suggest, one is to go onto your council planning website, search by map which will highlight all the people who have requested planning consent on your road or in the houses that are the same as yours. Find the side extensions and look at their plans online. Someone might have done something you like the look of.

The other would be to go to an independent kitchen place, get them to plan the kitchen in your current layout and see what they come up with. My friend did this in a teeny kitchen and they ended up removing part of a wall and completely opening up the space. It really worked and is stunning compared to the tiny box she had before. Her layout is completely different to yours though.

We have a side return, and a long kitchen, that goes to a bathroom and rear door at the back and haven't a door from the reception room. Our middle room is one big room as the stairs lift between front and reception room.

We have windows that are too low, so it prevents a long work top on the outside wall. We have a door to one side at both ends, and that prevents us from having a galley kitchen. And I would love a galley kitchen done right. Your rear conservatory is a bit odd, but it probably fell under permitted development whereas a side return requires planning permission, and possibly some party wall agreement.

Personally I like the idea of utilising the side return as part of the kitchen, but I worry about light in the middle. I have considered something radical as moving the kitchen into the middle of the house, but a lounge or other room in the existing kitchen wouldn't be that great. I guess bathroom/utility at a push. Sound, ventilation and plumbing is another consideration if you were to move the kitchen.

At least with a galley kitchen you get a good kitchen. If you were to incorporate the side return into a kitchen is there enough room for a kitchen/diner? I look at my space and question that.

The other issue with moving rooms is one of sound. Your neighbours could then be subjected to the loud vagaries of a kitchen. If kitchens are back to back it's not so much a problem.

I'd question whether a kitchen with your dimensions could be considered a galley kitchen. We are moving from a house with a galley kitchen and it's much narrower than yours. We are moving to a house with a kitchen the same width as yours, but it's not as long and feels much more square than galley. We are planning to move the kitchen to a room with very similar dimensions as yours. The kitchen won't span the whole length but will have a dining table and ample space between units for multiple people to pass around each other.

So I wonder about your current configuration and whether it just needs laying out differently. Any photos you could share?

Do you have water drainage at the front of the house? If not then moving the kitchen to the front probably isn't an option.

There's another neighbour on the left side of the house so no access unfortunately.

Talking about macerators, apparently the technology has advanced in the last 5 years. At least that's what a builder told me when I said I'm against them.

YES absolutely love that!

shower no but other neighbours have put a WC

I like the L shape, even a breakfast bar. As I think a kitchen island wouldn't work for the width of our kitchen (it's about 3.15m)

We'd like

• yes, additional living space
• place to sit and see the garden
• larger kitchen for kitchen island (or breakfast bar)
• guest bathroom downstairs
• utility room somewhere in the house (could be on 1st floor as well)

wow renovated 2 houses? hats off. I'm already worn down and we haven't even started 😂

great that you made you house so that it accommodated what you needed at the time!

How long are we planning to stay in the house? you know I can't properly answer this. We're priced out of our dream areas but school and work are okay to reach from here. Our kids are early to late teens. I think realistically we could be here a long time (as I would love to have room for adult kids should they need it).

Good idea about moving the loo to that central area. Maybe also a utility room there.

thank you for suggesting checking out the council for planning applications. I have to admit that we have one or two manholes in our alleyway (where a side extension would go). Builders mentioned two manholes, I can see only one. Annoyingly, this may be an obstacle.

Will try and do the zoning and maybe even visit a kitchen place for ideas. I may not need a pro kitchen island and would be happy with a breakfast bar!

Something like this. Obviously scaled to suit the size of your project. I keep meaning to mock one up for myself for my portfolio!