Floorplan / ground floor remodelling help and ideas!

[NoPrivateSpy]

We are having our ground floor remodelled.

We have plans submitted and approved to knock the current utility wall down, replace the conservatory with an extension and create a large open plan kitchen-diner-lounge but I am worried it will now be too cost prohibitive.

We were also planning to section off the front lounge area to create a separate room.

1. What would you do with this space?
2. If we didn’t remove the existing utility wall, do you think the current dining room, kitchen, back lounge bit plus conservatory would be large enough for a kitchen-diner-lounge? It would be 6m by 6m.

Ideally we wanted a separate front room that we can use as an occasional bedroom.

We are not open to a garage conversion as it is joined to next door’s garage.

Any advice or help very much appreciated.

Im an architect and I would agree with the advice you have been given
However if you really want a more open layout a good compromise is to keep a pier where the external
walls join.

Each beam then has a resting point and they don’t have to span too far.

ie the wall bottom left of your existing conservatory

How high are your ceilings. Proportion is all about height aswell and if your ceiling hts are average for houses a span of 9m is going to bring the perception of the ceiling down on you. You will literally feel like the ceiling is too low. Which of course it will be for a 9m wide room.

Don’t make the mistake so many do when all they do is keep expanding the walls out. Proportion is very important if the space is going to feel comfortable

I dont think it matters if just a spare bedroom? It would mean you dont need ti mice interior walls, just build your extension.

I think it might be workable as it's nice and square and wouldn't have loads of doors and windows on all sides. You've got plenty of wall space to play with. Mine is 7.5m x 5m but very irregular in shape and with three doors and three windows to accommodate, and I have a good size kitchen workspace, dining table and a small two seater sofa in there.

Where is the access?

It’s only an idea for layout.

Thank you @Plantatreetoday- that is very useful advice. Not something our architect considered actually.

It’s a 1960s box so ceiling at an average / ok height, around 2450 (roughly)? Not particularly generous I guess though?

Thanks again @Plantatreetoday- working in that corner feels like the cost effective option then.

Definately
Keep part of the original wall. You can always put a kitchen island near/ around/ resting against it
Or use it to back a wood burner up against
Lots of exciting options

It doesn’t have to look like a column in the middle of the room

Thank you @newrubylane- that is really helpful feedback. We are fortunate in that it is essentially one big square I guess with one main flow into the room and then everything else is within our gift.

i have always had to work with awkward (tiny) spaces so this is a first for us 🤣

Actually 2450 is generous. Most modern properties struggle to get to 2300.
6x6m would be fine with that ht. I’d be cautious about going much beyond that

Both great options. I have definitely seen this done really well in other conversions.

Don’t suppose you’ve got any lovely parquet flooring lurking under carpets.

Very popular in 50s/60s properties

Thanks @Plantatreetoday- I think I understand what you mean, though it is likely the kitchen will remain against that left hand wall regardless but I like this idea. That room is currently a slightly odd layout with the bathroom and then passage into the garden so this would most likely improve the flow.

I did also see a cool looking design where they had created a u shaped kitchen eating into some
of that space and a wraparound worktop for stools. It would possibly involve what you were thinking as the door to the utility would need to be further up. A bit like this scribble. I do wonder if I am slightly over complicating it now though. And it would involve access to the garage elsewhere.

Oh my gosh, I wish!! But sadly no. We have very basic boring floorboards and some not so exciting 70s tiling. We do however have some amazing retro 80s 90s kitchen features 😆

Yep new door exactly as I’d put it.
It’s great having a WC near the garden too for kids, guests etc. No tramping dirt from garden to under the stairs WC

Extending into the Utility could work for the kitchen if you feel short of space. That’s a structural wall you’ll be knocking through obviously and don’t remove the pier ( on your sketch just above your H ) as that will be taking the load of the beam above.

Im assuming the utility is not part of an original garage. If it is then garages ( if built correctly) have a lower floor level ( because of petrol etc spillage and fire issues )
So factor in the cost of raising the floor

Would this work on any way OP? You'd need some big steel going in I imagine. But cut into the kitchen slightly with the lounge so it's still a good size and more sofa/furniture options.

You'd still have a utility which I think is so useful. Then plan your kitchen, the orange is meant to be the kitchen units but I'm sure there are better layouts for it.

Using the structural pier for a feature radiator
lovely and simple
just another thought

Thank you @Plantatreetoday- you have been so incredibly helpful. I really appreciate all this feedback.

Thank you @sunshineday850- this is definitely a variant of what we are planning though I think it sounds like we might need to leave that corner in near the dining room so will probably have to pull the lounge wall down a bit to allow flow around.

All the best with the Reno, it'll be so worth it

Yep good luck and read some threads on here about builders
Be very sure you chose the best you can
Always check them out, make sure they are legit and make sure they are insured

Thank you. We have been stung in the past so valuable lessons learnt!