Oh yes good spot - thanks!
And Ive also just spotted that the side roof will probably be sloped like the neighbour’s so it’s probably 2 velux on the side?
I agree with you that the plan would be better flipped to keep the old kitchen door where it is and then the downstairs loo & kitchen on the left.
That puts the loo nearer the soil pipe too so drains will be easier. Be careful in due course about how the pipes here are connected (no soft pan connections and after Blg Regs have left concrete around the base of the pipe) to avoid rat problems.
I’d say it’s best to work out the drainage plans pre-planning in case you need to move pipes/stacks and it will also help control costs when on site. So getting a CCTV survey now would be a good idea - in my area theres often a shared drain running along the back of the houses and you may have to get a “Build Over “ Agreement - in some cases that dictates where you can dig for the back wall - I have seen cantilever foundations to extend over a drain which clashed with the wall line - but thats not great on a tight budget! The drains probably also turn out to the street in the alley next to your house which can impact on the line of the side wall. If there’s a chamber at the turn you may need to get agreement to get that moved or alter the shape of the extension.
it depends on height of the side infill pitched roof but sometimes you can keep a bit at the top of the back window - to make a high level lay light. Makes the old dining room less dark.
Our loo has no light and it’s fine. If you’ve got limited budget go for both roof lights over the kitchen where youll spend most time. Just make sure to have a good extract fans in both.
i really don’t like toilets which open into a kitchen space. With the loo on the left you could add a partition/door which separates the loo/hall from the kitchen. We had this arrangement and we used a half-half sliding/folding door to make a big cupboard off the hall and put our boiler and washing machine in there. It’s nice they’re out of the kitchen. A big bit of worktop over the machine and theres loads of room for cleaning/laundry stuff out of the way.
I wish we had turned our under stairs into a wall of storage drawers. Might mean you can lose cupboards in the new dining area. I’d also try to move the storage from the new dining to the old dining if possible to keep the nice room by the garden as clear as possible.
Instead of the window to the toilet could you have one or two obscured windows opposite the kitchen?
The plans show you are taking a chimney breast out of the old dining room. Do you need to take it out if the plan is flipped? Could you hollow it out and build a storage wall instead?
Do you need all those kitchen units? We use drawers in the base units which makes the storage more efficient and do we don’t need as much kitchen.
Not sure if you have room but I’d try to fit a sofa in somewhere in the new kitchen/diner - maybe a L shaped kitchen opposite a dining table with bench seats to the outside wall & sofas at the end near the garden?
Lastly ask the architect about the new shared gutter with your neighbour on the Party Wall. How will you build it? And how will you get access to maintain it?
Exciting!