How would you redesign this cottage layout and extension plans?

[User543211]

Hi everyone,

We will be enlisting the help of an architect and getting planning etc, but we're moving to this house soon and I'm just trying to get some ideas beforehand!
Looking to extend this old cottage so that we have a bigger dining area. I'm also not sure about the current utility which is like an extra kitchen really (was the original kitchen), but the main kitchen isn't very big so there's extra fridge freezer space, cupboard space etc in there.
The left door in the utility is the main entrance to the house, the front door isn't used. Some of my thoughts:

• the hallway is quite big
• utility too big?
• downstairs loo could be bigger even with a shower
• kitchen is new and in great condition, not keen to mess with it too much
• right red line is a boundary with a field (no ours), otherwise set in a acre plot with no neighbours
• I'd love an office, any scope to extend the living room along the boundary?

If planning/cost were no issue, what would you do (within reason?)
I've drawn in blue the extension we're thinking, we'll then open up the doorway to the kitchen maybe halfway along the wall using the existing window.
But even with this the layout feels a bit off .
It would be amazing if we could extend much more to the left but I'm not sure if that's likely to be approved.

Plan, sorry:

Utility becomes the office, blue extension becomes the dining room. There is probably stuff from the kitchen and utility that could be stored in the dining room.

Other than that it would seem you don’t actually want a cottage as it’s too small for what you want.

The square footage is very similar to our current house, I think it's the layout that's making it feel smaller. I find space planning very interesting and like to think about how a home 'flows' and suits the needa of the people living there. I just find it hard to visualise.
I live in an area where cottages are the norm. We love it. Lots of people extend and improve their homes to suit their lives.

I would knock down the wall between the kitchen and new dining room. Do you need an office as big as the utility room or could you put a stud wall up to separate the utility/loo from the office and put washing machine/tumble dryer in there?

a spacious hallway is lovely - it makes the whole house feel bigger when you walk in.

Also put windows/doors into the garden from the new dining area

Live in it at least 6months before and the answer will make itself known

It's hard to tell the size of the rooms are there are no measurements on the plan but the kitchen does look like it would benefit from the extension you suggest and a downstairs loo/shower room would be a good addition.

For your office why not have a garden office as you've got so much land available, then you can work overlooking the garden and feel a sense of separation between work and home.

It would help to know the room dimensions @User543211.

Do you intend to use the side entrance as the current owners are doing...or will the hall go back to being the main entrance? If not, what are your plans for the hall?

Like @bilbodog I love a spacious hallway although - depending on the actual size - it could be dual purpose. In our cottage the hall doubles as the dining room.

The rooms are all about 4.5m square. That's approximate.
Yes we intend to continue using the side entrance as it has a new porch in it and is directly next to where cars park.
I don't know what to do with the hallway - it feels like wasted space but I don't really want to use it as an office as it's obviously a path of travel.
I like the idea of a garden office - I'm looking into them at the moment. My DH has the skills to build one as well.

Are the windows traditional cottage teeny tiny? You might find the existing rooms dark if you build across the back.

is there no chimney other than the one in the sitting room?

I kind of like the layout. It’s a cottage, so probs wouldn’t lend itself to much remodelling and it’s well balanced as it is.

@DeathBanana , they aren't tiny but yes the house has the potential to be dark - the hallway is quite dark.
That's why we have thought about extending in the way we have, as it wouldn't only block light to the boot room/utility which has a decent sized window on the other side.
Yes it is cottage, it just feels a bit strange to basically have 2 kitchens. But with one being the entrance it's hard to use the room for anything else I suppose.

@User543211 If you don’t retain the hall, I think you’ve lost the DNA of the cottage. Personally I’d extend both sides of the kitchen and have a much bigger lounge. Reduce the size of the utility room and add in a shower and loo. The room you wish to build would be a dining area but I’d prefer one big kitchen with dining in it. This makes all the principle rooms overlooking the garden, from what I can tell.

Thanks @MeetMeOnTheCorner , that makes sense. I should have said that with the room we would build, the wall would come down between the kitchen and that room so it would be a kitchen diner.
Like the idea of a bigger lounge too - thanks.

@User543211 The extensions on both sides gives you far more flexible use of space. You can zone bigger spaces more readily. I have a huge hall with big doors to the garden at the end of it. I have built in furniture that incorporates my desk and computer.