Improving internal layout without extending

[Hobnobs123]

Can anyone suggest how to improve the internal layout of our ground floor without extending?

We are open to knocking down internal & structural walls, and blocking up unnecessary doors, and potentially converting the garage.

Ideally I would like:

• open plan kitchen/diner/family room
• separate living room (either the living room or family room should be a comfortable size for a family of 4)
• utility room that gives direct access to the garden (and ideally also the garage)
• retain at least some garage storage space

bonus if anyone can find a way to get decent coat hanging storage in our very small hallway!

at a minimum I’d like a kitchen that contains a kitchen table and still has decent worktop & storage space, with a separate utility room.

we have a 3 & 1 year old and it’s a pain going back and forth between the kitchen and the front room where our dining table is. The living room is a good size and we currently use half of it as a living room and half as a playroom, which works well. Overall the square footage is good, but the layout just doesn’t seem to work very well.

I’d make the dining/ reception room the kitchen/ diner and the kitchen into a cosy lounge. Just at first glance

I’d make the dining/ reception room the kitchen/ diner and the kitchen into a cosy lounge. Just at first glance

I’d make the dining/ reception room the kitchen/ diner and the kitchen into a cosy lounge. Just at first glance

I’d make the dining/ reception room the kitchen/ diner and the kitchen into a cosy lounge. Just at first glance

First thoughts - Your house is all doors. A double door and 3 single doors to the back garden is too much and it's taking up wall space. 3 doors in a utility room is also too much. Either close off the door between the utility and the garage or close off the door between the utility and the garden. You don't need both. If you really want to keep both then does the garage really need a door directly to the back garden as well? Close off the door from the kitchen to the garden. You can use the double doors instead if you take down the wall between the kitchen and dining room. Close off the door from the hall to the kitchen and retain the door beside it instead. This will gain wall space for hanging coats.

If you want to do something more drastic the obvious thing would be to claw back some space from the garage. The narrow hallway connecting the garage to the back garden isn't a great use of space. That could become part of the utility room. Perhaps the toilet could be pushed back into the garage space, freeing up the current toilet and the closet next to it to become a sort of walk through boot room/coat storage area leading to the new toilet.

Is there more to the floor plan? It feels cut off.