Extension/open plan living advice

jojo_1982

We are in the process of buying a house and are planning to build an extension (almost) all the way across the back of it. I’d then like to knock out the wall between what will be the extension, and the current kitchen to make an L shaped open plan kitchen-dining-living room. We’d ideally prefer to leave the kitchen where it is, but that would mean having to go through the kitchen to get to the dining room and the lounge. Is this weird and would that sort of layout put you off buying somewhere?

Thanks

cyclonebri1

jojo_1982 wrote: »

We are in the process of buying a house and are planning to build an extension (almost) all the way across the back of it. I’d then like to knock out the wall between what will be the extension, and the current kitchen to make an L shaped open plan kitchen-dining-living room. We’d ideally prefer to leave the kitchen where it is, but that would mean having to go through the kitchen to get to the dining room and the lounge. Is this weird and would that sort of layout put you off buying somewhere?

Thanks

It would both put some folks off buying it, (I think you are in doubt), and would certainly put me off wanting to live in it.

Secondary to that, you will almost certainly increase the running cost of the house due to lack of separation and kitchen extractors having to be run regularly.

A picture/plan would help actually, having re read I originally thought you meant you would have to walk through the lounge to get to the kitchen,(:eek:), but most in houses you enter through the kitchen by 1 door, usually the back.

jojo_1982

The layout would be perfect for us but I don't want to do anything that will make it hard to resell the place should we need to.

I tried to make a rough floor plan of how it is now and how I was thinking it could be. But i can't post it cos I'm too new apparently

I know some costs would be higher but I don't mind if we get a lot more usable space.

Isn't it usual to go through the lounge to get to the kitchen?

teneighty

I have recently done 2 designs like this and several others over recent years. It is not to my personal taste but it seems to be a popular choice with clients.


Provided the kitchen layout is thought out properly it works rather well as circulation space and reinforces its new role as the heart of the home and this new fangled open plan living.


By the way, a good extracting cooker hood is a must.


If you are unsure I would suggest you speak to a couple of good local architectural designers. Most will do a free initial consultation and are happy to visit and talk through the options. Designer's fees likely to be around £1000 to £1500 to prepared detailed construction drawings (planning and building regulations).

jojo_1982

Thanks. It's reassuring that we probably wouldn't be alienating 90% of potential buyers. I'm definitely going to get a couple of designers around. At the moment I'm struggling to see more than one option, so it would be good if anyone could suggest an alternative layout that also gives enough living space.

I can post links now! So hopefully this works.
http://i61.tinypic.com/w9hgur.jpg

cyclonebri1

Lounge = clean

Kitchen not so, just my opinion of course:D

It would put me off, and I can tell you have it in your mind that it would others too.

Maybe your back door would become your main entrance? Difficult to visualise without a plan though

Doozergirl

Could you steal a little of the current dining room/future bedroom to create an extension to the hall which would open into the extension at the juncture of lounge/dining room/kitchen?

So, I mean open up a new doorway into the extension opposite the existing doorway to the dining room. Put a stud wall to the right with a new doorway into the bedroom. If you lift the existing opening up to the ceiling and remove the door it will feel more like an extension to the hall than a weird corridor.

You can still have the door to the kitchen, but it reduces the traffic if people want to go to the lounge and you're in there cooking. It also opens up saleability to people who won't like walking through the kitchen.

A bungalow in London is a rare thing! Ultimately, you must please yourself. For everything that one person likes, someone hates it. People who like open plan will probably not mind walking thru a kitchen as much as people who obsess about smells and wouldn't buy open plan anyway.

jojo_1982

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Lounge = clean

Kitchen not so, just my opinion of course:D

It would put me off, and I can tell you have it in your mind that it would others too.

Maybe your back door would become your main entrance? Difficult to visualise without a plan though

I've posted a link to the current layout and what I was suggesting. I can see the problem with the kitchen not being so clean. For us it's the opposite - our kitchen is always spotless because I'm cooking in there so it has to be ridiculously clean and the lounge, well I don't care so much! But sometimes there's no getting away from the mess after you've just cooked.

I was thinking it might be ok because the living room and kitchen, while being open, would be out of view of each other due to the almost L shape of the room.

The back door couldn't be the main entrance as it's just not practical.

Doozergirl - that's a great idea! I guess the good thing with that as well is that we could do the normal extension, then it wouldn't require that much extra work to !!! that corridor at a later date depending on how things worked out.

cyclonebri1

jojo_1982 wrote: »

I've posted a link to the current layout and what I was suggesting. I can see the problem with the kitchen not being so clean. For us it's the opposite - our kitchen is always spotless because I'm cooking in there so it has to be ridiculously clean and the lounge, well I don't care so much! But sometimes there's no getting away from the mess after you've just cooked.

I was thinking it might be ok because the living room and kitchen, while being open, would be out of view of each other due to the almost L shape of the room.

The back door couldn't be the main entrance as it's just not practical.

Doozergirl - that's a great idea! I guess the good thing with that as well is that we could do the normal extension, then it wouldn't require that much extra work to !!! that corridor at a later date depending on how things worked out.

So why re arrange to tread though it into the lounge, the point I was getting at.??

I have checked the link, if you say the back door is out of bounds then fine, but getting to the lounge would put most people of in my mind. But why would I want to traverse the kitchen/dining area to have a sit down???Please ignore, I won't post again as I've had my say

jojo_1982

I appreciate you posting your opinion cyclonebri. I don't want everyone to all come along saying "yep: that's a great idea" then we try and sell in a few years and wonder why people aren't buying it!

The only reason why I was considering treading through that mess to get to the lounge is the extra space we'd get from extending in that way. Currently there is one usable bedroom, and with that extension there would be 3. I can't think of another way to get that much extra space and keep the lounge and kitchen separate.

And like I say I welcome all alternative suggestions! If we even buy the house now... but that's a different story!

clayton16749

Is it your forever house? Then who cares what anyone else thinks, as long as it works for you.


But, if you do want to sell some day then maybe some people would be put off. Personally, from what I can tell, it would put me off - but others might like it.