Floorplan ideas needed for 2 cottages made into 1

happyandcontented

Just a note of caution, if you will need/want to resell then many people would not view a house with a downstairs bathroom. It comes up a lot on the property shows.

getmore4less

That helps a lot, those levels are a challenge.

Any structure near the road will impact evening light

A little difficult to see if the garage is properly damp proofed and water tight.

With the road being busy and off a slope you will need turning so you enter leave forwards.

will have another think

karcher

I would say your current bathroom is too small for a 4 bed house. I would extend it and make the 4th bedroom a single if you do not want the family bathroom downstairs.

I agree with getting rid of the en suite and opening the space up so giving the stairs natural light from the window.

Incorporating a downstairs toilet and sink (and shower cubicle if space allows) in a downstairs utility room would be a good idea. Family homes need more than one toilet and having one downstairs will be a blessing.

Personally I like large open plan kitchen diners as I think they are wonderful family rooms. In the larger houses I lived in when I was young, the kitchen diner was always the hub of the house.

Good luck OP what a great project you have there.

getmore4less

A more drastic change would be to look at reversing the stairs with a landing return in bed 3.

bed one accessed from the new top of the stairs can be made smaller freeing up space to make bed 3 the master with en suite at the back and existing soil pipe.

The new stairs and landing would have the toilet window

outside not sure if possible but I think there may be a possibility to rebuild the garage either as more living space or better garage/storage then open out the kitchen diner onto a terrace or sun room

VoucherMan

You mentioned the 2 ground floor lounges.

How about moving either the kitchen or dining room to the opposite side of the stairs, and having a large front to back lounge/sitting room?

No idea if that could work, but I don't think anyone had suggested it.

Doozergirl

magn8p wrote: »

Someone like @Doozergirl is an expert on this topic. She should respond to this thread anytime this evening.

You’re kind.

I have a really busy weekend. Just having a quick check in whilst waiting for something to start, but if the OP is still up on the board tomorrow afternoon, I will take a look.

vertex

VoucherMan wrote: »

You mentioned the 2 ground floor lounges.

How about moving either the kitchen or dining room to the opposite side of the stairs, and having a large front to back lounge/sitting room?

No idea if that could work, but I don't think anyone had suggested it.

Yes, I that did cross my mind and I like it: Have the kitchen where the dining room is; and the dining room where the sitting room is.

That would leave me with a big room (where the kitchen was). But its far too big for a utility room (with shower and toilet). So not sure what else I could do with it.

vertex

getmore4less wrote: »

A more drastic change would be to look at reversing the stairs with a landing return in bed 3.

bed one accessed from the new top of the stairs can be made smaller freeing up space to make bed 3 the master with en suite at the back and existing soil pipe.

The new stairs and landing would have the toilet window

Haha. Ive read this about 20 times and still cant understand what you mean! Could you clarify?

getmore4less wrote: »

outside not sure if possible but I think there may be a possibility to rebuild the garage either as more living space or better garage/storage then open out the kitchen diner onto a terrace or sun room

Yes - I like the idea of the terrace. However the existing garage roof is a few feet taller than the ground floor's floor. I could have steps from the dining room onto the roof, but because of the height difference the steps would protrude into the room too much. OR I could lower the garage roof, which would mean fewer steps, but you would have to stoop to get into the garage.

Turning the garage into more living space would be good.

karcher

VoucherMan wrote: »

You mentioned the 2 ground floor lounges.

How about moving either the kitchen or dining room to the opposite side of the stairs, and having a large front to back lounge/sitting room?

No idea if that could work, but I don't think anyone had suggested it.

That idea had crossed my mind too.

The kitchen/diner down the right hand side of the house (as you look from the front) so you come in through your side porch to a utility room with toilet sink/shower if possible, followed by a kitchen/diner front to back.

Leaving you a large front to back living room to the left hand side of the house (as you look from the front).

All depending if the walls you'd need to take out are load bearing?

Just pondering really though....

getmore4less

vertex wrote: »

Haha. Ive read this about 20 times and still cant understand what you mean! Could you clarify?


you enter stairs where the door under them is now.
They rise to a small landing where the toilet is,
Door to bed one.
Open landing round through the existing shower back towards the current landing which is reconfigured for access to the back rooms
door to bed 2 can go anywhere along the new wall.

Yes - I like the idea of the terrace. However the existing garage roof is a few feet taller than the ground floor's floor. I could have steps from the dining room onto the roof, but because of the height difference the steps would protrude into the room too much. OR I could lower the garage roof, which would mean fewer steps, but you would have to stoop to get into the garage.

Turning the garage into more living space would be good.

Since you are going to have to do something with the existing porch access up/down from there to the garage and/or any terrace would be possible.

alternative is our through the dining room wall and have the stairs up/down outside along the wall, only part of the garage roof would be lower(plenty wide enough to accommodate that and still get cars in, if going accommodation part of the design.

That might work with kitchen diner to the left and the right living room, the existing diner becomes the entrance hall utility etc. with a new design for the porch area.