Glasgow tenement moving kitchen

anewloginapparently

Hi all. I was wondering if anyone with any knowledge of the building trade (particularly in Scotland) could advise me on the likely costs of moving my kitchen from the small scullery at back of my flat (a ground floor tenement) to my living room recess?

So I'm going to be joining at moving services (water/waste water) & installing extra plugs in the recess, prior to a new kitchen being installed. I plan to turn my tiny old kitchen (which is off my bedroom) into a study. 

Also will I need a building warrant? I'm not moving any walls. 

Are there any other pitfalls I should be aware of? 

I've attached some photos of my flat as is, the floor plan & the kind of kitchen I would like 

anewloginapparently

Here's the floor plan. 

Apodemus

I'm afraid I can't tie up your photos with the floor plan, but I wouldn't think it is a practical plan...or at least you might be looking at hugely uneconomic costs for the  value of the property!  (Whereabouts in Glasgow is this?)  

From the floor plan, I would imagine that the original layout would have had the bathroom as a long room, where it has been divided into bathroom (shower only?) and kitchen.  The Bedroom/dining room would originally have been kitchen (with bed recess).  I'm assuming that the bay window is to the front and was originally the lounge (again with bed recess).  The water pipes and more importantly the drainage are likely to be on the back wall, which means you would struggle to route the kitchen sink waste (and washing machine/dishwasher waste) through to the back wall, with sufficient "fall" to allow it all to drain properly.

yksi

My sister-in-law has a similar layout to what you are proposing, and it works very well (albeit they have the kitchen door off the hallway). She found the study area a bit too claustrophobic though (no window for hers), so it has ended up just being a storage area, and she kept the water connections so her washer is in there. Your current bathroom and kitchen area were probably the original common loo for the block. I would say go for it, assuming you have the space & access under the house to get the pipework in.

If it looks to be impractical, your second option is to switch the bathroom and kitchen locations, which would make it an en-suite property. I completely understand why you want to move the kitchen because right now your living and sleeping rooms are back-to-front in terms of size.

edgex

Plumbing for the waste will be the issue.
What's below you, is there a cellar, void or solid ground?

anewloginapparently

There's a basement underneath us apparently, it's in my title deeds, but I've never been down there (there's a locked door in the close that I don't have a key for. The ground level is 6 feet lower at the back than the front. 

anewloginapparently

Apodemus said:

I'm afraid I can't tie up your photos with the floor plan, but I wouldn't think it is a practical plan...or at least you might be looking at hugely uneconomic costs for the  value of the property!  (Whereabouts in Glasgow is this?) 

From the floor plan, I would imagine that the original layout would have had the bathroom as a long room, where it has been divided into bathroom (shower only?) and kitchen.  The Bedroom/dining room would originally have been kitchen (with bed recess).  I'm assuming that the bay window is to the front and was originally the lounge (again with bed recess).  The water pipes and more importantly the drainage are likely to be on the back wall, which means you would struggle to route the kitchen sink waste (and washing machine/dishwasher waste) through to the back wall, with sufficient "fall" to allow it all to drain properly.

I'm in Shawlands in a 12 flat tenement (so on each floor, a single aspect small flat at the front & two dual aspect flats similar to mine either side).

The flat above me has two long thin rooms like you describe. Sadly mine doesn't, but the original layout wasn't like that. My old bathroom recess seems to have been given to the old toilet off the hall to make a bathroom (my bath sits in it), where the kitchen is now is the scullery off the old kitchen (now my bedroom). I found the original plans in the Mitchell library. 

Apodemus

Thanks, that's really interesting!  I was brought up not far from you, and had relatives in Shawlands, so I know the area.  It's really good to see how the redevelopment of the flat has been done - I had assumed that the box-bed in the kitchen had been behind the door, but I see that it was what gave sufficient space to create the bathroom, with the old WC giving space to enlarge the scullery.

If you have access to (and ownership of) the cellar space and six foot of fall to the back, then relocating the kitchen potentially becomes much more do-able.  I think I'd have been through that door from the close long before I had got around to visiting "The Mitchell" for the plans!  While you are under the house, a ground floor flat might benefit hugely from some insulation between the joists, if it has not already been done!

anewloginapparently

I think I need a locksmith out to pick the lock to the door under the stairs! 😂 

cthrnwr

Hi, 

I'm just researching the same info myself! Did you do this in the end? If so who did you use? And how much did you pay roughly? Thanks