can you help me change this floor plan to get a large kitchen with island?

Section62

newhomebuild said:

Thank you @Doozergirl! I’m glad this house would work!! I hope I get my offer accepted! Do you think there would be any issues with the house being linked detached? The garage touches the next house. Would I need to get their permission to convert it?

I don't want to pour cold water on your plans, but you should see this as more of a 'might' than a 'would'.

A key point in Doozergirl's post is that the building already looks like it has been modified ('original floorplan' in the question means as the house was originally built, not 'original' as it is now)

From my experience it feels almost certain that at least one wall has previously been removed - the most likely being a wall separating the reception area into two, probably directly below the wall separating the two larger bedrooms.  If so, there's likely to be a beam supporting the first floor and above, bearing off the wall you want to knock through to create a doorway from the hall to the new kitchen/diner space.

Although anything is possible if you have enough cash, you may need to make compromises in the layout to achieve a design which you can actually afford to build.  E.g. the new wall between the kitchen/diner may need to be rebuilt where a original wall was (to now make the beam redundant), rather than in the position you've drawn.

It also surprises me the floor plans don't show any sign of chimney breasts - on a property of an age which has that kind of garage arrangement I'd be really surprised if there wasn't one or more chimneys in the original building.  Where were they, and what (if anything) is supporting them now?

Before you'll know for sure that you can do what you want you'll need some input from a structural engineer, which will be part of a process to estimate the cost of the alterations.  Because as GDB2222 suggests, this isn't a small project, and you need to have the budget not only to buy the property, but also to make all these changes.  By the time you've finished with the alterations you may find you could have got what you wanted much cheaper by buying a different property which needed less work.

You also need to give some thought to whether this will be your home while the building work is going on, or if you intend to live elsewhere.  The scale of the proposed alterations is substantial, and there will be periods of time where you may not have access to food preparation areas, heating or hot water. Again, it will make a difference whether this is a project you are taking on on your own, or if you have a family with young(ish) children to work around.

TL;DR - there's lots more to consider than just a floor plan to know whether an idea would work or not.

Doozergirl

I've seen the details.  It's a modern house, it does look original,  but it is the sort of house to have stud walls - it's possible that something has gone.  

As always, a structural engineer needs to be consulted when the time comes but given the fact that the OP wants to put walls up, it doesn't look like the most complicated job in the world.  The right bits can be reinforced with the right advice.  

It's exciting and so much better than the last house.  Let us know how you get on with the offer, OP!

newhomebuild

Thank you @Section62 - I appreciate the warning! 

Good news is that I’ve had the house accepted! I’ll get a structural engineer in while I do the survey to give me proper advice! 

Hope it will be acheivable!! I’m super excited.

thank you again @d@Doozergirl for your input too on both houses! 

newhomebuild

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

I’m budgeting around £30k 

Doozergirl

newhomebuild said:

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

I’m budgeting around £30k 

No extension.  

You do need to look at converting the garages for that money.  

I'd look at putting the wall up to create the front reception and put a door to the kitchen where the piano is now. Knock through between kitchen and rear reception area and potentially flip the kitchen to the left side to have an island in the left/middle area.  

You might also be able to open up part of that wall between the existing kitchen and garage to extend the garage into a dining area.  

newhomebuild

Doozergirl said:

newhomebuild said:

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

I’m budgeting around £30k 

No extension.  

You do need to look at converting the garages for that money.  

I'd look at putting the wall up to create the front reception, knock through between kitchen and rear reception area and potentially flip the kitchen to the left side to have an island.  

Oh gosh! I wonder if I can get a loan. 

How much do you think I would need to do the extension?

Doozergirl

newhomebuild said:

Doozergirl said:

newhomebuild said:

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

GDB2222 said:

This looks like pretty chunky work. Do you have a budget for it?

I’m budgeting around £30k 

No extension.  

You do need to look at converting the garages for that money.  

I'd look at putting the wall up to create the front reception, knock through between kitchen and rear reception area and potentially flip the kitchen to the left side to have an island.  

Oh gosh! I wonder if I can get a loan. 

How much do you think I would need to do the extension?

£100k by the time you've knocked it about, put in a new kitchen and done a garage conversion as well.  

Use the space you have.  It doesn't really *need* an extension. 1100 square feet is a good size for a 3 bed house and £30k will move you a fair way and get the kitchen island.  

Look at the house you were buying and the potential in this one.  It doesn't compare.  

newhomebuild

Wow. 100k!! Don’t think I’ll get a loan that big. 

@Doozergirl and everyone else who helped that I dodged a terrible decision and now have found a nice home! 

Very excited!!