Re-model ground floor layout? Budding architects or anyone talented?

[Bebs]

Thanks sounds a good plan. I did forget to include a downstairs loo which needs to find a home.

This will depend on where the soil stacks/outside drains are located.. do you know where the soil stacks from the upstairs bathrooms run?
The most suitable location would be to the left of the staircase, in front of my proposed utility room, if those two large rooms to the left are combined into one large TV lounge, then you could easily eat up a little for that downstairs loo.

 

[rossyl]

Thanks, drain is top left on the plan.

 

[Bebs]

Thanks, drain is top left on the plan.

Ok so the above loo proposal should work then. I know there’s a small window there but you could just fit some frosted glass to that. You already have a door opening there so would be easy to put a stud wall up creating that loo.

 

[Phil H]

The low head height, that could be overcome. We might raise the the ceiling/floor - that was our first thought.

Don't over complicate things; you just need shorter dinner guests.

 

[MarkMas]

View attachment 83041

 

[Gazcw]

View attachment 83044

Reception room! Waste of space. Sofa in the garage, job done. And the plant is just clutter

 

[MarkMas]

So some initial suggestions to consider are:

• Recessed (pocket) sliding doors for when you want to be open plan but not all the time
• Creating a new hallway with a cloakroom, cupboards etc, which would potentially allow you to open up the 'second' hallway to have the staircase 'in' a room, not with it's own corridor.
• New staircases are cheap - I replaced a nasty straight pine one with a new angled MDF and oak one for under £2k with only 2 days of disruption, and it was transformational
• Low ceiling heights can be made to look 'intentional', or be useful in children's spaces, home cinemas, exhibit areas, or with pull-out storage drawers (think mortuary)
• If you have space to play with, just remove the low ceiling and have a double-height room
• Think about new 'L' shaped room divisions, not just straight ones (this solved a big problem for me) - can be especially good for turning two medium rooms into one big one small without problems with fireplaces, windows etc
• Or diagonal or even even curved walls

 

[MarkMas]

Here you go.

• Double-height kitchen (some of the 6 kids will have to share) with access to utility
• dining room (next to kitchen) with window to kitchen for daylight, open-plan staircase up, and a hatch to cover cellar stairs
• TV and reception room, with quad-pocket doors for dividing
• grand entrance hall with adjacent loo and lots of storage for coats and bikes

 

[Bebs]

Good suggestions Mark. Might be tricky to get a soil stack at the opposite end of where the main drains are though. Otherwise pretty much what I suggested. I wouldn’t personally have doors between kitchen and dining room though, I’d leave it open plan.

 

[rossyl]

Here you go.

• Double-height kitchen (some of the 6 kids will have to share) with access to utility
• dining room (next to kitchen) with window to kitchen for daylight, open-plan staircase up, and a hatch to cover cellar stairs
• TV and reception room, with quad-pocket doors for dividing
• grand entrance hall with adjacent loo and lots of storage for coats and bikes

View attachment 83050

That's very interesting, quite different from our original thoughts, thank you for taking the time.

There is another soil pipe at the front of the house to the left of the front door, so might be able to make the loo position work.

I think closing off the entrance is a very different idea from what i had considered.

Thanks

 

[Ebenezer]

Uggh staircase into reception room. Sound carries upstairs. Got to have a hall way but you'd need to move the staircase...

Move the front door to the right hand side with a hall way - gives you much more space to play with... but don't have a door straight into a reception room...

(my two pet hates when fantasy house hunting on Zoopla!)

Trouble is the space in the centre has little or no window light...

Interested to see how this pans out. You need to determine what spaces you want by what you want to do in there, nd how that may impact people in other spaces....

Not much help really
Eb

 

[Scaf]

Like Eb I am not a lover of open plan living and when the kids were young we could not have coped with stairs opening into the living room.
Horses for courses though and I will be interested in your final plans.

 

[Oneball]

Our friend’s place in Wanaka is all open plan and I loved it. Don’t be put off it, there are downside but there’s many benefits too.

 

[MarkMas]

Like Eb I am not a lover of open plan living and when the kids were young we could not have coped with stairs opening into the living room.
Horses for courses though and I will be interested in your final plans.

I think age and number of kids could be a big factor.

 

[CatmanV2]

Our friend’s place in Wanaka

I read that as Wakanda.....

C

 

[MarkMas]

Good suggestions Mark.

Thanks!

I wouldn’t personally have doors between kitchen and dining room though, I’d leave it open plan.

If you had heard my language when cooking you would think differently.

 

[midlifecrisis]

Here's some inspiration, the two plans are before and after. I'd already rewired it and redecorated it but then sold it for a very tidy profit. The next guy gutted it and rebuilt it to flip. After 2 years on the market, I think he's just sold it. He's also gone into the loft.

 

[Gazcw]

I read that as Wakanda.....

C

Wanakar

 

[CatmanV2]

Wanakar

Who, me?

C

 

[midlifecrisis]

Who, me?

C

Take your hands out of your pockets.