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marjan_yeoman

1930’s semi - best open plan layout for kitchen/diner or all open?

M Y
hace 7 años


Our house is a 1930’s semi detached with an already extended kitchen. We currently have a living room, dining room and kitchen layout but are considering opening up the entire downstairs to have one big living/dining/kitchen space. Either that, or we open up the kitchen and dining room, but I’d like to have sofa/seat connected to where we eat/kids can do homework etc hence the idea to go all open plan. We currently don’t have a downstairs toilet and would like to add one (possibly under the stairs). The garage is used as a utility area with plumbing for washing machine and a condenser dryer. We store lots of stuff like bikes in the garage too. I was thinking of halving the garage with the front of it as a store and the back half as a proper utility/downstairs toilet area. I have no idea about steels, fire doors etc and there are probably a lot smarter ways to do this open plan thing, so any ideas are gratefully accepted! We can’t extend further out into the tiny garden.

Comentarios (24)

  • PRO
    Timber Master LTD
    hace 7 años

    A Kitchen diner is a great option as the way people tend to live now means that they generally don't sit down for formal dinners often so a separate dining room becomes a wasted space.

    Personally I would leave the living room as a separate room as sometimes it's nice to be able to close yourself off for example if one member of the family wants to watch a film and others want to talk. You could still make the kitchen/diner multi-functional with an office space in one of the alcoves and a smaller sofa if you re-worked the kitchen.

    A builder or engineer will be able to tell you if a steel is needed to knock the wall down.

    It might be worth asking an estate agent what would add more value to your property- a utility space and storage or a functional garage. Although if this is your family home and you plan to stay for some time then it's not always about the property value but what works best for your family.

    Good luck with your project, it sounds exciting and will definitely be a better use of space.

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años
    Thanks for taking the time to comment.

    Our garage is too narrow to ever be functional (unless you had a smart car) so I don't think that would be detracting any value.

    In terms of the kitchen/diner vs all open your points are echoing those of most people I think. I have read comments from people who have the same concerns that there is no separate space to close off. It's certainly something that I am weighing up but I can't help but feel that if we open it all up we will 100% use our entire house space vs all cramming in one room at the moment and leaving 2/3rds of the house unused.

    But I do have 3 kids (6/8yrs) so it's important that the space would work for all of us.
  • PRO
    Timber Master LTD
    hace 7 años

    The idea of an open plan home is appealing to most people I think but as the children get older you may be grateful of a separate space. Also worth considering that with a totally open plan downstairs the noise will travel and so will kitchen smells. Fine in a dining room but I notice you have no door in your new plans between the hallway and kitchen and unless you invest in a high quality extractor fan you may find your bedrooms take on the smell of last nights dinner.

    Knocking the kitchen and dining room through will definitely give you a lot more use of your space. You will probably find that your workable kitchen area doesn't need to be too large as it will feel more open and then that would make more use of your dining room space.

    If your garage isn't functional then you should definitely turn it in to a utility/storage space. You will wonder how you ever lived without the utility room once you have it in place. We have seen a lot of garages split this way and it works brilliantly.

    We hope you add some photos of your finished project- it sounds great.

    M Y agradeció a Timber Master LTD
  • minnie101
    hace 7 años

    Hi. Do you have a plan with dimensions on otherwise it's a guesstimate based on door, unit sizes etc? My first thought is there isn't enough prep space in the kitchen if you're having stools and also it doesn't look as if you've left enough space round the island and the WC doesn't seem big enough but measurements would be good. Is the dining room fire being taken out?

    M Y agradeció a minnie101
  • PRO
    LE GUILCHER ARCHITECTURE
    hace 7 años

    It would be my recommendation to knock kitchen + dining into one space and remove as many of the internal walls as possible.

    I would also look into creating more of a glazed area / doors to kitchen side by making one big opening!

    For inspiration check out a similar project of mine entitled @Windsor Clive Drive@

    M Y agradeció a LE GUILCHER ARCHITECTURE
  • PRO
    OnePlan
    hace 7 años
    You've made a great start, and it's good to see other people's ideas etc too by posting on a thread so all great so far - but to take this to the next step I'd suggest you choose a pro to work with - there's a few of us on here to choose from...

    Because this is the sort of project that would benefit from being drawn out on CAD and thrashed out with someone who is aware of the safety guidelines good practices when it comes to space planning and, preferably, a designer with skills in kitchen design too would be a bonus for a project like this, because to give it the time it needs is, simply, not going to be available for free anywhere.

    Have a look on the find a pro section for one locally to you, if you want to have someone visit, or we ( and others I'm sure ) work remotely from your measurements - so distance doesn't matter !

    Click on my icon to go to my pro page to see past projects and read some reviews if you like ! You can do this with other pros you find too !

    You home is your biggest investment! This change needs to be done with lots of thought and with your particular family in mind so it works for you ! It's worth spending some time, and a little money, to get it correct and keep it safe !
    M Y agradeció a OnePlan
  • Mary Mary
    hace 7 años
    We had a downstairs extension built and knocked through the kitchen back wall but we decided to have a dwarf wall to be able to zone areas. We have just recently had custom built internal bi fold doors fitted so we can still create a cosy living room feel. And when we want we just open it all up. Best of both worlds.
    M Y agradeció a Mary Mary
  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años
    Última modificación: hace 7 años

    I have taken some pictures of the rooms as they are now (excuse the mess) as this might give some more perspective.

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

    I’m struggling to find a way to have a kitchen/island (really would like an island to have useable counterspace), generous dining table (seating for at least 6 people) and a sitting area in the same room if we don’t open up the wall between the current front and back living rooms. Would it make more sense to have part of the garage incorporated into the kitchen? There is a slight difference in floor level though between the garage and kitchen (Step down into the garage). Or block up the current kitchen door and have the access to a dining/kitchen through the current back living room space and then somehow fit in a dining table and seating area?

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años

    Also, the wall between the kitchen and current back living room (so the kitchen/diner to be) is a stud wall so should be fairly easy to remove, whereas the room between the front and back living room would need a steel.

  • M Y
    Autor original
    hace 7 años
    This is the layout in 3D. Also, how hard would it be to change water support/drainage?
  • titiankim
    hace 7 años
    We knocked the kitchen and dining room together in our 30s semi and then swapped them around. We blocked the doorway from the hall to the former dining room and had our kitchen on that area, then put the dining table in the former kitchen. We also extended to the side for a utility, shower room and store. Flipping the kitchen and dining room gave us more space for units and an island.
  • PRO
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