critique my renovation plans
critique my renovation plans
Author
Discussion

richatnort

Original Poster:

3,189 posts

147 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
I know a lot of people like a good critique and I always love feedback / an extra pair or 100's of eyes on my plan.

The scope is that we're happy with the foot print of the house so don't feel we need an extension but currently it doesn't work for us with two small children (5 & 3). I work from home full time and am based in the spare bedroom on a built in desk that was here when we moved in and in need of an office. We like to host but the current work out makes it hard to do so as most the time we are in the kitchen and they are behind the wall in the play room. We also have no hall way but an entrance hall so everyone walks into our lounge so it doesn't feel too cosy.

I can't think what else to mention so if anyone has any questions or suggestions i'm all ears!

Current


Proposed


Baldchap

9,181 posts

108 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Moving WC to middle will require a 4" soil pipe (with a fall) that is undoubtedly currently on an outside wall.

Depending on the floors etc in your house that may be somewhat challenging.

Doofus

31,240 posts

189 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Baldchap said:
Moving WC to middle will require a 4" soil pipe (with a fall) that is undoubtedly currently on an outside wall.

Depending on the floors etc in your house that may be somewhat challenging.
Macerator?

Antony Moxey

9,850 posts

235 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
I'd keep the doors between the living room and the play area otherwise someone has to be in the kitchen area if the kids want to use the play area. I might have that open (with doors) to the snug and walled off from the dining area rather than the other way round.

mattvanders

364 posts

42 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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If you have got the upstairs plan as well it will help to see options for where current waste and water pipes go

Juan B

569 posts

20 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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Its certainly a lot better than it was!

Do you ever use your existing utility to come in as a mudroom or not really? loosing the external door on it obviously means you won't have that option, and for us its our smallest but most used room. With muddy boots, football boots, the big wet smelly dog etc. But I suppose if you don't really have those issues its alright.

wolfracesonic

8,323 posts

143 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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richatnort said:
The cupboard under the stairs, leave it as a void, with a false front that only you know about: you can store all your sniper rifles, pistols and false disguises in it, I saw a guy on tv do it recently.

b14

1,211 posts

204 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Doofus said:
Macerator?
I would redesign an entire house to avoid having a macerator. Anyone who designs in a macerator into someone’s house should automatically be on the hook to come and get elbow deep in liquidised st to sort it when it goes wrong.

Doofus

31,240 posts

189 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
b14 said:
Doofus said:
Macerator?
I would redesign an entire house to avoid having a macerator. Anyone who designs in a macerator into someone’s house should automatically be on the hook to come and get elbow deep in liquidised st to sort it when it goes wrong.
I've never had one. It was just a suggestion. smile

paulwirral

3,627 posts

151 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Baldchap said:
Moving WC to middle will require a 4" soil pipe (with a fall) that is undoubtedly currently on an outside wall.

Depending on the floors etc in your house that may be somewhat challenging.
He should be able to route it through the garage floor and into the existing toilet soil assuming there’ll be enough fall , 1 in 40 is normal I think , means digging the floor up but it’s just donkey work .

DavidY

4,489 posts

300 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
paulwirral said:
Baldchap said:
Moving WC to middle will require a 4" soil pipe (with a fall) that is undoubtedly currently on an outside wall.

Depending on the floors etc in your house that may be somewhat challenging.
He should be able to route it through the garage floor and into the existing toilet soil assuming there’ll be enough fall , 1 in 40 is normal I think , means digging the floor up but it’s just donkey work .
Garage floor may be at a lower level than rest of house anyway - it is in ours!

av185

20,464 posts

143 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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Unless you specifically want access to the garage from the hall I would scrap this as it takes lots of needless space which could provide you with a larger study or cloakroom instead.

Replace with access to the garage off the utility or alternatively from the external gable if required.

NorthDave

2,480 posts

248 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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I think the space between the WC and the study is wasted - I would move the utility down in to that spot (and incorporate the WC too). Then the kitchen can be longer. Other than that the design looks ok to me.

Chumley.mouse

731 posts

53 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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I’d rather build an extension on the back than lose valuable garage space.

richatnort

Original Poster:

3,189 posts

147 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Wow tons of advice thank you! I'll try and reply back to some of the questions

Re the WC, I was thinking of running it on the wall in the other side of the garage. There's a boiler and pipes on that wall currently so its not a great wall for storage so it made the most sense. The levels are different as mentioned there is roughly a 20-30cm drop. Roughly like this sketch



Re doors between living room & play area - We had this on there originally but we aren't having underfloor heating so need wall space for radiators & we didn't like having them as two different rooms e.g. the living room is the adult room and the back of the house is the family area.

No upstairs plans but where the dining table is on the new plans above is the family bathroom which has the waste pipes internally and i'm going to change that to be external so that I can have the internal space back

We never use the door in the utility i think we've opened it a handful of times, we've got hose pipe outlets in the none converted garage side and just use the garage as an entrance for muddy boots, etc.

100% need access to the garage its probably the second most used door currently as we're always in and out of the garage.

North Dave - I do somewhat agree with that space being wasted however we don't have much of a hall at the minute so it would be used as a space for coats & shoes. I think we would use some of the utility for less used kitchen appliances or storage of other items to extend the kitchen slightly.

I should also mentioned we missed a sink off the utility plans so we've added that in now too.

b14

1,211 posts

204 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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I'd consider sliding doors between playroom and dining at least, so you can shut it off if needed. Your kids are 3 and 5 at the moment but they'll be 7 and 5 by the time you are done and want to watch things on TV etc that you'd prefer to be able to shut away at least at points.

Antony Moxey

9,850 posts

235 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
richatnort said:
Wow tons of advice thank you! I'll try and reply back to some of the questions

Re the WC, I was thinking of running it on the wall in the other side of the garage. There's a boiler and pipes on that wall currently so its not a great wall for storage so it made the most sense. The levels are different as mentioned there is roughly a 20-30cm drop. Roughly like this sketch



Re doors between living room & play area - We had this on there originally but we aren't having underfloor heating so need wall space for radiators & we didn't like having them as two different rooms e.g. the living room is the adult room and the back of the house is the family area.

No upstairs plans but where the dining table is on the new plans above is the family bathroom which has the waste pipes internally and i'm going to change that to be external so that I can have the internal space back

We never use the door in the utility i think we've opened it a handful of times, we've got hose pipe outlets in the none converted garage side and just use the garage as an entrance for muddy boots, etc.

100% need access to the garage its probably the second most used door currently as we're always in and out of the garage.

North Dave - I do somewhat agree with that space being wasted however we don't have much of a hall at the minute so it would be used as a space for coats & shoes. I think we would use some of the utility for less used kitchen appliances or storage of other items to extend the kitchen slightly.

I should also mentioned we missed a sink off the utility plans so we've added that in now too.
I'd still put an opening between the snug and play room - as I said, if the kids want to play then someone will need to be in the dining area. You could still put radiators in - I'd have one behind the sofa on the left hand wall and another in the bay window.

Mabbs9

1,428 posts

234 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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Perhaps consider the lounge as a third garage space?

Chucklehead

2,826 posts

224 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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My house is nearly identical to your proposed (but i retained the full garage).. Aside from the loss of PH-points by downgrading your garage, I'd recommend you enter the garage through the utility (or not at all) as you're losing useful space between the study and WC.

av185

20,464 posts

143 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
^^^ already posted and covered!!