I agree with you siriuskey re inadequate/undersized laundry for a 4-bedroom home. Phillip, does a Euro Laundry incorporated into kitchen/meals space interest you at all? Or some modified configuration to make use of existing plumbing? This discussion has certainly evolved into a very interesting expansion of ideas, but seems reasonable to think about laundry at same time as the other considerations.

HI annb , actually the laundry is brand new as is the bathroom when i bought the house. It was originally in the kitchen at the opposite end to the stove/oven. So they made the kitchen/dining bigger. It seems to work really well. But I am open to all great ideas. Making the kitchen/dining bigger to allow for living area is the real objective. is there a another clever (not too expensive) idea?:)

the laundry

the bathroom

such a great idea!! unfortunately the verandah is only 1.45 metres wide . I have put a small round table with 2 chairs at the end where I have a coffee. And a table for 4 further out but not under cover on the verandah.

I was more thinking how you get a couch in the kitchen/dining area like most modern extensions.

yes there are sliding doors

Well Phillip here's a suggestion for you, sorry for delay both computer and I are feeling the heat today. It would mean opening up the wall between the kitchen and bedroom and then possibly pushing the kitchen cabinets back into what was the passageway to both bedroom. I have used your original free standing cooker and you can also re use the range hood in actual fact you can reuse all of the kitchen pretty much. moving the kitchen back gives enough sp
ace for an island.

I have also put glass behind the cooker so that you could see through, this can be opening at either end, not behind the cooker.

amazing! very innovative solution. Thank you so much:)

Trying to keep costs down by keeping plumbing institu etc. Your Verandah is quite narrow and not sure if it's at the same level as the family but it could be closed in using your existing sliders etc to make one bigger space. then a pergola off that. Kitchen window could be a servery to that space. You could even move the kitchen into the study space opening up to the family room, thus keeping both bedrooms and one becomes your study, but everything comes down to budget

Verandah is same level as the kitchen.Siriuskey you are a great problem solver!

smaller budget idea is best thanks:)

a few more options but bathrooms and kitchen are never cheap options and need measurements confirmed for any extra detail

that's amazing! Thanks Ok louise

have to absorb the detail. Oh I got it ! either study with door open from main hallway . or close that door and open from other end walk in robe.

Smallest expense is to keep the kitchen in place and work around that, will have another go tomorrow when it might be a bit cooler if you would like, there's many ways to do things, just trying to do the least costly and workable for your 4 bed house cheers

Here's a more expansive plan including the verandah, moving the large sliding doors onto the verandah and adding a pergola. Move Study to exterior and add a Linen utility room.

Servery through from kitchen

wow! Luxury Living. what is a linen utility room?:)

office with garden view is nice too! extending onto verandah would probably mean a sloping ceiling.

expensive!!??

Thank you siriuskey, okLouise, nikstar, genkii, Annb . and also to everyone else for such fabulous inspiration!

:) have a great rest of Australia Day Weekend!

expensive is a relative term? depends on how much you want something and what level of finish you expect...i would suggest minimum basic ensuite $20,000, new kitchen cabinets with recycled appliances about $20,000 (flatpac cabinets say $10,000) plus carpentry and plasterer for moving walls and repairs to damaged ceilings and cornices, extra windows or ventilating skylights including labour for carpenter and/or bricklayer and roof plumber, plus electrician and plumber say $500 per day each plus materials plus unexpected surprises...but the cheapest renovation will be the one that achieves your goal without over capitalising but you first need to be clear about the goal

Sorry, didn't realise laundry was new. I was going strictly by the floor plan and seemed pretty small. If it works for you, that's all that matters.

Just wondering if the distance between sink where some. food prep will likely happen and cooktop is okay. Seems a bit far to me.??

Was having cooktop in island ruled out? Could still have the window btwn kitchen & study by having a bench running along the dividing wall/window with storage cabinet (or some such) beneath.

Wonderful amount of space in kitchen/fam/meals now.

That's a good idea! Thanks Annb

What if the kitchen is on the left side. and then can make the entrance to that area more open?

siriuskey, oklouise what about if the kitchen is moved to the left and kept in the original space? does that work?

see my last plan with kitchen on left...but still needs measurements checked ...the old plans don't seem to match the photos

Thanks okLouise . yes that's right! sorry I forgot.:(

Moving the kitchen to either side isn't going to make the space any bigger, it will just add more to the expense by moving the kitchen, AnnB the island sink was to bridge the gap between things, but I think more thoughts needed. Phillip just a few questions, how long have you lived in the house and what reno's have you done or was it done . How many live in the house? thanks in advance. cheers

Annb in the last plan the freestanding oven and pantry and fridge were on the wall between the study and kitchen and then the island and kitchen window sink area is that what you were meaning?

Hi Siriuskey I havent done anything except add an aircon in the master bedroom.:) only 2 living here at the moment

This might show the idea better, but I'am thinking Phillip is trying to reduce his spend. Wow Phillip all that beautiful house for two which I can imagine will be added to? Actually that works at the moment as I was also concerned that there was only the one toilet and it was in the only bathroom, the ensuite is really a must. I thought that the laundry might have worked as a separate toilet, bu that's more money. cheers

Thank you siriuskey. Yes that's what I was referring to, but I think I wasn't giving credit to the island sink, which would also serve for food prep. I was thinking about efficiency from my perspective. Euro bins next to sink in island, would be beneficial for ease of handling waste. Another consideration is: when using cooktop and extraction fan, will noise from fan interfere with person in study? Also, will steam from say, boiling water steam bother anyone using the study desk? I am not trying to throw cold water on the plan by my questions, I'm merely trying to imagine diff scenarios so as much as can be taken into consideration is.

I have a glass splashback behind induction cooktop and a very effective extraction fan; however, when a large pot of water is at full boil, the glass steams up something chronic and I have to constantly wipe it and the underside of exhaust fan or else water drips down onto the cooktop (and any food I'm cooking).

Hi, I think you would have a steam problem with any kid of splash back, noise well I can imagine that glass used in these special windows either interior or exterior would be a thicker tougher glass than the normal glass splash back. The window can have sliding panels or not. As with any walls if worried about any noise transference you would need to add insulation. The sink in the island which is only 600cm deep needs to be placed to one end and whatever is needed in the island be it bins or pot drawers can be installed. I wouldn't have a free standing cooker which they have in the narrow island. Still thinking annb, money is tight so not much to play with. Cheers

Here's another idea, keeping the kitchen and not taking the bedroom. The kitchen would have the freestanding cooker centered with the range hood and wall cabinets either side.

New wider island bench with a 30cm sit up.

The large sliding doors moved out to edge of verandah which would mean that the wall between the family and verandah could remain the same but without the doors or the wall could be opened up. the verandah could be filled in with the sliding doors, windows and panelling, sloping ceiling lined.

By using the existing kitchen and not moving it should make the moving of the sliders and lining any walls, along with ceiling very affordable

Another great idea! thank you so much. can the dining table rotate 90 degrees as I like to look out onto the garden view )

Don't see that as a problem, you can layout the space any way you would feel happy and this layout brings the table closer to the garden. cheers

A big thank you to everyone for the amazing ideas .So Grateful! thanks again. from Philip. special thanks to Siriuskey and oklouise for the drawings. You are both so talented and generous of nature:)

you are most welcome Phillip, you have a beautiful home and if there's anything that you might need help with please ask, there are many ways to do things. cheers

If you want to visualize what your layout will look like we have great options using 3 d renders , 3 d animations and Virtual reality , for more information go to www.aok.net.au