The bigger kitchen space will be wonderful! I'd definitely also consider skylights in the kitchens. They've been trending on Houzz as of late –

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just to clarify, the 2nd pic is only there for measurements, no way can i afford those changes, hence my post. :)

Hi Jane I'am the do it queen without spending what I haven't been able to afford, that's been the story of my life, that's why I love Architects and how clever they are in creating things with affordable materials etc. I have just resized your plan to see whats really possible, but I love the opened up kitchen meals to the Alfresco. What climate do you live in,how many in the family and what ages, and can you actually give me the interior measurement of one of the bedrooms so I can check what I have. Costing wise would be worked out on if you work within the existing spaces or want to add to the building, most new builds are approx $2000 per sm. cheers

Hi Jane, From the measurements I have managed to get, my rough idea for you and your family with the kids being the ages they are, I wouldn't suggest extending as you could be empty nesters any time soon, just by rearranging the bathroom laundry/kitchen you could have a much more open plan house. I have removed the WIP pantry idea as it would shorten the kitchen. The pantry is 2.9m in this drawing and only 40cm deep to allow for extra floor space in the kitchen. This depth is also great as you don't lose things as you do in deeper pantries without draws.

Is that step up from the kitchen the length of the wall?

The bathroom is now 3 way, I have this and works wonders, the door to the shower room in our house is a timber pocket for privacy, double vanity separate toilet.

The laundry is a cupboard style, which can easily be ducted for any clothes dryer use, or you could move the laundry to the garage with access through your current dining space.. You could also turn the garage into extra Master suite space with WIR/study/Laundry. Everything depends on how much you have or want to spend.

The lounge could become a media room for all the family to watch movies.

This is only to make suggestions for you to consider, having done renovations it will be a lot cheaper to achieve a more open plan lighter kitchen within the current foot print without doing costly extensions, when the kids depart, haha, you will have heaps of room and could even take Air B&B cheers

What is your budget?

The alterations and additions plan does look like a fairly expensive project, no wonder you walked away from it! Not great use of space either and quite wasteful with so many hallways..... Garage is pretty big and I can't see a Laundry....

However have you considered trimming it back? I'd say you'll get better value for money if you re-visited the plans, such as doing the Kitchen/meals/living and some reconfiguring of the existing only.

Still be quite a bit of money but may be a better outcome rather than constraining yourself to the existing external walls.

Hi Jane, why don't you show my floor plan to your designer and builder to get a ball park figure as to what the difference would be reduced or not. At this stage in life you don't need to be building a Mc Mansion. The kitchen is galley style with pot draws and sit down space if you want it, anythings possible as there's more than one way to do things cheers

Hi Jane, I'am not suggesting style or colour but some interesting narrow galley style kitchens that will work with your interior and exterior courtyard. cheers

If you have any suggestions and would like to try them, let me know, is there a wall between the kitchen and step up into the dining" cheers

Love a red wall, that really gives a good perspective of your rooms, the kitchen is really quite dark so would benefit from opening it up, ie remove the red wall and the end wall next to the laundry etc, you could just have a wide timber step between the kitchen and dining opening it up to the courtyard and light!!, will be interesting to see if you would still need a skylight. cheers

For you

Working your magic again sirius?! Love it!

Thank you Nicole, really appreciate your comment, just posting some more so that Jane can get a better idea of what it could look like cheer,

as usual lots of excellent suggestions and 3D images from siriuskey but i'm wondering how you use all the other rooms and teh central decked courtyard, what are the dimensions of the living, master bedroom, ensuite and study.. what else do you love and hate about the house, what's the condition of the existing bathrooms, where is north, how do you enter the house from the garage...collecting ideas for the whole house is useful even if you're not ready for more than a new kitchen as eventually you may need to renovate other areas and it can be useful to have a long term plan that can be managed in stages

Good to hear from you Ok, it's a family of 5 with 3 older kids and not wanting to spend big like the other floor plan, so I'am tryng to keep the changes within the existing floor plan except for adding the garage if needed. Taking out a few walls, new kitchen and bathroom will be quite an expense. if you wait until tomorrow I should be able to give you room sizes. cheers

welcome to HOUZZ where we can all have fun sharing your design dilemmas!!

hello Jane, sorry to learn of your accident but you have posted some of the answers to my questions on a different post...see the one about have you done renos with your partner...and you forgot to answer where is north, what you love about the house and how you like your master suite

Always good to sort money first. What are you willing to invest then work from that.

Moving kitchen will have a bit in it but even a kitchen renovation in existing spot would be say $20k with appliances. Even that is pretty basic. To relocate would be plumbing and electrical, walls, etc. it all adds up quickly.

But really I would be looking at re-visiting the alts & adds plan to get a good layout and value for money. Until then its really a big compromise as its not an ideal layout as it is. Just taking a stab here but if you had say $140k+ you could get that bigger living/kitchen area, reconfigure existing better and new wet area's. I reckon a simpler design could almost make it work.

Jane if you need to delete or amend one of your own posts you will see at the top right hand side of your own post "edit" or "delete" always good to be able to update the typos and then just click on submit gain

the two floorplans look like two different houses as the walls line up in the first but not the second plan and the measurements need to checked from inside and, does the outside of the living room extension carry straight out from the original house for the extension or what is the difference? if you could hobble around and measure the length and width of the courtyard, living rooms and master bedroom we would have a much more accurate idea of the existing floor plan and how do you come inside from the garage with a load of groceries

Hi Jane, I have just sent Oklouise a copy of my resized floor plan of your house. Didn't know that you are injured, I will have to check your other post.

With no idea how little you are wanting to spend, my suggestions are made with keeping things simple and the lowest cost to achieve the extra space you need.

Re the bathroom shower, It's a shower room that is completely tiled with no shower screen, it does have a small raised brick height tiled step between the step in drying space and the shower both parts of the floor have a drain, Works really well in our house with a 6'4" son.

The kitchen has 3m x 40cm pantries plus 2.250 cook top bench with wall cabinets, the sink bench is 1600 with wall cabinet either side of the window. Plus the island which can have 5 x 600 pot draws or remove one to allow for a stool either side

Is there a step up on both sides of the courtyard as with the one between the current kitchen and dining?

The cost of the kitchen can be a lot less than $20K, using Bunnings/Ikea kitchens, even better if you can assemble the cabinets and then have a builder.chippie do the rest. ie: installing the kitchen, removing walls and make good.

The doorway into the bedroom is not a problem to keep as is.

With spending a bit more you could fill in the courtyard continuing the flat roof across it, you could then turn the study into a laundry. cheers

Hello, It seems to me that you walk straight in from the front door to the laundry, bath and WC, which isn't very inviting! Have you thought of moving the front door to walk into the front lounge room. Then you could make the kitchen diner open plan and the rest of the house would probably work quite well. The original front door space could become a walk in linen storage opposite the laundry.

New floor plan idea for you Jane which allows lots of space for your family, you know to click on each picture to enlarge it.? cheers

I have just moved the door to the garage from the parents retreat
and it's now beside the fridge for easy access and garbage removal from kitchen. Also adding a 3d from the front door through the house looking into the alfresco. cheer

Hi Jane, you asked if I do this for a living, I have always been involved in design and did spend time working with a wonderful Danish company, but apart from that it's always been for friends, family and word of mouth. I have been involved in designing 2 large Medical facilities and a couple of smaller commercial properties.

I did see your other post which gave some more much needed info, but would still like to know whats at the rear of the house, front of house and opposite side to your garage,

You mentioned a problem with getting plumbing to the end of the other wing (study) but as you already have the ensuite opposite my very clever plumber says it shouldn't be too difficult being so close.

I think it would be best to move those little rooms, Laundry etc so as to open up to the courtyard and allow more light into the house, your courtyard appears to need some work?

With your budget and the age of the family I Don't think I'd be looking to add to the house, this would be expensive and not needed.

There are three Zones in the last plan with two bathrooms and a third separate WC powder room which is really necessary for your big family of five.

Red zone parents

Green zone kids

Yellow zone family

All can be closed off for heating and cooling.

The family bathroom could be moved back to where I have the Linen and powder room making a bigger laundry including a WC. I will draw it for you shortly

What is at the rear of the house? cheers

New laundry with WC and linen storage, Family bathroom. master robe and study

I really like siriuskey's Thursday 11:37am plan for reconfiguring the kitchen/dining space.

A deck at the entry must be lovely-I can imagine why you love it, Jane.

Also, how the family bath is much more functional in an infinitely better location!

Hi Jane, I didn't think the Study was a bedroom that's why I suggested changing it to the laundry. He would have a bigger bedroom using Bed 4

The deck at the front was a great idea another place to sit.as the house is already quite pretty

The garage is as you say ridiculously narrow and I consider having a driveway with a garage at the end a waste of space anyway. The one good thing is that it is on the boundary, I think so gives you maximum space. are you able to bring a carport forward towards the street, just add that to your plan. Your neighbors aren't likely to complain about anything there as it's also on their blind side.

Is the garage under the same roof as the old extension?

Who uses the other 3 bedrooms as there's only 3 kids, would you agree to move the bathroom back into bedroom 4 and keep the powder room and linen cupboard where I lastly placed the family bath?

Sorry but I'am trying get rid of "The toilet block" across the end of the courtyard.

Or would you consider adding the laundry into the garage along with your WIR and possible study.

So more ideas for you Jane

subject to accurate dimensions a very simple reno could include a new kitchen, enlarged laundry, separate toilet and new bathroom but i would expect something like this could cost about $50,000 with careful choice of fixtures and finishes and no unexpected surprises

Hi Jane I would get a local builder to quote removing the old kitchen/laundry/bathroom and replacing with new as per my suggested layout, this opens up your small dark spaces to the internal courtyard, Bunnings and Ikea as mentioned do wonderful kitchens on a tight budget. The sliding door off the Dining out to the garage to be repurposed else where.

You mentioned the internal courtyard deck being a strange and difficult split level?, and using a table and chairs is very difficult. My suggestion would be build a timber bench seat onto the edge of the step up so that the table can next to it , this would give you extra floor space ie: no chair on that side. You could even buy a long timber storage box from bunnings to do this, just a couple of cushions and you have space saving seating plus storage. cheers,

Discussing this over dinner with you would be brilliant and so much easier, hope you get back on your feet soon x

Hi Jane,

Big project - good luck! We’ve had a lot of customers use low-maintenance artificial green wall panels to bring nature to their kitchen designs. One of our clients even used them for a unique splashback! Check out our site for some inspiration - www.evergreenwalls.com.au

Richard