what are the dimensions of the kitchen, family and dining room and what are all the walls and floors made out of?.(including inside and the patio)..my initial thought would be to convert the dining room into a pantry and laundry rather than having an extension that would need a development application to be legal

Where r u. Laundry on a open patio would be ok in a warm client like Brisbane but not in Melbourne.

Can you draw up a scale plan of the right side of your house. Including hallway.

do you have a site plan and what is the garage built of, aspect etc will help

Garage is like car port.

Harman, we need dimensions

Thanks Lorraine for your kind recommendation. This is exactly what we are thinking at the moment. Both the bathroom plans are really clear. I am confused for the laundry part only. I am not sure if the enclosed laundry in the patio will destroy the appeal of the Patio area. On the other hand the other side of the rumpus can be used but they may require council approvals as we are extending the roof to have the laundry.

Again, without dimensions, land size, location and construction data, it's hard to make helpful comments, Harman, but do you really need a dining room and family room as well as living room and rumpus? I think it might be worth considering oklouise's suggestion to convert the dining room to a laundry and pantry. Perhaps in doing so, you could rearrange the kitchen so that it has direct access to the patio (I think U-shape kitchens are somewhat dated and out of favour. I demolished mine despite it being quite new and in perfect condition, because I wanted free traffic flow from the kitchen to the outdoor living area. I hated being trapped behind the bar of the U while others were partying outside, and having to walk in circles to get from the sink or cooker to the party area.) The U shape, in your case, also means you walk in circles from the kitchen to dining room or family room.

I'm not the design expert here. Oklouise, Kate and Siriuskey are among those holding that title! They made brilliant suggestions for rearranging my kitchen and I have ended up with a fabulous open-plan kitchen with servery to BBQ area on one side and direct access to the veranda on the other, plus a fantastic scullery and pantry (what used to be wasted space in a store room and hall) and a much larger and more workable laundry that is no longer a traffic thoroughfare.

I really think you'd find it worthwhile to post a floor plan with dimensions; location, block size and orientation information, and some data about the construction (especially whether slab floor or timber with access under). You might be pleasantly surprised at the alternate layout suggestions some here would be able to offer.

I'm sure you are aware that the kitchen is the focal point for home buyers. Nothing boosts a home's resale value more than a great kitchen - and these days most families seem to want a walk-in pantry, or at least a large dedicated pantry cupboard. So while converting the bathroom and laundry will boost value substantially, I would definitely consider what you might be able to do with the kitchen (subject to budget constraints of course) and think carefully about ensuring there is a functional laundry, conveniently located.

Postscript: Check with council about development requirements. We discovered that a roof extension of less than 10 sq m is allowed in our area without approval - just signed off by a certifier. A laundry extension on the left side of the rumpus room might be easier than you think.

Further thought: It depends on the climate where you live, but we did away with an internal dining space, incorporating a small inside eating area in the kitchen and fly-screening the alfresco area plus adding blinds and gas heater to make a large outdoor dining area. With only one large living room in our house, that gave us much more living space. I initially resisted the idea of not having a large dedicated dining space indoors, but when I thought about it, it really wasn't a good use of space given the infrequency of use. In your case, there are plenty of other locations for a family dining if you lost the dedicated dining room, and it's worth considering where you will eat when guests come, how often you'll be entertaining. and the number of diners you need to seat on a regular basis.