what do you plan for the heater in the lounge and why not push the kitchen into the now dining area and combine the two smaller spaces into a bigger dining area facing the sliding doors to the backyard?.. and, assuming that you have a timber frame floor, changing location of stove and sink is not as dramatic if you achieve a much better result and your dimensions are inconsistent and can you post the original including room sizes

Thanks oklouise. We were planning to remove the old gas heater in the lounge & rely on split system and possibly look at putting in central gas heating. Would love a gas fireplace to stand up against for warmth but not sure we'll have the space or budget once we open up the wall. I had thought about putting the kitchen where the dining is now but just not sure about the kitchen being that bit further from the outdoor entertaining area. will certainly reconsider this though. I will also upload a pic of the room dimensions on the original plan tomorrow to give a better sense of the space. Thanks a lot for your feedback

Sorry, not sure why my reply posted with a different profile name... have tried to change profile setting (houzz newbie)

Here are the room sizes in the original floorplan, and also the outdoor transition from kitchen area which may help... Thanks

Is the laundry being extended into the existing toilet?

Thanks Kate. No, the original toilet and bathroom have been combined into one larger room and not easy to revert back due to layout change. we're looking to add a 2nd or 'guest' toilet, preferably with own small vanity at one end if space permits.

Ok wa s just trying to work out how your two plans overlay

there is easy access in and out to the entertaining areas so my suggestions would still be to push the kitchen towards the old dining area to take advantage of the wall space for storage, fridge and range hood with more counter and a generous island ...allowing for wall thickness and doorways is a smaller powder room with carefully chosen small toilet and tiny vanity or wall hung sink and wall cabinets with enough space for a 1500 wide x 300 deep tall bookshelf style storage in the dining room and, subject to accurate size, i've included two locations for the sideboard and consider a generous sofa table or desk behind the couch for cosy bed space for the dogs underneath and there should be enough space in the laundry for a stacked washer dryer, tall storage cabinet and custom sized corner cabinet with drop in skinny laundry tub, hanging rod over the sink and 900 wide wall cabinets or shelves for cleaning products and wall hooks for dog leads and work clothes

Thank you so much oklouise for all your great ideas! Is there any way you might be able to post your layout picture again in a bigger format as I'm having trouble viewing the detail. Also, just to advise that the windows in the lounge from the floor are only 67cms so too short for kitchen cabinetry (Sorry not to mention this earlier).

the storage cabinet next to the fridge could be a bench seat or low drawers or dog bed or shelves for books music crafts etc under the window and could stretch the full width under the windows depending on what you need to store and although i can make floor plans i'm not very good at the basic computer skills but hope this is easier to see

Thanks a lot oklouise, that plan is a much better size to view thanks. I've got the tape measure and electrical tape marking things out! The distance between the back wall of the dining room to the start of the window on lounge wall is only 1450 so would only just fit our large fridge (800 wide) with a 600 depth cabinet on back wall. Perhaps better to swap the pantry (which could be narrower) and fridge? Or would it look ok to only have a long wall of kitchen cabinets on the back wall (without turning a corner) with an island starting closer to the window? Thanks so much for your input!

it would be so much easier with accurate dimensions of all the existing spaces but the fridge should fit along the back wall (with a longer island) but if you make a plan showing the accurate locations of the kitchen window and the sliding glass door i can attempt another plan ... what is the width of the wall behind the stove from the corner to the edge of the architrave around the window?

hopefully the attached pic helps. Thank you kindly for your patience and help!! It is really appreciated and i love seeing your ideas. Also wondering if there is any way to keep the sink under the kitchen window as I really like looking out the window doing dishes and hate sinks in an island. But of course there are always compromises, especially in small spaces.

in the first plan posted the length of the kitchen and dining area was shown as 8900 plus 2100 for the depth of the new powder room? so i'm wondering if some of the dimensions have been taken from outside and/or have not allowed for wall thickness and there have been other changes as there is a laundry window in the plans but that window is not obvious in the photos?? using the latest dimensions you could have the kitchen sink under the window and use the whole back wall...(IE 3830 + 1900 = 5730) and that would allow for a dw, double sink, stove (or cooktop and stacked wall oven and MW and plenty of space for the big fridge plus a 3m island (but no deeper than 900) but depending on how your builder plans to remove the old structural walls i've shown a short nib wall and optional post in the island that could be used to make the job cheaper

BUT to make sure that there is enough space for walking around, doorways and the laundry/ powder room can you please confirm the distance from the outside edge of the architrave around the sliding glass door in to the laundry corner, the distance from the front of the linen cupboard to the entry hall wall backing on to the bedroom and is there a window in the laundry?

I noticed that you have child gates to stop dogs from accessing everything and wonder how that would work with opening up the walls with an Island. I suggest something along the following lines might help with that, lots of bench space which opens up the kitchen to the dining table so you can still be cooking and chatting plus watch TV. The dogs will always want to sit where the heater is and the Powder room would have an exhaust that comes on with the light switch.

Thanks so much oklouise for that new plan!! Sorry about the measurements. I have remeasured and the distance between the edge of the architrave on the sliding doors to the corner of the laundry is 2170. The distance between the corner of the linen cupboard and entrance/ bedroom wall is 947. Re the laundry window, this was original, then removed (which is why its not visible) and we want to reinstate it for ventilation

Siriusky, thank you so much also for your plan! This has provided a lot of ideas we hadn't considered at all and now I'm back with the tape measure and tape on the floor again!! I'd never of thought of putting the powder room in that spot! Lots to exciting stuff to think through. So appreciate everyone on houzz being so generous with their ideas! ὠ0

always about compromise and if the laundry window is reinstated in the original location that restricts options for tall storage so i've included a skinny sink next to the window, a stacked washer and dryer and left the rest of the space open to use for overhead cabinets and/or shelves, tall space under wall cabinets for broom, ironing board, vacuum, baskets etc and hooks on the window wall for work clothes and dog leads...any custom built cabinets would be cramped and very expensive so use the open floor space for storage without doors...the location of the back door opening and doorways from hallway and front entry would also make it too cramped for the narrow cabinet that you wanted unless you make the laundry and powder room too small for the cavity sliding doors so, with so much extra kitchen cabinets for pantry storage (eg between fridge and stove or island drawers?) why not use the central cabinet for your mini office and keep the original wall between entry and living would save demolition and could allow a location for your sideboard.. striped wall sections show dog gates without doors and under a sofa table would make a great nook for the dog beds

Wow, thanks oklouise, that's all fantastic advice and thank you again for the refined floorplan. A great idea for the placement of the office nook, And appreciate your insight on the space in the laundry. Spatially I find I'm a bit challenged and find it hard to picture what will work so this is all very helpful. Thank you!

I have added dimensions to this floorplan so you can see what I have worked with.

My first post shows your extended Dining table, this with your round table plus a couple of stools you could work in at the end of the Island bench, you could even reduce the overall length. You could also remove the short wall on the cooktop station between it and the Island

I have changed the layout of the living room with the TV in front of the windows on a long low unit for you to consider and have moved the desk into the corner.

Without knowing the aspect I would look at adding a large deck off the kitchen to increase the size of your living area without having to go down stairs, OK for the dogs but much easier to have it all on the same level for humans

Hi siriusky, yes, that would be ideal to have the deck at the same level as we walk out the back but unfortunately because of the slope of the block we had to step the deck down as otherwise we'd be looking directly down into the neighbour's yards. We've grown a hedge along the boundary fence to provide some privacy for both them and us as the main decking area is still about a metre above the ground.

I would have thought that you are already overlooking your neighbors from your kitchen window and sliding door, by adding a 2-3 m deep deck at the same level with an enclosed railing would give both properties more privacy?, even more if you added a screen. And certainly planting trees would help depending on the aspect of the houses, you wouldn't want to block the neighbors northern sun.

You're right siriusky. We do look into our neighbours yard from the kitchen window now. When we first bought the house the neighbours had lovely trees along their fence line so wasn't an issue, then a new investor owner removed all the trees. I'm hoping to install some more screening along the fence visible from the kitchen and joosh up the outdoors a bit more once we get through the kitchen laundry reno. We had the deck and pergola added several years ago and I think there was a reason why it was recommended to have a landing at that time, and then step down onto the lower deck, possibly to do with the height of the roof given the slope of the land by the time we got to the outer corner as it is a large (40sqm) deck, but can't recall details now. I have since discovered this website and certainly am valuing plenty of independent ideas before we jump into another major cost outlay of the kitchen area.