Hello Ei G, Yes it all looks rather good but you have a lot of wasted space inside the entry. Rather than angling the wall why not bring the walls straight, keeping the area wide but not wasteful! The new bedroom could have robe (near the hallway so there is plenty of room left for furniture rather than diagonally walking from door to robe. ) Then the mud area (behind the open door but...) to the entry with the front door opening the other way. The media is not very large so it would make it longer and the study too. Could I also suggest making the wall removable or slide back to open it as one room, between study and media to make it one large room for party scenes or movie nights etc. By making the right hand wall on the entry straight, the fridge could move along and the pantry be larger too. All very good I think. The L shape lounge/dining never works in house plans as it all becomes a traffic way interrupting conversations and TV watching. So this is a far better arrangement but use all the space.... Cheers Margot

Ok, this may be your brief but there appears to be a lot of empty space. I get the entry but why the angle wall compromising the media room. Why is the dining so revived from the kitchen. Why is the couch in the entry to new space and then empty beyond. Why the window seat beside the kitchen, that is a noisy not restful area. You may like all these so we need to know what your brief is for the functional elements of the house.

I agree with the above comments. My first reaction is…so much wasted space, and why is the dining separate from the kitchen and living. Why is the dining in the bedroom area. I would change around as per the attach plan. Delete the bay seating window….(would it ever be used) replace with a splash back window at bench height. Having one long bench along the wall of kitchen with fridge, ovens, pantry, overhead cupboards etc etc. the walk in pantry seems good, but you would have just as much storage with a wall pantry. The same as your inspiration photo. You could also have a longer island, or a small four seater table and chairs in the top end of your island.

Thank you these points are great! The space after the entry I feel could be better utilized so I will definitely move the media room/entry wall down. The existing house has sooo many windows.. everywhere, which is why I have pushed the pantry back as far as possible to the window that will be in the study. The window provides symmetry from the outside. Margot there will definitely be mud entry cabinetry as you enter & am planning a wardrobe im the bedroom but didn’t need it for the drawings to council. You’re right about the L shape couch too! Will rethink this.

Kate the views from the southern & western walls are of the paddocks & horses. The western wall is as far out as can go & for budget considerations trying to keep this size. I’ve placed the informal tv area where it is so the wall behind the TV can be used for outdoor kitchen in the future.

There’s a beautiful old tree at the corner which is though would be great with a picture window above the bench seat highlighting it but very open to suggestions.

If there’s a better way to configure spaces i’d love the suggestions.

Crossover posts. Please refer my post above yours.

Slightly smaller

Thank you everyone for the advice & layout suggestions. Will definitely be taking them on board with the draftsman. Watch this space 😊

You mentioned that there are soooo many windows. I don’t think there are. There is a window in each room, as expected. It is a rectangle home so the windows are across the front as that is the length of the home. And the L shaped sofa, is not an issue, it’s the L shape lounge/dining that is the issue. You may find that reducing the extension would be beneficial. A square very large room is harder to furnish/set out, than a rectangle room. The square room tends to have wasted space, which is a case in your posted plan.

similar to some others' suggestions

Yes it is the existing L shape that is the problem not the L shape lounge furniture which is very comfy, El G. I do like Oklouise's plan above it is better I think. Tho I would like the pantry in the center of the house not on the external wall where you can have windows to the kitchen. Not too many windows if all rooms have them IMO. Tree sounds lovely and having a view... hope they are not destroyed at all. Love to see pix of them!! Cheers Go well and enjoy! Margot

Hi Everyone, After some careful consideration of lifestyle we have looked at using funds for an internal open plan reconfiguration as opposed to an extension allowing us to re do all the bathrooms as well as a bigger deck than the extension design.

The Kitchen/ open plan layout is causing some drama and I would love anyone's opinions or ideas. I had planned the kitchen on the northern wall with the option to push out WIP /fridge under the existing roofline. North Wall windows can be changed/enlarged but I would like to keep them for sunlight/ventilation./views.

Thank you all very much in anticipation :)

Elouise

(my sketch may not be ideally to scale)

@CHRISTINE HALL ARCHITECTS LTD For interest the extension drawings.

Hi El G,

Thank you for posting those extension drawings.

I guess the cost of the extension was prohibitive. It is a sensible move to pull back before you commit to it.

For your new proposal, given north views and the west back yard and entertainment area and your indoor outdoor flow, I would relocate the kitchen to the east wall beside the entry and put the living and dining on the west wall. These can be interchangeable. If you want a proper entry, put the walk in pantry at that end of the kitchen leaving 1400mm width for the entry. The kitchen could either run just on the east wall and have a big island or run the kitchen on the east and north wall with a smaller island or peninsular island.

The north wall can be opened as much as you like for light and manage the west wall opening and roof overhang so you don't overheat late afternoon.

Good luck.

C.

I agree with Christine Hall Architects. My suggestion is along the same thoughts. Kitchen on east wall. Using pantry wall as an entry hall. Then dining and living on west wall. New office room and bedroom. Large new windows on the north side to open up the views to inside. Bifolds where old kitchen window was, full roof covering and deck out from bifolds. Having this configuration, makes the room multifunctional and changeable with living and dining. Your design has the kitchen in the middle, therefore creating a small dining and small living. Having the space open gives more alternatives for furnishings.

,

Inspiration

Inspiration

Hi dreamer, thanks for your feedback (& everyone else’s of course it’s been great).

I do like this idea apt better.

My front facade has symmetric windows either side of the front door. Without removing the window I suppose lifting it to bench height would be the compromise with the front facade unless you have any other suggestions.

my suggestions include separate media and family rooms, bigger kitchen with dining area in the bay window (with optional sliding doors and servery window to the generous alfresco with simple gable roof) modest variations to the bathrooms allow for a separate powder room and there's an office, extra bedroom and entry mudroom

Thank you oklouise! I like this too but worry it might feel too closed in with the width of the kitchen only 3.5 at centre that way. Have you any thoughts on the kitchen/layout I proposed.. keeping the main area as open as possible?

my suggestions are based on an attempt to keep the changes more family friendly and affordable, removing all those internal walls also removes wall space for cabinets, furniture and TV placement and one big open space without an extra living area would not be my choice for more than two people living together and enclosing a portion of the verandah will require a Development Application and all the associated costs of professional floor plans and Council fees so .. have you had any quotes for your new proposal??

Thanks oklouise, we have a tv area in the main bedroom/parents retreat and with 2 little ones we are chasing more of an outdoor lifestyle which was one of the big reasons for not going ahead with the extension. We have all the extension funds already and with my partner a builder who works closely with our engineer who did the extension engineering the DA approvals is not a problem for building a pantry in under the existing eve/verandah of the house if it’s the layout we go with. That said we don’t want to push the entire living area out for costs purposes as we may as well then look at an entire extension again if that makes sense. I do love your ideas with the powder room, the ensuite is the first of the bathrooms so we will definitely incorporate this.

Hi again,

As for the front door with two side panels compromising the layout, now is the perfect time to update the front door, which IMO is a bit dated. With bricks you remove from the north elevation, you can use these here. Perhaps go for a door with a single sidelight, which will fit easily in a 1400mm wide entry.

The same for the kitchen window. Raise the sill height to match the kitchen bench, which will give it a very modern look rather than having an upstand between the bench and window. That will bring in more light too.

C

Sorry not to scale

I would consider removing the Bay window and replacing with a large stacker door opening out to the verandah with deck/paving and a pergola extending from the Verandah. The kitchen with a WIP some of which could be used for a linen cupboard opening into the passageway. The Narrow Island expands to a table or bench height situp for family and guests. I agree with Christine that the front door needs an update and could have a drop zone with sit down space.. OKL suggested Study is excellent

A quick layout for you to consider.

Much of this can be tweaked to your own preferences. We all have different priorities. Mainly the in the kitchen.

I've put the dishwasher and big sink and the fridge freezer in the pantry. I've also kept a small sink in the main kitchen on the oposite bench to the cooker - for good Fung Shui but that may not bother you and with small children, you may prefer the cooking not to be on the peninsular bench.

A coat cupbd facing the entry is good use of the corner in the pantry.

You could actually not put a door on the pantry as the surrounding walls conseal the space from the living and partially from the dining so the mess will not be visible even without a door. The money for double cavity sliders for the pantry could easily be put to better use.

The office is 3m long. This will mean it could still be a bedroom or nursary in future. That gives a bit more space in the living without changing the window.

The extra bedroom could also be a flexi space or media rom etc. If it really doesn't need to be a bedroom, even for guests, move the door to the living room side of the hallway door. Also, if it becomes a media room, the living room furnitur can be flipped with the couch going on the office wall. The space will feel even bigger that way.

I've shown new bi fold doors out of the dining area and for the living room window, use the same space but take the sill down to 4-500mm off the floor. You can take it down to the floor if you prefer. I've put the doors to the deck in the dining space so the living space does not become a walkthrough space. This can be annoying and I prefer to make the living space a destination rather than a walk through space. The dining space with a central table is already a pedestrian space so I feel this is the best location for the deck access.

The north windows can be as you like but the one in the kitchen will be really nice if the width goes from bench to dench and down to the floor. It will bring heaps of light into the kitchen and a great outlook from the space. Keep the width of the new dining room openings to a logical and price effective width for the lintel sizing.

One last comment that relates to your proposal - please don't put your pantry in a built out space on the north west corner of your house. The heat gain will be counter productive.

Good luck.

C.

Christine, I do like the above layout the best. Having the pantry wall also acts as a structure wall to place new beams onto, if required. There is only one wall being removed, the kitchen wall, but it is being replaced with so much more with the new position of kitchen. Excellent comment regarding west oriented pantry. This also gives a true office room, all whatever it needs to be.

And this showing the linen cupboard using part of the WIP. Working with your existing front door which will save money and adding a walk through drop zone, opening up the new bed 4/media/play room to kitchen, will add more light and openness .

Would it be worthwhile looking into exposing the rafters above the kitchen, living , media and painting it all white I have shown the line of the roof. Everything depends on your budget, cheers

Example

Appreciate the need to keep costs under control, but you'll be spending a bit on pulling things apart and putting them back together......my 2 cents - I'd be considering your options and it may be worthwhile you considering crunching numbers on options that involve a simpler/smaller extension component to the north (assuming you have the available space) that would keep the vibe/style/aesthetic/form of the existing (as opposed to a completely foreign and more complex form tacked on the side as per originally proposed) and if you are adding a 4th bedroom + study I'd encourage you to consider scaling the main living zone size more appropriately to the rest of the house. A quick idea below demonstrates this idea as this cleans up/centralises the planning to align more the form and proportions of the existing building. It enables more through vistas and flow. Dining and living could potentially be divided by sliding panels either side of the central joinery/fireplace (could be a 2-way)/dividing feature element. Also consider defining the entry by pushing out slightly into the verandah, which is better than walking directly into a living room.......Other suggestions here all have merit, however they feel somewhat tightly packed in, which if you consider your lifestyle and context longterm this would be worth considering.........Or there could be an option where you have a future extention to the north with a master suite, where you don't do the 4th bedroom and office now (if you have young kids) so when they grow the master bedroom could potentially convert to the 2nd living / teenager's retreat......My suggestion would be develop a master plan for the long term and consider a staged approach to achieve it. Food for thought

good luck!

PD

www.pauldistefanodesign.com

Thank you to everyone for all your fantastic ideas. It’s really helped me and my second guessing. Will be talking to our plumber to discuss moving the kitchen & i’ll keep you all posted.