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.

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 El G,

I have a couple of suggestions over those already mentioned but also one main concern.

The main concern is about the roof suggestion you have. Be really careful when mixing two completely different roof forms, both from an aesthetic and technical consideration.

Technically speaking, what happens to the gutter of the original house where the new and old roofs/structures meet? There is about 7m run of gutter and ideally you don't want to create an 'internal' gutter as they are a magnet for potential problems. Aesthetically and technically, the best way to combine two different roof forms is to separate/join them with a lower linking space with a lower roof that drains separately and is below both the existing and new gutters. This does not work well with the floor plan you propose. Aesthetically, I question why you would propose a completely different roof form when it would look more cohesive to make them similar. I know single pitched roofs are popular at the moment but without a considered linking element, it will always look unusual and might not appeal to future purchasers.

The layout you propose does not lead itself to a linking element for the roofs so I would suggest using a gable for the extension at right angles to the existing and keep gutter lines the same. You can achieve higher forms by using an open framed roof with ceilings up at the roof pitch and you can get good north light into the middle of the space by popping the ridge up to the north and have some clerestory windows that will let the sun in. If you make the extension 7m wide instead of 7872mm, the roofs will work more cost effectively.

If you still want and can afford the high roof over the kitchen as per your image, it can be done by also lifting the roof over the office in the same way. You will have a valley from where the roofs meet at the dining room up to the existing ridge, then it turns 90 degrees as a hip to where the office and kitchen meet. This could work and there will not be an internal gutter.

Also, with the plan, I would look at shifting the extension south by 3m so the dining space is more connected to the living and kitchen. That would leave a 900mm setback/alcove to the laundry wall where a sideboard could fit and give a degree of privacy to the new bedroom entry. I understand the dining location you propose in order to have a relationship with the outdoor deck.

I'd square up the media room so it is 5m long leaving 1.8m for the entry. Enter the office beside the media room and build into the office corner, the pantry and fridge, similar to how you have it. The office will be the same size as your current dining room plus and entry and maybe a cupbd behind the fridge and pantry.

I would make your seat with the tree view, a corner seat and wrap it around the corner. That way, more than one can sit there or you could put a small breakfast table in that corner.

The living furniture should occupy the majority of the south part of the extension with plenty of opening to the deck.

If you move the extension as I suggest, you can alter the deck to form a triangular edge to avoid the septic tank with wide steps coming down adjacent the existing verandah.

I can do a sketch if all of this is not clear.

C.