Advice on Kitchen relocation - Average costings?

[HKL91]

Hi!

We viewed a property today that we potentially may offer on. However, the current layout of this 3 bed bungalow doesn't suit for family life and the whole place requires updating (Bathroom, Kitchen, Artex walls removed etc)

But i was wondering, if its possible to move the kitchen to the centre of the bungalow where the existing lounge is? The idea to have a kitchen diner leading out to the garden, the lounge will replace the current dining room. then convert the current kitchen / garage into a master suite. Is this even possible? and if anyone has gone through anything similar, what are the costs involved? Current and proposed floor plan are attached.

 

The current living room looks like it has a gas fire so I think the services in would be okay but i'm concerned about drainage.

 

Any help is much appreciated! 

[bassanclan]

Where do the current drains run? Where is the kitchen sink at present? 

[AliG]

Anything is possible given enough money and time.

 

The main issue will be connecting the drainage.

 

What kind of floors does the house have? Easier to take up floorboard than dig into concrete.

 

Do drains already run close to the lounge that you can connect up to? Also does the house have combined drainage or separate foul and rainwater drainage. If combined it may be easier to find a drain to connect to.

 

A few thousand will likely get the drains moved around and re routed. A small percentage the total cost of what you are looking to do which would likely cost more than 50k assuming the cost of a new kitchen and two new bathrooms.

 

If you are doing that I wouldn't be surprised if we are also talking new heating and windows and rewiring. You could soon approach 80k.

 

 

[HKL91]

22 hours ago, bassanclan said:

Where do the current drains run? Where is the kitchen sink at present? 

The current kitchen sink is at the front of the house where we'd like the new en suite to be. 

[HKL91]

I have no idea of the type of floor unfortunately - it was built in the 1960s.

The nearest drain I can see is the external wall of bedroom 1 near to the current dining room. However, this is a drainpipe drain and I'm unaware of the drainage situation if they are combined or separate. 

We'd likely be looking for a cheaper kitchen (maybe even researching second hand options) and also a budget bathroom to tide us by for a while.

 

Thankfully the bungalow had a new boiler fitted last year so thats one less expense and the windows are double glazed so would see us through in the interim if we needed to cost save. 

[AliG]

You can probably find the drainage situation from the local water company.

 

If it is combined drainage then you can probably connect to the drain outside bedroom 1. If not then you are going to have to run something either around the outside of the house or under the floors to connect to the existing drainage in the area of the kitchen and bathroom.

 

The difference in cost could be a couple of thousand due to the extra distance.

 

If you are talking cheap kitchens and bathrooms then you'll be a lot less than I guessed. Maybe £30k would do it. There could be quite a lot of building work around the kitchen. That was between the kitchen and garage currently will likely be an insulated exterior wall. It may also support the roof (is the roof continues over the garage?). So removing it would mean insulting the garage and possibly some structural work.

 

Best idea is probably to get a builder along and get him to give you an idea of the cost.

 

[HKL91]

16 hours ago, AliG said:

You can probably find the drainage situation from the local water company.

 

If it is combined drainage then you can probably connect to the drain outside bedroom 1. If not then you are going to have to run something either around the outside of the house or under the floors to connect to the existing drainage in the area of the kitchen and bathroom.

 

The difference in cost could be a couple of thousand due to the extra distance.

 

If you are talking cheap kitchens and bathrooms then you'll be a lot less than I guessed. Maybe £30k would do it. There could be quite a lot of building work around the kitchen. That was between the kitchen and garage currently will likely be an insulated exterior wall. It may also support the roof (is the roof continues over the garage?). So removing it would mean insulting the garage and possibly some structural work.

 

Best idea is probably to get a builder along and get him to give you an idea of the cost.

 

Thanks so much! I really appreciate this advice! I've reached out to a couple of builders in the area too. 

The bungalow is marketed as a 'Link detached' with the garage linking to next door and the roof doesn't extend over it so I'm guessing the Kitchen to garage wall is supporting the current roof? 

 

[AliG]

That's quite a lot more work then.

 

You'd need a steel beam to support the roof when you take down the wall.

 

The most problematic thing would be that it is unlikely the garage roof is high enough to insulate and use it as a room, it looks barely higher than the tops of the windows. It would need a new roof, which may mean planning permission would be needed. This would most likely be granted, but just take time and be another expense.

 

There might also be a step down not the garage currently so you might need to raise the floor as well as insulate the floor. Actually I don't know how garage conversions are treated under current regs as the floor will not be insulated to current standards.

 

This would probably add almost £10000 to the cost of the work.

[PeterW]

Bedroom off a kitchen is a no - have to go through it in the night to go to the bathroom ..? 
 

I would leave the garage as is - they add value and that needs a lot of work to make it work. You could easily do an infil extension behind Bed 3, make half the old kitchen a utility room and create a really nice space without too much hassle. It will also be much cheaper than  a garage conversion and less hassle. 

[HKL91]

26 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Bedroom off a kitchen is a no - have to go through it in the night to go to the bathroom ..? 
 

I would leave the garage as is - they add value and that needs a lot of work to make it work. You could easily do an infil extension behind Bed 3, make half the old kitchen a utility room and create a really nice space without too much hassle. It will also be much cheaper than  a garage conversion and less hassle. 

Hi Peter, we want to move the kitchen to the current living room - then the old kitchen and garage would be knocked through to create a master bedroom. Groups all the bedrooms together and the living spaced together (Bed 2 would become an office/snug)

 

[PeterW]

Just now, HKL91 said:

then the old kitchen and garage would be knocked through to create a master bedroom.

That will probably cost you twice what a decent extension will, and you won’t get the value back. I would write down what you need and then look again at your plans. There are lots of ways to skin this cat 

[HKL91]

2 minutes ago, PeterW said:

That will probably cost you twice what a decent extension will, and you won’t get the value back. I would write down what you need and then look again at your plans. There are lots of ways to skin this cat 

We need 3 decent sized bedrooms and an extra toilet. and a kitchen next to the living areas - it doesnt seem to flow having a huge living room and dining room with the kitchen past the bedrooms. I can't think of any other way of arranging it

[Adsibob]

1 hour ago, PeterW said:

That will probably cost you twice what a decent extension will, and you won’t get the value back. I would write down what you need and then look again at your plans. There are lots of ways to skin this cat 

Agree 100%.
Also, why do you want all the bedrooms grouped together?

[HKL91]

A rethink on initial costs and were thinking to leave the garage as is for the time being - block off the internal access by extending bedroom 3, making the kitchen into another single bedroom then putting our efforts into converting the living area into a kitchen diner. 

[HKL91]

47 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

Agree 100%.
Also, why do you want all the bedrooms grouped together?

We have 2 young children (3 and 1 year olds) so it would work better for our family life - having their bedroom next to the kitchen isnt ideal for us from a safety perspective and having them in bed 2 next to the living room is too loud after bedtime

 

[Mr Punter]

Bungalows can often end up a rabbit warren of small rooms or through rooms.  The living and dining look a decent size and if you could put the kitchen into the dining it may work well.  Make bedroom 2 into a playroom / study / snug.  You may be able to put a WC and basin into the cupboard in the hallway.

[Carrerahill]

15 hours ago, HKL91 said:

We have 2 young children (3 and 1 year olds)...

 

Are you sure you then want to enter into the major works phase on a house you have just moved into then?

 

 

[HKL91]

4 hours ago, Carrerahill said:

Are you sure you then want to enter into the major works phase on a house you have just moved into then?

 

 

We have the luxury of living at my grandparents around the corner until the work is done

 

[Adsibob]

2 hours ago, HKL91 said:

until the work is done

Your kids will be grown ups by then.

[AliG]

I had been thinking of suggesting an extension instead of a garage conversion as the garage basically only saves you on foundations, almost everything else would need redone replaced.

 

An extension gets you extra room and keeps the garage.

 

I don't think your suggested plan is great, small bedrooms and one bathroom. I doubt that is really what you had in mind.

 

If you had a plot plan people could aybe suggest extension ideas.

 

An alternative layout would be -

 

Knock kitchen and bedroom three and maybe the hall that currently leads to the kitchen together to make a new larger kitchen that could be connected to the existing lounge.

 

Convert dining room into master bedroom and ensuite.

 

Bedroom one and two stay the same.

 

This is not ideal as two bedrooms would be off the lounge, although it would not be unusual in America. You could possibly create a small hall at the back left hand corner of the lounge and put the access to both bedroom 2 and the new master bedroom there so they would be separated.

 

It would be a lot cheaper.