Kitchen Extension Planning Advice

One of the more common requests from our clients is the need for a larger kitchen. Many of the houses we work on our three-bedroom semi-detached houses which generally have small galley kitchens. Typically which are tight and usually dark, they have one entrance into them and they can be a tight and usually dark, lonely space. If you have young children, it can be very difficult when preparing a meal whilst trying to keep an eye on the children.

If you’re having a gathering, guests tend to congregate in and around the kitchen which leaves little space for the host to work. Wouldn’t it be nice to entertain around a kitchen island? Here we explore some kitchen extension ideas.

A single storey extension at the side or rear is a great way to create space for a large open plan kitchen and family space. On a lot of properties we try to move the dining space into the new extension. This allows us to design large bi folding doors or sliding doors on the rear. Creating an open plan space which has roof lights in the new pitched roof is a popular solution.

Light & Space

The alternative is pendant lights if the client prefers for a flat roof. The original small kitchen, which is now in the centre of the house, can easily be converted into an essential ground floor toilet. Any remaining space can be used as a utility room to remove noisy appliances from the kitchen or hide the washing.

If we design a rear extension at 4m in depth, this usually frees up enough space for a large island to be installed in the kitchen. Not only is this a great storage space and much needed worktop area it also acts as a great divide between the kitchen and the rest of the living area where you could locate a large l shaped sofa or a spacious dining table.

Within your extension cost, it’s worth considering a downstairs bathroom and a utility room. Creating the ideal living space with floor to ceiling windows, for letting in natural light, will allow your design ideas to run wild.

Create additional rooms

The first option for the bathroom is generally underneath the staircase. This can work really well however it generally results in losing crucial storage space. Be mindful to accommodate this lost space somewhere else as coats, shoes and hoovers need to be stored.

You can create pull out storage in the lower section of the stairs which works great for shoes. I would generally suggest trying to squeeze in a cupboard in the hallway to store larger items or coats. If you do convert the under stairs cupboard then you could consider a small porch extension which not only improves the entrance to your home, it can also allow a space for buggies and coats, so you don’t clutter up the hallway.

Another location for the bathroom can be adjacent to the dining room. Along the wall that divides the dining and living rooms, there is generally enough space here to accommodate this or a utility room. It does pinch space from the dining room, but this solution works really well when you’re looking at building a rear extension.

Image: 3d visualisation of a kitchen design

Options for any type of home

It is also a really good option on Victorian houses which are generally deeper, and this middle part of the house can become very dark. You do have to be mindful of how the drainage will work especially for the toilet. We can support with planning permission and building control, so don’t worry too much about this. Generally the bathroom needs to be within 6m of a manhole or soil pipe, if this isn’t the case then other options like a macerator can be used.

On properties that benefit from have more than 2m from the side of the house to their boundary then a single storey side extension, or side return, can work really well. It can allow you to extend your kitchen footprint out to the side, this option may not allow for an island but more kitchen units or a breakfast bar can work really well.

A side extension can free up some space at the front of the house for a study or guest bedroom, they usually allow enough space towards the middle for a bathroom or dining area. Check out some of our projects for further inspiration.