Upstairs Remodeling Plans (?)

This house where I live was built in 1949, then added on to in… I dunno. Let’s say 1960 or something. It was also surface-renovated about 10 years ago by people who were well-meaning and on a budget. As a result, I have a house that (a) is small, (b) is dark, (c) has three living rooms, (d) has a tiny, awkward kitchen, (e) has very few closets, and (f) is a little stupid in certain ways (it’s not a “great room” when it’s shaped like that one Tetris block you hope you don’t get).

So I have this plan to trade in one of the two upstairs living rooms in exchange for:

  1. A better kitchen.
  2. A master closet.
  3. An upstairs laundry room.

Current

Here’s how the upstairs is currently set up (some of drawing’s doors are opening the wrong way; in the actual house, they’re opening the way they ought to) (also, some of the measurements are probably off by just a little):

Proposed

So then, the idea would be to turn the current kitchen into a mud room/laundry room, the current horrifying void space at top into the new kitchen, then use the space from the current second of three living rooms (seriously, there’s 1,200 s.f. on the ground floor of this house and it has two living rooms, plus the third downstairs) to create a master closet and use what’s left over up there for a cozy, fireplace-having breakfast nook (the fireplace is already there; that black thing against the right side is the current hearth). It’s also suggesting a new window be punched into the new kitchen area.

Here’s what I’ve drawn up for the renovation then:

I dunno. I think it might be better. I think my main worry is whether that eating area feels cramped, but OTOH, it can’t feel a lot more awkward than the current one does.

Then if you’re really curious, here’s what some of the relevant spaces look like currently.

If you have thoughts related to the above, please lmk.

bkd

1 comment

  • TH

    Plan looks good. I was wondering though if it would make sense to get rid of the tetris-shaped room all together. Most newer houses in Germany have one giant combined living room, dining room and kitchen–with the ktichen counter not at the wall but in the room (which can be used to structure the room). Bathroom and (planned) homeoffice would stay where they are, the current (planned) living room would become the master bedroom.