Very cute house.... But 1970's? Reno is overwhelming with all the timber & odd layout. What functions do you need? 3 bedrooms? Formal lounge? Do you want family room opening onto back patio?

First thoughts are to put kitchen in dining room/bathroom area, ensuite/bath/laundry in place of kitchen.... But need your criteria & dimensions to be really helpful.

How much are you willing to spend?

Ultimately comes down to budget available and what you're trying to achieve. Generally when we deal with these you're looking at configuring the main living/kitchen/dining so it connects better with the outdoor areas, getting the bathroom better zoned with the bedrooms and perhaps adding a 2nd bathroom or at the least a powder room. Anything's possible but you're talking $350K+ for major layout changes. If you're trying to keep it under $200K you probably best to flip the laundry over to the dining and try and clean up the flow through from the passage to the rear yard. Best you get some pro help and advice and make sure you're talking numbers robustly to avoid wasting time entertaining potentially unrealistic goals

Best of luck PD

Thanks everyone - we don’t want to spend huge money on it, given it’s a regional town and unlikely we’ll ever get our money back. We’d like it to be 3 bedrooms and just one living area opening out onto the backyard. Main criteria is to try and fit an en-suite in and have the bathroom/ laundry not hogging the northern side of the house or the opening to patio. Appreciate any ideas

If you don’t want to spend lots of money and you are happy with one living room than it is easy fix. Use front living room as a bedroom. transform the bedroom opposite into a bathroom and walk in robe and open Two doorways to existing main bedroom . Keep the rest as is.

Thanks KK1000 and love_tiessa - we were thinking of using the living room as main room and adjoining bedroom for en-suite etc. good idea with changing the kitchen to an L shape. It will definitely look a lot different once we get rid of all the dark timber and get some white paint in there!

Hi Jayne,

Change the front living room into the master bedroom and the adjacent bedroom into the ensuite and robe with the window being in the ensuite on the outside wall.

For the back of the house, put the bathroom where the kitchen is, (make it 4m long and only 1.8m wide) put the living where the dining and bathroom are with wide doors onto the patio and put the dining in the family with a new galley kitchen in between it and the new bathroom. That will enable you to get more sun into the back of the house having the living on that side.

Have fun planning.

C.

Thank you so much Christine Hall Architects - love all those ideas!

Hi Jane

Have you considered turning the bedroom beside the existing kitchen into master. That room is slightly bigger than living room. The existing plumbing in kitchen can be retained and turned into ensuite to save you a little cost.

The front living room can be closed in to become a normal bedroom. You can make this room proportion by reducing and placing back to back robes sharing with the existing bedroom beside.

Kitchen can be in the middle where the dining currently is with bathroom + laundry located between kitchen and the external wall. That way you are retaining as much existing plumbing location as possibile.

The current family and a good portion of the existing kitchen can now be a combined open plan which will work well with the new kitchen locatied centralised in the house. Open the outdoor area with some big sliding doors & it will provide you with plenty of light.

Good luck with the reno!

Thanks R. Koncept- that is another good idea using the larger bedroom with fireplace and the current kitchen for en-suite - I would prefer the bedroom being on this side of the house away from the western sun. Appreciate your feedback :-)