Glass bricks or open plan ??

[davegriff]

Right, here's one for all you would be designers out there.
We have just started work on our 3 bed maisonette.
Downstairs, we have a large L-shape kitchen/lounge area, the entire area approx 42 square metres.
We've bashed down a partition wall that used to seperate thelounge area from the stairs/front hallway, and we were considering putting glass bricks up to bring some light into the hallway.
However. We now like the idea of leaving the wall down, and having the ground floor almost completely open plan.
The only trouble is that we have a gas meter in the middle of the room - which needs to be boxed off.
So what we would be left with is an open plan kitchen/living area, and a small pillar in the middle.
It sounds odd, but it actually looks really good.
But I'm still wuite keen on glass bricks.
Anyone any input ?

 

[Ant]

On a practical note, you would need to maintain access to the meter so this will mean a door or removable panel on any pillar. Are you thinking of short pillar or floor to ceiling? Depending on your taste/budget you could use stainless steel or some material that can be curved - this can look softer and less obtrusive than a square box section. Could you incorporate other storage within the pillar? Perhaps a hifi would fit. Maybe you could build a column with glass blocks and illuminate them from inside - the bottom section being solid or screened so you don't illuminate your gas meter! Obviously a lot will depend on your general "style" of the room as to the choice of materials.

 

[davegriff]

Yeah, we realise we have to box the meter in.
Stainless steel sounds good...and the glass bricks idea is awesome !!
We had heard somewhere that for fire regs, we had to keep the hallway closed off from the rest of the downstairs...hence we have to put up the glass brick wall...is this right ?

 

[Ant]

Not sure of the fire regs - I guess a door would help prevent the spread of fire but I don't think it is a legal requirement - although this is only a guess. I would double check with council. I saw a house where virtually all of the ground floor was opened up.
I am in the process of a similar plan to you - removing double doors between living and dining rooms has created a whole new look and feeling of space - who needs doors!

 

[DAZB]

What the Building Regs people don't know won't hurt them !
I have a friend who has a totally open plan ground floor and he loves it. I have also seen a program called Grand Designs on C4 that had a house with a complete open area downstairs with the open kitchen set in the centre of the house so it must be allowed.

 

[MANDATE]

If the gas meter is a problem, can you not have it moved?
perhaps built in to a external wall.
I know of a meter that was moved from lounge to garden by Transco approx £130.