'Our kitchen used to be upstairs'

After: The room is set out as a large kitchen-diner with double doors leading to the garden which is perfect for family life

Redoing a kitchen is a big job anyway, but Stuart and Sarah Callaghan decided to move their entire room down a floor.

When Stuart and Sarah Callaghan and their two children, Daniel, eight, and Charlotte, five, moved into their three-storey town house in Leeds two years ago, they soon realised they weren't using the whole house to its full potential.

"The kitchen, living room and three bedrooms were on the first and second floors and so we weren't really using the large room on the ground floor at all," says Stuart.

"We couldn't turn it into another bedroom because it had the only access to the garden. We didn't want to make it the living room either, as we have great views from our first-floor room."

So they decided to move the kitchen downstairs and turn the old first-floor kitchen into another bedroom.

Where did you start?
"We knew it was going to be a big job so we planned everything meticulously. We wanted to have all the units, appliances, tiles and worktops ready when work started so there wouldn't be any hold-ups. Luckily, we have a large garage so we were able to store everything away."

Before: The ground floor room was not reaching its potential

Was it hard planning a kitchen to fit an empty room?
"Yes, it was definitely harder to visualise, so we went to three kitchen companies that each created computer-generated plans for us to get a real feel for what it would look like."

What happened next?
"We had to have the water and gas pipes extended downstairs, which was quite a tricky job as the new kitchen wasn't directly below the old one. It was done gradually so we could still use the old kitchen and once the new sink and cooker were fitted downstairs, the builders took out the old kitchen and replastered the room ready for decorating. They then fitted the new kitchen units downstairs, put in electric underfloor heating and finally tiled the floors."

Did relocating the room affect your budget for the units?
"Yes, as we knew the building work was going to be expensive just over £3,000 we allocated about £5,000 for the units, worktops, appliances and flooring. We bought the units during the sales and managed to get the kitchen we wanted for half the original price, which gave us extra money to splash out on some more hi-tech appliances."

Were there any problems?
"We'd ordered splashbacks to match the worktops and assumed they would be in the boxes with them we were wrong! As the building work was well underway, we cancelled the order and went for mosaic tiles instead. The tiles inspired the wall colour, which we were having a problem choosing, so it worked out for the best."

Your favourite bit?
"It's great being able to keep an eye on the kids from the kitchen when they're in the garden and we no longer have to struggle up a flight of stairs with the shopping."

What it cost: Units £1,023. Worktops £237. Appliances and splashback £1,659. Sink and tap £249. Paint £32. Floor and wall tiles £550. Underfloor heating £400. Table and chairs £235. Shelves and bookcase £75. Total £4,460.

IDEAS TO STEAL

Tiled splashback: Brick-shaped mosaic tiles in cool aqua shades are an unusual touch that add interesting detail to a simple kitchen.

Grease-proof: The revolutionary Hotpoint cooker

Curved chairs: A circular table and chairs with curved backs that fit snugly around it when not in use is a great idea for a small space.

Smear-proof surface: This sleek, glass-fronted Hotpoint oven has an innovative finish that prevents greasy fingermarks showing up.

Floor tiles: "We chose porcelain tiles as they are easy to keep clean essential with the children running in and out of the garden all day."

Symmetrical wall units: "We only had two wall units fitted either side of the cooker hood for a symmetrical look and went for shelves on the other walls as we wanted a more open feel."

Open shelving: A great way to display favourite glassware and china.

White units: "We chose white gloss units to make the room light and bright, and create a sense of space."