If the kitchen acts as the central hall to other rooms it is not a good layout. While you are cooking do you really want people walk through?

That makes sense. Does that mean you also do not want it to be a path to garage or basement?

Homes of that period typically had the basement "finished" (into living space) a decade or more after being built. If this home meets all your criteria (location, size, school district...price) there's no reason to dismiss it.

And also, what if the dining room connects the living room/entry to the rest of the house?

Do *you* like the layout? Does it meet your needs? If so, who cares what others think, there's going to be lots of opinions on what is a "bad" layout. Sure there's a few things that are whacko (usually when people tinker with the layout themselves or do bizarre additions/remodels), but that doesn't sound like the case here -- If you love the house -- buy it.

I do not have a feel for layout. There are other things I understand about houses, but not really how layout shapes how we live in the house. We had a house with a terrible layout, which I did not understand until after we bought it, and it really impacted my daily life-everything was slightly off and uncomfortable-you had to walk across the living room and dining room to get to the only bathroom, for example. That is not the case in this house, but there are other things I wonder if will feel awkward down the line. So I am just trying to learn from others' expertise, here. Also, we do need some unusual things from a house (a studio inside the house, for example) which led us to purchase our first home without thinking about re-sale. My job sometimes requires a move, and as this is a risky time to purchase in terms of the future of the economy, we want to make sure this time we are not setting ourselves up to purchase a house that will be a nightmare to sell down the road. So what people generally dislike in a layout actually does matter, and we need some input. I know everyone needs different things in a house, I just wanted to hear what others' experiences. My biggest concerns are going through the dining room to get to the rest of the house, and going through the kitchen to get to the basement, which we plan to finish. Do those generally prove to be annoying when you are actually living in a space? Thank you.

That is SO helpful! Thank you. The dining room is big and the table is off to one side, so that should not be a problem. Although you do need to walk around the table to get outside to the patio....Hmmm.

The kitchen is sort of small, and you would have to walk past someone cooking to get down to the basement. However, the basement is where my studio will be, so maybe that is not that irritating? I will be sure to feel it out when we go see it again, though! Thank you so much for these specific things to think about.

To get a feel for things pretend you're living there and do the things you would do while living there so have someone pretend they are cooking and walk through the kitchen. The other pretend you are taking food outside to sit on the patio and see if it is cumbersome. Same thing in the bedrooms. Pretend you're sleeping on the bed and have to go to the bathroom at night. You can stand at the side of the bed to do this. Another is pretend it is morning and you are trying to get ready what are the things you have to do that and is it a lot of back and forth to get to the bathroom and getting dressed etc. Just consider all the tasks that you do every day and see how the house functions for those tasks.

Your house sounds similar to the one I grew up in, only our basement was not finished. Had it been, having the stairs going down from the dining room would have been convenient.

Sounds like a typical post-war, two-bedroom house. Entry halls of earlier homes were eliminated, hence walking through one room to get to another.

Many people will not consider finished below-grade space to be desirable. Consider money you spend finishing the basement to be for you, not necessarily adding value.

Frankly, this does not sound like the house for you. There must be larger, center hall homes with ground floor studios in your search area.

I would need to see an actual floor plan. As for is it the right house for you that is for you to decide taking into consideration first the budget. I can make any space be pretty much anything if you have enough $$$$$ . If you have the bidget like a lot about the house then I think it is worth it to renovate but live itn it for at least 3 months before doing anything. By that time you will know the things that make you crazy that is when you start planning a renovation. I did a finished basement on our really old 1905 house we did it very nicely finished with our guest room there since we lived downtown it was nice and quiet. We had our media room there IMO that space gave enough room for our lifestyle and was one big factor in the sale since the main sq. footage was very small.

A house does not tell you how to live you need a house to give you the best layout for how YOU live. That is why you wait to renovate.

"the basement is where my studio will be.." IF the studio is for your use only (no client visits down there) you really don't need to do any "permanent finishing". Just do enough to make it into a comfortable working space (heat source / lighting).

Who will be living in the house? Adults, children, pets, frequent guests, hobbies or work requirements? If it is just you, walking through the kitchen to go elsewhere in the house won't bother the cook.

Many of the 40s houses around here are quite small. One I worked on was 625 sq ft so the basement space was crucial. In that house, we were able to upgrade the furnace, remove the chimney and relocate the fridge. The cost of the upgrade was less than the increase in value from the improved kitchen layout.

Check the height of the basement and make sure the space is dry before you make plans to convert it to living space. The modest houses of that era often have large lots with mature trees and are in walkable neighborhoods. I would rather live in a small house in a great walkable location than drive to a house with a great layout. Know yourself and how you live and don't buy for resale. If you are willing to buy it, there will be buyers when you are ready to sell if the price is realistic.

Our last house (1920 vintage) had the basement stairs off the kitchen, in the back corner of the house. It wasn't a problem, though it was for storage/workshop, not living space.

Bad layout examples would include having to walk through a bedroom to get to another bedroom, or bathroom only accessible by entering a bedroom first. I don't see walking through LR-->DR-->kitchen to be a bad flow.