Design Comments Wanted!

12 years ago

Hello!

My wife and I are planning on building a home and are just nearing the end of the design phase. Hopefully the home will be the one where we live out the rest of our days! The area is quite rural and we are situated in a saddle on a ridge so have nice views to the North and South but have some protection from the wind coming from the West. We have a young daughter and are hoping to have more little ones (fingers crossed!)

As for the home, we would like it to be 1) comfortable and practical for our family 2) place for extended family and friends to visit and feel at home 3) fluid indoor outdoor space 3) building that melds with the beautiful country side around the home.

The home will be a ranch/vineyard style house with large sliding pocket doors in the livingroom to maximize the views and making the large back porch an extension of the living/dining area. There is a pool to the south of the house and a pool house to the south east. There is a small bunk room above the West wing which I haven't shown but will be for visiting family kids.

Below is the site plan:

Below is the floor plan:

{{gwi:1507186}}
Copyright 2011

We would welcome any comments or suggestions you might have as we have been very impressed with the thoughtfulness of responses people have posted. The separated garage is something we would like to keep despite the challenge on rainy days. We are considering a basement for a wine cellar/game room/storage space.

Thanks for your help!

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Comments (13)

bethohio3
12 years ago
Can you print a larger version of the floor plan? It's really hard to see it well enough to comment.
marin_home
Original Author
12 years ago
I tried blowing it up (more pixels) and saving it again with out success. Do you know how to make the image larger when I post? In the mean time you might try the link below as an alternative - you can zoom in in Picasa. Sorry for the complexity. Thanks for your thoughts!
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I've looked over your project. What you've drawn up is not bad. I like that you kept it simple, uncluttered. I've made some changes, shown above. I included a mudroom in only one of these, it eats space, and external wall space at that, so I'd rather dedicate a rack and some hooks to the purpose than an entire room. Note that in all but one of these options, there is a lot of closet space, an excess. You could easily cut downn on that if you like. Assess your use with regard to the second bedroom being a bedroom or a separable, two or three walled space. I think it's good to open up the kitchen some more. The 2nd bedroom is a bit obstructive there, and a bit isolated from the first. I altered the bathrooms, getting the entrances a bit further from the dining space, Also on the topic of the kitchen, pay no heed to the layouts I've used, they're vague placeholders. Once you decide on the layout we can discuss the kitchen layout if you like. Also pay little attention to window placements, I am not sure of what you have to work with.
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Thanks all for the thoughts so far. bpathome: We will soundproof that common wall with the LR and the BR with insulation. We have had the same arrangement in the last 2 houses so I dont think it will be a big problem in this one. And yes the kids will spend most of their time in the basement I am sure, they really dont wastch much tv or socialize in our LR in our current home so imagine it will continue in the same manner in this one. Yes that will be a half wall of bookshelves with open shelves or similar above the half wall. It creates a divider of enough weight to create a separation from public to private spaces. The kids do not want windows in their baths so this works nicely for that. Good advice on the l-shaped shelves. We will take your suggestion and go with it. nightowl/lyfia: I will take a closer look, at the issues you both describe and talk to my wife and see what she thinks. The nice thing in our household is that hardly ever are we both in there at once. We have different schedules entirely for getting up etc where the issues created by two in at once aren't a problem. In fact, evenwhen we are getting ready in the evening at the same time getting ready to go out etc...I give her the bath until shes done then get in and do my thing. Just how it works best for us. But there may be some way to make some improvements nonetheless.
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Different people have different needs. As I outlined in my posts a 48" all gas w/ 4 burners and 24" griddle/flattop serves us well 98% of the time and then the countertop induction hobs add some additional versatility/capability. I talked w/ Scotsman and they said cutting the power is fine. It's not ideal but given Scotsman's lack of a timer it is what it is. Ideally every icemaker should have the ability to set a programmed on and off time along with an overide for entertaining. If a $20 coffee maker can do that an icemaker certainly can. An 8 hr pause is better than nothing but still very limiting - we do a 20 hr pause most days. I would NOT put any range in the island - unless you live on an island (and so have lots of windows open at all times) or are OK with a really big hood. https://bamasotan.us/range-exhaust-hood-faq/ If you want a griddle/flattop (and I do recommend them) then stick with gas. Consumer level induction and electric perform quite poorly. And if you like to cook or want to expand your abilities then you'll want gas burners. Induction works well for a lot of people and perhaps most people but there's a reason restaurants still use gas. Consider doing a pass-thru between your pantry/scullery/prep and kitchen (good idea on using that as back prep or scullery). Counter level so things can be slid thru. Pocket door (about 12x12 or 12x18). You could also include a fixed window or two between the two.
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joyce_6333
12 years ago
Readers can hit "ctrl +" to enlarge. Doesn't make it clearer, just bigger.
kirkhall
12 years ago
In picasa, you can choose to copy the image "larger" on the right side when you select the html code. See if you check the "larger" box (will have larger numbers) if that works for you.
chicagoans
12 years ago
Sounds like a beautiful location and a lovely plan!

It looks like the 4 bedrooms are separated 2 and 2 on either side of the main part of the house. This will be great for overnight guests having some privacy. However if/when you do have more children, how will you set up the bedrooms? You won't want the master BR to be too far from any of the little ones and it's a fairly long way from Section A to Section D if a little one is crying in the middle of the night.

I'm not saying the plan isn't good because of that; in fact it would probably be a great set up for teenagers. Just want to make sure you have thought about how the house will work for you at each stage.

Also I'd recommend posting on the kitchens forum (the whole plan plus a zoomed in kitchen plan.) There are some really good layout folks on that forum.
littlebug5
12 years ago
WOW!!! I count at least 4 fireplaces!

I'd be really interested to know what part of the country you are building in, and a ballpark estimate of the cost for this house. Just nosy - this type of plan is totally foreign to this midwesterner . . . .
littlebug5
12 years ago
OH! Got caught up in my curiosity and forgot to make my comment about this plan:

I think, if it were me, that I'd have to buy a moped to transport my laundry from my master bedroom/bathroom to the laundry room and back. And for the baby's laundry, too. Seems like a long way to the laundry room from about every room in this house.

Isn't there room enough to put a washer/dryer in either one or both of the bedroom wings?
marin_home
Original Author
12 years ago
Folks,

Thanks so much for all your comments - very helpful! I will consider adding another washer/dryer - perhaps on the master side. As for the little ones we might have them early on in the guest room which is on the master side of the house.

I couldn't find the "copy larger" button on the online version of Picasa - in the desktop version I copied it with max resolution. No doubt I'm missing something.

As for cost, not clear yet but some of the fireplaces might get axed. Northern CA is the location and the fireplaces will be gas.

Any further thoughts welcome!!
lavender_lass
12 years ago
It's a very striking plan...lots of views and outdoor access, but a couple of things I would change. The window in the kitchen is off center, from the windows in the informal dining area. I love light in the kitchen, but I'd rather have more/larger windows over the sink and have it centered. So many of the rooms seem very balanced/centered and I think you should continue that theme.

The bedrooms...they're too far apart, especially on the master side. If you have young children, your bedroom door needs to be MUCH closer to theirs. I'd rework the bath/closet spaces and put the master suite closer to the second bedroom and maybe the study. As the kids get older, you can move them to the other end of the house (as stated earlier, great division with older kids) but for now, they need to be able to wake up from a bad dream and easily reach you.

I would also incoporate the laundry areas (two might be a good idea) into each bedroom wing. In fact, maybe that will help you get more windows in the kitchen. Just a couple of suggestions :)
mojomom
12 years ago
I respect your desire to keep the garage separate, but have you considered a covered walkway? An open, architecturally designed, covered walkway could be quite lovely with the layout and be practical as well.
kayakboy
12 years ago
Where in NorCal are you - coastal or toward Sierras? what kind of winters? rain or rain and snow?

How many more kids are you thinking about? If more than one, do you expect them to share rooms when they are teenagers?

How many square feet is this?

Do you really want/need separate family/living rooms when they are just ends of the larger space? If you make a basement game room, will the family room be used?

From the plan, it looks like the kitchen will be very dark with just one window and a roof over the southern porch.

Since you have a mudroom, I assume you are someplace that has winter? If so, need more roof over the front door to keep visitors out of the weather.

In general, I like it.
marin_home
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks again for your comments. No snow in our area but definitely some rain. I will incorporate your comments and repost once we have a better revision. Thanks!
SpringtimeHomes
12 years ago
Thats a very broken up plan with lots of surface area and corners. Expect expensive construction and energy costs.

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