Debating between Chesnee and Fincannon House Plans
BuildingSoon1
11 years ago
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BuildingSoon1
11 years agoBuildingSoon1
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Final debate between kitchen layouts...which would you choose?
Comments (12)I'm with rhome in tossing B first. There are things I like about A and C, but I think I'd have problems working with either. If non-cooking traffic is a major concern, A could be a problem, especially if you are having to carry pots of boiling water or pans with hot grease across that end of the kitchen to get to the sink. That layout needs a prep sink in my mind and the island would make more sense than giving up limited counter space in the cooking area. Also, make sure you'd have room to get into the corner cabinet -- the dog dish and shelves look like they are too close. The fridge is too far removed in C -- I'd want to put in some fridge drawers near the range so you have a tight work zone there and let the large fridge store food to the table and extras. But that would take away storage for pots and pans unless you want them under the top of the work table. Without it, I'd have a very hard time working in that kitchen. If it were me, I'd keep working on DH and working with mock ups of the layout (tape, boxes, move tables and chairs, take notes about every move you make in the kitchen during the day -- and try to walk through planning a big dinner party, birthday party, etc. I think the sink island and shallow storage idea or the prep sink in the island give you your best use and function of that space. Is DH afraid of the cost or just saying it can't be done? I moved gas to my island when we bought the house, then capped that off and ran water and electricity to the island to have a prep sink when we remodeled. We have a slab foundation, no basement and a bathroom above. That aren't a lot of arrangements more limited than that and I used to think it was not a possibility for us, but we did it and it wasn't that expensive (about $500 for running lines under the slab). We got so much out of it too. We also closed off a doorway (we had 3 going to the driveway and garage along one wall of the kitchen and breakfast room) and gained a hutch with refrigerator drawers and and espresso machine that has turned out to be a popular favorite -- but we almost didn't do it because we thought it would be too difficult and expensive. The cost wasn't that great (spent more in cabinets and the fridge drawers). The challenge came when both reusing and matching brick were more difficult than we expected. Instead of a brick wall, we put in a faux barn door that ties in with the garage door. There are ways to work around many things that are less trouble and expense than you might think. I'd at least ask those questions before you close doors on possibilities....See MoreCould you please review my parents house plan? Based off the Fincannon
Comments (11)You mention the possibility of a paid caregiver, indicating that aging in place is one of their concerns, yet the whole house is anything but age-appropriate. First the good: - Great sight lines at the front door. - Nice layout for great room, kitchen and dining area. And the bad: - The master bath is a study in inefficiency. Excess space in the middle of the room, yet a person using the sink must stand practically on top of the tub. An oversized shower (good idea for aging in place), yet the window is a problem. A toilet closet with a door that can't be closed once a user enters the room (and toilet closets are difficult for elderly to enter, as well as being difficult to clean). Your parents have allotted plenty of space to the master bath /closet, but this needs a whole re-do. Personally, I'd start by placing the closet in the spot that's now the shower; that takes care of the window, and it'll allow the shower to move "in" rather than being on an exterior wall. - The 90 degree turn into the bedroom does allow for privacy, but it can be difficult for an elderly person to manage. - The island prevents good flow in the kitchen, and your work aisles look narrow. In general, square kitchens don't work well. In a kitchen you want cabinets /countertops /space for your appliances; thus, rectangles, with greater wall area are superior. In contrast, squares allow for empty space in the middle, which isn't particularly what you want in a kitchen because that means your "important players" are farther apart from one another. I think I'd drop the two-island concept and instead go with a simple row of cabinets against the wall and a large island dividing the kitchen from the great room. This would be very affordable to build, and it would look great with that layout -- as well as increasing the size of a modest great room. - I like the dining room except for the door to the porch. Once you insert a table, it'll block access to the door. The great room doors are only steps away, and this door isn't needed. This dining room would look great with a banquette against the wall, and that would make the dining room more spacious. - The dining room must serve as a walkway to the secondary bedrooms, and you have a "bottleneck" in the spot where the kitchen and the dining room meet at the corner -- keep in mind you're going to have to bring bedroom furniture through that narrow spot. - I like jack-and-jill closets, but this one seems cramped and is just doors-doors-doors everywhere. Imagine if you ever needed to replace that tub - a new one could never be brought into that spot. - Do they need the e-space near the secondary bedrooms, or would that be better as a large storage closet? If you ever do have a paid caregiver in the house, a good-sized closet would be an asset for that person. OR, if they have lots of grandchildren who enjoy spending the night, that little spot could be a cool little built-in bunkbed right in the hallway. OR, you could move the half-bath to this position, allowing for a more comfortable laundry room. - The laundry room suffers from the same problem as the kitchen: The walking area is quite narrow, which is not age-friendly. Moving through that narrow hallway with a basket of clothes may not be so easy as your parents age. Note, too, that when you open that door, it covers up a portion of your folding area. All that wasted hallway space could make a nicer laundry room. It'd be nice if it could be closer to the master bedroom closet....See MoreDebating between single wall oven or range. Please weigh in!
Comments (19)I don't know how much baking or cooking you have time to do, or if you have special diet needs for your family that might be a bit more intense, but your wall is so nice, a great wall oven would fit nicely wherever it is easiest and efficient, like do you do alot of pot roasts or long term baking? if you do, you will love the wall oven on that wall your frig is on. IF you wonder what to do, given my experience with the drop in unit not being as quality overall typically as a cook top and wall oven, but the oven is larger than a built in oven,I think, typically. So, if you really wonder, and if you enjoy baking things for the family like a roast and a pie at the same time or pies and cookies that require alot of in and out, you might consider a drop in unit, just for the economics of getting the 2nd oven area, as well as the wall unit oven on your pantry/frig wall cabinet area.... Than you get the effect of that table top cooktop, and the wall oven, and you have the lower oven for less money than a 2nd built in oven would ever be! Find yourself the best quality built in oven you might want, for the wall where the frig is, and than, knowing that a larger oven is typically part of the drop in range unit, get the nicest one you can either afford or tolerate LOL. That to me, IF YOU DON'T need the lower storage below the cooktop, of course, would be heaven. You have the 2nd built in oven, they typically will hold a standard roaster, but not a roaster and a sheet of brown n' serve rolls, or muffins also.....and you have the oven below the drop in range unit if you need it. Than, you can dedicate all the island storage on the dining room side of your island to the oven and stovetop cookware. If you haven't thought of that before, well, that's what you get when you go asking for help. Too many good ideas!? LOL I worked full time, and loved to have company for all the occassions that go with kids growing up, and to have that 2nd oven, just in case I needed it to keep the covered dishes warm that folks brought or to catch the overflow on the days when all 4 of us were feeling like baking projects for bake sales or food competitions with 4 H or the like.. What a nice kitchen you are going to enjoy! no matter how you determine in the end. I don't care for convection ovens too much, unless you want to bake something covered well(not home made pizza. HAHA) but a gas oven and an electric oven, would be nice options too. If you have a gas drop in unit, get an electric oven built in on your pantry wall, maybe??. I have no experience with the units where the cooktop is gas and the attached oven is electric or vice versa..tho I have seen them in stores the past 10 or 15 years? if that long.....See MoreBuilding a Home / House Plans
Comments (64)Some people really like to do-it-yourself. I do. For example, I trim my own bangs. It's a money saver and I think I do a pretty good job. (And if I make a slip, in a few weeks they're long enough to trim straight again!) And if I was looking for a pretty standard type of house, I might just find some standard plans that worked for me. But if I had the kind of non-standard wants that the OP did, and was laying down $$$ for a house, I'd want someone who had the right training to do a custom job for me. Especially if I'd been looking at standard plans and finding nothing that suits me....See Moresanctuarygirl
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