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Seeking Floor Plan Advise

eastcoastpeyton

11 years ago

We recently purchased a 1977 Contemporary home in the mid-Atlantic. The property and the surrounding neighborhood is heavily wood. The house sits on a little less than 1/2 acer and we recently had to take down a dozen or so trees to fix the grading around the house. The house has never been updated and when we purchased we knew we wanted to make updates.

Attached is a draft of the first floor plan that shows the new (proposed) plan. We are seeking any advise, opinions and comments from the Garden Web Community on the new plan that can help the flow and open up to more lighting in the house and stay somewhat true to the contemporary theme of the home.

Note - we are open to adding more windows.

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

eastcoastpeyton
Original Author
11 years ago
Here is the current floor plan to compare, if it helps any.
virgilcarter
11 years ago
Looks like some major structural reframing may be necessary. Have you verified the support for the floor/roof above?
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Our great room (living room) is 20x20 and is definitely too small. But I am probably not a good one to give input on this (but I will anyway). I love large rooms with lots of space to maneuver and don’t care for a room that looks and feels like it’s been crammed with lots of furniture because it’s too small. In our space we have seating that can basically fit 6 comfortably (we have a large sofa, 2 club chairs, and one other chair). For just our immediate family though, if we are all gathered together, we would need 10 seats, so we are 4 seats short. Now add to that larger get-togethers, and we are really lacking in seating. Obviously, if you have 40 people over you will not be able to seat everyone, but it’s nice (at the very least) to be able to accommodate your immediate family so that everyone has a place to sit down in the living room. So.....if I had to do it over, I would definitely make our main living space at least 25x25 (and that’s just the living room with no added eating area). With that size, there could even be a small game table spot. I think it’s important to take into account how much seating you feel you need for your family (and guests if you entertain a lot), and then from that point design a room that will easily accommodate the furniture needed to seat your family and friends.....especially if you only have this one room. So, my mentality is to make the room large enough so you’re not squeezed in and to make sure there is ample square footage to accommodate the needed furniture.
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User
11 years ago
This won't be an inexpensive remodel.

You are creating redundant spaces. A den, living room, and family room. A breakfast table and bar stool area. The kitchen layout isn't so great, especially since you are thinking about doing a downdraft, which is particularly ineffective for the extra dollar amount spent to create it. You're also taking down the barrier wall around the stair? It's not that attractive to open a door right into a living space when you can have an actual entry way that give you a sense of transition between the outside world and the home.

You'd better think about the ramifications of taking down that center support wall. Not only will you have to engineer support for the roof, but each of the ends of the beam that supports it will need new footings or support in the basement if you have one. And you've placed a fireplace right in the middle of where the beam will need to be. That's not going to work. It will have to shift one way or the other so the vent can clear the support beam.

You can do SO much better! I'd suggest contacting an architect that specializes in remodels and has some sympathy for mid-century or contemporary home designs. And clarifying your actual spatial needs to avoid duplicating them.
lyvia
11 years ago
Some questions -
Which way is south? Which way do storms come from?

How many people (pets?), and what do they do in these rooms (Den, Family, Living) and how are they different in function? Is there a family TV somewhere? What kind of entertaining do you do (or want to do)? Barbecues for 20? Coffees for 3? Thanksgiving? Elderly visitors? Dining space for only 3 is unusual, how does it fit you?

For example, my family of three, with 17 yr old daughter, needs a small living room for chatting, a large dining room for extended family meals, a dark no-glare TV room with speakers, and a computer room with 3 large desks, so we can share the latest videos. Besides the front door and a door to an outside eating area, we need another door to let dogs out.

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