skip to main content

Building a Home

What do you think of this layout

12 years ago

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

palimpsest
12 years ago
With a layout like this you have to think about how furniture is going to be arranged in the great room.

Also make sure that the MBR has space enough between the windows so that the size bed you want does not crowd the windows or their casings or window treatments. The MBR door also has no wall to fully rest against in the open position.

Same with the pantry door. It should probably swing in against the wall inside the pantry.

If you switched the toilet and the shower in the MBa you might get a bigger shower and avoid having the shower on all exterior wall--as well as being able to avoid taking a corner off the closet for access.

The entry into the bedrooms to the left seems kind of awkward. It is nice to have a vestibule between the bedrooms and the living space but the necessary jog with the current layout would make me rethink that entire complex of closets and bath in that part of the plan. The cut off angle of the den is also rather pointless.

I would also get rid of the angled wall/door out to the patio and put the door on one of the straight walls. There are a number of 45-degree angles in the plan but none of them relate to each other in any particular way.

Split bedroom plans have a lot going for them, but this one has some awkward aspects to it related to the above comments, imo.
gingerjenny
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for the feedback. This layout was one recommended to me after requesting a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath ranch with a mudroom.

a lot of them had stairs going down to the basement in the laundry room. So this seemed to be one of the best. I thought about making the other bathroom not be a jack and jill.

The door going into the master does not have a wall. thank you for pointing that out as i didn't notice it.

I am guessing that the point of the angle was to eventually turn it into a den with a french door when it was no longer needed as a bedroom..i am guessing since it is framed for a door at that angle later?

why wound the pantry door swing in? I am not sure i understand that.

anyone have a great room this size? the furniture layout in a room like this is throwing me too.
Related Discussions
What do you think of these layouts?
Q
Comments (19)
There's additional length available to the kitchen that would allow a sunroom peninsula eating area to actually be placed in the current kitchen area (with a post at the door end supporting the roof), leaving the "sunroom galley" relatively spacious and comfortable for traffic--4 feet wide. I'd definitely open that wall entirely, giving the kitchen that lovely view outside, and with it light and charm, especially inviting as you walk out the (dark?) bedroom hall? Beyond this dramatic improvement, to also improve whole-house and rooms function at minimal cost, how about concentrating your expenditures now on making relatively minor changes to develop a functional layout that'll work well for you? This mostly by adding and moving doors/doorways and maybe plumbing as needed. I'd leave the kitchen door to the sunroom/back yard--important if the peninsula's to be used and for kitchen access to the back. Possibly also create another between the sunroom and den too, depending on how that served what you want the rooms to do. With no dead ends in these perimeter rooms,though, the family would circulate through use and them all, with the kitchen more heart-of-home and less a continuation of the bedroom hallway. The other door to move might be DRM to sunroom, slid up into that corner to keep traffic as out of your way as possible. Oh, A/C. Well, still desirable. It'd also give the DRM more pretty view and less kitchen-at-work. The fridge would have to move, of course, with that entire counter open to the windows. How about to the stove wall, where it would join counter area for lunch making, plus toaster, microwave, cereals, etc.--all the stuff you need out of the cooks' busy prep/cook area? Thus the entire current left side of the kitchen would be devoted to meal prep, cooking, and cleanup. On both sides, your current cabinets are units that can be taken down and reinstalled in other positions, allowing you to decide right now on the layout with greatest functionality and appeal to you, moving the cabinets and plumbing, etc., as needed to achieve that (whoops another expenditure now, but now's the time). Puzzle time! The end game would be that focusing specifically on rearrangement at this time--whether this or some other design entirely--would give you a very good functional layout now that you could then build on over time as you desired.
...See More
What do you think of my layout?
Q
Comments (8)
Do you have a floorplan/layout that you can post? I couldn't tell where you'd store your dishes, but now I read the followup comment that told...I agree with Desertsteph that would be too far for me, it seems limited in size, and needs drawers. The fridge is in the best place for dish storage, and I wonder if you did another style of corner pantry that doesn't protrude into the room, if you might be able to move the fridge to the left of the pantry, facing the aisle. This would open up space in the room, as well as getting more storage where you need it. But I can't tell if you have room without seeing a floorplan. Do you have a particular style in mind for the kitchen? Does your house have a certain style? I have tried to think of a nicer way to say this, because I really want to avoid the possibility of offending you, but I feel like this design...with the angled pantry, what looks to be a roll-up appliance garage, the oddly shaped and bi-level island...feels dated. But I don't know enough about you or your house to say it's off track. Just wonder if the builder/designer is stuck in a time/style you may not want in the long run, so wanted to say something. How large is your family? We are a family of 10 with 1 double trash. Two might actually be nice in our kitchen, but I didn't want to give up the room, and it seems a 2nd one for you might be taking up valuable real estate that could be utilized for something else. Do you have need for space for coffee maker, mixer, toaster/toaster oven, etc., etc? The appliance garage wouldn't hold much and the pantry is so handy to the space. It seems an open counter in that spot would be more flexible and might serve you better.
...See More
What do you think of our kitchen layout - U shaped kitchen
Q
Comments (34)
Interesting how people looking at the same picture see something different ... Take away the doorway and this is the classic U layout. Maybe you could call it a Broken U, but a U is uninterrupted and keeps everything within reach of a single cook -- that's the strength of a U. An L is better for shuttling traffic through /allowing multiple cooks, and that's the functional style we have here. The hood should be six inches wider than the stove below so that it really catches all the odors and grease rather than allowing them to be deposited onto your cabinets. I know this is common advice here, but I've never found a need for a wider hood /never had a problem with odors or grease -- maybe my hood is stronger than average? A related issue: When your stove is on an interior wall, you have to figure out how you're going to vent. It's certainly not an insurmountable issue, but it is one that you need to address. Like others have said, you probably want all drawers in your lowers, rather than a mix of drawers and cabinets. Yes. Inventory your current kitchenware, then assign everything a spot -- that'll allow you to accurately determine whether you have an appropriate number of drawers and cabinets. Personally, I'm planning for my base cabinets: 3 cabinets, 3 three-drawer stacks, 1 four-drawer stack, and 1 pull-out behind a cabinet drawer. I could not have predicted these specifics without having "assigned" items to specific places. The island looks very large. Will you be able to reach the middle of it to clean it? Always a concern for me. A prep sink in the island would do a lot for the layout, that's the biggest change you need if you want to keep the basic layout here intact. I'm not a big fan of repetitive items, but I agree that if the OP's going to keep this layout, a prep sink on the island would be helpful. Realistically, though, adding a prep sink is expensive and would eat prime island storage. I'd rework the plan rather than do this. Other thoughts: I agree with the idea of moving the oven(s) to the side near the sink, and I agree that this area appears to be a potential clutter magnet -- perhaps go with a tall cabinet here instead of countertop? You need to flip the pantry door. Imagine you bring in groceries, set them on the island to organize them ... you have to walk around the pantry door. Best would be a pocket door, but I'm not sure you have the space. You're going to serve beverages from the area near the refrigerator ... but the dishwasher is on the far side of the room /with the island in between. Since you wash so many glasses, it'd be better if the dishwasher and beverage area could be closer. The dining room looks fairly far away from the kitchen; plus everything's going to have to be carried around the island. Any possibility the family room could go into this area (if you rework the mudroom, it could have windows on two sides) and place the kitchen directly in front of the dining room? Overall, it'll be a pretty kitchen, but it could massively improve in terms of function, work zones, placing things in convenient places. "Walk through" mentally and imagine yourself doing everyday chores: Putting away groceries, making your favorite casserole, fixing coffee or a soda, cleaning up after dinner, etc.
...See More
What do you think of this kitchen layout?
Q
Comments (12)
Or, how about this. (See below for the Zone Map) . Laundry: I moved the Washer/Dryer to the other side of the Kitchen so it's closer to the bedrooms. To hide the laundry center when not in use, the washer/dryer is in a cabinet or closet. While it fits your current appliance, it will also fit a stacked washer/dryer if you ever want separate appliances. (I don't know your experience with your all-in-one model, but the reviews I've read about them in general aren't that great - but if you like it, great!) Above the washer/dryer are shelves or cabinets (your choice) for storing laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc. If in the future you switch to stacked washer/dryer, you can simply remove the shelves/cabinets and put in the stacked appliances. This gives you options. . Kitchen: All perimeter counters are deeper than standard The sink/cooktop counters are 28.5" deep with 27" deep base cabinets (3" deeper than standard. The short counter run on the right is 6" deeper than standard with the upper cabinet to the counter 9" deeper than standard (at 21"D). There are two windows - a 63" one centered over the sink and a 36" on the other side of the cooktop. Both flank the range hood over the cooktop. The 36" window helps to open up the corner and adds more light. There are only two upper cabinets - the Dish Hutch next to the DW and the appliance garage (or other storage) next to the tall oven cabinet. I moved the refrigerator to the other side so it's now next to the DR and is a straight shot from the Living Room. This way, someone looking for a snack or setting the table will not get in the way of someone prepping and/or cooking. The move of the refrigerator also helps keep the workflow consistent with the normal Kitchen workflow of: Refrigerator --> Sink & Prep Zone --> Cooktop/Oven & Cooking Zone Instead of pantry cabinets, I put in a reach-in/step-in built-in pantry. This type of pantry is not only much less expensive, but it's also much more efficient, flexible, and overall useful pantry than cabinets. You can utilize the entire height (ceiling-to-floor), can see everything with one glance (no opening/closing drawers/doors looking for something), and shelves can be adjusted to fit your needs now and in the future. The oven cabinet houses the wall oven and a MW in an alcove. With an alcove rather than a built-in MW, you can easily switch out the MW if it dies; plus, a standard MW in an alcove is less expensive than a built-in MW. Another option is a MW drawer - perhaps in the 24" cabinet next to the prep sink. I was trying to save you drawer space since you want as few uppers as possible and you do not have a separate pantry elsewhere. Above the oven & MW is tray storage for cookie sheets, cooling racks, muffin tins, roasting pans, etc. Next to the oven cabinet is an upper cabinet to the counter for appliances or other storage. This helps to eliminate the "dark corner" that often results from tall cabinets near corners. The upper cabinet is 21" deep - plenty deep enough to house just about any small appliance you can think of. It will also provide you with some deeper storage for items that might require it. Other than appliances, I probably wouldn't store frequently used items, though - unless you're tall. [See the end of this thread for how it might look. I can't easily show the 3D version of the appliance garage - but the upper cabinet is shallower than the base and there's counter b/w them.] The range hood is 6" wider than the cooktop and 24" deep. It's especially important to have the wider & deep hood b/c you do not have upper cabinets flanking the hood to assist it with capturing steam/smoke/grease/odors/etc. I wasn't sure what size the cooktop was, so I put in a 36" wide cooktop. If you're putting in a 30" cooktop, then you have 6" to play with. Personally, I'd increase the space b/w the sink and cooktop those 6" to give you more space to work with either as a tertiary Prep Zone or for the Cooking Zone, but it's your call. There are several Prep Zones in case the two of you want to prep or cook together - or if you have guests who want to help out. Finally, the island. The island has the primary Prep Zone with a generously sized prep sink. You said you like to sit and visit while your DH preps - this provides ample room for that. There are 4 seats arranged in a better configuration for visiting. Sitting all in a row is not conducive to visiting - it's more like sitting with strangers at a diner. By having the seats around the corner like this, it makes it easy to converse with guests! Note that I put an 18" overhang on the end - this is in case you or your DH or guests are tall. 15" is the minimum recommended overhang depth - but it's for short-to-average height people, not tall. I wish I had done an 18-inch overhang instead of 15"! (We're all relatively tall - we range from 5'10" to 6'7".) There is plenty of workspace for your DH! There's also additional workspace if you also help out occasionally or if a guest would like to help. There is plenty of storage on both sides of the island. (I added storage wherever I could to make up for the lack of upper cabinets.) Overall, the island has an area (to the left of the prep sink) with a wonderful expanse of uninterrupted counter for large baking projects (like holiday cookie baking), crafts, wrapping gifts, etc. Here is the layout's zone map. Zone Map: . . Oven cabinet with wall oven + MW + Tray storage and a sample of what it might look like with the appliance garage next to it. . . Tray & platter storage example:
...See More
lavender_lass
12 years ago
There are a lot of angles and awkward corners, in this plan. Do you have a very limited choice of plans (maybe the builder only offers a few options?) or can you look at other plans?

I would definitely try to find something else, if possible. The kitchen seems tight (the pantry opens into your main walkway) and you can only enter through the hall or dining room. When you say 'mudroom' do you just want a bit of storage in the laundry, or a separate space?

Have you checked other sites, like eplans, Donald Gardner (architect) etc?

Here's a link to a Donald Gardner plan. You can enter your own search parameters (same on eplans) but this is an example, without the angles and awkward doorways. You could add a bench (or take out the closet) in the laundry...even expand a few feet, into the garage. The stairs to the bonus room could be stairs, down to the basement. The dining room is extra space that could be left open, closed off on the entry wall...even add french doors to the hall side and make it an office, craft room, kids' playroom, etc. Garage could be front or side entry. Hope this helps :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Donald Gardner plan...just an example
jgardner618
12 years ago
Overall this layout is similar to the one we are currently building. We were just discussing great room layout this weekend. We will have our TV on the wall that backs up to bedroom #2 (fyi we used Roxul insulation in this wall for sound proofing). We are planning on an extra long couch facing the tv, floating in the center of the room, with chairs on either side. You of course could do several couches also. I am including a link to my builder's website. The plan we are building is one of his popular ones and on his website you can view photos of some recent houses with the open concept great room layouts to see if that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sample open layouts and photos
peytonroad
12 years ago
I would switch the bathroom between 2 and three with the closets. Putting the bathrrom in the middle of that space would make it larger too!
palimpsest
12 years ago
Re: the pantry door: it has a wall to rest against inside the pantry so it won't really interfere with shelving if it opens in...if it opens out it will always have to be kept 100% closed.

Re: the angled wall/future doorway into the den. That door could just as easily be on one of the straight walls and function just as well. I really don't think that angle and the angle for the patio door near the breakfast nook make much design sense.

If the second bathroom is not Jack and Jill it will still have to service the den/bedroom or that bedroom will have no direct access to a bathroom without going through someone else's bedroom. You could make it a bath that is accessed from the hall and rework the closets. That may make a lot of sense because right now that part of the plan is a bit jumbled.

I would do some pretty serious playing with furniture layouts in that great room because a room without walls can be very difficult to lay out furniture in. You will have to have floor outlets to service lamps and such, (if floor outlets are allowable by your local code.) And in order to know where to place floor outlets you have to know where you are putting the furniture. Unlike a wall outlet that is inconveniently placed and can either go unused or have an extension cord running from it, a floor outlet stuck under the leg of a sofa or in the middle of a traffic aisle is good for nothing.

These are all things that I would consider while still looking at Plans, rather than trying to problem solve in the middle of a build.

Some architects have a strong sense of interior design and some don't . If the house is designed from the outside in, the inside may not be all that functional in some areas.

I don't design houses from the ground up, but I have worked on a few complete shells where anything could be done within the walls and one of my starting points was the function of the room and furniture layout. I would design the raw spaces around where I wanted the furniture to go. That way you don't end up with a bedroom that has no good place for a bed, which I've seen, more than once.

Related Stories

BATHROOM WORKBOOK Standard Fixture Dimensions and Measurements for a Primary Bath

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Create a luxe bathroom that functions well with these key measurements and layout tips

SMALL KITCHENS 10 Things You Didn't Think Would Fit in a Small Kitchen

By Becky Harris

Don't assume you have to do without those windows, that island, a home office space, your prized collections or an eat-in nook

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Visit a Forward Thinking Family Complex

By Becky Harris

Four planned structures on a double lot smartly make room for the whole family or future renters

DECORATING GUIDES For Your Next Sink, Think Unique

By The Inman Company

Any kind of vessel can do the trick — from buckets to barrels, outsized shells to old-fashioned washers

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Let's Revisit Some Revolutionary Garden Thinking

One book changed the vision of postwar British garden design forever. See how it's influencing your garden today

ARCHITECTURE Think Like an Architect: How to Pass a Design Review

By Dylan Chappell Architects

Up the chances a review board will approve your design with these time-tested strategies from an architect

MODERN ARCHITECTURE Building on a Budget? Think ‘Unfitted’

Prefab buildings and commercial fittings help cut the cost of housing and give you a space that’s more flexible

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: A New Layout Opens an Art-Filled Ranch House

By Becky Harris

Extensive renovations give a closed-off Texas home pleasing flow, higher ceilings and new sources of natural light

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Stellar Views Spark a Loft's New Layout

By Lawrence Karol

A fantastic vista of the city skyline, along with the need for better efficiency and storage, lead to a Houston loft's renovation

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen Layouts: A Vote for the Good Old Galley

By KitchenLab Interiors

Less popular now, the galley kitchen is still a great layout for cooking

Sponsored

NME Builders LLC

2 Reviews

Industry Leading General Contractors in Franklin County, OH

More Discussions

Horrible Marvin Ultimate quality

19

It's May 2024. How is your build going?

24

Help with kitchen design! Prep sink vs pot filler??

32

Which floor plan would you pick??

20

Exterior ideas for modern home

0