2nd flr (master bed, bath, bedrroms) two different layout - which one?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

So I'm nearing the very end of my design phase of a Whole House Renovation/Deep Energy Retrofit of an 1858 Farmhouse, and I have two different layouts for my second floor. I am at a point where it seems to be analysis/paralysis, and I would welcome any and all comments, suggestions or critiques of my designs.

I included two plan views, 1 with dimensions, and the other that is different is without dimensions. The exterior walls didn't change, just the interior layout.

Sq ft is 1081 sq ft., Kneewall height is 6 ft., the rear of the building faces due south.

What would you change, move, keep, destroy, add?

Flow - what is good, bad?

Size - What is adequate, too big

This is what the house looks like now:

This is what I want it to look like later:

Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

Featured Answer

Alex House

9 years ago

Each version has its own appeal and I was leaning towards the second plan but the more I put myself into living in the space the more I liked the first plan. Here's why I favor the first - presence of closets, bath and linen, more counter space in the bath, the hallway depth gives a less cramped feeling when arriving on the 2nd floor. The bottom bedroom in the 1st plan has more usable wall space between door and closet whereas the 2nd plan breaks up the expanse of wall and puts gives a little bit more to the right of the door. I prefer the larger expanse of wall, more options for furniture, you can put a bed against the wall (maybe) and you can mount a big tv on the wall.

The second plan buys you some square footage in the "top" bedroom but I'm not sold on the what you have to trade in order to gain that extra area and I'm not sure that the benefit of more area can be exploited as fully as what can be done with a linen closet, a bath closet and more counter space in the bath.

In the master bedroom, the second plan buys you a door from bath to closet, but that doors bisects the wall of the closet and, for me, the gain of dual closet doors doesn't compute. The arrangement in the "top" bath allows you to have your bath towels next to both the shower and the bath, but those towels are located less conveniently in the second plan. Also in terms of visual appeal, the wall between the tub and shower in the top plan allows you leeway to dress it up visually whereas the bottom bath has all the fixtures on the perimeter and gives me a sense of being cramped, YMMV.

My 2 cents, the top plan has more going for it.

Comments (12)

Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
Cute house!

I think it depends on your lifestyle. I prefer a bath with one door only, and I prefer a shower on an inside wall as I live where winters get cold...esp since our shower is a steam shower too, so it's better on an inside wall.

However, if you have a lifestyle where one of you is still sleeping while the other is getting ready to go, then the appeal of being able to use the bath and get dressed in the closet while keeping the bedroom isolated is a strong one.

We chose not to do a tub at all in our mbath as neither of us use a tub often and it takes up a lot of room. We wanted our mbath smaller so it stays warmer when we shower, so we put the big tub in another bath.
All Hands Working Carpenter thanked Annie Deighnaugh
Related Discussions
Need layout help with Master Bath/Main Bath redo
Q
Comments (7)
Hi Cat-Mom, Yup, we're also renoing Living Room and Master Bedroom at the same time- you? :>) I just faux-painted our entry stair railing to make do until we add on to our front entry. So many balls in the air, hard to juggle it all at one time. kgwlisa, That's what I had thought of so far, basement ceiling has been ripped down, so all the plumbing is fully exposed, and present shower and bath have leaking problems, so things pretty well have to be redone anyways. I was even contemplating 'borrowing' more out of the common wall when we build it, by building in storage behind mirror and perhaps a deeper vanity. I'm assuming this is a fairly basic/common plan, and hopefully others have paved the path... Rae
...See More
Ideas for master bath layout (this is a strange one)
Q
Comments (13)
Thanks for the ideas houseful! They are so helpful. I like the first one especially, but I need to show both to my husband to see what he thinks. I love the idea of a walk-in shower--no door means less to clean. We currently have a queen bed, but would like to upgrade to a king sometime in the near future (too many kids, not enough space). So, I don't think it will fit between the two windows. On the first one, did you expand the bathroom by a foot just to make it roomy? Any idea how much it costs to move a wall by a foot or two? I'm wondering if it's worth the cost to gain an extra foot in the bathroom. I'm guessing we could do something similar without widening the bath. I'm not a make-up person so personally I could do without the makeup sitting area.
...See More
Value of half bath? Too close to kitchen, but only one on 1stFlr
Q
Comments (44)
Catching up on this post from yesterday… it just gets progressively funnier. Since we’ve bypassed delicacy, I’m not actually concerned about the *need* for an exhaust fan… And I agree that I don’t expect a guest bath to see much use…just the general strangeness of sitting on the sofa chatting with friends, while some one is in the bathroom two feet away. How often that would be a problem? Probably never… like you said, they can go upstairs. Bellsmom-- I’m impressed with your photoshop skills. That looks really nice!! Thank you! There really isn’t another spot for a powder room. We had considered moving it to the other end of the kitchen, where it could be aligned with the fridge and you wouldn’t see it as a boxed-out area, but then it’s really IN the kitchen. And disrupts the whole layout of the area. We’ve gone back and forth on the backdoor. Bumping it out to square the room would be ideal. But it would require adding a foundation, and also removing the concrete and brick stairs that lead directly down to already existing concrete patio. So it’s not just the door… it’s the other twenty things it affects. I wanted to square the room, and put French doors on the right hand wall, but there is a tree there, and adding steps down to ground level would require removing it. I love seeing it out the window, and was unsure I wanted to take it down. The problem with this project is that we are trying to fix someone else’s poor design rather than doing it right. Which may be only marginally easier than starting from scratch. Thank you so much for sharing all your thoughts!! I will upload a photo when we have some kind of mock up of the wall… hopefully it will give us a better idea of how it might look in reality. Bellsmom’s photo kind of looks too good to be true. And I liked the idea of bookshelves, although the wall would probably be better as a sofa wall, since the room is long and narrow and the sofa depth would be better not sticking into the room.
...See More
Advice please re: master bed/bath/closet layout
Q
Comments (22)
Thank you artistsharonva and scottie mom!! Scottie mom- love your drawing of your bathroom! Looks fantastic. I was thinking that tone is probably as dark as I want to go. Thank you so much for posting all that! I’ve had issues with photos too. Argh. All, question re: bedroom furniture... I need all new furniture. I have my grandmothers set from the 1960s! So there’s an awesome furniture store in my town that carries a brand made locally (well, LA is 1.5hrs..). They will customize pieces and they have a bunch of stain and paint options. So, I don’t think I want all matching but I’m thinking about 2 different colors... maybe 2 dressers in same, then nightstands in another? Headboard will be fabric (different). Thoughts? Good or bad idea? Other suggestions? Thank you!
...See More
divine_serenity_gw
9 years ago
Just at quick first glance the shower in version 1 looks difficult to get in. It looks like you'd be climbing in right under the shower head, and if someone is standing at the vanity you would be climbing over each other. I like the top version better, I think it has better flow, counter space, toiletry closet looks bigger. i would maybe expand the size of the toilet space just a tad so you don't feel like you can touch both walls with your knees as you sit down ;)
All Hands Working Carpenter thanked divine_serenity_gw
numbersjunkie
9 years ago
I vote version 2. I like the open hallway at the top of the stairs, the first one seems tight. I also like the more direct route from starirs to master bedroom on # 2 better. I also the bathroom layout on 2 better, If the tub is a soaker, I would not to be starring at the toilet, and I agree with the previous comment that the door to the shower on the first plan seems tight.
All Hands Working Carpenter thanked numbersjunkie
lyfia
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The picture marked version 2 I like the open hallway and stairs and bedroom placements with closets buffering the bathroom noise best. You are also able to get large furniture into the master bedroom. In the other unmarked version I'm not sure how you are going to get any large furniture in trying to turn that corner.

In both though I think the master bath/closet could use some re-work. I don't like the access in the one marked version2 for the closet as you have to walk around from the bathroom through the master to get to the closet. However I'm not liking the other option either with two openings as it is wasting closet space. I'm thinking there has to be some other options available for the space too.
All Hands Working Carpenter thanked lyfia
All Hands Working Carpenter
Original Author
9 years ago
Here are some design updates based on all your input

Here is Version 1.2

Adjusted the bathtub size (actually downsized), and adjusted the hallway walls so the corners weren't sharp

And Version 1.3

Moved the closet to the outside wall, adjusted the tub size, and door placement.
lazy_gardens
9 years ago
I have one question ... is the first floor strong enough to support the second floor?
All Hands Working Carpenter
Original Author
9 years ago
Yes, I have steel I-beams, LVL's, and everything that is required structurally to carry the second floor and my roof. My roof is designed to hold 90lb snow load, along with 14" of exterior insulation, 9.3kW of PV Solar panels and the weight of the typical framing. So the second floor obviously has to hold all that, plus itself. There are even posts that go all the way from the ridge down to the basement, where footings are being poured, because the ridge is a floating ridge and I have cathedral ceilings in all the bedrooms and upper hallway.
Jack Kennedy
9 years ago
version 1.3 is my favorite. The clipped corners on the closets completely reduce your space in there and make them somewhat useless.
Alex House
9 years ago
The drawback with the last version is that the closet is now the beneficiary of two of four windows on that wall, and it is on this window wall where the clothes will presumably hang.

The ideal place for the master closet is the partition space between the stairs and hallway, in other words, interior space, now occupied by double sinks and the shower.
lyfia
9 years ago
You are moving towards something now on the master, but the top bedroom in 1.3 - the closet where it is put makes the room a little odd in shape. I don't know what size the room is so it may still have plenty of space to put a bed, but I think it would be better with the closet against the bathroom like you had it originally and you no longer with the master closet on the outside need to put an angle on the wall there.

I wouldn't do the windows in the master closet. Your elevation looks like it would be fine without those windows anyways. or you could change it to be just one window and remove the one closest to where the roof lines meet as it looks a bit cramped there anyways.
lyfia
9 years ago
Kind of like this, but I thought about it and you don't look like with the stairs there that you'll be able to bring furniture up the stairs easily. that goes for all your 1.x versions

2nd flr (master bed, bath, bedrroms) two different layout - which one?

Alex House

Comments (12)

Annie Deighnaugh

Related Discussions

divine_serenity_gw

numbersjunkie

lyfia

All Hands Working Carpenter
Original Author

lazy_gardens

All Hands Working Carpenter
Original Author

Jack Kennedy

Alex House

lyfia

lyfia

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

2nd flr (master bed, bath, bedrroms) two different layout - which one?

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

All Hands Working CarpenterOriginal Author

All Hands Working CarpenterOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

All Hands Working Carpenter
Original Author

All Hands Working Carpenter
Original Author