Opinions on Home Elevators for 2 story homes, Please
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
8 years ago
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Please review my 4BR 2-story Minnesota home (updated)
Comments (18)Thank you so much for your thoughts! When I say "judicious" use of bump outs, I mean "having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense. sensible - reasonable - prudent." So only using them where they greatly improve the use of the space. Our house could go a *little* wider but not significantly. The current floorplan is approx 60.5 feet wide. The buildable width of the lot is approx 68.4 feet. The great room bumps to the left 2 feet--we could easily remove that to bring the base floorplan down to 58.5 feet wide. (The lot is a relatively square corner lot with a beautiful view out the back (west), nice views to the left (south) and front (east), and a future neighbor immediately on the right (north). I think I like where you're heading with moving the stairs/study/mudroom around. I'm having a hard time visualizing it though. What would the view from the front-door looking in be? Where would you suggest placing my workstation and the piano? I just want to make sure I follow what you're saying so I can try to sketch it up and visualize it. (I'm the kind of person who doesn't "get it" until I can see it.) :) I agree about the garage...I TRULY hate houses that look like a garage with a house attached. That said, a large garage does fit our lifestyle. We live in a very cold climate where parking outside requires 30 minutes of heavy labor just to get on the road in the morning (I am too old for those shenanigans!!!) I have an SUV my husband alternates between his sedan and his motorcycle for his daily commute. We will also need space for a lawn mower, snowblower, and kids toys and sports equipment. I don't want to build a large house for the sole purpose of making our large garage "look" right. I feel like there must be some creative way to accomplish all of the goals of an aesthetically pleasing house, a house that suits our needs, and a garage that suits our needs....See MorePlanter boxes under 2nd story windows or not?? Opinions Please!!
Comments (15)Some additional thoughts about second floor window boxes. As I mentioned in my previous comment, I have 2. One is at the height of my waist if I am standing inside in front of the window and has no furniture in front of it. That one is a snap to water and tend. The other is a little higher and has shelving in front of it. So for that one, I have to use a little step ladder and reach over the shelving. Deadheading is a bigger chore for me than watering. So either pick plants that will continue to bloom without deadheading, or commit yourself to that task. Stained wood might be pretty, so long as it is not too dark and then I'd replace the door with a wood one. I'd also get lighter/brighter pots for the front entry area. The original post was from 3 years ago. So sunny1785, if you are following this thread still. I would love to see what you did....See MoreDoes anyone have ideas about a "view" home with 2nd story kitchen, LR?
Comments (53)Would begin by designing the core of the home you want -- the main floor with a great room as your living area and your master bedroom suite all along the view side of the house. Count on adding a (6'-8' deep porch -- let your upstairs roof cover it so you can enjoy the space year round. Put the bedroom and great room on the side of the house with the view -- and include a room on the driveway side of the house that you can you can close off (control heat exchange) for the stairwell (with stair lift) in the approximate center on the road/driveway side of the house that will lead to the downstairs entry. ' You can put your kitchen with its smaller widows on the driveway side of the house as well as your master suite walk in closets on each side of that center stairwell room. You could put your laundry room with a powder room with their small windows on one end of the driveway side of the house and your master bath on the other end of the driveway side of the house so the frosted windows for each of them could be on the ends of the house rather than the driveway side of the house facing the road. Once you know the size of your main floor living area, you can create a couple of children's bedrooms upstairs within the attic -- steep roof or Mansard roof or Gambrell roof -- with gables with large windows or even sliding glass doors (with balcony) aimed toward the view and have that roof cover the full length porch on the view side of the house -- with the stairwell room between them on the driveway side of the house and a three room jack&jill bath on the view side of the house. Each children's room would have its own powder room along the outside wall with gable and frosted windows and each could access a third interior room between the two powder rooms and hallway with a tub/shower combination unit in it. Once you know the full size of your living area, build a full basement beneath it with a garage and a utility/storage room and, space permitting, a bonus room with small bath behind the stairwell room/entry that could be used as a guest room or home office as needed. By putting your two story porch/stoop and downstairs entry centered in front of the house, you could have one side of the ground floor as your two car garage and the other for your utility/storage and your bonus room with bath and, perhaps, even a screened porch and it not be obvious from the road that your main living area is on the second floor....See Moreideas on 2b/2b home with upstairs 1.5 story
Comments (14)My husband and I are currently working with architects to design a home that is very similar to what you've described (1.5 stories, 2 bed, 2.5 bath - one tub, one shower). However, in order to accommodate our needs (a study on the first floor, a pantry, etc.) we ended up a little above your stated size preference (1700 square feet). We've been cautioned against building small for some of the reasons mentioned here, but honestly we would pay more for a smaller home. We'd prefer a small place with high-end details to a larger home. In the area where we live there are not older homes this size on the market, although we waited for about ~2 years seeing what would come available. Ultimately, we decided in our area, which has a high percentage of retirees and child-free couples, a smaller house could sell if/when we have to. But more importantly, we didn't want to compromise on living in a house we didn't like trying to anticipate market trends 15-20 years down the line....See MoreSuzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
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