Plans almost finalized - Does anything stick out as a potential issue?
peacehope68
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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chisue
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Floor plan review please - Almost finalized - Yippee!
Comments (22)Hi everyone. Momto3 - This floor plan is indeed beautiful, as the pictures of the finished house show. And some of the suggestions given by others were little nuggets of gold to keep in mind! MyDreamHome, I love your laundry room - I have not come across one that is in that small a space and yet works as efficiently as yours does. The garbage bins for laundry are a wonderful idea! I too fold in my laundry in the laundry room as soon as items come out of the dryer - otherwise they need ironing, and I am not into that (unless it is part of my quilting - that is a different story). For those many people who were enquiring about how to make this large house smaller (I believe it is 5,000 square feet, give or take a couple hundred): some great suggestions were made about making some rooms smaller (ie - do you need a 30+ by 15+ playroom, and a 16+ by 14+ breakfast area? We would all like it, but...). However I have two other suggestions as well. This house, built as a single-story home, has a huge footprint. That means a huge basement or slab, and a huge roof surface. Furthermore, the roof will be quite high, simply because of the area it has to cover. So... You could consider moving some or all of the bedrooms upstairs, and while this may not reduce the square footage of the home, it will reduce the cost of building significantly (the cost per square foot will go down significantly because this area does not need its own basement/slab or roof). For example, if you put 1500 square feet of bedrooms/bathrooms upstairs, you will reduce your footprint and roof area by that amount - the size of a small-mid size house! With some interesting jut-outs, dormers and some sloped ceilings, you can make a very interesting as well as a light and airy second floor. In fact, a friend of mine did just this - they planned a large single-level house, and the architect suggested that with almost no changes to the roof other than a couple of dormers, they could put in a large master suite and two additional bedrooms and another bath on the second floor. They agreed, and then re-envisioned the main floor to keep the footprint the same size as before, giving them about 1/3 more living space for very little extra money. Just one word of warning: it will impact the layout of the roof trusses, and perhaps even the type of truss used, so that you have full use of the available height. So include this in the plan before you start building - even if you plan to finish the space later (another advantage of reducing the footprint - you can finish off the other levels later if money is an issue and yet you expect your family to grow). Similarly if you build the house with a basement and your land has just a bit of a slope to it, with some forethought you can have a walk-out basement with large windows and French or sliding doors...or at worst, finished rooms with large windows. Then you can put some of the bedrooms and the play room downstairs and still have them bright and airy. If you live where you have to do a basement anyway, you double the size of your (single story) house by utilizing the basement. A current trend in my area is for builders to use 9-10 foot ceilings in the basement to ensure that the area is not claustrophobic (and it allows for bigger windows if the house sits a bit higher). Often with a bit of landscape planning, enough of a slope can be created when the footings and the basement are laid down. Again here, if you plan to finish the basement (now or later), give it some thought so that you do not limit your options when you do finish it. For example, you may want to use longer or different types of beams to support the main floor to reduce the number of posts in the basement. And you may want to ensure that your posts are no closer that 12 or 15 feet apart - so that you likely won't have a post in the middle of where you would like to have a bedroom. It is also important to have a plan so that you can make the best use of windows, and put larger ones in if possible. Every bedroom must have an egress window (which is not very big), so don't plan on sticking a bedroom in the front of the house unless you are prepared to have windows at the front, etc. Plumbing is easier if it is roughed in now as well, although if you change your mind, it can be moved easily enough (but it costs $$). Has anyone tried either of these options? I would draw out a sample, but I don't currently have a couple of free hours - sorry... PS - sorry for the length of this post......See MoreAlmost Final House Plans - anything glaring?
Comments (29)I sent off a bunch of window questions last night. We'll see what I get back. Dh is ready to get this thing started and I am well...nervous. gbsim-thank you for speaking to flow and thanks for the info on the sound proofing! We don't watch much TV now but I suppose as they get older they will! Pocket doors - I am hesitant to use them in higher humidity areas - such as bathrooms because I fear they will warp or 'stick' or something. I have heard some bad stories of doors in those areas so I was trying to avoid them. As for the master I stayed away there because I think sliding the door would be significantly louder than swinging and softly latching a swing door. Anyone have any experience with the pockets in bathrooms? Ontario (hello from across the lake, and well head south west a bit, lol)! Thanks for the pics-very cool! I am passing all of these window tidbits on to dh as he is the window decision maker. We have decided to divide and conquer. I have never seen anything like those. First time building so you never really know what's out there besides the 'standard' doublehung/casement/slide by. lyfia-I know - only slideby windows I had experience with were in college and they were cheap junk! So I was really leery of that but I think they have come a long way and I was shocked at how many there are around now that I have actually been paying attention to other houses (new and older builds) around. I'll be honest - I have a hard time visualizing these drawings in 3d. I know the covered porch is gabled and the other small porch is cantilevered but I can't really tell how the dining area roof ties in. I am still teetering on that angled window. I really don't have any place to hang much of anything - even a clock! I'm not a heavy decorator/fashionista so it mostly works in my favor but it would be nice to have a little bit of wall space. Dh is leaving that one up to me. We have a 'bump out' like that in our current house and you are right - they are much colder than the rest of the floor come winter. That is another reason why I am teetering with it. I am thinking about that very thing - adding a window to the north side of the dining room and removing that angled window. :( I need to just make up my mind! Renovator - thanks for the explanation (and for being gentle since we aren't using an architect :) ). I really appreciate your explanation. I have asked for clarification on the basement and boys bedroom windows to be sure we meet code and safety requirements. I will double check the dormer - I think it is that size because it's actually real and not a facade but at the same time we don't need any water or ice melt issues. I think we are close to signing off. I am just waiting for his feedback on the window sizes/adjustments I sent last night. Lisa...See MoreHeat Pump Issues - does either guy know anything??
Comments (21)Update on this issue. I had another tech look at the system today. This one was recommended by the Ducane distributor. Turns out the tech who said it was the compressor (Mr. experience) had his head up his butt. The compressor is bad, but there is an underlying problem what caused it to go. One of the lines from the condensor had snapped. The guy who came today asked if the 1st guy had even looked at it. The gap between the two ends of the broken line was about 1/2", so it was very noticeable. He is ordering the parts to fix everything. It will be covered under the parts warranty. The Ducane distributor was very helpful....See MoreAlmost final plans. Comments Welcome
Comments (35)Cpartist- This is just a quick idea....I know you said you wanted a slider in the kitchen, but I really wanted to play around with the banquette idea! Disregard, if you don't like.... The buffet is behind the sofa, being used as both buffet and sofa table. The big front window has a window seat with shelves/cabinets on both sides. They could be low or high...maybe with a few plants on top! The back patio is wonderful. Any chance of extending the covered portion out towards the pool just a few feet? I know you have those roofing/square footage constraints, but it might be nice to have a little more shade. It's a great plan! I know you're going to love it :) Oh, that's supposed to be columns with vines (blooming) and maybe small plant area around it. Just enough for a little color!...See Morecpartist
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