Maple Forest-inspired floorplan help needed
dalcolli
5 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (61)
bpath
5 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Initial impressions of Floorplan - Need inspiration with layout
Comments (14)So, most everyone has pinpointed all the same issues that I have with this plan. Annie summed it up well: "While it looks pretty from the outside, I struggle with the inside. ...while the kitchen is in the middle of the design, it is isolated from everything...yet it becomes a pass through to get to anywhere." I love the look of the outside, the long rambling facade, but I really don't like the inside and how it functions. I am fine with the formal spaces (to the right), but that's all. Traffic flow sucks. I worry about the FR being so isolated from the rest of the house. I don't like open plans, but this might be too closed. I don't like that the kitchen is a thoroughfare. I don't want to have to walk through the kitchen every time I need to go anywhere. I like to "close" the kitchen at night and be done with it. Guests would have to walk through the kitchen from the dining room or foyer to get to FR (the only really substantial space we have for entertaining). Yes, the breakfast nook is too small for a table and a passageway. I staked it out on the ground and tried to place island, cabs, table, chairs, etc., with at least 4' walkways. It just doesn't fit. I don't like the pantry on an outside wall, taking up potential views. Don't like that there are windows on only one wall of kitchen workspace. Don't like the main sink in the island. I could go on about the kitchen details, but really the problem lies in the placement of the whole room. I had him add the stairs to the left because it seemed like such a long walk from FR to downstairs & garage, or to powder room. That's a problem I have already - walking miles in one direction to go up, only to turn around and come back again to kitchen. Those stairs only go down b/c there's nothing above FR. Second story is only above the formal areas. I do love the idea of an elevator. DH came up with a functional plan that I really like that conserves the formal areas and reworks the FR/kitchen, but it's boring from the outside. So, what I need now are ideas. How can I keep the pleasing facade, yet make the interior more functional and more user-friendly? (While still conserving sq footage.) Please help!...See MoreHelp tweaking floorplan for vintage-inspired kitchen?
Comments (25)Hi Bmoreanic. Some of the things that strike you as odd may be things that I just got used to in our current house and am now unnecessarily replicating in the new build. Let's see, groceries come in through utility area. The garage will be detached and a breezeway will connect with the utility door. I'll probably prefer to face the front windows and fireplace. I may even engage in the controversial practice of placing a tv over the fireplace so as to feed my political habit while cooking. Cuisine really suffered here during the election season! Neither of us is height-challenged. I like to bake but it's such a pain in my current kitchen that I don't do it that much anymore. I'm not great at it anyway. I don't can or steam lobsters though I think my husband harbors a fantasy that I'll be canning okra and pickling beets once we move to the sticks. We do plan to have a garden. We've grown tomatoes and herbs for several years and hope to expand a bit. We have people over quite a bit and they try to congregate in the kitchen which is just not workable. We've had a couple of catered events but I can't see that we'll ever do that very often. I'm sort of afraid no one will want to make the drive out once we move anyway. There'll be a powder room off the main living area. There'll be a buffet in the dining room. No espresso bar necessary. I'm thinking I'll have to sacrifice the pizza oven and while I'd love a monitor-top refrigerator, there are sometimes that modern is just better. Y'all are right about access to the back porch being awkward. How about bumping the utility area out a couple of feet and putting a door in there adjacent to where the washer is drawn? Oh, and I was hoping to turn that little table area into a banquette, but it may be too cramped. Sorry to be so long-winded!...See MoreNeed help with two story Floor plan
Comments (16)Think about how you both use the kitchen space. The current placement of the fridge feel very tight, to me. But I think it would work well in either of the other spaces. Do you bake a lot? Do you want the oven near the cooktop? Is that a range or a cooktop? Many people on the kitchen forum prefer fridge near range with prep sink on island (across from them). This works very well....but some people would rather have the ovens by the cooktop. Do you have a preference on fridge being closer to great room or dining room? Again, on the kitchen forum, many people with children prefer the fridge being closer to the dining room, so they can give the kids milk, juice etc. (or they can get their own) without walking through prep area. If I were rating by popularity, I would say this plan, with either red box being the oven/microwave location...depending on whether you want to relocate basement door. But remember, you have to find what functions best in your space :)...See MoreFloor Plan Design Dilemma for New Build (Need Architect Advice)
Comments (158)In Ontario any homeowner can submit their own drawings, however, they will be reviewed by the planning department to ensure the drawings meet code. However, a professional I,e, draftsman, designer, architectural technologist etc must complete and pass exams and thus obtain a (Building code identification no) BCIN. An architect does not require a BCIN, however, they must be licensed in the province in order to have construction drawings approved. Some further explanations http://www.andythomson.ca/2016/11/15/why-a-bcin-is-not-an-architect/...See Morebpath
5 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agoA Fox
5 years agoCheryl Hannebauer
5 years agoJ Williams
5 years agobpath
5 years agoJ Williams
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodalcolli
5 years agokmg11
5 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agoJAN MOYER
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMrs Pete
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJ Williams
5 years agobry911
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJAN MOYER
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agojust_janni
5 years agoGreat Oak Studio Architecture
5 years agoapple_pie_order
5 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
5 years agoJAN MOYER
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodalcolli
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agoCLC
5 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agoJ Williams
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agodamiarain
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agoapple_pie_order
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agonini804
5 years agoJ Williams
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoapple_pie_order
5 years agoCLC
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agotatts
5 years agoksc36
5 years agoHolly Stockley
5 years agoksc36
5 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
5 years agoksc36
5 years agodalcolli
5 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
5 years ago
Related Stories
Sixties Southern Style: Inspiration from 'The Help'
Oscar-nominated movie's sets include formal entertaining spaces, front porch breezes and lots of florals
Full StoryMIDCENTURY STYLE6 Inspiring Midcentury Australian Homes
Avant-garde homes of the '50s helped fuel decades of Australian innovation
Full StoryWORLD OF DESIGNAround the World in 12 Inspiring Vacation Homes
See beach houses, forest cabins and country cottages across the globe where people go to rest, recharge and enjoy nature
Full StoryFEEL-GOOD HOMEHome Time: Bring Touches of Forest Into Your House
These simple decorating and craft ideas can help you create a woodsy wonderland feeling indoors
Full StoryWORKING WITH AN ARCHITECTWho Needs 3D Design? 5 Reasons You Do
Whether you're remodeling or building new, 3D renderings can help you save money and get exactly what you want on your home project
Full StoryMODERN HOMESHouzz Tour: Nature and Efficiency Inspire a Woodland Home
This English design plays up simplicity, natural light and its spectacular forest setting
Full StoryHOMES AROUND THE WORLDMy Houzz: Shabby Chic Style Inspires in a Live-Work Studio
Bright white rooms and personal treasures help an interior designer feel at home in her snug space in Australia
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNFor Garden Design Inspiration, Look Beyond the Fence Line
Nearby landscapes and wild habitats can inspire your garden design and help welcome even more wildlife
Full StoryCONTEMPORARY HOMESHouzz Tour: A Modern Cottage Treads Lightly in the Forest
Architects help a Chicago couple retreat from their urban loft to a sophisticated remote getaway in the Michigan woods
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNPatio of the Week: Inviting Terrace in Oregon Inspired by Italy
Warm-colored stonework and intimate seating areas strung with lights help to bring the magic of an Italian holiday home
Full StoryCustom Craftsmanship & Construction Solutions in Franklin County
Mark Bischak, Architect