Thoughts on Floor Plan
N Hughes
5 years ago
Featured Answer
Comments (11)
Michael
5 years agoRelated Discussions
floor plan questionaire, for fun and giving your insight
Comments (29)Whirlpool vs jet I use my whirlpool constantly, with oils, salts, bubbles, everything they say you shouldn't do. I run bleach through once a month, and have never had a mold problem. That said, if cost is not an issue I do prefer jets. Less noise, and the water level can be lower. Overlooked mstbath features: Fans. One over the shower, definitely the toilet in a separate closet with a fan. Love having my own sink w/o shaving whiskers. Laundry: Have had both, and for me the one that works is upstairs, with enough room to fold and hang. Specialized rooms: Yes, we put lofts in at one end above each of the cathedral ceiling bedrooms and media room on the second floor. The lofts are "away" space, room to tuck a visitor, a library. They are very inexpensive space to build. The mstr bedroom has a very small sitting room with french doors which is a noise buffer to teenage son's room. His closet also backs that wall as additional noise insulation. The media room has a closet-like (doors fold back the length of the wall) craft area, again as a noise buffer. Upstairs media/ent. if you have children above 10, the gang hangs out there and the moms have coffee below. A baby monitor turned low keeps everyone nice, you hear the shrieks without eavesdropping. Having had J&J, the issue of who cleaned them was always on the table (floor, shower, LOL). We plan in the new house to have a J&J which only shares a walk-in shower. Back to back toilets save plumbing costs, each side has own sink and storage. One door leads to a bedroom (boy) the other leads to the hall, the shower has two doors, one for each side. It's important to keep the kids close to you, young or teens. Where would you want to be in a fire? Loud noises in the night? (For us, a bear break-in) Close enough to grab the kids. I LOVE having 2 sinks in the kitchen, one on an island on the side away from the main sink. The prep sink has to be at least 18" wide. This allows for a prep site and a cleanup zone, the kitchen functions much better. Dishwasher drawers have come down in price and up in reliability, the convenience is better than a single d/w. I'm short, so my main sink has to be a farm sink. That way I can have my 9" depth without standing on tiptoe. Saves my back, too. Double ovens- honestly, no, never. I need a wide convection oven/range that will hold professional cookie sheets and large 26" casseroles. After that, a convection/bake microwave is the most-used in our house. Consider a trash compactor- the downside is that the trash is so heavy that only DH can take it out. Did I call that a downside? The upside is that you save money on trash collection every month. Pantry space depends upon how far you live from the supermarket and how many people you're feeding, and if you get snowed in during winter. A recycle center in the lazy susan corner is a favorite of mine, also a larger floor plan so that my huge hubby can fan himself (I laughed at the post that mentioned this) at the fridge door, a french door style fridge so I can get by while the above event is happening. A larger floor plan so that short people don't have to reach for things in upper cabinets because there is enough base cabinet storage. Pop-ups for the bread machine and the kitchenaid mixer because they are large and heavy. Lower than 36" bases because that's chest high for me. A second, higher tier for DH to make sandwiches on. And a large appliance cupboard with outlets inside so that toasters, mixers, juicers, blenders, and cuisinart have a permanent home. A home for coffee/tea prep which is away from my main cooking area. Separate zones for breakfast cereal/milk so that I have a clear path to my coffee in the morning. As you can tell, I'm particular about my kitchen...and every kitchen is personal. We're renting a recently built custom home while we build. They're tall people, and the island hits my arm pits. Lots of HIIIGH cabinets (sigh). We've lived in a lot of houses in our marriage. Anyway, what I learned is that every house needs to be personalized. New or used, make it work for you. Every kitchen is a tear-out unless it work for you...never, ever build for "the next people", make it custom for your lifestyle. And, I also learned that 12' ceilings are too tall, 10" is just right. We're in Northern CA (turn right at San Francisco and keep driving until you hit a deer. You're there.) One last note: The house we're renting is 3400sf plus 3-car garage, cherry floors and cabinets, stone and granite tile, all amenities. The husband built it himself (no prior experience) with one helper over a two-year period, finished in 2006. For $400K. Then they went off to run a B&B, needed a new challenge. I have rarely seen a nicer house. A friend of ours built a 2000sf house himself over a 5 year period for $60 a square foot. So, be brave, it can be done....See MoreNeed blueprint advice ... GC forgot a room.
Comments (7)Illegal means against the law. Deed restrictions are usually enforceable in civil court, not criminal court, and are normally placed on the property by a former owner, and may never be enforced. Do you really have deed restrictions, or does a local law or regulation prohibit that extra bedroom? If it is the former, in my non-lawyer opinion, a contract to build that way would be enforceable, if it was written correctly, at the risk that the holder of the deed restrictions would attempt to have them enforced. The first thing you should do is haul everything you have to a local real estate and/or construction law attorney and get a legal opinion on what your options are. There may be ways to deal with the situation. Without that information, you risk making matters worse or running into a dead end....See MoreThoughts on floor plans?
Comments (23)Downstairs thoughts: - I agree that the island and the table are too close together. I like the space-saving idea of a banquette bench behind the table. Go ahead and put in a long bench, even if people are trapped in the middle; people don't get up and down from the table that often, and you won't have a full table most of the time anyway. Narrow the island down to 24" width. - Could you put in a bay (or box bay) window by the dining table? It really wouldn't make the space larger, but it would make it feel larger. - Why do you need a full bath on the first floor? - I'd ditch the stacked washer/dryer and go for full sized machines where you have the entry closet now ... no, not ideal, but you don't have enough space upstairs. - Where's your TV in the living room? Upstairs thoughts: - The kids' bathroom is nicer than yours, but the vanity doesn't look big enough to support duplicate sinks. - With space at a premium and given that you don't intend to live here full-time, could you go with a reach-in closet to get a larger bathroom? You could have a very deep shower and a set of shelves opening into the bathroom. We were hoping for more seating since we expect friends and family to often visit. That was one of the few parts of the rendering that I actually didn’t have any issue with! Will they sleep elsewhere? Your dining space outstrips your sleeping space. If you're thinking they'll all stay in this house, perhaps you should go with a bunk room. For the entry closet, I think what you show is the best option. It looks like the only option. Couldn't you make it wider? Is anyone bothered by washer/dryer location? Yes, I think the washer/dryer is going to be a real problem. You generate lots of laundry in a beach stay. What bothers me about it is how there is absolutely no room for sorting or keeping laundry detergent. Yes, I'm not advocating a bedroom-sized laundry, but you do need space for more than the machines themselves. Plus I'd prefer the toilet far from the action so no one hears any "action". The house is small. This is unavoidable. So... finish it, clean it up, and add some bright lights! I think you can do this fairly inexpensively with an easy care laminate floor and some inexpensive cabinets, or even a sturdy folding table as a sorting/folding surface. As mentioned above, visitors to beach/vacation homes can generate lots of laundry, from towels to linens for the guest rooms. You might also then use the space more for storing beach toys, extra chairs, etc. Yes to this whole paragraph ... and I'll add this: when the kids are teens, you will probably want to set up a second living space in the basement, and laundry can be a part of that. Storage for vacuum, cleaning supplies, etc. Good point. This is a case of, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail....See MoreThoughts on floor plan please!
Comments (7)A covered porch on the north side is going to make the kitchen really dark....I would not have a walk-in closet in the mud room, children just dump and run, bench, hooks, and cubbies in that closet space instead. I would put the door to the powder room in the mud room space, just so there is less tracking of mud further into the house. It’s a good start. Mark is right, walls take up an annoying amount of space, but including the 4” is important....See Moreartemis_ma
5 years agonini804
5 years agocpartist
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAnglophilia
5 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agoMrs Pete
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
5 years agorobin0919
5 years agoKim Weaver
5 years ago
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