help me reconfigure this space
5 years ago
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Reconfigure MBR/bath space
Comments (12)You're welcome. I totally know the feeling of having looked at a design too long to see possibilities that are obvious to those looking at it with fresh eyes. Don't ya feel like smacking yourself in the forehead when someone points 'em out to you? LOL! Been there, done that. BTW - don't forget to plan for places to put towel bars/hooks. I'd flip that bathroom door so that it swings inward toward the shower and put hooks on the back of the door for shower towels. Just use a good doorstop so the bath door can't swing back against the glass of the shower stall. With the door swinging inward, a person in the shower has a little extra privacy if someone else opens the bathroom door because they're hidden by the door from anyone standing in the room outside. (All the dorm bathrooms at my college tucked the shower behind the inswinging bathroom door for this reason.) For tub users, towel bars can be hung beneath the shelves on the walls beside the tub or you could put hooks or a small bar on the side of the linen tower. And, with that wide open doorway on the left of the Sitting Area, it probably would be a good idea to put a second set of doors in the "cased opening" to the bathroom. Wouldn't want someone in the tub accidentally exposed to the view of someone walking past the sitting room! Best bet, I think, would be a set of narrow double doors with stained glass or frosted glass inserts. Double doors could be probably be left standing open (EXCEPT when someone decides to take a tub bath) so they're not in the way of getting to/from the closets easily....See MoreReconfiguring current space--to what gain?
Comments (50)There's a lot of reading in this thread, and I tried to get through it all. But please pardon me if I missed something and am repeating here or offering a suggestion already shot down. Are you familiar with Sarah Suzanka's books? NOt-so-big house concept? One of the points she makes is that people keep adding on to houses thinking that more space will solve the problem they're having, when it isn't the lack of space that's the issue, but the way the space is used. 10 years or so ago, I took that to heart when I wanted to add a master suite and a family room. After a lot of soul searching, I realized that we weren't using the space we had effectively. We had a living room that was almost always empty. And that when folks were in it, I was almost always far off in the kitchen. You say you're a traditionalist, so this may not work for you, but I urge you to give it some hard thought. Do you live the kind of lifestyle that requires a large formal living room? Someplace where you entertain adults regularly or where if someone were to come by the house for a meeting...insurance discussion, lawyer, etc....you would not want them to see your family room? Either because it's a mess or because you're just a more formal person? If so, stop reading. But if not, consider this: Convert your current living room into the family room and open it up to the kitchen by taking out the awkward powder room. You'll be near the kids and you'll have a large comfortable space for the whole famiy to hang out. If you have a play room downstairs (spend some of the money you'll save by not needing a new foundation to do really good waterproofing job...proper drainage and grading, sump pump, etc.) That can be where the truly noisy, rough stuff goes on. Then close off the current family room and turn it into a quiet, adult haven. Make it a library/living room...someplace you and hubby can go for peace and quiet or an older child (and they will get older) can quietly do homework. Put your masterbedroom suite, as planned over the top and save yourself the foundation costs. You can also use the room, if necessary as an emergency guest room with some creative furniture (a murphy bed? built-in daybed/window seat?) Or you might even think about putting a small private stair case from the adult living room to your bedroom. I'd try to fit a powder room off the family room or kitchen somewhere...if no where else, carve out part of that laundry room. It isn't optimum, since kids coming from the back yard would track all the way across the family room to get there...but it wouldn't be bad. And when you design that upstairs master bedroom DO consider sneaking at least a stackable w/d up there. Right now, a first floor laundry is a god send, cause your kids are little and you need to be close by all the time. But by the time the 2 year olds are in school, you'll be able to do the laundry when they're gone. And by the time they're teens, they can do it themselves. And believe me, the only thing better than a first floor laundry room is a laundry on the same floor as the dirty bedlinens and smelly boy socks. No more hauling baskets up and down the stairs. Of course, the idea of expanding out onto the deck to connect kitchen and family room accomplishes much of the same goals...a separate adult space and an integrated family living space and kitchen. But I don't know if you need to go to that expense, frankly. FWIW.......See MoreMaster bathroom help-crosspost from bathroom forum
Comments (19)olychick, thank you for taking a look. :) I'm relieved to hear you think a white shower pan is best. I am heading out now to find porcelain marble look tiles for the shower walls to pick up the gray as you suggested. I want a shiny finish to the walls. Tell me if you think that's a misstep. I am avoiding marble as I have a marble topped vanity now that is pock marked with etchings. As far as seeing myself in the vanity, yes, I think I will be able to do so. I was planning on a black framed mirror spanning the vanity. My current vanity is 32 1/4" high (as will be the new vanity) and when seated on my vanity stool my reflection is seen up to my chest. The only issue currently is that my knees are pressed against drawers. I failed to mention that I was thinking of using absolute black granite for the vanity top for two reasons: one being cost and the other being to avoid etching. Will doing so deviate too much from my inspiration? Lastly, I had the idea of applying pieces of beveled mirror framed by black molding floor to ceiling along the back wall and continuing behind the toilet (similar to this only floor to ceiling with the exception of base molding & crown): [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Northbrook Architects & Building Designers Michael A. Menn Thoughts? Suggestions? Thank you for reading this far. :)...See MoreNeed advice on reconfiguring kitchen space
Comments (21)Here's the best I got for 3d design of layout. The fridge area is obviously not accurate but this should give you an idea of all of the other space I'm working with. I am pretty sure at this point that I am going to move the fridge to the other wall... like someone else said moving the line through the attic isnt as big of a deal as I originally thought. Then I will square off pantry and make it a hall closet on other side. The new closet will stick out a few inches past counter depth in the kitchen though, hope this looks ok. I plan to add a wall where the fridge was to close that recessed space and add cabinets/countertops all the way down to where I squared off the pantry since the fridge is no longer there. On the new wall I will have a 24inch wide and 27 inch dept pantry cabinet that will be flush with where the wall ends (wish they had bigger but they dont without doubling up on them) and I think the best spot would be to put the fridge right next to the pantry where the cabinets are in the picture below. And to clarify.. the wall that wraps around pantry not shown in pictures below comes out 28inches. With all that being said do you guys have any opinions on layout with what you see below?...See MoreRelated Professionals
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