1st floor layout floor plan opinions?
Allie
4 years ago
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Mark Bischak, Architect
4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
4 years agoRelated Discussions
2nd Floor Addition - Basic Planning Advice - 1st Post
Comments (2)Maximizing resale value here is putting away the plans and moving. You are planning a very expensive remodel here that you will NEVER recoup the costs from. Which is OK if you plan to live there long term or are willing to pay for the increased livability as an expense and not an "investment". But, be very very sure you completely internalize that statement before moving forward with your plans....See More1st floor layout - please give feedback (mainly kitchen)
Comments (7)Hi Azlee, To show that there's a wall somewhere, you can draw a long very skinny rectangle instead of just a straight line. That is, you draw two parallel straight lines instead of just one, and then connect them at the ends. **Sink infront of window- I am usually not the one to be doing the cooking, I do mostly the cleaning so I guess I like the sink there so I can look outside when my kids play in the yard.** This is almost always why people put sinks in front of windows--"I want to look out at the yard while I'm at the sink." But in this modern age, with dishwashers, most people do not spend much time at the sink. And particularly if you are cleaning, you would probably only come to the sink to get more water, or maybe to rinse a mop, right? So really, you are only standing in front of the sink for maybe thirty seconds. (I am guessing here--you can check, the next time you clean, to see how much time you are actually standing at the sink.) Also, when do you usually clean? Is that time the same time that the children play in the yard? I ask these questions because very often this idea that you will look at nature or watch the kids while standing at the sink is just a fantasy. In reality, you will look out the window whenever you want; the fact that the sink is not there does not prevent you from lingering by the counter watching your children. If you want some activity that will take you to the window, you could participate in prep work for meals or you could place something else there that you use--a coffee machine, for example; that sort of thing, or even the trash pullout. The other advantage of putting the cooktop and thus the prep space along this wall is that it is much closer to the seating area and family room. That means it is much easier for the nanny, or whoever is cooking/prepping, to see/hear what the children are doing (I assume it is more likely for the children to be in the seating area or family room than for them to be in the dining room while someone is cooking? And anyway, you can't see the dining room from the range in your proposed layout, so even if the children were there the cook couldn't see them). It also makes it possible, or at least easier, for the cook to participate in conversations. People spend far longer at the prep counter and the cooktop than they do at the sink. Prepping and cooking one meal can easily take an hour or more. The person cooking might like being closer to everyone during that time. For your storage issues, I wonder if perhaps the powder room could be just a little bit narrower, so that on the powder room wall facing the kitchen/eating area you could have a shallow pantry--perhaps 12" deep, or even just 8" deep, of shelf space. I think that anything you can do to move some storage out of that pantry/fridge/microwave wall, so that there is room for a counter on that wall, would be a good idea. For the island seating--even if you do keep it, do you need three seats? Depending how you arrange it, you could have two seats there and a good deal more storage. Another thought is that the bench your drawing shows at the breakfast table could be built in, with storage in it. Many people put long drawers into the base of breakfast-nook benches, so that it is possible to pull the drawer out from the side of the bench without disturbing people who are sitting on the bench. (See photo link below). And you actually do not really need to build the bench in (i.e. attach it to the wall) to put a drawer in it, although that is what most people do. This might be a good place to store things that do not relate directly to cooking. For example, paper towels and the like. Anything that you do not actually NEED in the kitchen can be stored here, or in the possible shallow pantry beside the powder room. That will free up space to store food items in the kitchen and also to have a counter between microwave and fridge. Here is a link that might be useful:...See More1st floor layout - opinions please! Be kind!
Comments (35)I like Lavender Lass's rendition of the kitchen very much. One thing I might change is to increase the size of the pantry next to the fridge to at least 24" wide so that you're sure to have enough food and small appliance storage. In order to give your front entry a sense of place and distinction from the dining room, I suggest adding a partial wall and column coming from the portion of wall between the front door and the bay window, perpendicular to the front wall of the house. It wouldn't have to come out very far, just enough to be there. It could even be a stub wall with a window cut-out, or a slightly thicker wall with storage below the opening (shoes?). I think you'd have to rotate the table 90 degrees to make this work. You might be able to put some built-in seating in the bay to help it fit well. I looked on Houzz for some column and partial wall ideas, but they all looked to "grand" for the scale of your home. This comes close, but I would make the column a little less substantial so that it didn't overwhelm your space. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/phinney-residence-dining-room-craftsman-dining-room-seattle-phvw-vp~242166) [Craftsman Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2116) by Seattle Architects & Designers Goforth Gill Architects Another one: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/open-floor-plan-view-of-breakfast-room-addition-traditional-dining-room-boston-phvw-vp~772159) [Traditional Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2107) by Lawrence Home Builders Howell Custom Building Group Here's something similar, without the column, but it would still help define the space and give your guests a feeling of arrival and enclosure before they continue into the rest of the home. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-craftsman-kitchen-craftsman-kitchen-portland-phvw-vp~769261) [Craftsman Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2116) by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Weedman Design Partners When planning your cabinets and finishes, keep in mind the age and style of your home and those in the neighborhood so that they play nicely together. We recently bought a farm house that had a very "70's" kitchen plopped into it. This is the sort of thing I think you'd like to avoid. : ) Are you familiar with Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" books? They are wonderful and readily available at many libraries. I think you'd find them helpful in your planning. As you undertake your renovations, please address the issue of your family room being cold. Would it benefit from a new gas fireplace, or energy efficient word burning insert? (Our wood stove draws our children to it like an outdoor light at night draws bugs in the summer, LOL.) If you make your family room warm and cozy, and keep a sightline between the kitchen and living room, everyone will enjoy it and use it more. Here is a link that might be useful: Sarah Susanka's website...See MoreHelp with Kitchen (and 1st Floor) Layout
Comments (1)Here's just the kitchen, with no cabinets/appliances. We have wonderful windows to work with (considering the cooktop in front of the window the the right) but four entryways. I'm thrilled to be getting an eat-in area (it was a 3-season porch) but it doubles as a mud-room (the 6 cabinets are meant to be cubbies for each of us) and I don't know how that will work. The peninsula is great for having a few kids in the kitchen and spare counterspace, but I worry that the traffic flow will be past the cooking area. I've tried to figure out a second prep sink, but don't think it will work, but am planning a huge main sink, possibly with two faucets. I also prefer the peninsula to be solid (planning butcher block). I love the idea of a cooktop separate from the wall ovens, but it's tight. And I still don't know where to stick the microwave. I'd love a coffee station but the only spot I see is in the middle of the pantry run on the back wall. Maybe centered? Thanks for all your input and creative ideas! Grazie!...See Morejmm1837
4 years agoGravitas
4 years agoMrs Pete
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4 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
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4 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
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