Improving poor floor plan of single story house in NorCal
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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- 5 years ago
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Please Critique, Improve or Tear Apart my home plan
Comments (19)Bathrooms: as others have pointed out, you should have a full bath on any floor where there might be sleeping rooms. If you intend to ever sell this house, there should be a full bath on the 2nd floor and in the walkout basement. (Currently, it looks as if the master bath is the only full bath in the plan.) The laundry location will be very annoying to anyone who has more than a single couple in the house--they go up/down stairs, **across the house**, up stairs and then into a laundry room. Stairs: How do you go downstairs? Do you really want the stairs between the great room and the kitchen? The stairs take up a lot of room in the middle of the house--especially considering you don't intend to use them often. Accessibility: By adding stairs to the master bedroom, the master bedroom will not be accessible to someone with limited mobility. As others have pointed out, that negates some of the advantages of a first floor master. Kitchen/Hearth area--there's a lot of space there but I'd be concerned about the actual cabinet layout before I started building. Since the back wall is primarily windows, that will influence how the cabinets are laid out. You'll also want to be sure there's sufficient room for a large table, since that is your only eating space--at least, I assume there will be eating space in there someewhere! Although the space is large, it is fulfilling 3 functions: kitchen, dining, "hearth". Entry way: The entryway looks as if it's over 160 square feet. At even *cheap* construction costs, do you really want to spend $16,000 for an entryway? It is large and will be a huge empty space when you enter the house. What is the purpose of having it so large? I guess you could put a large sculpture in the middle. Flows: The pathways from the garage to the kitchen or garage to the bedroom or garage to the great room are all filled with turns. I think the flow could be improved. Pantry/Officette: What exactly is an officette? How would furniture be arranged here? Pantry shelves don't need to be very deep--the room is too wide to just be a pantry, but isn't really big enough to be an office. Also, does it make sense for one of you to have an 'officette' in an INTERIOR room when the laundry room and mud room both get windows? Office: At that size, it should be big enough to share. If you don't want to share it, I'd consider making two separate offices. For that matter, I'd consider making them "bedrooms" with the intent of using them as offices. That would mean putting in a closet--and turning the powder room into a full bath (or adding another bath). Master bath: There is a lot of wasted space here--it looks as if it's about 11' from the vanities to the shower--that's an entire room--all empty space. The tub gets a back window, but there's a lot of unused space in front of it--on top of all the empty space in the middle of the master bath. Master closet: Some people don't like walking through a bathroom to get to a closet, but that doesn't bother me. What does bother me is what you're gong to do with an 11' wide closet. I *like* big closets, don't get me wrong. But closets are most valuable along the walls--what are you going to do with that space in the middle? Some people put dressers and benches in the middle, but if you're going to do that, what are you going to put in the 16x18 bedroom? Foyer to master bedroom: It is big enough to walk through, but not really big enough to put furniture in. You said your girlfriend was interested in making it a sitting room, but given that you have a HUGE bedroom, a great room, and a hearth room, why would you consider putting a sitting area in an interior, private space near the laundry? Owners Suite to bathroom: I can't tell if there's really supposed to be a door there--it looks too big for a pocket door--and most people do want a door to their master bath, since couples don't necessary get up at the same time. I admit that a 4.5 car garage would be fun to have :-). I'm afraid I don't like this plan--it doesn't use space well, I don't think it'd be easy to live in--even looking at it as a two person house, and you'd be walking through a lot of open space. This house is big and would take a lot of money to build--and I don't think it's a particularly livable plan. I think you ought to look at a lot more existing floor plans or find yourself an architect....See More1939 house with air returns in floor; poor air quality
Comments (6)There are new ducts in the 700sf addition, but the existing HVAC unit was over-sized for the original old house, so the installer said I don't need to replace it. There are replacement ducts for the old kitchen (will be a den), dining room and two upstairs bedrooms where I moved walls. Most of the supply ducts are on the interior walls, but the two old air returns in the floor are under windows. Everything in my renovation/addition is permitted by the city and inspections have all passed. They also inspect the "old" part as it isn't grandfathered in when doing a renovation of this size. I've replaced any electrical and plumbing that weren't up to today's code. The furnace is located in the basement that has brick walls and a concrete floor, but there is also 21 foot section that is chest high that is open to the dirt floor crawlspace. 6 mil plastic is being added to cover the dirt. R-15 insulation was added since I wrote this and it seems to be helping. All window sashes have been replaced with new energy-efficient wood sashes (had to be custom made to fit the old window openings). Thanks!...See MoreHas anyone heard from BethNorCal?
Comments (68)Notwithstanding the tragedies that have occurred in N. California... I feel I must say something in defence of Eucalyptus trees, at least the ones we grow here, and which many of us love and put to good use... ...There are I think 3 varieties that have been popular for a long time... Eucalyptus gunnii, Eucalyptus dalrympleana and perhaps the most attractive of all Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. niphophila [Snow Gum].... ...you can see any of these pop up in gardens all over the place... I've grown 2 of the 3... We now also have 2 dwarf versions, Eucalyptus gunnii 'Azura' and 'France Bleu'... ..'Azura' is very dwarf, almost a miniature... 'FB' is larger but very slow growing, a dwarf gunnii.. I would love to have 'Azura' and might be on my shopping list... The way to use gunnii I think is to give screening to a garden where you are overlooked by a neighbouring property that is on higher ground. A single specimen tree will do, it grows 6 foot a year, so within 2 years or so you start to have cover. It's crucial with this plant to cut 6 foot off the top with one incision every year in April, when it has reached just beyond the height you need for screening... if you miss a year it gets away from you and you have lost control.... I also used my plant to support a rambling rose... I grew 'Leontine Gervais' up it right to the top, where it would then cascade downwards, more so after the annual prune... the light pink and the blue foliage I found very attractive.. ..I also planted Cistus purpureus around the base and a tree lupin... gardeners here don't make enough use of these trees like this.. they plant them, neglect them, and before you know it, you've got a 40 foot tall tree on your hands.. there is one in a garden near me, it's about the tallest tree around here, perhaps 60 foot or more, that is just not the way to do it in my opinion.. used to best effect as single specimens, these are superlative trees, and I absolutely love them... I do not like to see them planted en masse, like a small wood [there are some here like that]... I'm so sorry, and was not aware, they had been over planted in California and that they have contributed to the fires.....See MoreFloor plan of a German City Villa - asking for feedback & improvements
Comments (14)(not a pro) Looks like it will be a lovely home! Have you considered making the window in the mudroom a door instead? I realize people can go through the garage to get there, but I like having a door right into my mudroom for letting the dog out (and being able to keep an eye on him from inside) and when the kids were young they could come in and out directly for the mudroom, restroom, etc. You could have a door with a nice window so you don't lose that light and window view from down the hall. And do you need the door that's currently into the mudroom from the center hall? If you do, I might swing it the other way or make it a pocket door so it doesn't block the cabinets. Have you looked into the pros and cons of double entry doors? I like how they look, but some people find that they usually only use one at a time. Also be sure that the locks are as secure as a single door locking into a frame. You also need to figure out where your light switch for the front hall will be so it's not covered when you open the doors. You might be just as happy with a nice single door that has windows, a transom and 2 sidelights....See MoreRelated Professionals
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