First time home building
Colten Murphy
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years agoSeabornman
3 years agoRelated Discussions
First post, first time home design review request
Comments (30)Oh, that's wonderful Summerfield! I wish I could just build that almost as you have drawn it! Unfortunately, I've got some restrictions I have to work within due to the lot I have and city setbacks. I've been reading "The Not So Big House" book (loving it, thanks for the recommendation minneapolisite) and was looking at some new ideas from my original layout. **This is pretty rough** and there's a bunch I really don't like on it just yet, but I wanted to give an update. What I like most about my latest update is more windows in the main living area on the south side of the house and all three living areas having direct windows instead of the dining room being sandwiched into the middle of the house. I also like the shared entry so that the 'nice' entry doesn't end up being for guests only. I hate the way I have the pantry laid out, but I do like the idea of a good sized pantry with room for the chest freezer (currently in the basement in our house today). Also, this opens up the living room for a bit more space. My favorite things about the plan you've drawn, Summerfield, are both of the bathrooms, laundry and master closet. Those are the areas I'm struggling the most with. (as well as the whole bedrooms side of the house...) We may have a small television in the kitchen, and temporarily in the living room, but once the basement is finished we would only have the kitchen tv. So no need to build a dedicated spot for it on the first floor. Site Plan:...See MoreFirst time building a home - would love suggestions!
Comments (44)Sorry, just getting a chance to look back at the thread. Thanks again for the comments. Regarding the spare bath down ~ yes, we are changing the tub to a walk-in shower with a seat for ease and safety. Front hall closet - actually, there is one immediately when you walk in to the right. It will actually curve back underneath the stairwell. "Steph" - your design looks good and it is something we played with but I didn't want to take away from the space in the pantry (my last 2 homes have had them and now I'm spoiled! lol!) We also are going to move the covered patio to start at the end of the LR wall and extend to end of DR wall, which will help with sun exposure (actually considering making it a fully screened porch but will have to look at budget). Also, instead of French doors, I'm looking at putting sliding glass doors in the large windows in the DR/LR. Regarding cathedral ceilings - we had those in a home and I thought I'd love them but in the end I really didn't - a lot of wasted space upstairs and less energy efficient to keep cool/warm. I would like to put a tray ceiling in the LR with wood beams. ;) "Ellen" - thank you for your comments. Unfortunately, we would have to have 4 BR upstairs to give each kiddo their own space. The BR 4 downstairs is for our aging parents who come to visit and stay 3-4 weeks at a time (and come 2-3x/year - which we love having them and are grateful, which is why we wanted to give them a room and bath downstairs). I thought of putting in a Jack-n-Jill bath upstairs but thought it might be better (when we have 4 teenagers at the same time) to at least have 2 BA upstairs that all 4 can share. Christopher - "Columbus Custom Design" - please feel free to add your thoughts. All appreciated! :)...See MoreFirst time building house, feedback please
Comments (16)One thing I'd try to do is line up the back wall of the MBR with the wall below. I know it's an increase in SF but at the same time it's a cheaper build. No beam and no little roof structure (the roof/shingle area itself is the same). And design wise, on the first floor there no little wall just going out 2' into the room to conceal a column and to a lessor degree a conc. wall in the basement below to hold everything up. Below is a 10 minute "stab" (sorry for the use of a highly technical design term!) at the second floor. The MBR stayed the same size (or very close, I couldn't read your dimensions) but rotated 90* to take advantage of the extra depth which gave me more room in the width for the bath, closet, etc. The lower right bedroom gets more managable proportions and it allowed me to get more light in the hall upstairs and some kind of interesting feature under the windows. Even forgetting about eliminating the little roof, at the very least I'd get the MBA on the outboard side and the closet in the inboard side. Much more could be changed for the better but when I do these little exercises I purposely keep some of the stuff the same (like the HVAC chase location and the poor stair configuration) so the owner can focus on the possibilities I want them to focus on and not get side tracked. But good luck in your build. Exciting times ahead!...See MoreFirst time home Builder Looking for Advise on Plan
Comments (46)I own a 1960s tract home in Southern California. One would think, based on its location, that I would have an abundance of light streaming in. I don't, though, because of the orientation of the house and the location of the rooms and windows. I agree with David and others that you've got to look for a plan that solves this issue first. Given that your front door faces south, it seems to me that your garage should be in the southwest corner. Then use the southeast corner for your main living area (e.g. your great room). The kitchen and dining areas could be in the northeast corner. I would move the bedrooms to the back (north) side of the house, and perhaps the master could be behind the garage in the northwest corner. It would be very secluded there. With Tamara's plan, while better than yours, the bedrooms are still clustered in the south and east sides of the house, and the main living spaces are all of the north side, where you're not going to get much light during the day....See Morejust_janni
3 years agoColten Murphy
3 years agochispa
3 years agoSeabornman
3 years agoColten Murphy
3 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
3 years agocpartist
3 years agoMatt McLagan
3 years agoshead
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoUser
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoCheryl Hannebauer
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoColten Murphy
3 years agocpartist
3 years agoSeabornman
3 years agoUser
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoColten Murphy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoColten Murphy
3 years agoLH CO/FL
3 years agoshead
3 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
3 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
3 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
3 years agoColten Murphy
3 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agomillworkman
3 years agoUser
3 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
3 years agojust_janni
3 years ago
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