Floor Plan Critique
Andrew
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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Comments (29)
Andrew
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Tentative floor plan critique
Comments (20)We want to build with ‘aging in place’ in mind. Looking at wide hallways, one floor, Everyone says "wide hallways and such", but that shouldn't be the focus, if aging-in-place is your concern. I was very involved in my grandmother's care (she died five months shy of her 100th birthday), and neither hallway width nor doorway width ever caused her the least trouble. You can find loads of reading on this topic, but things that actually gave her trouble included: Her #1 problem was changes in flooring. The change from linoleum in the kitchen to carpet in the family room threw her to the floor more times than I care to remember. As such, one of my #1 goals in my house is 100% flat flooring /0 changes in flooring throughout the house ... I'm planning that literally only the shower will be a different flooring. Throw rugs were not her friends either. Entering and leaving the house was a slow process for her (and she was embarassed by it), which required all of one step. She had two walkers, one she left in the garage and one she kept in the house ... she had grab bars placed by the door, and she'd switch walkers once she was in/out. Normal aging (not accidents) tends to mean first using a walker when you leave the house ... then needing it inside the house. You do need a place to store the walker by the garage door, so consider a mudroom with a piece of furniture that can be removed later. My grandmother was able to do her own laundry ... but she could only carry a small basket down the hallway on her walker. You're already thinking of the laundry room being close to the master closet, which is good. Consider adding a commercial laundry basket to your plan (not unlike a shopping cart, something that gave her good balance and made her feel comfortable ... she'd often leave her walker in the car and have me bring a shopping cart to the car door for her). You can buy them on Amazon for around $100 ... and you can plan a spot under a counter for it to "hide". If you read up on aging-in-place, the ability most people lose first is bathing, so it's sensible to pay close attention to your bathroom. Don't skimp on your shower size. Instead of a built-in bench, consider a teak stool, which could -- one day -- be removed /replaced with a hospital bathing chair. You definitely want a hand-held shower positioned so that you could bathe yourself from a seated position /a helper could stand behind you to wash your hair. Consider whether you'll be able to reach your shower supplies from a seated position. Consider adding a body dryer, which will remove the need for towels (unless you have long hair). Toilets in closets are bad for aging-in-place ... they're essentially a stall from the mall moved into your house. My grandmother had trouble entering /using a stall with her walker, even a handicapped stall. Be sure you have something solid (wall with plywood instead of drywall) or a vanity on each side of the toilet so you can install grab bars. Both of my grandparents developed issues as they aged that necessitated "supplies" near the toilet. Plan for some shelving or a cabinet turned towards the toilet, and you'll be set. If you want a bidet seat (so you can spray water instead of wiping), install an outlet behind the toilet. Consider where you will store medicines. Will you want them near the kitchen or in the bathroom? Consider your routes for taking trash from the kitchen to the can ... and the can to the street. My now-RN daughter worked Home Health during her college years, and she emphasizes that ALL elderly people seem to want a big window where they can sit and look outside. She also emphasizes the importance of a fire-safety door in (or near) the master bedroom. We have 4 large dogs so we would like a mud room that leads directly outside to back or in the garage. That mudroom would have a dog bathing area in it as well. I am so excited about my dog door plans. The door will open from the laundry room into a small dog run (we only have one dog, and he's 30 lbs). The dog run will include a gate that will open into the larger /fenced back yard. This means we will be able to leave the dog in the laundry room, and he will have access only to his dog run OR to the larger yard ... but it'll give us control. We need two other dedicated bedrooms with their own toilets and sinks – they can share a shower/bath combo or they could have their own. Do these need to be on the first floor, or could they go upstairs? Upstairs would solve your sprawl-problem and would allow you to close off the upstairs (avoiding heating /cooling) once the kids are all gone. I adamantly don't want to spend my retirement cleaning bathrooms, so I'd ask, why not one bathroom between the two bedrooms? We need an office/study. How much office /study do you need? Is a pocket office enough? What would you store in the office? Will it double for hobby or craft space? Will you see clients in this space? We need a gym space. This space does not need a closet or a bath. Again, this might be something that could go upstairs. By the time you can't manage the stairs anymore, you won't be working out either. General thoughts about the floorplan, which I don't love a whole lot: - Other people have pointed out that the general shape of the house /depth of the house will push the roofline to large proportions, and the rooms you'll use most will be dark. - The garage location is good ... it's convenient to the master bedroom and the kitchen /ease of bringing home groceries. - The master suite could use work. Note that you have to walk across the suite to the far end to access the bathroom. Note, too, that you could open a door between the laundry room and the closet and save many steps. You could easily add a door directly to the patio for the above-mentioned fire safety. Consider the pathway for each partner to leave the bed /go to the toilet. - How will the dryer vent to the outside? Direct venting is both cheaper and more fire-safe. - I don't like kitchens with big empty spaces in the middle ... everything's so far apart that you'll dribble things as you move between the sink and the stovetop. - How often do you anticipate large family meals? Your table space isn't all that big. Note that you have a bathroom right next to your dining area. - Guests will have to walk past (through?) the gym to reach the games room ... this doesn't sound appealing. - Will you use that outdoor fireplace? It's a very expensive feature, and most people don't use them much. - This is a really big house for retirees. Do consider seriously whether you want to spend your retirement years (and dollars) cleaning /maintaining /heating this much space. - Consider a closet for your cleaning supplies ... the vacuum, bulk-purchased paper products, etc. Include outlets for a stick vac (or similar). - Consider that oversized garage. You're nearing retirement ... how many cars will you keep? Will you continue to do your own yard work? A 3-4 car garage is huge and overshadows even a large house ... consider a 2-car attached + a second 2-car attached set at a 90 degree angle....See MorePlease help! Floor plan critique
Comments (31)Not a pro and I'm having trouble seeing the details in the plans, but I have to agree with Lindsey_CA 100%. My "laundry room" is very small, probably 5x8 and leads directly to the garage so it's our main entry into the house. It's one of the things I despise about my house. I also have 2 kids who are now high school aged and between all of us, we do laundry at least once a day. My kids both play sports, so sometimes I have to do laundry more than once because the washer and dryer only hold so much. I can't tell you how many times people come flying through the garage and hit someone with the garage door. Or come through the kitchen trying to get out because they're late only to run into the open dryer door. I have to move the laundry to the family room to fold it because there is no counter space in that room. I'd love to relocate the washer and dryer but my husband does not want them moved to the basement, and we would lose a bedroom moving it upstairs, so we are stuck. We have a utility sink that gets a lot of use (much more than I thought it would) and I can't see if one is in your plan, but definitely put one in. Also make sure you have more closet space than you think you will need. I also agree that the exterior has too many juts which makes roofing lines more difficult. I also don't like having to go through the game room to get to the kids' bedrooms. While I do understand wanting to separate the kids from the master suite, when they get to be older, you are going to want to know what's going on in their rooms. I have a two story and can open my bedroom door and tell who is still up. : )...See MoreFloor Plan Critique
Comments (13)Hi Jae T, Congratulations on buying a home in the Bay Area!! Having moved from there 2 years ago and experienced the bidding wars and ever escalating prices, I know this is a huge feat in and of itself so congrats!! Knowing how expensive land and new construction are in the Bay Area I think renovating and adding onto your home makes sense and it sounds like you have a team of professionals ready to help you through it. As for your floor plan question, a few suggestions: * I would suggest losing the half bath and giving that space back to the kitchen pantry and master bath/ closet or creating a mud room/ pantry entry off the garage. Bathrooms and kitchens are the most expensive remodels and it would definitely not be ideal to have people walk through a back of house space like the pantry to get to the powder bath. * I would recommend speaking with your Architect about removing the walls around your existing kitchen and rethinking the layout in order to create a larger, more open kitchen/ dining/ living space. * Also, love the office opening onto the master bedroom * You have likely already done this but I'd speak with your Architect about phasing. There may be a better way to approach this so you aren't paying people to remobilize on site 5 separate times or going in for 5 separate permits to the city. Hope this helps, best of luck with the renovation !...See Morefloor plan critiques?
Comments (31)garage dimensions are typical 3 car size What is that dimension? I was wondering if we should extend the living room by a foot or two and reduce the dining room by a foot or two. We did lay out our furniture and it fits. The living room is bigger than what we have now. My first reaction is, Yes, do that. Where do you anticipate doing most of your "living"? I see that you have a larger space down in the basement ... but that is away from the kitchen, etc. Bigger than what you have now is irrelevant; you don't want better than you have now ... not when you have the opportunity to build a space that's ideally proportioned. Also will take your basement bathroom suggestions back. We don’t want/need bigger closets down there but there may be some other configurations that work better. Yes to other configurations ... getting natural light into the bathroom would be a big plus. I would make the powder room access from the foyer instead of the kitchen. Yes, this is a good idea. Glad you agree the foyer/hallway could be improved. I try to set things up where the first view upon going through the front door is clear through the house to the outside. Yes, this is a big improvement ... unless you really love acting like PacMan....See MoreAndrew
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