Need Critique & Criticism with design and layout
yarnos
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
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palaestra
9 years agohaephestus
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Please critique our small 1.5 storey family homestead design!
Comments (34)Louie - pretty well I think. See my latest renditions below. I have been playing around with how to screen off that toilet/shower area from the living room. Not only would it be preferable to keep the toilet out of sight, but it would also be nice if people pop go down and up the stairs to visit the toilet or shower without having to do a short "walk-of-shame" past the potentially occupied living/dining room. I was thinking a of having a partially-drawn pair of curtains or perhaps one of those dangle-y "fly curtain" type things to disrupt the view a bit, but then I thought a set of swinging doors with tinted/diffuse glass in them, because: 1. You can charge in and out of this busy area by just pushing through the set of doors, and letting them swing back in to place behind you (like saloon doors) 2. The glass panes will still allow the person to see if anyone is on the other side, so they don't bowl them over. Will also let natural light in. Also means could do away with the laundry door perhaps, since it will be kind-of redundant (main purpose was to eliminate washing machine noise in the living area) 3. The doors also stop heat from the fireplace drifting up the stairs on cold winter nights when the fire is going. Not a crucial thing at all, but a nice additional benefit Thanks for sharing the floor plans - it's given me a much clearer picture of what you've done with that pole house...looks fantastic! brizcs - great point about the chair by the window, that's really struck a chord with me so I am toying with ways to do this. One idea I had is in the plan below: Rather than put a narrow table hard against the glass, maybe swing the kitchen table 90 degrees, make it longer, and have people sit along the south side looking out the windows most of the time. When it's night time or there are lots of guests or whatever just drag the chairs to the other side and you're back to the conventional set up. If a table where flush against the windows it would mean a lot of direct sunlight on its surface throughout the cooler months, due to the low angle of the sun (glare might become a problem?)...See MoreMy house floorplan critique please.
Comments (13)We're older than you and have just moved into what we hope will be our last house (no way we can go through another move!) So, resell isn't our issue, comfort and convenience are. First thing I would ask is, how do you actually live? You have a fairly modest house if I'm reading the figures correctly, so effective use of space is paramount. Do you need 3 bedrooms, or would 2 bedrooms be sufficient, with maybe a sofa bed somewhere? Do you entertain a lot, and need that living area, or would a smaller, open area plan with fewer walls really work better for you? Disclaimer: I've lived in a lot of houses with formal dining and living rooms and we didn't use them much. I'm now look at floor plans and open houses and think, yes, but is this how we live and is every room going to get used regularly? If not, a rethink is required, especially in compact spaces. The master bedroom/en suite/WIR seem a bit small. That's fine if you're planning on having the other bedrooms occupied a lot and the living area used regularly, but if that's not the way you live, I'd stretch the master and en suite, not to mention the walk in robe, dedicate one spare to the guests, and use the rest of the space for yourself. Nothing like a double shower, double vanity, and a big, big walk in robe. ( Our bedroom is 4.3 x 3.3 and, because of the doors and windows, we can't fit a dresser in. In retrospect, I should have had the builder slice 0.20 off our ensuite to give me 3.5, and I would have had room for the dresser.) I'm not trying to be critical here because I can see what kind of house you envisage. I'm just offering the wisdom, such as it is, of experience, of living in lots of different houses and finding that a house with generous bathrooms, a decent kitchen, and a nice open dining/living area can be a pretty good place to end up. Oh, and level floors throughout, and easy maneuvering for groceries and vacuum cleaners....See MoreCritique of floorplan for home in rural Victoria
Comments (29)Hi Jess Jess Congratulation on your purchase on the foothills of the Otway Ranges is a great location and a flat site is a good site to build on. Doing all your doors at 870 is also a great idea - they will work with wheel chairs, hopefully you will never need them. Its a good size for a door as long as the occupants do not put on to much weight in the aging years requiring bigger wheelchairs. (I have some experience in designing for disability). Doors at 1050 are much better but it does require a bit of extra space and the doors will add to the cost a bit as they are non standard. As other have suggested a mud room and three bedrooms are really a good idea, you can always turn the non use bedrooms into a studio, theater, guest room etc later on when the boys leave. It is a great approach to get ideas, to design the house, however I think that when you consider your brief, designing the whole site might be a better approach. What I mean is that you have to consider lot of external issues like, water harvesting and position of tanks, onsite sewage management of grey and black water, composting bins and maybe worm farming, tools storage for garden and maybe a propagating area, solar cells and on site power storage, as you get nothing these days for pumping up to the grid, maybe an eatable garden design, reference to flora and fauna, also there may be other animals on the site (pets), and the fire issue. There seems to be a lot going on on the peripherals as much as the internals of the design. As for a being advised of the oncoming possible bush fire, I would strongly suggest that you build a fire shelter, and hopefully you will be advised in time and leave before the fire comes - and never have to use the fire shelter, and it will be the best money you have wasted in your house design. It would be good if you could get some separation from your "remote working office area" , from the main house. I have been working from home for about 20 years and I find that a little separation from the main house helps in maintaining - work away from home - concept. Although you might plan for your clients never to visiting you, situations can change and maintaining a separate relationship between live areas, and work areas, may be beneficial in the long run. As your views are to the west, good verandahs which connect to living and outdoor activities may be a solution, your second design seems to incorporate this idea, and it might need to be extended especially for the rest of activities that might occur on the site. There is certainly a lot to think about, you have a fantastic site, I hope you will take full advantage of the possibilities. Regards Michael Manias - Manias Associates Building Designers - mm407p@gmail.com...See MoreCritique My House Plan
Comments (28)Hi spmm, "I agree about getting help but be aware that building designers have NO accreditation in Australia and can be appalling practitioners and very expensive. i speak from recent experience in regional NSW. Architects may appear to be more expensive but are capable of delivering a better result." That is an appalling description of an Association that is registered on every state in Australia and has an Australian representative Association in Canberra, based on your personal experience - unless its based on self interest. To the best of my knowledge all Building Designers that do Working Drawings must have Professional Indemnity insurance to provide working drawings for a building Permits, which is the only accreditation in my opinion that carries some worth for the clients, and like all organization they can be included and expelled from their respective associations and are accredited by their organizations. As for them being "very expensive", generally I would say that the buying public is no fool and people that do not deliver are generally out the game very quickly . You might like to inform yourself a bit further on this by contacting any of the Building Designers Association in your state or the Australian body, some are included underneath: Australia: http://www.nabd.com.au/ Australia: http://www.bdaa.com.au/ Victoria: https://www.bdav.org.au/ (may include Tasmania) Queensland: https://www.bdaq.com.au/ South Australia: http://www.bdasa.com.au/ Western Australia: http://bdawa.com.au/ Northern Territory: http://www.bdant.org.au/ Michael Manias - mm407p@gmail.com Manias Associates Building Designers...See MoreUndercover Architect
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