Custom floor plan

9 years ago

We are building our first home and custom designed our floor plan. 2 adults, 2 kids (4&2), plus my elderly mother in law will be living in this home. The idea is to have a large open plan family/living area where most of the daily activities happen. The front door is facing East. Any thoughts on this floor plan design? I have intermittent concerns about the rooms being too small (3x3.2 for the bedrooms up the back of the home) and the main bathroom being too small. I love it, but it's such a big decision I want to be sure of it! Thanks :)

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PRO

palaestra

9 years ago

Hi,
good luck with your project.
The following opinions are provided with the intention of assisting you to refine your expectations of the design provided. My comments are limited by not having your brief for the design, nor knowing where it is located, butI will provide an honest assessment of the information you have provided. It might get tough; but then you are about to chuck a very large sum of money into this. It easy to re-draw a wall. It is considerably harder to move one made of bricks. Evidently you have already invested time & energy into this. It might feel like a setback, but honestly its best to find out now, not later.

The scan provided of you plan lacks some of the dimensions, so its hard to tell the relative sizes of some things.
Secondly, no lot boundary is shown, no north point is shown, so comments about rooms relative to one another are disconnected from any understanding of site, or where the sun might fall, which is critical.
Thirdly, one might consider this idea: 'plan is organisation, section is beauty' - Santiago Calatrava (search engine him). I assume this building is being made through a project home company, and my second assumption there is that you will be getting minimum ceiling heights (2400mm). My comment here is that your main rooms will have a very low feeling proportion given the width of the design relative to the height. It is a very deep plan at 13 meters wide. Cross ventilation, sun penetration - neither of those things is going to happen. It will be a dark house, due to the very very deep plan, no matter where north is. The organisation of the plan is inextricably linked with the vertical proportion of space. Everything effects everything - something I'm sure you have noticed as you have moved through your design process. The idea I'm getting at, is that the section (the drawing vertically through the building - plan being a horizontal section, yes?) is critical to your understanding of the space you are making.
Fourth: to the plan (as organisation) - the room with the strongest connection to the outside is the garage. The 'alfresco' space is possibly on the small side for any gathering of people around a table, & as mentioned by others your entry is comparatively vast. the Alfresco will in all likelihood be facing the boundary fence, which looks like it might be only a matter of 1800mm (6 feet) away. Again, with a 6 foot fence there, its true nature is revealed in section drawing. You might prefer an organisation where a living space has a strong connection to a landscaped area.
The kitchen - many peoples' expectations are of a more inclusive participatory kind of space - hence the rise of the island bench. It gives a social space for the activities of socialising around cooking, or kids completing homework, or just hanging about without being in the way. Current arrangement in relation to the dining space means that kitchen clutter is always in full view.
Sixth: bedrooms 2 & 3: beware bathroom noises.
7th: bed 4 gets a dud relation to the rest of the house regarding connection straight into main living space. Potential noise issues.
8th: none of the bedrooms has any cross ventilation. Stuffy rooms.
9th: people store stuff in their garages. You'll just fit two cars. Back to that big entry: one could re-align that common wall to provide storage space in the garage.
10th: have you tried to furnish that living space? Draw some furniture on small papers, move then around to see if you can find an arrangement that feels good. I think it will be hard - where in the room is well formed enough to furnish comfortably?
talk to your project home company about better environmental performance for this building. It will not perform adequately on either ventilation or thermally, due to the depth of plan, orientation & lack of cross ventilation. What that means is, that after its built it will continue to cost you more money than it should because it will require energy input.

Again, sorry it all sounds like bad news. But there are many things to be dealt with.
I wish the best with your project - get your project home builder to offer better advice on the design. Make them work a little harder for you.

Charles

Comments (49)

Ashleigh Hunter
9 years ago
Your entry is quite large so if you wanted to make the main bathroom bigger you could pinch space from there?

Also I noticed you don't have a bath but you have a double vanity and a vanity in the toilet? I personally think there needs to be a bath in a house so I'd try to fiddle with the layout to fit one in. That's just my personal preference though :)
sootsprite
9 years ago
My inclination is to have bedroom 4 where the theater is, so it has immediate access to the bathroom. When the kids are older, they will not want to walk through the family room to get to the bathroom.
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its ot easy to remove that brick pillar. 1. load bearing 2. power comes through it - i have to cut the concrete floor to chase the power down or need to leave a small post there. 3. would make a big mess knocking down all that brick, attaching new steel beams etc, then it wont match the ceiling and cornice, just too many works with council plans and permits, the cost outweighs the look i believe. i could just cover it with something nice and hang some photos, put a notice board, reminder board etc. to answer the above, only planning to put 2 stools in the island. can we please focus on the design, i mean the drawer and cupboard sizes and its positions, placement etc and lets not discuss more about the pillar. Few things 1. The kick boards are 100mm high as opposed to 150mm to give more space in drawers 2. Cutlery drawers are 100mm high 3. Bottle/spices/plates drawers are 200mm high 4. Pot drawers are 380mm high 5. Fridge over heads are 350mm high i believe any wine/liquor bottle will fit in that height 6. Other overheads are 350mm high and 350mm deep with push open doors 7. kitchen bench to overhead height is 580mm, cooktop to rangehood height is 780 7. total kitchen height is 2400mm 8. pls check the wine rack spacing 9. there is two open shelves under the overheads to put small glasses and some plates for quick access 10. pull out bin near the sink 11. 860mm single bowl sick with add on bowl and drainer etc 12. fully integrated dish washer 13. cupboard next to it 14. microwave and cutlery drawers are in the island opposite to fridge and cooktop 15. push open cupboards under the island where the overhang is. 16. There is not dedicated pantry in the design, my pantry consists of 600mm deep drawers, a bench and 450mm deep over heads, bench to overhead height is 430mm, plan is to put the small appliances in the bench. wife doesnt want it to be closed as she doesnt want another door to open everytime she needs to access a toaster or so, or putting a big door will expose the internals of the cupboard when we access the toaster, in her terms just exposing the appliances by itself is better than exposing everything in the shelf. To summarise i have 100mm high drawers in 2400mm length(cutleries) 200mm high drawers in 7800mm length(spices, places, biscuits, other small bits and pieces) 380mm high drawers in 4500mm length(mostly for pots, pans and other long bottles) 180mm high drawers in 900mm length floor cupboard in 3800 length 350mm high overhead cupboards in 4500mm length 5400mm shelves in the pantry 10000mm bench space.
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haephestus
9 years ago
From what you said in the other thread, you intend for your MIL to have the main bedroom and ensuite and for yourselves and two children to have the smaller bedrooms and all share the main bathroom?

I'm not sure how practical or comfortable that will be for your all, especially as your children become teenagers. As a minimum, if you can afford it, I would look at making all of the bedrooms bigger. 3m x 3.2m isn't small, but it's also not large. I would also look at trying to create a three-way bathroom where both the shower and the toilet are in separate/enclosed areas away from the vanities. That way, one person can be in the shower, one in the toilet and two people could still use the vanities when getting ready in the morning.

It would be great if bedrooms 2, 3 and 4 and the main bathroom (and potentially even the theatre room) could form a separate "wing" which is accessible from a single hallway. Also, with younger children, you may want to consider having a bath in the main bathroom.

Also, will the ensuite be suitable for an elderly person, particularly if your MIL requires a wheelchair or walker later in life?

Finally, you should consider your furniture requirements and placement in the open living space. For example, which wall do you intend to put your TV on and how do you want the sofas arranged around the TV. If bedroom 4 is to be used for a young child, then having the TV on at night might prevent them from sleeping since that bedroom opens directly into the family area.

Good luck!
bigreader
9 years ago
I think you'd get more space for the same outlay by going with a volume builder.

At least have a look at their floor plans.

They have invested a lot of dollars in getting the best use of space in their designs.

As above, respectfully: your bedrooms are too small, opening a bedroom into the living is s mistake, your entry is too big and your main bathroom is too small.
Tilly
9 years ago
I know you say the back bedrooms are 3x3.2 but that's not what the plans are saying. They are saying 2200x1600.
I suggest you create furniture to scale. Get a triangular scale ruler from office works, this will make it super easy.
I currently have a house on the market, think it may be a good room and garage comparisment. (Plus I don't know how to send photos) go to Ljhooker City residential. Click on..our team.
Scroll to Brendan Smith. Click to listings. Address 21 Royal street.
There is a plan to compare. The garage is comfortable for 2 medium cars. The smaller bedrooms are approx 3x3.
Re check your sizes and then let me know, mainly bedrooms and garage and then I'll try and help. Thx
Cleo Liew
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you everyone for your feedback! Lots for us to think about this weekend and I think you are right about the potential lack of ventilation and darkness in the house. The rooms are definitely 3x3.2m. And as mentioned in the original post, the main door faces East.... North is in about the 2 o'clock position. Will update once we decide what we want to do here!
Tilly
9 years ago
Iv never sent a photo before, hope you get it.
Basically the same plan but added more storage. You'll notice I put the laundry in the garage, i did this and love it. I have overhead cupboards. The reason I put a nib wall and a walk in shower is because there's less cleaning, somewhere to stand shampoo and my pet hate is not being able to clean the gap between the shower and vanity.
As you say the bedrooms are just over 3x3, plenty big enough.
Hope this helps.
winton50
9 years ago
Hi,
There are so many things to think about when you build a new home. You get the chance to build a home that will suit your own family but unfortunately there are other things like money and land size that can force you to adjust your dreams. We are in the process of building. It took a long time to finally sign off on the plans.
Personally, I wouldn't have any bedroom opening onto a living area. Access to the bathroom and noise being factors, especially if you are intending to stay in the home till your children are teenagers.
Where will you spend outdoor time? If all your living areas open to the side fence, how much space is there to have parties etc.
I also agree that the entry space is very large and could be better used. If you haven't already, go and measure exhibition home entries and see what that size feels like.
Keep adjusting until you are happy with your plans. Good luck.
susan_66
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
One big happy family room can be good most of the time - but somewhere where people can have a quiet space (if they need it) is good to have. (At some stage, for example, you will have one child in high school, needing more time for homework, and another in primary school, still wanting to play with games or friends). At the moment, the only quiet spaces are bedrooms (where noise will still come through the door) or the home theatre - perhaps think about making the theatre a dual theatre/study/office space?

Now, I lived with an elderly father for many years, and we built a house to suit his last years. Make sure you have 'grab rails' installed in the shower and toilet for the en suite (if your mother-in-law will have the master bedroom) or in the main bathroom. Actually, probably won't hurt to have them in all bathrooms! Make sure all doorways are wide enough for wheelchairs, and that you can turn one around in the bathroom she will mainly use. Have a large shower - look at ones with no 'step' (i.e. the floor tiles continue without interruption) and one that is large enough to place a shower chair in. Rather than having a fixed shower head, get one on a flexible hose (I've forgotten the brand we had, but there was hook on the wall where you could fix it to be a regular shower, and then also use it as a handheld shower).

If your mother-in-law is using the main bedroom, you need to rethink the en suite access: it should be direct, rather than having to walk through the wardrobe. In her bedroom, get the electrician to put sockets about half a metre up the wall (rather than at floor level) so she can reach them easily.

If you have all drawers rather than cupboards in the kitchen, this will also make it easier for her to prepare her own meals when she wants to, and contribute to communal meals. (And frankly, it's so much easier to open a drawer rather than crouch down and scrabble in the back of a cupboard, even when you're not elderly!)

Perhaps check with your local council - in Victoria, there are council people who go to the homes of the elderly and assess them for ease of living and safety for the elderly - and see if they can give you a list of things to consider, or someone to talk to. Little things like having 'lever' doorhandles (easier for arthritic hands) instead of round doorknobs, and similarly mixer taps rather than traditional 'turn' ones.

Good luck with it all, and I congratulate you for having your mother-in-law live with you. It will be wonderful for your children, and while nerves may fray at times, one day you will look back and realise how it has enriched your life.
PRO
Neo Building Design
9 years ago
Hi, I think there are a few issues with this plan, some of the other comments covered them but something that you probably might want to consider is the passage width and door sizes for bedrooms and in particular the bathroom if your elderly Mother in law. Circulation space in the bathroom and in her bedroom should also be considered.

Maybe all the bedrooms don't need to be bigger but it wouldn't hurt to make hers a little larger so there is good access.

There is a lot of wasted space in the design, particularly the entry and the meals area and the alfresco is tiny. Some reallocation of space without making the house larger should be easy enough. I would have a talk with your designer, make sure they understand your situation. At the moment I don't think the plans reflect that too well. Good luck!
oklouise
9 years ago
Size and arrangement of rooms is dependant on the shape and size of your block of land and the direction of sun and views etc it costs no more to re-arrange the rooms it's not the size of the room but the placement of the "walkways" that will make the rooms work. Eg Think about access from car to kitchen with two small children and a week's groceries; if the garage was swopped with the master suite then you could walk from garage through laundry to kitchen and the master suite could be on the brighter side of the house (assuming that the solar panels are facing north) and you could have access from master bath to alfresco for use of the toilet when entertaining. Reduce the size of the entry hall to no more than 1.5 wide and use a glass sidelight to the front door instead of a window and add the saved space to the other rooms. Where will grandma sleep? If she had the master suite there would be room to create a quiet sitting area for her and mum and dad could be next to the kids....
zi_ppity
9 years ago
My bigger concern would be that you have mentioned your elderly mother living with you. If I was you I would be considering a sort of self contained section for your mother which would contain a bedroom and bathroom along the lines of a wet room. I say this so that it would be easier for her to access a shower chair if necessary or a mobile (wheeled) shower chair if and when the time comes. There would be no lintel for her to possibly trip on and as time moved on whereby she could be undressed in her bedroom, it would allow that mobile shower chair to be wheeled directly from her room to over the toilet then into the shower section. Maybe also making the bedroom a tad bigger (though this could be eliminated if she is in a single bed) to allow her room for a chair and her own tv to watch at those elevated levels we older people so need. So this is what i would consider if I were you :
1) If practicable, a single garage with carport in front
2) Moving bedroom 4 to the top beside the garage (thereby reducing the width of the entry)
3) Moving bedroom 3 across to the now vacated position (of bed 4)
4) You could now push the bathroom and toilet to the right creating space for your mother's bathroom.
5) Switching the alfresco and family areas thereby creating a quieter space next to bed 3
I can easily see the needs of the elderly as I've worked in nursing homes, as well we are trying to get our house plans sorted and I too am moving toward that age quicker than I want, we have 4 adults (2+1+1) and 2 teens 17 & 19 to fit into our plans. Understandably it's not easy to balance your needs with your bank account and land size, nor to get the plan right for now and the future, I can only wish you good luck with it all.
kooky_karen
9 years ago
Just a couple of ideas for you.
1. The bedrooms are only for sleeping in so they don't need to be enormous (3 x 3.5 definitely large enough). Although your mother-in-law may want for some alone time, so a larger room for a recliner, tv, etc will be needed. I would make the home theater her room, with a door off the hallway and have the 4th bedroom as the home theatre/rumpus room.
2. The entrance is a lot of waste space - what about narrowing it and putting storage cupboards in the garage?
3. The door to the en-suite, through the WIR - what if visitors need to use your toilet - unless you keep your WIR spotlessly tidy, they will see it all. Reverse the position of shower and toilet and have a door from the bedroom instead.
4. Definitely do not need a large double shower for the children's bathroom or two basins. But I think you do need a bath.
5. I love the basin in the toilet. I am building a new home at the present and I have a rectangular half basin in my toilet.
6. Not enough bench top in the kitchen - why not have an L shape with lots of cupboards or drawers?
7. The alfresco blocks out the light. Have you thought about a pergola with pleated blinds that can be drawn out during summer and retracted during the days are dark and dreary.
mandyf21
9 years ago
We built 20+ years ago and my 2 boys bedrooms were 3x3 and it is too small. Especially once they turn into teenagers and need king single or bigger beds. Try and avoid bedrooms off main living area - noise issue mainly, also if there isn't much ventilation and they want to leave their bedroom doors open.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you everyone for taking the time go share your insights and advice! We did a complete overhaul of our floor plan, took much of what you guys said into consideration plus our own needs and this is what we have now.

Master ensuite - this will be for my mother in law and she has specifically requested that the entrance to the ensuite not to be directly facing the bed in any way (old superstitions!) so we have tried to respect that as much as possible.

Main bath - husband, myself, and 2 kids will be sharing it so we decided on the double shower and double vanity. Mainly because the kids usually shower together with one of us, and hubby and I like showering together to save time as well. The kids are always fighting over who uses the sink first to brush teeth/wash hands/etc so double sink would solve that problem! We've lived in homes both with and without baths before and hubby is pretty adamant he doesn't want a bath. In his words, "I don't want my 14 year old to one day decide that she wants a good long soak in the bath tub, wasting all that water and hogging a shared bathroom."

Patio - I decided to add a patio at the back as a clothes drying area, and to act as something like a mudroom where the kids can come through the laundry after playing in the backyard to deposit muddy shoes and wash their hands and feet or use the toilet if they have to.

Any further comments welcome!

Thanks!!!
Cleo Liew
Original Author
9 years ago
Oh I forgot to add that the main entry faces East. So we've put all the bedrooms on the South, minimised the number of windows out West and all living areas facing North. We'll have eaves at the rear and front of the house.
kooky_karen
9 years ago
Cleoliew - now that you have explained the reasons for your first design, it makes more sense. But I do like the second design more. Ensuite and WIR look good and the bedrooms are away from living area. Back patio a great idea - giving easy access to toilet. Alfresco allows more light and open to the back garden. I would change the corner window in rumpus room - get rid of it and have a sliding door under the alfresco so children have easy access to undercover play area. Only other change I would make is to WIP - I would move the fridge to garage wall (where microwave is) and add a door to pantry, even if it has to be bi-fold. For more space in pantry, and I am only guessing, that the black spot is for heating Return Air, move it to linen cupboard; changing coat cupboard to all linen.
haephestus
9 years ago
With two children and your MIL, I would consider re-instating the fourth bedroom if possible. When your children are teenagers, you may appreciate being about to place them in separate bedrooms.

In general, I think the new plan works well, especially the separation between the main bedroom from the other bedrooms and the separation of the bedrooms from the living space,

However, with four people sharing the same bathroom, I would consider turning the main bathroom into a three-way bathroom, even if it meant combining the "vanities" with the laundry. Your children may be happy to shower with you now, but they may grow out of that soon. And if they're opposite sex, then it's unlikely they'll want to shower together.

I would also consider the placement of the fridge in the kitchen. I'm no chef so the "golden triangle" rule about kitchens doesn't bother me too much, but the placement of the fridge, stove and sink looks a little clunky. And unless you keep your pantry very tidy, you may wish you had included a door if you entertain a lot as I find that guests almost always end up congregating in the kicthen for at least part of the evening.

Finally, I would consider how you want the rumpus room to work. Is it meant to include your sole TV or a second TV? If you have TVs in both the family and rumpus room, you could end up arguing about the volumes as each will be trying to drown the other out. If the rumpus room will be a home theatre, then you should include a door and you may want to reconsider the corner window as it might be hard to find a window covering that will provide complete darkness for the true home theatre experience. Sound proofing between the rumpus and the family/dining would also probably be a good idea.
bigreader
9 years ago
The second design is 100% better.

But your poor daughter where taking a long bath is considered a bad thing.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks guys. Haha I know, I love my baths too. But hubby grew up in a frugal zero waste household and he cannot get over the wastage that is a full tub of water for soaking in. We'll head to the local hot springs to do that instead! :)
serendipity01
9 years ago
cleoliw am so glad your plans are working out! Just wondering though you and your DH will be in Kids room will it be big enough? And you lost bed 4 ? So your kids will be sharing ?On another note I put in a spa in the ensuite it is my stress relief! The goal is to relax once a week, the reality once every 6 weeks and during the drought ..none for 3.5 years.!!!As for the double sink and showers- brilliant idea!
Cleo Liew
Original Author
9 years ago
I hope the rooms will be big enough! We plan to keep the bedrooms as bedrooms, so literally just for sleeping. The kids want to share, so we'll keep them together for a few more years. If they ever need their own rooms we could convert the rumpus into another bedroom.

Our house size is actually very limiting. 13.8m wide and only 18.5m deep. So we had to compromise some in order to improve the flow of the house... And yes including the 4th bedroom which is now a smaller study.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
9 years ago
We changed the kitchen pantry area! The comment above made sense, not sure why we did it that way to begin with. You guys are incredibly helpful!
serendipity01
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
cleoliew your house just keeps improving! As for converting the rumpus down the track, great back up plan.
PRO
La Classe Casa
8 years ago
Just looking at the progress of this 'design dilemma' and I'm quite impressed with the transformation you have made! I always encourage my clients to think about the future as well as the present and cater for both! All the best and good luck!
Tara
8 years ago
I would make the swap movie room with mother in law sweet and give access, also...you need a powder room. Guests, kids, grandma may not do so well with one toilet.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
I thought I'd pop in with an update. I've worked tirelessly on our floorplan and I think we finally have what we want that takes into account solar passive design as best as we can! To recap, the main entry to the house faces E so all main living areas are orientated N with bedrooms facing S. We also changed our driveway crossover to the SE side of the house to open up the N aspect.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
I thought I'd pop in with an update. I've worked tirelessly on our floorplan and I think we finally have what we want that takes into account solar passive design as best as we can! To recap, the main entry to the house faces E so all main living areas are orientated N with bedrooms facing S. We also changed our driveway crossover to the SE side of the house to open up the N aspect.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
I thought I'd pop in with an update. I've worked tirelessly on our floorplan and I think we finally have what we want that takes into account solar passive design as best as we can! To recap, the main entry to the house faces E so all main living areas are orientated N with bedrooms facing S. We also changed our driveway crossover to the SE side of the house to open up the N aspect.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
I thought I'd pop in with an update. I've worked tirelessly on our floorplan and I think we finally have what we want that takes into account solar passive design as best as we can! To recap, the main entry to the house faces E so all main living areas are orientated N with bedrooms facing S. We also changed our driveway crossover to the SE side of the house to open up the N aspect.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
I thought I'd pop in with an update. I've worked tirelessly on our floorplan and I think we finally have what we want that takes into account solar passive design as best as we can! To recap, the main entry to the house faces E so all main living areas are orientated N with bedrooms facing S. We also changed our driveway crossover to the SE side of the house to open up the N aspect.
zi_ppity
8 years ago
What a great improvement all round. Bedrooms are all a fair size, your m-i-l has plenty of space, living areas are all good sizes too. I am guessing bedroom 4 to be yours as it has a private patio area ? With our original design, when handed to an architect, he told us we had it right (without even knowing we'd done so) by putting all the living spaces on the northern side and bedrooms on the southern as that's how our, what I understand to be a very fussy and strict council, demands. Congratulations I think you have finally achieved what you set out to do.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
Bedroom 4 is to be our study. The patio is actually our dedicated space for drying clothes. 5 people in the household=a lot of laundry. I wanted a sunny spot that is still shaded from drizzle and bird poo. A landing spot for children and their muddy feet after playing in the garden too I guess, being able to shed their dirty clothes in the laundry and clean up a bit before entering the house if they have to. Kids and us will take bedrooms 2 & 3 and share the powder and common bath. I really hope this will be the perfect design for us!
bigreader
8 years ago
So glad you've come up with something that'll work for you.

So much better than your first try.

Think I'll post my upcoming renovation plans here. Very helpful people on Houzz.
jbantick
8 years ago
Looks okay but change laundry to being 1800 wide if you have the room. The current width you'll find is a bit narrow once the dwelling is constructed. Also amend your dimensions to 'Brick Dimensions' where possible. This is a better way to design in particular if the dwelling is to be brick. Some dimensions can't be to 'Brick Dimensions' but the majority should be. Nothing worse than a bricky cutting bricks or a builder cutting standard size material to suit a room that wasn't designed to these dimensions. Your main bedroom should be 3600 x 3720 rather than 3600 x 3700. Family Dining 5880 x 6480, etc..
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
I don't quite understand what you mean by using brick dimensions for the rooms... Why would that be necessary if there are no bricks in internal walls?
mattban
8 years ago
It affects the bricks on the outside such as an external wall overall length, building materials come in standard sizes that suit brick dimensions such as plasterboard, window and door sizes. Quite a number of reasons actually. Nothing worse than a Bricky cutting a 30mm thick slither of brick to finish off a face brick wall.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
Ah I see thanks for clarifying! I'll speak to my builder about it and have them work it in when drawing up the working plans... I drew these myself with a pencil and ruler so it's hard to get into the smaller dimensions.
PRO
La Classe Casa
8 years ago
Just a suggestion, by looking at your latest drawing. Would you be interested in moving the house over maybe 900mm and that way your home won't be on the boundary of your block of land. Authorities usually take longer to approve a design if the dwelling is on the boundary. And you will also be able to put an eave on the garage making the structure more stable for the future.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
We did consider that but we've maxed out our allowable building width to allow 600mm eaves all around. So 1800mm down the right side to allow 600mm eaves plus standard requirement of 1200mm space for natural light. Only the garage would be on the boundary so hopefully that will be okay... Almost all houses built in our area have their garage set on the boundary so hopefully that means approval won't be a big issue.
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
Unless it's a 400mm eave on the side of the garage and since there are no windows on the garage we would only need to move it by 400mm pretty much. Hmm. I'll have a think about that. Thanks!
Tara
8 years ago
Looks great.....I have one comment...where is the powder room?....looks like the combo bath between the two rooms are of European style- separate toilet....if that is the case, I recommend a small powder room.
Connie
8 years ago
my 2 bobs worth. as someone who works with the elderly-the en-suite for your MIL is still not right. if she ever needs walking assistance,especially with a frame, getting past that door into the en-suite will be a nightmare. swap the vanity position for the shower. ensure there is no step-down into the shower area, and ditch the shower screen for a curtain. will make access much easier. especially if she ever needs assistance showering..it will be virtually impossible, and dangerous, with your current design.

thinking long term..MIL will not always be there with you, so presumably you and your hubby will at some point end up in the master bedroom? consider the long terms implications of this-no good building something that suits her now, but would need major modification to suit your needs later.

I would actually do away with the WIR at this time. Plan to add it later, if you would want it for yourself, but i would just use free standing furniture for her-no doubt she probably has her own, so it would be nice to have some of her own furnishings when she moves in with you - to make it feel more like her home. it will free up some floor space, and make access to the ensuite easier, without having to turn corners.

I would also do away with the extended passage into the master. Take that door back in line with the other bedroom. Currently, it adds nothing, and may well limit your furniture placement for your family room, as the walkway will need to go around it.

i have issue with the 2 person shower and double vanity in the same room. s the kids get older, they /you probably wont be comfortable using the room when you are showering, so mornings will be slowed down. Have you considered a 3 way bathroom/toilet/vanity area? We had this in our house, and it was the best decision ever. The shower and bath were in one room, with a separate toilet, and then a double vanity which opened to the passage. Everyone could use everything at the same time, without encroaching on each others privacy.

Not sure about your state -but here, the toilet door would have to open out-if someone collapses in the powder room, you would not be able to get in with the door opening in, as they would be blocking the door.

I do empathize with your dilemmas. We have spent 7 years planning an extension and remodel, then 2 years (!!!) working on the design with an architect, going backwards and forwards, and then the last 12 months nearly, changing and fine-tuning along the way as things were being built. It is not easy, but worth it. Having said that, you are unlikely to ever get it perfect, as your needs will change, your likes/dislikes will vary, and you will see other peoples homes and go "why didn't we do that". (Now if only i could take that on board myself, LOL)
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and offer your valuable suggestions! I'm meeting our builder tomorrow so will talk to him a little more about these points. About the WIR in the master, my MIL has always wished for a WIR of her own, she's never had one before and has always dreamed of one. She's moving here from overseas where she lives alone now, so won't be bringing any furniture with her. And I think we owe it to her to fulfil her wish for a WIR! Seems like such a simple one when we are custom building (you'd think!). We might widen all the walkways and spaces to make it more friendly for mobility issues down the tracks perhaps. More to think about!

Cheers
Cleo
Cleo Liew
Original Author
8 years ago
First rule of design = function over form. And for a $200k budget including all fixtures, a small functional home that suits our basic needs as a first home buyer/builder is all we need. Not that your comment merits any response, but I've had an emotional day with deaths in my life so I'll just leave you with one saying I grew up with "if you have nothing nice or constructive to say, go away."
Pazz
8 years ago
Ignore the trolls cleoliew... keep up the good work and looking forward to further updates :)
PRO
Dreambath Sanitaryware Factory
6 years ago
Do you need to change the stone resin bathtub for you bathroom?
Ruth BT
6 years ago
Hi Cleo, how did your house build go? Are you happy with the outcome. Most importantly is your MIL happy?

Custom floor plan

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