where is north ?

are you intending to have a corridor to the bedrooms and studio ? from your living area?

I'd have a two way door to the WC (master) for emergencies ie. rearrange your laundry so it can also open into the laundry so when two people needs it they don't have to trample into your bedroom especially when you entertain.

I haven't been following your posts ..so not sure what the plans are..can you please post? is the living area near entry or out the back ?

just a thought ..this way you'd have your walk in and a galley kitchen..not sure what your dimensions are..

wasn't thinking but if you open door to pantry you can go through to laundry not through kitchen as I've drawn there

I can't do huge amounts of detail with where items are because the program is limited (and free) so hopefully this makes sense

I don't have an issue with dining room at the front. Future buyers might even like it as a home office option.

Okay, so here is my up to date, as much as I can think of having put into it. Go for gold and let me know what issues you can see.

We live in zone 1 so we are hot all year round with cooler afternoons so the afternoon sun will be fine as far as I can tell. The breeze here comes from north west so the orientation should hopefully reflect the lovely breeze that comes up off our creek.

I'd turn your pantry to the other side so you can have access to your dining table without having to go around the pantry

Thanks Vy but I would definitely like to keep the ensuite private, it's not really a part of our house I would be willing to share

Vy, do you think it would really be worth putting the pantry on the other end of the kitchen when we more often talk to people watching tv while cooking dinner, rather than actually sitting down at a table for out meal?

We mostly chat while I make tea and my partner is parked on the lounge, we eat at the island, the dining table would be more for formal lunches when it's too summery outside.

neither end is ideal thus I did it as a galley kitchen for you..

depends on your daily use..and what works really..

Bundy Alm I used room sketcher, it has limitations, like you have to pay $20 to print your floorplan. So that's a pain, but oh well.

I have decided to drop back the wall of the master suite and walk in (it was huge) and increase the size of the living room and also orient the furniture the other way. Would be more welcoming I think to walk into a house and see the living area rather than a direct line of sight to the back garden.

great idea..living area always takes first priority although it is nice to have a big bedroom..we utilise the living area more..

also when guests comes there's room to move about.

my whole apartment totals about 16-17 squares ..we have two living areas..our living room which includes dining is roughly 4.5m by 8m then we've got a study that's 5.7m by 4m and 4 bedrooms and a mezzanine which equals a single bedroom.

our bedrooms are tiny..I've got an ensuite..no WIR just a BIR..

the only regret in moving into a smaller space is we can only entertain in Summer out on our deck as our living area is too small..

Vy, when we lived in an apartment in Sydney we had parties in the local Masonic hall two doors away. No messing up my place, no annoying the neighbours, my bin wasn't overflowing. Since moving to my current house we've had lots of parties at local venues and halls. Well worth the small rental.

rikkisteph..looking much better ..just placements of your doors..into bathroom blocks the WC..needs to swing it the other way ..

same with bedroom door blocking WIR

another thought is not to have a wall where dining is ..leave it open then you can move your kitchen up to make more room for your living area..it also gives you room for another through way to your corridor to WC..rather than from living room have to walk through kitchen and around to access that bedroom corridor.

I'd always place the main bathroom between the 2 bedrooms that way better access plus more privacy..

at the moment I'm still trying to get another wall put in between ours and our daughter..sharing a wall there's no privacy at all..

Tribbletrouble ..we do hire for staff parties..bad thing is carting the food over and then carting the rubbish back home as cannot leave rubbish there..

private parties I rather at home..we do entertain at the beach house too..much more better as more room to move..

Strange they don't let you leave the rubbish there. I see it as part of the rental, tho I do clean up.

Which brings me back to the op, don't try to make your house do everything. Everyday life is more important than entertaining. Teens need their own space as they grow older. Small kids need supervision and sight lines. How do you need to live day to day?

Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek - childless at the moment, would probably consider in about 5 years, we still have a lot of living to do.

C P, I can see what you would mean. We would put sliding/stacking french doors to the entry of the outdoor area so the entire area would have light. Would even consider some well place velux skylights. Only issue there is we live in Category 5 cyclone country, so don't want to be putting any weak areas into our roof.

Vy - yes the door swings are ALL wrong, sadly the program only game me a selection of "swing in" or "swing out." Would definitely put more consideration into how the doors swing into rooms to make sure that there is as much privacy into rooms as possible.

Riki, then you will need to plan for safety for small children. In open plan kitchen/living its very hard to block them from pulling down hot pans etc. Broken plan can at least accommodate baby gates.

You don't want the master bedroom so far away from the nursery. Night feeds, nappy changes, health checks, require closer proximity. Even with closed circ TV, as I had with my firstborn, there's still a trek both ways on Winters nights, necessitating heating to the entire house overnight, not just one wing.

Sightlines and open /broken plan living I have already mentioned. To cut the noise, some people achieve that with tempered glass doors. I had a stable door to my son's nursery wing. (Also called Dutch doors, if you're googling).

before I forget ..if you have the budget for it go for one of these..a bit more expensive but don't think much more than louvres..it would bring the much needed light into your kitchen /living room..

We have skylights, highlight windows..and a sunroof that slides open..nothing beats the sunroof..on beautiful days I'd leave it open to sit out our apartment..they are rain sensored..

the glass weights tonnes so no issue of it flying off..

http://www.tilt-industrialdesign.com/projects/glebe-glass-sliding-roof/

no, I posted on the Australian site and it's in QLD. At this stage we're not worrying about what way a door is swinging, however having had cavity sliders in all of our past houses, and the difficulty in cleaning them, there is no way they'll be coming into a house we build

I agree with Gribble, if you end up with small children, you will want their bedrooms close to you. If you are worried about privacy, invest in acoustic insulation.

Lollol!

you can do an external slider now..

You mentioned being in the Top End. I'd consider a serious revision, best done with an experienced designer, to improve the ventilation and thermal comfort of your home. The current deep plan will result in a lack of air movement, dark spaces, a reliance on air conditioning and some very large (and increasing) power bills.

Breezeways are great.

I think anyplace there is a toilet, there needs to be a place to wash hands without touching a door knob. Germs..can't live with them, can't live without them...

One other comment. We have a bedroom off the great room but we set the door back by building out the wall with a fireplace. It helps with sight lines. We used built ins on the left to hide the TV when we have company, and the fireplace is a woodburning BIZ which heats the entire house (we live in a forest,,) the side is for firewood storage and we keep matches, batteries, flashlights in that area, but it does help when our guests are on the sofa from seeing right into the bedroom.

Old post from 2016