Hello L O, i think i can make some useful suggestions but can't read the writing on your plan: please show size of rooms in BIG numbers and an arrow pointing North

Sorry Oklouise, I didn't have an electronic PDF so had to take a photo of the paper copy. I'll try to get one tonight and upload it :) Thanks for everyone's comments so far, I will try and convince my partner to extend the bedroom/bathroom wing and make it a little longer so that the laundry can be larger, because I do agree there needs to be some room to sort, even a bench area might be a good idea if we can squeeze it in.

Hi there,

I have just commented on your other post re:bathrooms. Great to see some plans - do you mind if I ask what software have you used to produce them?

I personally believe that any home over 200 sq.m is just wasteful. Regardless of the size of your family or the amount of stuff you have, I passionately believe that good design and efficient planning is the answer not size. Australia has the biggest houses in the world.

soo.. I am very pleased to see you want a 'modest' home!

In terms of the design, the first thing I want to know is where in north? You should always congress the location of the sun when laying out any design.

Secondly, given your 'modest' aspirations, I think the area with the Pool Table in is pretty wasteful. I would remove this completely and move the lounge area over.

The laundry area looks a little bit tight to me. I would take the toilet out of there as you already have the spirit WC adjacent to the other bathroom which should be fine for a house of this size.

You might consider making the end bedroom and the master bedroom the same size and placing the laundry in what is now the linen cupboard. That way you group all of the services together around the bathroom and kitchen which is more more efficient. I would then put the linen store where the laundry is now at the ned of the corridor.

The reason why I say this is because, should you wish to at a later date, it would be much easier to remove a cupboard and extend the end bedroom out onto the deck to include an ensuite or WIR.

I hope this helps!

I love your plan Oklouise, thank you so much for doing that for us!! Will show it to my partner tonight. I was not exaggerating when I said we have done 50 versions of our plan...we have gone back and forth between ideas so many times. It's been a wild ride so far and we haven't even started building!

Thanks Architect Yourself as well for your ideas. We totally agree with you about big houses being wasteful. We all need to live more within our means! Apologies for not putting north on the plan. Because we have a large block, we have more freedom to place the house on the right angle, so the fireplace/living side of the house will face north.

Now in terms of the pool table area, I know this seems extravagant, and we have talked about cutting out the space, however I think it would be useful to have a little bit of extra room in the living area seeing as our bedrooms will be small. We actually don't have a pool table yet...but wanted the space in case we ever do, because who doesn't like playing pool!? We also thought that if we never end up having one, the space could be used for yoga, play area for children, cosy seating in front of the fireplace or dining. Anything really! Because it is cold here for a lot of the year, we can't really be doing these things outside so we do need a bit of space to move around/have fun inside.

I like your idea about the laundry/linen cupboard, we had actually originally put the laundry in that cupboard area before but were advised not to by our draftsman. I commented on my other bathroom post, I want to change that laundry/bathroom area. Whilst we are tight on space, I do want some space to hang clothes on an indoor line, because living in Tassie we can't dry clothes outside half the year. Currently we use our living room as a laundromat, which I really hate. Was thinking about closing off the laundry area with a bi-fold door or curtain...or just leaving it open, don't know yet. The sink would be a combined handwashing/laundry sink. What do you think?

The program my partner used to design is called Home Designer Suite :)

I think a second wc is a good idea even in a small house. I'd avoid putting it right next to the washing machine though. I also think accessibility to a proper washbasin is worth considering otherwise there's nowhere to wash your hands if there is something soaking in the laundry tub and someone else using the bathroom. I like oklouise's plan.

I prefer the plan done by oklouise but would make a few further suggestions.

For sound proofing with bedrooms adjacent to each other it is a good idea to back wardrobes together or adjacent to create sound barrier. Good to see the master has been moved away from the other bedrooms. This becomes more important with children.

Also agree about the need for a basin in with a toilet. I am not a fan of breaking up the bathroom as it costs more to construct and the bathroom ends up about the same size as your bedroom. II would also reconfigure your other space to include a toilet and shower. One other thing - remember it is more cost effective to keep your plumbing in the same zone. All the best

If this is a new build and you are building on a massive site, why is this so cramped. If you look at successful designs, the ones you go ahhh over, I am sure that they are not planned like this one.

Tasmania beautiful country, small house fantastic, views everywhere, great, you got that all right and then you designed a city house a type where you have setback restrictions all over the place.

It is always more difficult to turn a bad plan which is tightly designed and turn it into the wow factor a house you want to live in. you need to go crazy first, put in only the big rooms, what you want to see from them and what needs to be connected and scribble all that down. big circles, arrows pointing all over the place, do it on paper you can see through, than put the next design over the top of the last effort, number the sheets, and be brave enough to say i have gone too far, and go back a few steps.

Things like, the master must have a view and the toilet and laundry should not have the pride of place leading onto the deck. the living needs to face north, perfect, have you considered the winds in the area. Why is the whole house lifted to put a car under? Build a carport linked to say the kitchen, for ease of use, this roofed structure could be used as an extension later.

Why is this not spaced out to take advantage of the land, rooms with corridors, and to me if you don't need the 3 bedrooms, then make the rooms you need a feature. Future proof the house and make one end easily extendable and build it if you need it.

Why is the bathroom this crazy design with little rooms everywhere, i can go on and on.

This needs a total rethink, all the little areas will work, do the big ideas first and i can bet it does not look like this plan.

Sorry to sound like a pain in the butt, but you did ask and thank God you did if you build this you will be disappointed

. let me know if you need a start. Ros

Haha Ros, I'm not sure which plan you are referring to?? Our original one at the top or Oklouise's plan for us in the comments with the little rooms within the bathroom??

We have actually done many plans using all of our ideas, so this is well thought out to us. Whilst the land is big, there are other considerations e.g. water resevoir next door, neighbours, boulder area. But thank you so much for your ideas and help - we tweaked our original plan last night, I just don't have a version to upload here but I will later, would love your opinion :)

I'm wondering about access. Is the only way into the house via that steep flight of steps to entry? Not the best for the elderly, disabled, heavily pregnant, very young, etc. I'd take a belt-and-braces approach where possible; think 'just in case' of an accident or unforeseen illness; aim to make access as easy as you can and well lit and non-slip.

I do this for a living and i think the thinking behind the design is perfect, but too much designing has happened before the basics were worked out. Did you look at the shed in the main body of text on this site, if this was smaller this might suit you, you can build out of different materials, different look, but that house is fantastic. Ros

A few things to consider:

Wind protection - Wind chill in Nth Tas will cut through you. You may not get snow but you'll feel it so have protection such as walls, almost like courtyard area's. Design the whole site not just the dwelling itself as you will 'micro climates'.

Decks and balconies - Rarely used as much as mainlander's would use theirs but great to have for summer. Again wind protection is a must even in summer. Cafe Blinds are good as you can roll them up and down. The Tassie sun will burn you quicker than any mainland sun so shading is needed for summer. A 'Vergola' type of shade system would be worthwhile looking at as would a fixed blade system perhaps.

Entry area/s - Airlock types of entry as suggested above is a must have.

Garage - Internal access from garage is preferred even though it'll use up space via stairs if underneath for example. Carport cheaper but nowhere is an ideal solution so you'd need to consider where to put it, again the climate is considered even with something as minor. Having garage underneath may well be the best option!

Northern Solar Access - Probably the most important state in Australia to have this! Windows to get the sun inside into as many rooms as possible including bedrooms. Your bedrooms will be cold, cold, cold if on the South side, put them East, West or North. Make the house one room deep but long from East to West perhaps.

Insulation - Look at reverse brick veneer walls and insulate everywhere. Seal those gaps!

Glazing - Use high end windows and doors. Double glazing is great but well sealed unit are equally important as well. Double glaze the South side as a minimum.

Heating - A high end wood heater is great as is a wood stove with a 'wet back' for extra hot water heating may be a good option.

I lived just out of Launceston for 23 years and know what the climate is like. Spectacular!!

all true, good points

Something to consider - try to have the bathroom door not open straight onto the shower as, if someone needs help it is difficult to get to them. (Children, pregnant mum who feels faint, older people, knee reconstructions, other medical issues, etc.)

Hi. Looks neatly laid out and there's lots of good comments. I wouldn't do any bedrooms less than 3000 wide. 2700 is way too squeezy.

also a good comment, especially if you want to put in some bedside tables, or a double bed or bigger.

Hi there - a few things stand out to me... yes keep bedroom sizes no less than 3000mm wide, offset the door to the laundry so you can't see the toilet from the front door - yuk! Minimise/simplify number of piers by turning front porch 90º. Keep the footprint as simple as possible.

With oklouise's plan, which i think makes more sense, cut 300mm into each of the bedrooms and push out towards the left into the deck. Much better use of space. If west is to the left put a whole wall of cupboards along in bed 1 and get rid of the others, and add door out to deck on the (new) north wall. Do you really need a bath? Living in country they are wasteful of water even if it goes back onto your land. Alternatively have a combined shower/bath? Babies and toddlers wash quite well in the laundry tub then learn to shower with you or on their own quite happily. I'd make the shower a big bigger (and the cupboard on the hall side) and get rid of the bath.

Make sure you have excellent insulation in walls, ceiling and under floor. Consider hebel panels as flooring (also, the reinforced ones span great distances) and walls for both fire safety and insulation value. If possible look for ramp potential in case of disability and also for getting furniture into house. If you're in a fire zone make sure all windows and doors comply with your zone rating. And if you are building high up on piers make the external cladding is something that never needs painting and is minimal maintenance.

If you went with OkLouise's plan you could widen the hallway and put storage cupboards all the way along. Also what size is your drying rack and where will it go? I don't think there is enough room in the laundry.

Hi, looks like some great advice on here. I thought you might benefit for this article I published last week about budgeting and keeping your house modest: http://www.architectyourself.com/how-much-house-can-you-afford/

let me know what you think!

Thanks bigreader!

Hi LO, id love to chat you about this. Can you drop me a message?