Haha!!! That is my appalling writing! 2CBE is actually ROBE :) I should've also preempted my post with 'can not write very clearly' lol. Sorry about that.

Thank you oklouise, I thought as much with the ensuite toilet... thank you for making it 'clear' :)

That's great there is room for a shower in the studio! Excellent!

I'm so impressed with your ideas! After reading lots of posts & seeing you helping others, I was stoked to see your reply:)

Thank you so much :)

Did you think the flow of the kitchen, pantry & laundry was ok?

glad you're pleased...the kitchen is OK but i need to know what you'd like to have in the kitchen because it has to suit your family eg what do you expect to use the pantry sink for, where would you want a dishwasher, do you like double sinks, how many sink drainers do you like, what will you store in the pantry, what type of stove (size not brand) oven and fridge and/or freezers do you want, do you plan to wash up in the pantry, do you have crockery and cutlery for "good" and everyday, do you do a lot of baking, do you already have or plan to have lots of kitchen equipment, saucepans, cake tins, appliances etc etc ...describe how you like to work in the kitchen, pantry and laundry and where you plan to have a clothesline

Thoughts about the kitchen/butlers pantry... ideally, the butlers pantry will have a double sink or one large sink, dishwasher, kettle, toaster & house other major appliances. I'm thinking breakfast & lunches will be prepared in the butlers pantry so the main kitchen stays mostly keen during the day - while dinner will be done in the main kitchen so I can be a part of the crazy dinner night time family routine... wouldn't want to miss it :)

I would still like a double sink or large sink in the main kitchen.

The island would be used as a breakfast bar & hopefully one end might have shelves so I can display recipe books.

Fridge in the kitchen with a large stand alone freezer in the butters pantry which will hold lots of pre cooked frozen dinners.

Oven needs to be a decent size... currently have a 60cm stainless steel wall oven & it's definitely not big enough for our family. In saying that, I haven't really shopped around either. It will need to be up high in a tower (away from little fingers), preferably with the microwave.

We have a traditional roast every Sunday night... while I bake cookies/cakes for the kids & hubby every week, along with 2-3 more meals in the oven. The remaining 50% of our weekly meals would be stove top, grill or BBQ so our alfresco area will be used regularly.

I have some very special dinner sets/Christmas crockery/crystal and our everyday sets too.

We don't drink (once every 6 months because of my medication & we need to be alert for our son) but thought it might be nice to have a built in wine rack/bottle display out in the main kitchen?

I hope I've covered everything :)

lots of good details but where do you plan for the clothesline?? could lose the external laundry door and walk out through the alfresco or through the rear garage door down the side of the house?

Clothesline would be right outside the laundry door... with my limitations/disabilities, I'll need it as close as possible. On the original plan, the laundry door went via the garage before exiting outside. I was hoping to limit the amount of doors I'd have to navigate... that said, 3 doors off that little laundry seems a little much? What are your thoughts oklouise? I'm loving what you're coming up with so far :)

as you plan to do so much food prep and clean up in the pantry i'm thinking that it should be more of a little kitchen than just a storeroom so taking some space off the main kitchen to enlarge the pantry also makes the laundry more of a mudroom with access from the garage and outside...btw think about if you need/want a closing door between the pantry and main kitchen

I agree with what you said :) sounds great... the practicality of a laundry/mud room. And I think a door between kitchen & butlers pantry would be the go :)

suggestions for this rough plan include stacked wall oven and microwave and the fridge close to the breakfast bar and pantry prep area, double sink and dw in pantry with alternate dw in island (closer to the dining table, island and alfresco) space for large upright freezer in pantry, 90 cm wide cooktop with extra oven underbench (NB new ovens are cool to touch and lockable) there's more space in the laundry with overhead cabinets for cleaning products and iron and the vacuum and linen to be stored in the hall cupboards, wall cabinets on the garage side of the kitchen show some ideas for wall storage and all underbench storage should mostly be in drawers and walkways between counters should be 90cm at the ends of the island and 120cm between sink and cooktop (easier to reach between the counters to reduce walking and reaching between counters

It's a very well thought out plan :) thank you for your consideration of my young ones & my limitations. The layout helps me considerably, so thank you.

Oklouise.... I just remembered that we need a study nook? With our little ones eventually heading to school, I want somewhere out in the open where we can keep an eye on their computer work ... although I believe most of it is being done on iPads these days, just wondered if you might know of a location on the plan that might suit? It may also double as the place where I edit client photos so would be great to be somewhere open so I can still be cooking etc. if you have time I'd be grateful for any advice or suggestions you may have? :) thank you

I'm just wondering if we steal some from the studio WIR and access the study nook from the family room side.... would that work?

tried to add the study nook to the studio and discovered a better arrangement for the studio table area (studio "office" or sit with clients or granny flat kitchen) then realised that there was some space that could be taken off either the guest room bedroom (reduce the guest room to match size of beds 2 and 3) or my favourite: reduce master wiw so that the study nook becomes part of a full wall of bookshelves above 750mm tall (desk height) storage cabinets (toys, games?) with 1500mm wide by 750 deep desk space (more space for spreading out photos and for kids doing painting etc) in the family room, totally under observation from the kitchen and seating areas and also away from traffic btw the door to the studio ens is deliberately on the alfresco side so it can be accessed from outside

Thank you for giving us some great options! I really appreciate your time & expertise :)

you're very welcome..i was also thinking that you should opt for wider doors in case you need to use a wheelchair or crutches after surgery and also install grab rails in bathrooms as well as a fold down seat in the shower (installed during construction they look so much better than added later and the grab rails can also be used for towel rails and we also use ours for hanging a washer or floor mat and the seat is great for resting a foot while washing...good for everyone not just for illness or injury and look so much better than flimsy angled rails

That's really thoughtful ... thank you :) I think that kind of foresight has been reflected in your design & I'm so appreciative of that.... you really took the information I gave & applied it very perfectly & practically for our situation. Including moving the robe in our son's room to eliminate another 'sound barrier'... thank you for 'thinking of it all'. It's been such a treat to have your input on so many levels :) I have been showing hubby & he loves your ideas too - especially with how much the layout you proposed simplifies our life & helps me too. Thank you... sincerely :)

your appreciation is very much appreciated!! and, i just wanted to add in the windows and a few other details that might be worth considering and, rereading all your info, i realised that i hadn't included the parents' retreat but, instead of adding extra space, you'll see that by rotating your bed there's enough space for a couple of lounge chairs and small table and, with a screen fence, a pergola, some nice planting and few pavers outside you should have a good area that could also be matched at the studio end,

a copy of the plans without all the furniture will be easier for the builder to read

Just amazing oklouise.... blown away by your attention to detail... so important when building a house for someone like me to overlook some details... I'm stoked to have you throwing your suggestions/ideas at us because we have someone outside our excitement & rose coloured glasses to actually bring reality back into the picture lol! Thank you for all your time.... and providing us with your designs ... I'm so very grateful :)

Oklouise - just me again lol.

Hubby & I absolutely love this plan. I was just hoping (only if you have time & want to - please don't feel obligated) - if you would mind making an adjustment?

With the ensuite, is there anyway we could turn the double vanity & double shower head around as per the original plan?

We were hoping by facing it back the way it was, we could make use of views from both the shower & vanity to the garden - versus a frosted window facing the alfresco area. I realize we may lose WIR space & thought that instead we could lose the end linen cupboard but keep the linen cupboard near the main bathroom & hallway near the master you so kindly created.

Again, please don't feel obliged

Thank you again,
Nik

glad you like the plan but especially pleased that you want to have your own style....the ensuite should have highlight windows towards the alfresco to improve ventilation and the sliding door between the shower and vanity area should be full height to contain steam inside the shower area and you would have a "loo with a view" (with or without the door) and the hall door for the master could be any where along the hallway

That's fantastic! A loo with a view lol! Love it :) I really appreciate your time & expertise oklouise. Thank you sincerely. That looks terrific ... we love it.

What an amazing effort from oklouise!

Looks really good Nik Star. I'm no expert, but I am going through a similar thing. One thing we considered was the ability to walk through the garage into the laundry and have direct access from there into the pantry. Think bringing home bags of groceries. Access from the garage to the laundry is great, but then you'll do a big weave through the kitchen to be able to put items away in the pantry. Having said that, I don't have an easy fix to offer.

There is much to like, however, so it may not be worth changing it.

Good luck!

Hi Crocker Castle,

Thank you :) oklouise is such a thoughtful, generous & knowledgeable contributer.... we Houzzer's are lucky for her help :)

It is hard isn't it? Trying to get everything just schmick lol?!

You raise a very valid point, thank you. The original plan had the laundry & butlers pantry connected. But then I would worry the poor laundry had access from all 4 walls ... given our disabilities & issues, you're right though :) or I just order the groceries online & have them delivered directly to the kitchen lol.

It's all a matter of compromise, isn't it?

We have MS in the family so I understand about access. Quite a few builders tried to convince us to increase the number of bedrooms, but didn't want to know about our desire for wider passages and no steps. To me that just meant more cleaning that was harder to get to!

At least doing your own design means you can choose where and when to compromise. :-)

Nik Star and oklouise

You're both welcome to comment on our floor plan!

[What-do-you-think-of-this-floorplan-for-a-new-build-in-a-cold-climate?[(https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/what-do-you-think-of-this-floor-plan-for-a-new-build-dsvw-vd~4823392)

And that's it isn't it - the impact a design (& ultimately finished product) has on the person/s with disability & their carer/s.

Our young son has a rare form of epilepsy - while I have had spinal surgery last year which hasn't fixed a dead left leg/left foot, am yet to have 2 more spinal surgeries & open heart surgery.

So our planning/considerations as you can fully appreciate, need to work well for those issues - and ease of cleaning - as I'm still trying my hardest to do that too, and be a mummy to 2 little ones. Basic things become monumental challenges for me.... but I'm a stubborn pigheaded pain in the neck & wont quit lol.

living in a cold climate i'm very interested in your project and have just redrawn the plans to try and understand them better.. my initial reaction was to wonder about the garage position but i noticed you're aiming to utilise an existing driveway.. what is the width and length of the block? what is the proposed distance from the southern wall to the boundary? who will be living in the house? do you have any special needs or interests? do you have an outside clothes drying area? are there any local restrictions preventing the garage being closer to the street that the front wall of the house?

Thanks oklouise

I responded on the other thread, so I din't interrupt Nik Star.

[What-do-you-think-of-this-floorplan-for-a-new-build-in-a-cold-climate?[(https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/what-do-you-think-of-this-floor-plan-for-a-new-build-dsvw-vd~4823392)

Have you considered having the garage directly connected to the pantry? What worked really well for my grandparents was the internal access from garage to the pantry and even having overflow storage in the garagr like a bulk freezer or bulk food storage in the garage itself. lots of designs these days you see an extra couple metres depth on the garage to account for a coat cupboard and then extra storage of work area in the garage.

Also if you're in queensland, going for a deeper garage with a laundry actually in the garage itself might be an option. My aunt who has rheumatoid arthritis has their under queenslander laundry/garage set up that way so it's got clear access all around. That way it's open and accessible and you've got more room to move around the pantry and get simpler access with fewer doors and walls and pathways.

I like lots about the plan. My two cents worth. The powder room is a great idea but prob too narrow for a pregnant woman to get changed in. I've a 5 and 7yo. As they've gotten older I've noticed we really need a second living area (maybe bedroom 4 could be used) and a study nook that I can see from the kitchen.

I've just done a search on "laundry garage" to show you what I mean, I've seen it a lot in the states but it's less common down under for whatever reason. I think in qld you've got a more stable climate in a lot of places so the garage is a more viable option than somewhere like VIC with the weather fluctuations we get. Considerations for this option would include whether the slab needs to be spec differently to allow for the plumbing plus ventilation, lighting, maybe having transparent panels in the garage door to allow natural light in.

I hope that you are planning to use the builder that the original plan came from. Even though you have adapted it the original copyright still belongs to somebody else . If you get another builder to construct your adpated plan you may find that the original builder comes after you for breach of copyright. Undercover Architect explains it all with this link: https://undercoverarchitect.com/can-you-use-a-floorplan-you-find-online/

Undercover architect makes a very good point, but does that mean that we the contributors to these threads by putting up altered plans are aiding and abetting a criminal act. And could also be liable ?

Yes we are using the same builder who designed this - we love their quality, attention to detail & professionalism. They have an excellent local reputation & we intend to build with them :)

That’s great to hear Niki, I think the point that was trying to be made was that this site HOUZZ is a great forum for working thru ideas but a lot of people don’t value professionals work these days.
I use an architect and this site so the collaboration we had was very 2 way and we will achieve an amazing home.
I

Thank you Alexandra - great ideas! Thank you for your contributions :) I think the door from garage to pantry makes sense with our disabilities but I don't know how we'll manage it with our current plan. With my husbands work & the kids, access from garage to laundry/mudroom was key - along with access from garage to kitchen which is ok :)

I understand the point being made ... perhaps a disclaimer or moderator post by the administrator for Houzz to newcomers to the site, specifically requesting help/assistance/modifications to plans (kindly offered by Houzz contributors) could include a reminder on copyright/legal processes etc so they have that information available - with helpful links to undercover architect? An automatic process if you will on posts about plans etc.

Hi big reader :) the lovely oklouise has designed a very large WIR/storage area along with a decent size powder room/bathroom for my studio to accommodate my pregnant clients :) size wise we are a little constrained as bed 4 will become a guest room for my mum when she hopefully moves home from the USA - I'd like to give her a WIR so hopefully we can accommodate that for her. A separate activity room for the kids would be helpful but not sure if we could achieve that without making some big changes. I agree with you - study nook in the kitchen area for sure - keeping an eye on what the little ones are doing when school homework time comes will be important. I was hoping to make the studio a bit of a family home theatre room as the studio May only see clients twice a week. So it's a lovely big space, not to get much use. We thought having some bean bags we could throw down on the floor for family movie nights with a big screen tv could help make use of that space too?

I enjoyed reading that article you referred to Dr Retro. As a songwriter & photographer, copyright is very important to me so I understand it well. Doug - you're right. More respect to architects, builders & craftspeople on their expertise & honouring the copyright on their work should be a given - not modified nor undersold. It's not on.

* draftspeople (not craftspeople lol)

My final bit of advice is even with the use of this site and professionals, still Quadruple check everything. Anything your not sure of or tell your design build team too and go over everything .

Why well as i have just found in my plans vs engineering, that the engineer changed a very important part of our build. And it got thru many sets of eye and authorities.

Now part way thru our build , we have to stop and go legal because the change that was made has caused major design flaw. And while it may be able to be fixed at some cost. The delay and heart ache it has caused has made us not even want the house now.

I know that sounds like a little rant but reading your feed, i note that you have some special needs and as we just went through this with elderly parents. I know that wheel chair access is a very big thing in design of house, as bathrooms and toilets. So planning is everything.

Hope your project goes well and maybe some before an after shots

That's so sad & heartbreaking to read Doug. I'm really sorry to bear that. What a terrible shame for the shine to be taken off such a special & much longed for project. I can't imagine the depths of your disappointment & frustration. I appreciate your very wise advice & will take it onboard, I assure you. With our special needs & situation, we'll have to be meticulous in our planning - so thank you for the reminder to be vigilant. I wish you luck with your legal process - and I really hope for you & your family's sake, that things improve significantly, moving forward.

Hey Nik Star,

I've had a PowerPoint play with oklouise's edits. This is what I meant about garage entry to the pantry and a laundry in the garage. The red arrows are to stipulate to the builder that level access is required. I added extra garage depth to allow for the garage, that would definitely impact your facade elevation.

If you remove the wall between the butler's pantry and mudroom you would have a SUPER PANTRY! But a true butler's pantry in that it was supposed to be where you would land with the veg from the garden so you would kick your shoes off inside the door, so I've noted a little bench seat there, then head in and wash it before heading over to the actual cooking area. Then if you get rid of the sliders and reduce the storage to shallow shelving on the middle wall you would have plenty of space to manoeuvre with mobility devices.

For the washing labour machines - washer, dryer, dishy - try getting those mounted on plinths so the load on your poor back is reduced. I have dodgy joints so I am researching all the ergonomic ways to design work spaces to help me when I get to the awesome stage you guys are at with getting to build!

Hi Doug, I saw your thread about the silent change, so very disappointing, even professionals make mistakes as all human's do.

That's why I think this thread is very helpful to a whole lot of those without any previous experience to try to understand the whole process.

Building a new home can be a very stressful, large, expensive and long process, although sometimes it might look like there are too many ideas to take in from the Houzz thread, hopefully at the end of the discussion those embarking on this will feel that they are now far more informed and take back a list to their chosen Professional being Architect, Draughts, or Designer or who ever to finalize their Plans.

But as you know it's not over until it's completed. Even though you have had to deal with a terrible over site, you will love your new dream build and will have a story to tell.

We have just had a build near us and it went like clock work, the builder was amazing, so very important to pick the right builder.

Looking forward to seeing your exciting home progress into the beautiful swan you thought it would be cheers

Hi Alexandra! I had to laugh - I use PowerPoint too lol! I actually really like that idea to be honest, it's definitely got merit and hubby is keen to explore that option also. Whether we keep that space as a massive butler's pantry as you've suggested, or somehow stealing some room from there to make the WIR for my mum's room (Bed 4) is certainly a possibility too. What a marvellous idea! Thank you so much of your time and for suggesting it :) I love Houzz and the lovely people that spend their time helping others.... it's really very humbling :) Thank you x

I used to use snagit but that was on my work computer =D I was thinking it would be excessive if you closed it off so the walk throughs are creating a full scullery feel. I'm honestly not a huge fan of the current trend for these secondary kitchens behind teh "guest" kitchen - it's very weird to my thinking to hide the nuts and bolts of the kitchen. If it's a big storage space like an informal family entry where you have space to dump the shopping and take the kids' shoes off and keep the christmas tree and all the fancy serving wear and the baby junk in between babies etc... then it makes sense to me. So happy to help! I have an addiction to floorplans so it's great to have an outlet. Let us know how you go!

lol I love floor plans too - can't stop looking at them :) So thank you for sharing your thoughts with me..... I read your post with a big smile on my face :) Will do!

If ~5m of pantry seems excessive, this floorplan from Hotondo has one about the same length, if with different depth and fewer openings, first link is the floorplan for reference but the 3D flythrough is flipped.

Hotondo Homes Eureka 307

Hotondo Homes Eureka 307 Explore