the plan is difficult to read please enlarge and include dimensions, describe your climate and where is north? why is the master suite at the front instead of looking towards the pool?

I have three suggestions to help with your perception of the hallway.

1) Move the bedroom 1 door closer to the walk in robe, and recess the front door closer in, to give you a deeper porch. Change the door to an oversized single door, hinged from the garage side which will allow you to make the hall shorter, and a longer porch without conflicting with the door to bed 1. Change floor finishes at the corner where the main hallway opens to the secondary hall leading to bedrooms 2 and 3, whihc will also help visually shorten the length.

2) Re-oreintate the swimming pool 90 degrees with a large picture window in the family room centered on the hallway. Add a spotlit water feature in the pool to the central axis of the hallway/picture window. This will draw your eye to the end of the house, so you the length of the hallway won't be as noticeable.

3) Redesign the front of the home, moving bedroom 1, WIR, and Ensuite adjacent to the garage, taking up the hallway, and giving you a wider side setback on the southern side. This southern setback is used for a path and landscaping which leads to a south facing front door and entry hall between the ensuite and the middle bedroom. While the front of the house is narrower, as you no longer have a hallway, it will need to be longer to allow the width of the south facing entry hall. This has the benefit that visitors don't see through the full length of the house when the door is opened, until they are invited in.

You may want to do a bit of reading up on the different services between a draftsperson and a building designer to see how a designer can add creativity to improve on the solid start you already have on your new home. While the plan looks fairly resolved it is only half of the design.

Best of luck with your new home,

Regards

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

a simple way to add interest and light to the long hallway is to divide the space into different width and length zones (ie entry area with freestanding cabinet, open storage with display and bookshelves, built in storage and highlight windows on the hall side of the bathroom walls (matching the external windows, fanlights above every internal door (a simple fixed pane of glass immediately above each door adds extra light to all the rooms and you can also use my favourite solar skylights) and there are a few extra suggestions for the floorplan for consideration (and the plan has been rotated to have north at the top

as a fellow downsizer my suggestions are aimed at comfort and easy access.. rotation of the ensuite allows for more walking space and room for a small side table and chair near the bath. the toilet room closer to the bedroom door keeps wet floors away from the vanity and consider adding grab rails for comfort in the shower and they also make great towel rails and easier to add during construction ...I've stolen a little space off the living areas to add extra walking space in the guest room and study, these rooms are now interchangeable (if you prefer the study with a view) and the guest bathroom has external access for the pool...strongly recommend you identify purposes for all the storage areas so spaces can be designed to suit eg the space on the right as you walk in from the garage could be ideal for sit down bench with wall racks for coats etc or a counter for sorting bags of groceries ...you created an excellent plan and I would be happy to change or explain any of my suggestions

Personally, if I was living in/building a new downsizer with a pool I'd make sure the design achieves my master suite overlooking it - downsized house, resort lifestyle/experience - the way I prioritise design/positioning for the best outlooks/light opportunity etc is 1. Main Living zone 2. Master Suite 3. 2nd Living (if applicable) 4. Secondary Bedrooms and so on etc....

Thanks Paul for your very valid comments. I have considered where we actually spend most of our down time.. . and we're always in our living room...we tend to only sleep in the bedroom. The master will have an open view over parklands - lots of sky for dawn colour. Both bedrooms will have a view which is rare in suburbia so want to make the most of it. Also will include a reading nook at the front...great spot to wait for the uber to take us to the airport for another os holiday lol.

I shall be trying to screen out neighbors with dense tropical type plantings around the pool alfresco area that will survive in Melbourne. Love the villa resort style feel.

IMO you can never go wrong bringing resort elements into a home.....

The long Runway is gone, the kitchen is next to the Alfresco and now has full view of pool from kitchen and living space which is bigger.

A glass splash back would be nice to see the side garden, this also now gives full privacy from the boundary. Pantry which can house small appliances on the bench for ease of use and access to the laundry from two ends

Door out to side of house to clothes drying courtyard.

Room next to this for study/reading watching TV

Windows to be decided with draughts person for kitchen/pantry/laundry cheers

Wow thank you for the great ideas Siri! I will have to try that plan out! Minor tweaks to try to keep as much glass as possible on the North side.. But love it!

Looking forward to what you come up with, some kind of high windows above the kitchen/laundry/pantry with sliders in the study lounge area to let light across into that full width of the room cheers

I agree that the pool isn't in the best position but assumed that was due to space, perhaps some solar heating could help with that, but perhaps you plan on taking off OS during the colder mnths.

The room that I added with sliding doors removes the long passage and allows for sun and light to enter the same as a courtyard but gives much needed internal space by keeping the room. Also easier to secure while away.