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Renovating Design Dilemma

Problems with the floorplan

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

We have encountered a problem with our planned renovation, and I was wondering whether anyone had any thoughts about what we could do.

We wanted to extend/renovate our house, in order to allow for

a) a large open room for entertaining/dining

b) at least one additional bedroom

c) the ability to park two cars on site

In relation to on-site parking, the driveway is too narrow to easily reverse a car up, although driving up in a forward direction is feasible. Consequently, if parking was to occur at the rear of the house there would have to be a turning bay etc to allow for a car to be driven forwards up the driveway.

We had intended to do the renovation detailed in the attached images, which largely involved extending out of the rear of the house. The idea was that this would be cost efficient, given that we would get additional rooms at the garden level at the back. Unfortunately, given the slope of the land along the eastern edge of the property, we have been advised that it would be too costly and difficult to control the dampness in the rooms on the garden level, and so using this area for anything more than storing tools, would be ill-advised.

As a consequence, we are uncertain as to what to do in relation to the renovations. The main advantage of extending out back was that it would give this a much larger living area. We have considered building upwards, but are uncertain how the existing room configuration could be easily modified, particularly in relation to creating a large open area for entertaining and dining.

At this point, any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Comment (1)

PRO
Paul Di Stefano Design
5 years ago
Hi Duncan,

A substantial project you are looking at here.

First point is moisture control is always manageable/able to be addressed with the right (engineering/drainage) solution/management and strategy - yes sure it can cost money and depending upon the specific situation and potential outcome/benefits the answer to whether or not it's worth it requires balancing the outcomes to costs.......

But first things first, a project of this nature and scale is significant, has some inherent complexity and thus logically requires a professional (design) hand to help you properly resolve a solution that achieves your various needs.......have you spoken with a designer or architect yet?

There are various aspects of complexity here with the site fall and negotiation of existing layout etc.....

I may be off the mark but I'm going take an (educated) guess/stab at what's happened here is that you've had a go at working this out broadly/conceptually, you're thinking budget of say $300K give or take, and you've then spoken to a builder who's thrown around numbers least double that based on your concepts pegging potential moisture management as the reason why you "can't" do it.........A two level extension of this scale + renovations + Landscaping/carport etc done well tying to a property like this will hit $600K+ any day of the week.

Want to know how to sort this out? Realistically you should seek advise from design professional who is experienced with renovations and extensions on projects of this scale and nature. The way we regularly worth through this type of thing is to take clients through a properly structured process to effectively hone in on a logical and suitable solution. Firstly we need to assess/understand properly the existing conditions, then clarify people's specific needs/requirements and most impotently define the budget. THEN with full understanding of the situation, (including any relevant planning restriction etc) we move on to considering viable options and stack proper projected costings up. Typically the options that meet the needs perfectly will blow the budget, and the options that meet the budget require some form of compromise/paring back of the "wishlist". The process then moves in the finding a suitable balance somewhere in the middle that makes sense on a number of levels

What you need to do on these projects is make sure that you are making logical and sensible design decisions for both (a) your needs and (b) the property/investment. For example, a turning bay for vehicle at the rear of a lovely property is arguably a big a waste of prime private external space - this should/could be resolved better......

Happy to provide further comments but really require further data/information and have direct conversation about various aspects/thoughts/opinions/goals from your end.

Whilst I understand your dilemma & can sympathise with your frustration of not knowing what direction to go with your project, if you want some solid answers here, practically this requires some design investment and a professional process to achieve. Hope this helps steer you in the right direction in your journey.

Cheers PD :)

www.pauldistefanodesign.com
duncan_gill12 thanked Paul Di Stefano Design
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