House Plan Thoughts
HU-636107841
4 years ago
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bigreader
4 years agoArchitects Fulton + Salomon
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Need some thoughts on reno plans
Comments (101)If you "change" anything that involves a building approval then the floor area on the plans relevant will count towards the overall amount. If it amounts to beyond 50% of the existing conditions then the whole building becomes applicable to energy calculations and so you enter into up spec'ing existing areas. And yes it can often be a good thing to be doing anyway, but of course it costs money. If the total area being changes is below 50% then only the areas of new work are applicable. I'm honestly not a specialist in this area, but I have to deal with the issues naturally in the course of the design and resolution of project solutions I provide, and hence I use an energy consultant regularly and we have a way/system of working through together how best to achieve the requirements for permit. As far as I understand it's a case by case/project specific exercise and also there's various ways of negotiating/achieving the necessary performance requirements - e.g. you can play around with different levels of insulation together with a particular glazing/window spec, and depending upon circumstances you can save money one way or another. Sometimes I'll squeeze windows overall down to get it under a certain amount to not trigger requirement for expensive glass...also timber windows rate better, but if you are in a bushfire area you'll be caught out or require very expensive timber windows...it's a real juggling act in particular contexts...which is why you really need to be working collaboratively with an energy consultant/specialist to work out the best solution in this regard, as well as the other aspects of design, structure and bushfire etc. It's a true team effort ;) If you're really up for some technical reading you there is some further energy info here NCC Volume One Energy Efficiency Provisions 2016 - Australian ... but it may get confusing........Coming back to the core of it, my advice: 1. define your budget 2. list and prioritise your requirements 3. seek some preliminary advice/assistance from a seasoned designer doing this type of work to test whether or not the general concept of what your endeavouring to achieve is viable, and this depends upon the relevant context/existing conditions etc (and bushfire rating is yet another layer on top of all this), and then refine the concept from there. If you are just doing a bathroom or kitchen isolated then you can arguably do it yourself, but if you're re-jigging the whole house like it appears you are heading towards, and on a very tight budget then I'd highly recommend (to save yourself headaches and frustration going around in never-ending circles) to invest some of your available budget into front-end design, to get to a solution that works to your nominated priorities so you achieve a viable and professionally advised outcome. Trust me it will be money well spent. Have a great Christmas, and best of luck with continuing to work through it all :)...See MorePlan for first house build - your thoughts or suggestions?
Comments (10)my suggestions include changing the staircase to have a halfway landing never winding steps, rearrange the kitchen, pantry and laundry, lose the biw and soffitts in the guest room and disguise the ens access door within the new MPR/guest room wardrobe, side access for understairs storage is much easier to use and, by the time you load and unload the laundry into a shute it would be quicker easier and cheaper to throw the washing down the stairs and save the space for more useful purposes ..pleased to see the good sized garage...cheapest rumpus, mancave and wet weather playroom with the addition of a few lockable storage cupboards and shelves...can't see the value in the extra hot water tap and gas outlet for the alfresco..rather extend paving across the back of the house and invest in a servery window to load dirty dishes directly into the kitchen for the dw and inevitably the wind blows smoke into the house so it's better to have a moveable barbq away from the walls and...upstairs hallway narrower to allow for extra steps, rearranged ens and wiw, avoid the void and use the space for a WIL or space for a baby's cot, dressing area, and/or leave the space open and invest in a gorgeous chest of drawers for linen and use the big WIL as a study nook with a separate small lounge and rearrange the bathroom with generous storage in the vanities, bigger shower and narrow freestanding bath...without all your dimensions some of my sizes are approximate but adding furniture helps understand the spaces much better and inside of wardrobes should always be at least 60cms plus the walls an doors and it appears that the plumbing access could be in the garage instead of the kitchen?...See MoreThoughts on ‘dream home’ floor plan
Comments (14)Somehow the plans only show up on mobile, not on PC for me... I think that the kitchen/living/entertaining area in the front with the sea view is gonna be gorgeous. I'm guessing you and your family have guests over often? I love that there is a good separation between the entertaining area and the private areas. Some questions though, would the 2 garages have separate entrances? Would the astro turf / courtyard area on the lower floor be covered by the top floor? What's the distance from the building to the boundaries on each side? From the top floor, would you have to go through the stairs and garage to hang the laundry? For the en-suite in the lower floor, might be a good idea to future proof it, by starting to plan for hand rails, ease of access with walkers, etc. The gap around the vanity seems to be quite tight on the drawings....See MorePlans for extension - thoughts on floor plan?
Comments (6)I personally have a thing about some of these square alfresco areas as the are usually very tight and squished when trying to use them, and eat into the interior floor plan, so the following suggestions. A long alfresco across the full width of the north facing family kitchen, catering to any future pool. Out door kitchen continuing as an extension to the kitchen, WIP which could have tall nib walls with a high set window above the bench for light and to control the westerly sun. An IT desk for the family to use Large open plan with fireplace. The powder room moved further to the rear of the house and into the laundry space, is better access for family room, play/guestroom and THE future pool Walk in linen storage and store next to the stairs for easy linen access for these 1st floor bedrooms...See MoreMB Design & Drafting
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