Floor Plan... version 1,235,456. Seeking Advice
blurock
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Comments (19)
Yvonne K
4 years agoblurock
4 years agoRelated Discussions
New floor plan for east facing block - advice appreciated
Comments (45)Shifting the laundry will create a larger laundry and allow for a 'kids bedroom zone' with better access to bathroom for all 3 minor bedrooms. Place the rumpus where dinning is. This can be separated or use the great sliding wall/door idea. It also allows view from kitchen. I agree with moving the fridge and creating a more open WIP. This also allows for a WI Linen - which could be opened up to the mud room, or even a powder room. I found the front living room to be an awkward size and shape so did a slight rearrange in that area. This gives the Living Room access to the north facing patio/outdoor area, tying all the living spaces together while keeping them seperate....See MoreSeeking advice on Proposed Reno. Need to gain space & storage
Comments (30)My advice is to think about the working/function as you need it for your family. Prioritise that (as a starting point) and get that happening somewhat free of a "box" shape extension and see how that all sits - it's like you're trying to squeeze it all in to a specific shape and then struggling with certain details....you're suggesting/entertaining ideas like a functional laundry/bag drop zone etc which 100% is important/relevant for a busy family of 4. The problem seems that there hasn't been true clarity on the function/requirements before the design has been proposed. Is it too small? Well it depends on how exactly you intend on using it - how many people need to be able to sit at the table or on the lounge etc..this will dictate scaling - whether or not you'd like a butlers pantry or not. Is the 3rd toilet needed? Well ultimately nobody can tell you that one way or the other - you will know whether functionally that is a requirement necessary for your family - all these are questions you will have (or need to establish) an opinion/position on one way or another and then (should) be able to work through (more effectively) & resolve with the architect whom you've engaged.....you are obviously staging the project which can be logical/necessary, and given this there may in fact be alternative and arguably more cost effective design options available for you (such as a 2nd stage "clean" extension for a master suite), but realistically that involves greater understanding/information of the site/context and your particular budget in order to provide specific advice/suggestions as to how best to achieve your goals...Good luck :) PD...See MoreRenovations Plan Version 3,789 HELP!!
Comments (5)Hi Sarah, I completely sympathise with your situation and very sorry to hear about it for you. You're in a complete mess with this. As a Pro it's super frustrating to look on and hear of these stories because 100% this is so easily avoided with the right approach and astute investment in using a competent design professional. I've lost count of the number of times I've had people eventually come to find us, but in a bit of state/heads done in/in a shemozzle of a situation, after spending time/(sometimes years) and money getting nowhere, being disappointed with higher than expected quotes etc yet still pretty much back exactly where they begun with no logical plan forward.........sound familiar? The common thread is lack of alignment or management of expectations of Project budget to Project brief relationship. And that's why we have a job as professional designers - we develop solutions for specific needs, balanced within context and balanced within constraints, the biggest one always being budget. You just can't bypass this process and expect to get good results. And you won't achieve it effectively on a Houzz forum. Hopefully though a few of our Pro responses will help steer you in the right direction. Unfortunately people think it's a good way to save money on their projects to not pay for design - it's actually quite the opposite. There's no easy answer here of say "move the kitchen there, flip that over, change this or that" etc unfortunately you're back to the drawing board....and you're best to accept the time and money put in so far is actually part of the process and your particular journey. This reminds me of a project years back where clients came in asking me to tweak and draw up a design that someone else had done - they already spent $40K and had a planning permit for it but there were big budget problems - it was clearly/unfortunately a poor & inefficiently resolved design beyond budget (similar to yours) & I could visualise a much better alternative solution. So I convinced them to move on, toss it all away and we go back to the drawing board - I'd redesign it from scratch much better and better value/cost effective overall - they reluctantly agreed and that's exactly what I did. Fortunately they did themselves a favour knowing deep down that they had to go backwards to go forwards. I designed and delivered a far better, less expensive and more impressive home. that they are eternally grateful for, and for my honesty and advice at the time that was ultimately in their best interests. Like always, with all projects, it ALWAYS comes down to money.........so their success relies predominantly in the design solution..... I'll try and keep it simple: 1. Design is a process of balancing requirements within context within constraint/limits 2. Good design decisions involve having understanding of cost/budget consequences 3. the above points are primarily what distinguishes design professionals from amateurs 4. It's therefore false economy trying to DIY design and/or pursue projects of this scale as Owner Builder unless you (a) have a passive income (b) significant construction experience (c) a flexible budget and are just in it for a hit & a giggle So our Advice: Seek Professional Design assistance How we manage these types of projects is by starting with clarifying the project brief in writing - forget about the floor plan - define and specify your brief requirements and goals and define the budget. The next step is to look at broad form options that we develop in a "Feasibility' stage of service in which we analyse the context, identify some logical options/variations of format for a nominated project scope relative to context and apply accurate construction cost projects to each to compare. So in your case we'd be looking at answering the critical questions of in what particular format can we best meet the requirements? Is it with an extension, or hybrid alterations&additions, do we go up, down or out, what are the cost differences and pro's and cons to the different configuration options, how much should we renovate, how does the investment one way or the other stack up in regards to property value? Is it actually better value to do more than less (more often yes!) Is staging/breaking up a project into parts beneficial or proven to be less cost effective? So many questions that need professional assistance and experience to answer to get the best outcome for you and your family. It's not easy business........Labour cost these days is the killer on renos - if you don't know what you're doing (ie understanding how certain design decisions translate to X cost) then you've got no hope in balancing the numbers to success................ Apologies for the long winded response! Hope this helps Sarah. Trust us, we know what we're talking about. Happy to provide further advice/assistance if you'd like to contact us directly Kind regards, Paul Di Stefano Paul Di Stefano Design www.pauldistefanodesign.com...See MoreAdvice on floor plan options
Comments (12)I'm no expert on efficient use of space, the ladies have you covered in that regard. So I won't comment on the pros & cons of each plan. I will say that from an orientation/energy efficiency point of view, they're both great. North facing living areas, that can be separated from the rest of the home. Very minimal western windows, multiple bathrooms on the west. Perfect! You'll have light filled living areas, & will really get to appreciate winter sunshine :) What I will comment on is the form of heating, & the form of energy use in general. As you've insinuated, gas heating doesn't stack up environmentally. This is not the wonderful transition fuel of federal government tells us it is. Although the combustion of natural gas only produces half the CO2 emissions of coal fired power, there is another worrying aspect. Natural gas is methane, a gas that is far, far worse than CO2. It has a global warming potential (CO2e) of over 25. So any methane that reaches the atmosphere is 25 times worse than CO2. This means small leaks of methane can create major problems. It turns out that if only 4% of the natural gas leaks or reaches the atmosphere, the emissions are as bad as a coal fired power station! Concerned scientists & other bodies are recognising this. The ACT government is actually considering banning has connections in new housing developments. Gas also doesn't stack up financially. As gas prices continue to increase, & heat pump technology improves, reverse cycle air conditioning has become the most cost effective, energy efficient option. There's plenty of articles about this. Here's one from Renew magazine. https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/all-electric/gas-days-over-money-saving-results-in-melbourne/ If I was building a new home now, I'd be going further. Saving more money, & the environment, by building an ALL-ELECTRIC HOME. By ditching the gas connection you should save on building costs. You'll also save yourself over $300 a year just by eliminating the daily gas service charge. Heating the home with efficient reverse cycle AC (or even hydronic heating powered by heat pumps, if you can stomach the high installation costs). Heating domestic water with a heat pump. Possibly solar thermal in QLD, if I had the roof area for this & solar PV. Cooking with induction. As reactive as gas, with great control over temperature, & much easier to clean. Saving the gas for the BBQ (LPG bottle). Powering the home with a large solar PV system. It looks like you have a gable roof, with nice sized areas for solar PV panels. Facing both E & W. Although this won't generate quite as much as a north facing system, an E/W split will give you a nice spread of power generation from the early morning until the evening. The west facing panels are particularly useful in the afternoon, when people arrive home, & the AC is turned on. I'd consider installing 3 phase power. This will allow you to install a larger solar PV system (before export limiting is introduced), & will be useful for fast charging of EV cars, which will soon be mainstream. If you're on Facebook, & are interested in this approach, I'd consider joining the My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) group....See Moreblurock
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