the original plan with furniture

I would look at swapping the kitchen to south wall, and dining living to north wall. You could then have doors opening up to the outdoor area. Utilising the shape of your block better. Northern sun would then enter all your living areas.

that idea works with moving the bathrooms, laundry to the southern wall and continuing along with the kitchen

Wow okLouise, you’ve certainly given me something to think about. The master room really is small. I’m not sure about expanding the size of the house to the permitted - I was told I need to leave a meter for access. perhaps I need to consider turning it in to 2 bedrooms. probably better to have two decent rooms than three poky ones.

the kitchen was originally on the south side but the pantry was north facing. I thought it made more sense to have them together.

i have two glass doors opening out to the backyard and the verandah will run the length of the house for an additional space.

only an extra few metres this variation could be worth considering with more generous bedrooms, better use of the northern aspect and a much simpler roof..

Exactly what I was thinking. Then you could have French doors or similar walking out to garden area.

Can I also suggest have 2700 ceiling or higher, throughout the home. That will give the feeling of space.

Thank you oklouise for the updated floor plan. Would it be possible to advise what the dimensions of the rooms are as per your new plan? I think your floor plan works better than the one I had planned.

Definitely going with 2700 ceilings dreamer, thank you

Another take on your floorplan, using Oklouise pushed out wall, the master suite is at the rear of the house where you would enjoy easterly morning sunlight. the ensuite shower has a high set window, The kitchen family has the best of both worlds with Northern and easterly aspect

And to save on cost you could only do 2.7 ceiling in the entrance passageway and a racked ceiling over the open plan kitchen family room

based on your original plan with only the north wall straightened to give about 5sqm extra space with the same building length but my CAD program is American and they're drawn differently so FOCUS ON THE DIMENSIONS INSIDE THE ROOMS

and high ceilings would be excellent but another option could be to have the kitchen and living areas with a raked ceilings following the shape of the roof with a gable window above the sliding doors and a flat verandah roof to the east and, or consider omitting the hall wall for bed 2 to make a more spacious north facing central study/craft/media room that could easily revert to a third bedroom and have the raked ceilings in the MPR and entry to add some variety

Just to explain what I suggested for the ceilings, The entrance passage way would be at 2.7 changing to a racked ceiling over the kitchen family, all other rooms bedrooms , bathrooms, laundry and garage at 2.4.

We have a young couple who's father is an architect who did the ceilings like this in a renovation and made what was a small entrance down to a tall double height family seem large and more open,, the other rooms were all kept at the 2,4, it saves money. Plan has 100 walls

I like the study wall opening Oklouise, lets in extra light, the pantry on my floorplan has a narrow tall window which will also add light, I will add your idea to my plan

wow - thank you for much for your feedback siriuskey and oklouise. I am so glad I found this website and overcame my fears to post my floor plan. I love all your suggestions and will not be proceeding with my original floor plan.

I would add a front verandah for shade in the
afternoon and make the front room with a view the mpr

Great idea Kate but for me I prefer the study/MFR close to the hub of the house, this house will give the Fur Baby great indoor and out door places to explore and be watched over by his owner

We built on a unusual shaped block also. We positioned clothes line, and small shed at the rear of the block. Used the triangle area on the north side as garden area. In your case I would look at something similar. Utilising the east side for washing line, and general usage. (Where else would line be positioned?)With the triangle used as your main garden. This is assuming that kitchen is positioned on the south wall, as per oklouise design. Attached shows our block of land. It is the coloured part of picture. Green being lawn, yellow is brick paving. House in the middle.

thank you dreamer - with the laundry now on the south side I'm not sure about the clothesline - I definitely want to put it in a sunny place. I had thought I would put a small shed in the far, pointy corner although it would make more sense to use that area as a garden because of the northern sun

This is our back west corner of home. Shed, washing line, aircon unit, and the door to my laundry.

,

You could add a drying court between bed 2 and the kitchen, even have a door from the pantry to the drying court? Where are the water tanks going

mmm, hadn't thought of that - and a million other things obviously.

Rain water tank willl be in the southern corner right along the fence line.

Along with my suggestion about using east of block for utility area, this would also correspond with your original plan showing water tank in the south east corner.

before dividing up the block for different function you need to be certain of exactly where the house could fit within legal setbacks from all boundaries..and, if you want a verandah at the front door the house may need to be pushed further back on the block but that will encroach on the eastern verandah, then, if you want an external door for the laundry (which i deliberately omitted to save space and improve security) you may decide that the clothesline could fit in the south east corner and use water tanks to create privacy screening on the fenceline but a removeable clothesline could fit anywhere and walk in and out the sliding doors, or wanting a terrace for sitting out the front of the master and living/dining area would be as simple as adding a sliding glass door but don't be keen to put a fixed deep shade on the northern side as that will restrict the benefit of Passive Solar design but please describe your local climate...think about everything you would want in your new home and we can try and add it to the plans eg the back verandah enclosed with bug screening would make a great safe outdoor area for your fur baby and with the flat roof it could follow the shape of the back fence and could also be added after the main house is complete

Great job Oklouise! really nicely done. I would just double the length of that pool if there is no restraining regulations regarding minimum rear landscaping size.

A suggestion. Put the main bedroom at the front, shift the front door to be lead down a path to middle of the house. Then some of the corridor, valuable real estate could be added to the main bedroom .

This showing a drying court and Alfresco area using Vergola Pergola opening roof, water tank screen for Master Bed

i Saw a display home a while ago that had the guest bedroom at the front and a lady had changed the garage to put a kitchenette in it. She rented out the front section of the house to a uni student and she lived in the back. It may be worth considering something like this as an option for the future.

wow oklouise your design is amazing and has opened my eyes to the value of personalising a floor plan rather than just accepting a design provided.

I live in South Australia (Adelaide) and we have mild(ish) winters and lovely hot summers. At this stage I'm not thinking of enclosing the back verandah as it is eastern facing and won't get the summer afternoon sun.

I don't think a front veradah is necessary but a laundry door is. Not only for ease of accessing the yard but also for my furbaby's toileting requirements :)

I quite like the look of the verandah following the shape of the yard as it would allow me to spend more time outside, regardless of the weather. I definitely want some comfortable seating outside, which is more feasible given your design.

I liked siriuskey's plan with the main bedroom opening up to the backyard, especially as the front of my house is on a main (and very busy) road however I think your design works best for me.

I have shown the plan to some friends and they love it., as do I.

I really appreciate everyone's comments, suggestions and feedback and I am so glad I found this forum. You have turned my home into a dream home that I know I will just adore. Thank you.

I started my knowledge by working with the Australian Institute of Architects. Some chapters offer the public workshops, guided tours and guidance. As it is your first house, I strongly recommend working working with an architect to twig the passive design, that greatly assists with on going costs, and to use every available millimetre functionally. It seems extra cost, but it pays off with your long happiness in cost savings and liveability. A well designed house is a joy to live in.

a laundry with external door and some other variations to consider and, echoing the shape of the block with a paved terrace and a walled courtyard for more privacy and room for a spa? but always include furniture and external features in any plan you consider so that your best views aren't wasted and there's a suitable access (eg sliding door in ens or bed 1?) and you've been thinking about things like the furbaby's needs but what about yourself for now and into old age. what about: are you right or left handed and how do you like to prepare a meal or do the ironing as it all helps to work out details like which way to open a door or location of power points.but, there's a million options for any house but adding your own preferences will make it your home..

Great questions. A good designer will have lists of questions for you, from how you function in your daily life, to how long do you want to live in the house, cultural requirement eg feng shui, colours, storage etc. I recently worked with an architect, he had a list of 200 question, then visited the existing house, and walked through asking what are the likes and don't likes. Planning is 90% of getting it right. Take your time to understand and visualised how you are going to live there in 5 to 10 years. You may not be able to achieve everything asap, but have a long term plan of projects, so you get the 'bones' right at construction time. Structural changes cost.

Thank you kbodman14 – the draft I first posted has been looked at by my architect three times in the past month. He hasn’t asked me any questions about what I need or what or made any suggestions on how to maximise the floor plan!

oklouise - just when i think you have nailed it you go 10% better. You are amazing and I will forever be in gratitude to you.

reality test!...you mentioned an Architect but i have difficulty believing that an Architect would have ignored the northern aspect and the shape of the block and deliberately designed the crooked hallway and the tiny bedrooms and i'm wondering if the original plan is one offered by the estate builder with a collection of standard plans and their employed plan designer to make only very minor alterations?? (and they may not be willing to make major alterations) i'm very pleased that you like all our suggestions but strongly recommend that you employ an independent Architect or Building Designer to make sure that any design complies with all the local conditions and includes all the extra details you want (eg we haven't discussed budget outside walls, roof, windows, doors or how to minimise road noise etc etc)...some people are challenged by the cost of a professional personalised design and you may have to use an independent (possibly more expensive builder) because it's hard for most people to see the value in a better design as they're already focussed on bathroom tiles etc but it would be much better to economise on things that are not essential to your immediate comfortable occupation and/or can be added later...eg savings can be made by omitting the verandah and landscaping (included in the plan just not actually built till later) , omit the biw, leave the main bathroom unfinished, use cheap lightfittings, rake the ceiling in the living areas with scissor trusses rather than raising the whole ceiling throughout, use best quality windows and doors but modest priced window and floor covering and invest the savings in professional help...a local building designer should be able to use our suggestions to make working drawings, or negotiate with builders who can often recommend a professional with whom they have worked and you could discover new ideas that you will apppreciate for the life of the home

I've purchased a 100% turnkey plan through a project managment company and the architect works for the company - I haven't spoken to the architect directly. When I contacted my PM yesterday to advise I wanted to change the floor plan he advised I may be charged as the architect had already made three changes to the original plan offered by the company. https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-seaton-131967350.

The only suggestion that has been made, apparently by the architect was to extend the back of the house for more living space.

All windows will be double glazed with shutters which hopefully will minimise road noise as will having the main bedroom of the street - well, thats the idea anyway.

I'm definitely more interested in the design and having a floor plan that works than cosmetic touches - its taken me three years to save my deposit and I want to get it right, first time. I have heard so many horror stories which is why I've engaged a PM to assist me.

If they aren't willing to make major plans so I have a floor plan that works and a house I love, I am willing to walk away. Better to lose a couple of grand then have a house worth a several thousand grand that I don't enjoy being in.

yes, the only regret that i would want is something that can be easily changed..look forward to your progress, good luck

You and Seaton deserve the best, demand it

Photo of fur baby would be lovely x

Surely the company can not expect you to accept a plan that doesn’t have room for a bed and bedsides in the main bedroom. Pretty standard requirement for a bedroom. Their architect needs a lesson in reality.

Unfortunately they sell their wares knowing that most have no idea of how things function or fit, I spend a lot of time showing people in 2D or 3D how things look and fit .I have the ability to see how things work but most don't and can end up with people making and accepting bad ideas,

This is my fur baby Indi pretending to be interested in the floor plan when she’s really thinking about her dinner.

Yes, she loves lieing in weird positions - that’s her rear paw on the left 😂

what a gorgeous face to come home to

Sadly, a project home kit will always have limited resource to do the changes.

I don't think an architect will be engaged to do client's changes. Most likely it will be some work experience kids playing with the cad.

The order is to do the changes quick, don't change too much, don't add floorspace, or they will need to do the QS all over again.

Lucky you post it here. Just winge your way in, keep demanding it, but beware of the 'variations' costs.

Very cute fur baby. I looked at the .seaton plan, the photos attached to it appear to be very misleading and not related to the floor plan. Is there truth in advertising?

Hi Kate, it seems to be a very common practice and something I wasn't aware of until I started this process! Lots of companies use the same floor plan and pictures repeatedly with different prices attached. And unfortunately, most houses at display centres are on the larger size so you can't get a feel for the size on your floor plan. Even mapping out the rooms sizes on the draft floor plan in my existing house didnt alert me to the reality how small the bedrooms would be if i used the plan provided by the building company.

another trick they use is extra small furniture and that's why you need to use standard Australian sized beds, lounges etc in the plans but if you have any specific sized furniture you could enlarge this plan and try some scale sized cut outs to try your own arrangements on a blank plan (a cut out that matches the size of the bathtub would be about 1600 x 750, the shower is 1500 x 900 and the island is 2500 x 900)

I really can't thank you enough oklouise

I am about to embark on my sixth house, and I have a lot of professional experience in design. I am nearly 70 with 10 years of lecturing in design. For my next house I have spent:

1. 5 years looking at open houses. Each October the Institutes of Architects in each State about 10 Oct, have a series of open houses meet the architects, workshop etc. I Try to fill up with what interests me. I talk to architects, designers, owners etc

2. Trawl through Houzz

3. My local library has great talks on houses - passive, universal access, and design - all free

4. I have 'interviewed' project home people. Most leave me feeling a victim of salesmanship

5. Had amazing discussions with local architects, about my needs.

6. Decided to go with a local architect to near my lan. Weighing up the cost of a bespoke to a project. The project home on paper looks so much cheaper, but to get the structure of the house to suit my need is cheaper.

Best of luck.

Relevant to this discussion.

bigplansmelbourne.com.au will project to scale your floor plans onto their warehouse floor. You can walk through and have a good look.

It’s a great idea and beats my cardboard and masking tape.