Raising our cottage & building under: floor plan ideas please
We have a renovated cottage in Brisbane which we are raising and building under. We're going to (mostly) keep the existing floor plan, raise it up and make the new downstairs area our kitchen, living, dining, laundry, small bath and study/spare bed.
Here's the existing floor plan:
with dimensions:
This will be raised up and changed to add a master + ensuite + walk in (nb where it says dining/living is incorrect, it will just be a small living space/couch). We're pretty happy with upstairs and won't be changing the structure much.
This is our proposed new floor plan for the downstairs:
Would love some advice on the following:
- the stairs kind of need to stay where they are to enter in right place upstairs but is there a better way of fitting in the main rooms we need downstairs (laundry, kitchen, living, dining, bath + spare).
- e.g. cut out the play room and make the living/dining space larger for a better layout
- concerned about lack of sunlight filtering into the kitchen (entry is north facing) so the laundry/play rooms will cut out the light coming from the front, some light will come through the living room window in the afternoon but the kitchen won't see much.
- is there a better way of arranging the bathroom (it's small but is more of a powder room/small bath as bedroom is just a spare)
- do we really need a sink in the island bench if there's a large sink in butler's? Or move sink to side bench?
Thanks so much for taking the time to give some advice, it's much appreciated. We've been working on this for years and putting it on hold until the time is right. Hopefully it will go ahead next year!
Comments (14)
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Need help with our home, which will be added to our son's build
Comments (43)Hi oklouise, Below is an image of how the houses should fit together. I have included rough measurements for sons house. Shared garage 6x6sq m - shared laundry sewing/ utility/mud room 6x3.3sq m - media room 5x3.8sq m - entry 1.5x3.3sq m - office 2.5x3.5 sq m - bed 4 3x3.5 sq m - bed 3 3x3.5 sq m - main 4x4.5 sq m - wir 4x1.8 sq m - ensuite 4x2.8sq m - bed 4 3x5.4 has linen c/board in hall way - bathroom 2x3.5 sqm - toilet and 1 vanity 2.7x1.7 extends into family rm - family rm 5x5.2 sq m - dining 5.3x3.4 sq m - kitchen 4x2.8 sq m - b/pantry 1.3x2.8 sq m - island 3x.9 sq m - hall 1mtr wide - outdoor 3.5x4.7 sq m may change - front porch 3.5x1.8 sq m - pool behind family area maybe. I will put measurements for my pantry and vac on tomorrow morning. This image might look slightly different to his latest plan which I uploaded earlier he has altered a few things overall still same footprint. I'm pretty new to anything to do with designing house plans so thanks for all of the suggestions and plans so far. I definitely like the way you have narrow shelves for storage in your pantry. but...See MoreWhat do you think of this floor plan for our new home?
Comments (19)Unexpectedly to me, due to it's location on the crest of the Great Dividing Range at an elevation of around 700m above sea level, Toowoomba has a climate more similar to Sydney than Brisbane. With average summer highs of only 28°C, & average winter highs of 17°C (lows of 7°C & cold wind, as has been mentioned). It's located in Climate Zone 2: Warm Temperature, the same climate zone as Sydney, not Brisbane. Though this climate zone is very varied, so care must be taken to cater for local conditions. As has been advised a few times, have a good read of the Your Home site. Read this section, Designing for Climate, for zone 5: warm temperate. http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/design-climate Along with having cooler temperatures than Brisbane, the fact that Toowoomba is inland means it has greater variation between daytime highs & nighttime lows (diurnal temperature range). This means that unlike Queensland coastal climates, some thermal mass in the home will be appropriate, so a lightweight structure isn't needed. Although a lightweight structure, on a ground-coupled slab (with polished concrete or tiles in North facing living areas) would be a good idea. As the temperature is so much cooler than tropical Queensland climates I'd advise against going too overboard with a pavilion style house. As I think it would be too cold in winter. Maybe something like two off-set rectangles, joined in the centre. Kinda like dreamer's inspirational picture, without the middle section, the two rectangular sections joined. Or just go for a more traditional rectangular house. In any case, like just about all Australian climates, you should try to build a house that is generally rectangular, the long sides facing north & south. This will give an opportunity for northern sunshine to enter home in winter, while the shorter eastern & western sides will limit the effect of hot summer western afternoon sunshine. Though I guess this house shape won't look great from the western road, as it will look very narrow from here. You could fatten it's street frontage a little bit, by having the garage to the south of the rectangular house. With such a large block you'll be able to build something that works for you. But as OKLouise said, don't just pick a plan for an average narrow block. The plan you picked is not really suitable for your block. I'd also recommend you do a lot of research yourself. As has been shown with the plan you've received, you can't rely on the builder to design a plan that will work best for you, that is appropriate for your location. So read up on the Your Home website. It's an invaluable resource when it comes to building a comfortable, energy efficient home....See MoreFloor-plan feedback/ideas needed -What do you think of this floor-plan
Comments (51)siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts....See Moreproposed bottom floor plan ideas
Comments (55)Hello there, I haven't read all the comments or studied all the plans and variations but I would suggest the powder room with a shower downstairs be on external wall for vent: store rooms do not need it. Also have the laundry doors in center and opposite each other allowing for two straight runs of benching much better!! The kitchen look huge: maybe make dine larger. Upstairs have the study all open to stairs and void: a much nicer place to work. Why have the ensuite on the far end when it would be lovely for bedroom to look out and to have it closer to robe. Then too move robe door so you do not do laps round the bed to find slippers. long window is excellent for fresh air in robe too. I know you said it is a QLDer but which way is north and have you taken that into account to your liking, heating, cooling? Cheers Margot...See More- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Hi oklouise! The wall in bed 3 is angled from a previous renovation (already done before we purchased). I'm actually not sure why it is angled though. I'll dig out the plan with dimensions and post below.
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
approximate dimensions suggest a possible alternate location for the stairs that creates lots of other possibilities and unless there's some major structural or boundary reason for the angled wall this might the opportunity to correct that problem although it could be a location for placement of a feature wall, fireplace or TV in the family room
Morgan Treacle thanked oklouise - 3 years ago
moving the stair doesnt help the existing upstairs if your plan is to not change much. the living area would reduce from 3.5 to 2.5m width and would limit options unless you want to use this space as office/playroom. the existing door would have to be relocated to bed 1 and the green line is an existing beam which looks to be tight on the 12th stair down which is usually the minimum head height clearance.
Morgan Treacle thanked Chris - 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
just realised that i accidentally posted two copies of downstairs plans...still may not work.. but always worth considering another option with different stairs
Morgan Treacle thanked oklouise 
3 years ago
Chris