What do you think of these ground & first floor layouts?
Hi all, looking at quite large renovation with structural works and removal of walls etc.
The main issue lies in the kitchen/laundry/toilet area downstairs and not sure what to do with this to maximise space or even relocate, open to awesome ideas. The rear left hand side is the area my mother inlaw will live so the butlers pantry will be her kitchenette. The house also has a pool and we are unsure weather to have an outdoor toilet area near the pool or have easy access from outside to inside for toilet runs while swimming but would rather not have that while people are wet walking through the house. Alsi the stairs were right in front of the main entrance which we didn't like so we moved them to the new location to end up in the upstairs Rumpus room.We are pretty happy with the first floor but not sure if we could do better my architect isn't much help.
This is the first draft he has drawn but feel like he didn't put to much effort into it.
Comments (21)
Kate
2 years agoshady
2 years agoRelated Discussions
What do you think of our dream-home plans?
Comments (57)Hey Nik Star, I've had a PowerPoint play with oklouise's edits. This is what I meant about garage entry to the pantry and a laundry in the garage. The red arrows are to stipulate to the builder that level access is required. I added extra garage depth to allow for the garage, that would definitely impact your facade elevation. If you remove the wall between the butler's pantry and mudroom you would have a SUPER PANTRY! But a true butler's pantry in that it was supposed to be where you would land with the veg from the garden so you would kick your shoes off inside the door, so I've noted a little bench seat there, then head in and wash it before heading over to the actual cooking area. Then if you get rid of the sliders and reduce the storage to shallow shelving on the middle wall you would have plenty of space to manoeuvre with mobility devices. For the washing labour machines - washer, dryer, dishy - try getting those mounted on plinths so the load on your poor back is reduced. I have dodgy joints so I am researching all the ergonomic ways to design work spaces to help me when I get to the awesome stage you guys are at with getting to build!...See MoreWhat do you think of my floor plan for my new home?
Comments (73)This floor plan has a single garage, with bedrooms grouped together at the front of the house, the Music Room has been moved to the rear away from the bedrooms as it would make too much noise for those sleeping. It can now be opened up to the family kitchen dining, courtyard and Alfresco and can be used as a play room(/ guest room) giving children great indoor out door play area in view of parents. There's a study with a similar view. A powder room closer to the rear of the house for easy access, The main bathroom is done Japanese style. The master suite has the WIR between the bed and the ensuite, no noise etc when in use to disturb anyone. I have made the passage way extra wide and more like a room which has a linen cupboard, you could certainly make this narrower and add to the bedrooms if you wished, This comes to 204.5 sq m. cheers...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 MoreWhat do you think of this floor plan?
Comments (25)Hi siriuskey, I agree the bathroom is too far away from the living areas. People will have to trek to the other end of the house past bedrooms to get to the bathroom. I'll think I'll move it back. The high set windows for bathroom privacy shows that it is possible to have a bathroom at the front of the house no problems. Also, the living room space with open walls is just a way to create 2 spaces in the combined area. If you want you can create a more private room by closing the sliders. Just thinking about resale and having more options e.g. one watching tv and the other in the family area. Do you think it would be better being one larger space at 11.3 metres long by 5m wide? Thanks....See More
oklouise
2 years agoshady
2 years agoThis is all I have at the moment they were the real estate agents plans not to scale but they are very close.
Kate
2 years agoshady
2 years agoKate
2 years agoKate
2 years agoshady
2 years agoKate
2 years agoshady
2 years agoKate
2 years agooklouise
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agothe space next to the guest toilet is for storage (vacuum, broom etc and to make MILs bedroom more private) but whatever you decide the stairs must be central to give the best use of the space upstairs and down otherwise the living areas both become crowded walkways and to make for the better location for the central stairs probably means gutting the front porch and entry to allow enough space for the new front door and moving the stairs towards the front allows for more space for the kitchen island with stools... but, in order to fit with the upstairs hallway the highest part of the stairs needs to be on the garage side ( so no option to use as a study) but the narrow storage under the stairs (subject to necessary structural restrictions) could be potentially expanded into the garage for a pantry and you could use the original downstairs kitchen as a small study and entry foyer
shady
2 years agooklouise
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoshady
2 years agooklouise
2 years agoshady
2 years agooklouise
2 years agoshady
2 years ago
oklouise