California Bungalow Floor Plan Dilema
Hi fellow Houzzers!
We are hoping you could help with some ideas on a floor plan dilemma we are facing with our newly purchased California bungalow within a HCA.
Basic brief is:
- seamless flow from front to back, designed to be able to grow with our young family
- 4 bedrooms minimum
- main bedroom with ensuite (plus walk-in robe if possible)
- main bathroom with bathtub (preferably not bath/shower combo)
- extra living room that could be used as spare room, study or kids retreat
- open plan living out the back with indoor/outdoor flow. We love entertaining so deck and BBQ area is a must as well as a 6x3m minimum swimming pool
- garage would be ideal (maybe brought forward off back fence and a part of the house)
We don't have an unlimited budget, but we are very handy and are prepared to spend the $ needed to make this our forever home but are still hoping to try and keep it single level and use as much of the double brick footprint as possible. The exterior needs a lot of work, and we want to change the colour scheme of the facade and gutters but wanted to focus on the inside first.
We have a sketched a number of ideas but always get stuck with the laundry location and how to fit it in. Original thoughts were to put it towards the back and have a toilet in there so if kids are in the pool they can access it easier with wet feet, but after reading a lot of articles the back is apparently not ideal and will take away the glam from an open floor plan looking over the pool.
Any feedback would be much appreciated.
Comments (16)
2 years agoRelated Discussions
How to transform this into a bungalow?
Comments (32)Wow! I've just woken (time difference Down Under) to check the enormous response from all. I'm absolutely thrilled & I will need some time to read through and analyse all the wonderful input, thanks so much. I'm very keen to search MCM. I love Queenslanders but thought that was trying to change the style into something its not to so was swaying towards a bungalow style of a home. We are located in the hinterland of the Gold Coast in Qld and want a home that suits our surrounds. I do not like modern I like cottage/bungalow style if thats possible. Its now 'get ready' for school time, so I'll be back. Thank you for all your ideas and opening my mind. Some ideas I have in pics attached....See MorePorch & entry tiles
Comments (9)I can see by the first photo you posted the tiles have raised the floor level ie; the timber beading which also means the doors have been shortened to for opening to the new level. I agree the pebble crete isn't very attractive and doesn't fit the style of house, perhaps some lovely light coloured stone paving, what is your preference for tiles and style...See MoreModernising a 90yr old California Bungalow WITHOUT losing its charm
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Comments (21)I would term it a 'homestead' style -- its quite unusual how some of the features have been added -- some of the additions seem older than the oroiginal design ( I'm not just talking about the filigrees on the veranda -- the upstairs has quite an agedd look to it ! ) . Like others , I wonder if that room on the right was added in the 50's ? But the fireplace and chimney has me confused -- you wouldn't normally have expected that to be on the front wall , but also it is as tall as the upper floor height , so that has possibly been added around the same time as the upstairs rooms were added . But then theres another little 'rise' in the roof further back -- I can't work out when or even why it was added ? The mods are pretty well done , and add some class to what would have been a more basic design -- it has a bit of interest and character !...See More
2 years agoMy first thoughts, you are losing a lot of good building room where the driveway runs along the side of the home. What are the set back requirements for the side of the home? Can you build a double carport at the front of home? Here is a renovated brick California Bungalow which shows how you could incorporate new ensuite, robes, laundry etc on that driveway area. Albeit on a different side to your driveway, but the concept would be the same for your home. Keeping your garage at the back, as a extra living area/pool room.
- 2 years ago
- 2 years ago
If you are not allowed to put your carport in front of the house, perhaps you can rearrange rooms, something like in the drawing below. I then made the larger of the bedrooms the lounge, but it could be any of them. I shifted the laundry to let more light into the dining room.
g_donn thanked Kath 
- 2 years ago
2 years agoI think it is always important to try and keep as much of the original character of the building and work with it
I am late with the following suggestion so a basic sketch which I would be happy to draw with my CAD program.
Keeping the current garage on the boundary and adding a new kitchen forward of it, the new kitchen would be brought up to the same level as the existing kitchen with the old garage space being kept at ground level with the new pool, alfresco and BBQ The roof of both spaces would be the same height with raked ceiling and skylights facing the northern aspect along the boundary
laundry with WC where the old kitchen is which gives great access from the pool , an outdoor shower could be added
If you plan to build a pool remember that it will need to be excavated so allowing access for a Bob Cat is needed.
- 2 years ago
PRO2 years ago
oklouise