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 months 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 MoreWhich exterior paint colours for a 1927 brick bungalow?
Comments (11)Hi Pottsy99, thanks so much for your thoughtful response! You are perfectly right about that infill panel and the original steps which had been removed - goodness knows what was going through people's heads to do this to an old house. I do intend to reinstate the stairs - and link to the front garden which is north-east facing so will be perfect for an informal edible garden. I'm thinking of finding some original encaustic tiles to do the porch floor. It's a good idea to reinstate the steps in concrete - I was thinking about timber on a steel frame (for costs) however concrete will give a more stable feeling . This old California Bungalow however has an perplexing design in that there appear to be two entrances - apparently this was not that unusual for California Bunglalows. The main hallway runs off the side entrance, whereas these steps which come from the front garden lead straight into the loungeroom, with no hallway. So I intend to keep the main entrance to the side, and make the front entrance relate directly to the front garden, using plants and lighting to direct people to the main entrance. anyhow, in regards to the colour pallette, I love your idea of a burgundy roof, however I'm going to tone it down a bit as there's a lean-to at the back where I can have some fun with colour. For street appeal I'm going to keep it toned down - the setting is an Australian bush garden, and I'm looking at a relaxing pallette of greys which I think will make the red bricks sing as well. I've had the red bricks and mortar colour-matched at the hardware store, and there are red/yellow/black tones in them. So the greys will be warm/ olive-greenish. The light colour will be a lighter hue of the mortar (very light beige). The front door will be bright red, with warm white/very light beige trim. thanks again for your thoughts :-)...See Moredouble door dilemma
Comments (8)In pic 3 I assume that is one of the old doors ? I'd go for a similar style so it all looks period . One side I'd do those lock tabs top and bottom , so it is mainly a single doorway , and have a curvy brass handle on the other door -- obviously use that side most of the time , but open the two over summer or whatever suits ....See MorePlans for extension - thoughts on floor plan?
Comments (6)I personally have a thing about some of these square alfresco areas as the are usually very tight and squished when trying to use them, and eat into the interior floor plan, so the following suggestions. A long alfresco across the full width of the north facing family kitchen, catering to any future pool. Out door kitchen continuing as an extension to the kitchen, WIP which could have tall nib walls with a high set window above the bench for light and to control the westerly sun. An IT desk for the family to use Large open plan with fireplace. The powder room moved further to the rear of the house and into the laundry space, is better access for family room, play/guestroom and THE future pool Walk in linen storage and store next to the stairs for easy linen access for these 1st floor bedrooms...See More- 2 months ago
My 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 months ago
- 2 months 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 months ago
last monthI 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.
- last month
PROlast month
oklouise