Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jun 30, 2017 2:57 pm Hi all, This is the first time my partner and I have built a house, and we are looking to build something to live in forever. We are in the process of working with a builder to come up with a custom designed house to suit our block (10m x 27m), our budget and our wants/needs. We have no children at the moment but are hoping for one, so we are designing with that in mind. We will be in a new estate so we will be surrounded by brand new houses of the same size, and it is quite flat. Can anyone give us some feedback - good or bad - on what we have so far? Any changes or things people have noticed? Things we should consider? We have looked at it so many times and with many different versions we are probably missing something! Fresh eyes and opinions would be great! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Floor Plan Advice Please 😀 2Jun 30, 2017 3:04 pm Adelaide Girl Hi all, This is the first time my partner and I have built a house, and we are looking to build something to live in forever. We are in the process of working with a builder to come up with a custom designed house to suit our block (10m x 27m), our budget and our wants/needs. We have no children at the moment but are hoping for one, so we are designing with that in mind. We will be in a new estate so we will be surrounded by brand new houses of the same size, and it is quite flat. Can anyone give us some feedback - good or bad - on what we have so far? Any changes or things people have noticed? Things we should consider? We have looked at it so many times and with many different versions we are probably missing something! Fresh eyes and opinions would be great! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 3 things I've noticed. Upstairs between void and linen, will that be a study nook? The family room next to kitchen looks a bit narrow for lounges, what were you going to do regarding furniture placement in that room? Also, I wouldn't have so much concrete around the alfresco as you don't have much lawn for your future child to play on. Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 3Jun 30, 2017 3:09 pm Is that two single width garage autodoors? Personally I prefer the practicality of one wide garage door, and the aesthetics. I'd add a rear door from the garage to access the back yard. I think the extra concrete or pavers around the whole outside is great, my kids used ours heaps on trikes and scooters! Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 4Jun 30, 2017 3:18 pm We also would prefer to have a single wide door for practicality and aesthetics, but in order to make the top floor as big as it is, we needed to have some of the master bedroom overhanging the garage and front door, which means we needed the posts to hold it up. Hence having two single doors. Not our ideal, but you can't have everything I guess! We have opted to go with the bigger living area inside over the garage door at this stage...... Re: Floor Plan Advice Please 😀 5Jun 30, 2017 3:22 pm MandM+4 Adelaide Girl Hi all, This is the first time my partner and I have built a house, and we are looking to build something to live in forever. We are in the process of working with a builder to come up with a custom designed house to suit our block (10m x 27m), our budget and our wants/needs. We have no children at the moment but are hoping for one, so we are designing with that in mind. We will be in a new estate so we will be surrounded by brand new houses of the same size, and it is quite flat. Can anyone give us some feedback - good or bad - on what we have so far? Any changes or things people have noticed? Things we should consider? We have looked at it so many times and with many different versions we are probably missing something! Fresh eyes and opinions would be great! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 3 things I've noticed. Upstairs between void and linen, will that be a study nook? The family room next to kitchen looks a bit narrow for lounges, what were you going to do regarding furniture placement in that room? Also, I wouldn't have so much concrete around the alfresco as you don't have much lawn for your future child to play on. Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes We hadn't really thought about what to do with the space between the void and the linen, other than realising it was there! But a study nook could be a good idea! With the furniture in the family room, we were thinking of having the TV and lounges more on the side where the dining table is (we will probably only have a 6 seater rather than 8 as pictured) and then using the space next to the kitchen as more of a quiet area, study area etc. I do realise it is a bit narrow - in previous versions we did have it longer, but then the alfresco was only 2.2m wide, which I felt was too tight. I guess we could make the alfresco 2.5m and give 0.2m back to the family area??? Re: Floor Plan Advice Please 😀 6Jun 30, 2017 3:25 pm Adelaide Girl MandM+4 Adelaide Girl Hi all, This is the first time my partner and I have built a house, and we are looking to build something to live in forever. We are in the process of working with a builder to come up with a custom designed house to suit our block (10m x 27m), our budget and our wants/needs. We have no children at the moment but are hoping for one, so we are designing with that in mind. We will be in a new estate so we will be surrounded by brand new houses of the same size, and it is quite flat. Can anyone give us some feedback - good or bad - on what we have so far? Any changes or things people have noticed? Things we should consider? We have looked at it so many times and with many different versions we are probably missing something! Fresh eyes and opinions would be great! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 3 things I've noticed. Upstairs between void and linen, will that be a study nook? The family room next to kitchen looks a bit narrow for lounges, what were you going to do regarding furniture placement in that room? Also, I wouldn't have so much concrete around the alfresco as you don't have much lawn for your future child to play on. Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes We hadn't really thought about what to do with the space between the void and the linen, other than realising it was there! But a study nook could be a good idea! With the furniture in the family room, we were thinking of having the TV and lounges more on the side where the dining table is (we will probably only have a 6 seater rather than 8 as pictured) and then using the space next to the kitchen as more of a quiet area, study area etc. I do realise it is a bit narrow - in previous versions we did have it longer, but then the alfresco was only 2.2m wide, which I felt was too tight. I guess we could make the alfresco 2.5m and give 0.2m back to the family area??? I'd be more inclined to have the family room on one side, alfresco on the other, I think it would make the space much more usable. But just my opinion Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Re: Floor Plan Advice Please 😀 7Jun 30, 2017 3:27 pm It would also mean you could make the house a bit longer and bring the master back. If the current alfresco isn't below the top bedrooms? Does the first floor finish at the alfresco doors? Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 8Jun 30, 2017 3:29 pm Yes, I believe the back wall of the top storey sits on top of the stacker doors wall leading to the alfresco. Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 9Jun 30, 2017 9:15 pm The most important question: which way's north on those plans? Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 10Jun 30, 2017 9:44 pm North is the top of the page, so the front door and garages face south. Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 12Jun 30, 2017 11:11 pm Just some general thoughts at first glance: Having the alfresco across most of your northern side is going to rob you of nice northern light. There is the potential for that downstairs living area to be a bit short on natural light, depending upon your neighbours (i'm assuming that there's not going to be much distance between your windows and the neighbouring house wall). Your upstairs living area might also lack good natural light - do you have a clear idea of what that space is going to be used for? How's your western exposure? You've got a bit of glass facing west there, particularly Bed 3 - direct, hot, glaring western sun is not ideal in summer afternoons and evenings, especially for bedrooms (you might be able to get away with it if it's overshadowed by the neighbouring house, but then you've got the lack of natural light issues to deal with) I'd be tempted to mirror your design east-west (if you can mirror the garage), or at least the upstairs secondary bedrooms. Have you considered a door to the south of the dining/family area (closing it off from the corridor)? That could help stop your warm air escaping up through the stair void in winter (just leave it open in summer). Sightlines coming up the stairs - are you happy for the bathroom to be what your view is being focused on when you reach the top of the stairs? I agree that the master shower recess looks a bit small - might want to confirm your measurements there. Do you really need all that space in the master bed? You might be better off making the bedroom a bit smaller and the ensuite a little bigger. Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 13Jun 30, 2017 11:20 pm Oh, some last-minute thoughts re bed 2. It's going to be a bit of a squeeze to fit a double bed with bedside tables there with the robe where it is. Have you considered moving the robe to the bathroom wall instead (making the room wider but shorter)? That would give a more flexible layout. It would also help mitigate the issue of the bathroom wet wall being shared with the bedroom - not the best arrangement from an acoustic point of view. Also, with planning kids - do you want to encourage them to stay in their rooms, or for them to be encouraged into the living areas? Larger bedrooms for the former, smaller for the latter. Your secondary bedrooms are reasonably generous, so would be more encouraging of kids staying in their rooms and interacting less with the living areas. Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 15Jul 01, 2017 12:54 am Frankly speaking can't see generous kids bedrooms on this plans - both of them below 12 sq m and I would say that probably 15 sq m-17 sq m is the best sized bedroom for a teenager. Younger kids would also need some space for their modern toys (e.g. for the drones to fly). Considering where technologies are moving, it seems that kids in the future would need to have more personal spaces for VR-enhanced experiences and games. From personal experience, I could say that a lot depends on the kid himself, whether he prefers to spend time reading in his bedroom or playing outdoors with his friends. But what really sucks is a small bedroom and lack of personal space. Agree that alfresco at the north is probably not the brightest idea from passive solar standpoint and converting it to pergola deck/patio with adaptable roof will be so much better option. I would also consider how western bedrooms could be mirrored to the east instead and all eastern and western windows to be minimised in size, otherwise you would need to strongly consider tinting your west facing windows (and, considering bedrooms are at the upper floor, it is highly unlikely that neighbouring property will be able to adequately shade off high summer sun). Having expansive western windows at your kitchen/dining is also not the best idea - I would rather consider them moving to the east and significantly reduce glazing area. You have a lot of glazing on the north already which should provide enough lighting to your room (but after you convert alfresco to a pergola). Otherwise you will be having a real sauna over there in the summer afternoons. Just my 2 cents. Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 16Jul 01, 2017 1:04 pm Awesome ideas here, thank you! Keep them coming! In regards to the alfresco being converted to a patio/pergola (is there a difference?) What type of roof would you suggest? One of those ones with the movable louvres so you can open and close the roof? Do you have to get separate planning permission for that? Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 17Jul 01, 2017 1:55 pm Either one with moveable louvers (e.g. Louvretec) or you can think about just putting joists over there and putting vines on them. There are also fixed polycarbonate roofs with specially positioned blades, e.g. https://www.patioliving.com.au/timber/s ... rgola.html Not sure about planning permission, have to check with the council. Is your alfresco is having a separate roof or there is a bedroom on top of it? Re: Floor Plan Advice Please :-) 18Jul 01, 2017 2:11 pm alexp79 Either one with moveable louvers (e.g. Louvretec) or you can think about just putting joists over there and putting vines on them. There are also fixed polycarbonate roofs with specially positioned blades, e.g. https://www.patioliving.com.au/timber/s ... rgola.html Not sure about planning permission, have to check with the council. Is your alfresco is having a separate roof or there is a bedroom on top of it? It's a separate roof - the back end of the bedroom walls sit on top of the stacker doors leading to the alfresco. I'm guessing a louvre roof will be quite expensive? Although would removing the alfresco roof from the building reduce building costs there??? Re: Floor Plan Advice Please 😀 20Jul 01, 2017 9:03 pm Adelaide Girl We also would prefer to have a single wide door for practicality and aesthetics, but in order to make the top floor as big as it is, we needed to have some of the master bedroom overhanging the garage and front door, which means we needed the posts to hold it up. Hence having two single doors. Not our ideal, but you can't have everything I guess! We have opted to go with the bigger living area inside over the garage door at this stage...... You can get around this with a steal beam. Costly but doable. i thought the flipped plan initially but bec i want narrow pathway from entry to dining (dont like bend), also cannot fit the… 7 17278 Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 25163 Hi there! Absolutely agree on the wasted space. We have no desire for the master to be that oversized, but it occurred when we increased the depth of the garage. We have… 4 12498 |