Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!!

Jodge and Doc Freeman thanks.

You wouldn't prefer your master bedroom to be warmed by northern light, or if you are a morning person and are building such a large home have a small retreat area that would capture morning sun from the east and could be blocked off with blinds?

I'm not an expert at all, just someone on my own home journey. How big is the home you are thinking of building? With such a large home and block I feel you can achieve something more coherent even bearing in mind your wish to have the façade symmetrical.

If you haven't worked well with your architect perhaps choose another architect or building designer?

Hi all

Find two concepts. Block appx 512 sqm, 15.4 metres frontage and faces East. A fall perhaps about 1.2 metres.

West to yard view is heavily shaded by a large stand of tall mature gum trees behind our back fence.

We are in a warmish climate (Hunter area) so primarily want to capture the nice north and morning E sun, cool as needed rather than be too concerned about heating. Cold days occur but nothing too dramatic.

Brief is for easy to care for, modern and free flowing home that suits our budget.
Space where we need it and not where we don't.

Concept (1)






The garage is underneath (6 x 6, height 2.7) with stairs to the living area. The living and bedrooms are on a single level. There is one set of stairs up to the module, a living room retreat designed to capture N and E sun.

This would be built on bearers, less excavation and retaining. The plan is 219sqm.

Concept (2)


Elevations



Floor


The garage is to the side with no or a couple of steps, house is on one level. The living area in this case is open, perhaps a door could be added. This plan would require more cut and fill, retaining however could go on slab. Our preferred flooring option is Blackbutt timber, though.
The plan is 202 sqm.

Feedback welcome then I will share my thoughts. Don't want to pre-empt. Pls note of course all designs remain property of our architect, who is great to work with. Happy to recommend if seeking one in Newcastle area.

Dbl post sorry.

Primarily comments on plan 2 - I'd minimise those western windows - put larger ones along the northern wall of the open plan. I'd also reconsider the master bed layout, perhaps get the ensuite and WIR in the western wall. You have a lot of glazing around the bed as it is that would suffer from the western sun.

Neither plan allows much northern light and warmth in despite having huge areas right there ready for it.

This goes for both plans:
- Not a lot of windows on the northern wall.
- lots of unshaded glass on the west, highest roof on the western elevation is right where you want max overhang for summer shade.
- sight lines of the first plan show you can see the toilet from the kitchen.

Both would be a good design if the front faced south, not east. Not knowing what is on either side of your block, they may be a valid reason for the glazing plan (e.g. privacy) but I'd ask your architect to come up with a better system to make more use of the northern sun (for winter warming) and less glass/more shade on the west. You could also ask them for a shade diagrams for different times of the year to demonstrate this.

Good luck!

Double post

I prefer the separate lounge in option 1. I'd think about furnishing placement in bedrooms 2 & 3 in this version though. Might be difficult where the wardrobes are.

I prefer plan 2, but I would close off the living area and re configure the kitchen, perhaps turn the breakfast bar the other direction, you would get a lot more living space.

With plan 1 the thought of lugging groceries up those stairs put me off.

double post.

Thanks a lot for your reply. These comments are great. Yes, I have thought about reorientating the breakfast bar on plan 1.

I have thought the same about plan 2. There is an option to park in the driveway of course but if it is raining etc.

The flipside is that the upper living would be a bit of a star in terms of a comfortable retreat space, important to both of us. And by builder on bearers we can minimise excavation and easily lay the blackbutt flooring we would like. 2 requires retaining walls. The groceries and stairs from the garage is a tricky one though, could impact resale if it came to that.

If you are set on plan 1 then if budget allows I would consider a Dumbwaiter System from the garage to the kitchen.

Thanks, not a bad idea at all if the pennies stretched but I doubt they would to make safe such a system and compliant. Groceries doesn't bother me, it's about 7 steps so not a full flight but I know I will get older of course and may impact resale.

What about 3 vs 4 beds in terms of bank val? 4 bed being smaller house 3 bed being bigger.

Thanks.

We are going for the split level.

We have a unique benefit in that W windows are very heavily shaded by a large stand of mature trees, the best natural sun protection and it is not expected that heat will be an issue. Even in summer it can be closer to dark if anything. It is also the most pleasant visual aspect. Difficiult to picture without seeing the block but we wanted that aspect out to the beautiful gumtrees from the master, which will assist greatly with the heat anyway.

The issue on the N is privacy, directly beside the neighbours (looking into private outdoor space). The house next door is also not pleasant visually at all. They still consider it will be light but what types of windows will maximise light and satisfy privacy requirements? Any tips?

We hope the upper living area, with its northern and eastern windows will be the star in terms of morning and afternoon light.

Would anyone consider a balcony to the façade? Are there any considerations to this.
What about installing a sliding door off the master to alfresco, or a larger window. That window isn't really decided yet.

I consider advantages and disadvantages having a door off a bedroom.

Clerestory windows, high level windows like you have in concept 2, running down the centre of the build.

Get these right & you'll have lovely northern light, & views of the sky, not your neighbour.

Also, if you have overshadowing issues, & the room, you may want to stretch out the plan, along the E-W axis, building close to your S boundary, & having a bit of a N side yard.

Hello all,
First of all, thank you for looking at my plans. Any input/feedback is welcome. After holding back building for several years, I finally decided to knock down and build 3 units on my block, in the south eastern suburb (VIC). The front unit will be "given" to a family member, the middle will be for investment and I will live at the back (family of 3). The plan is to live there for 5-10 years. Once again, positive/negative feedbacks are welcome. Thank you.


- The redline are the changes I wanted to make (so far), almost final draft! The driveway will be straight and hopefully I can keep the existing driveway as well.
Unit 1 (front)-highlight windows+ double fridge location
Unit 3 (back)- Double fridge location


First floor:

- Unit 1- redline- add small windows for more light

junk3569,

They actually look pretty good. Unit developments are always a compromise, but I like 2 living areas, and decent sized bedrooms.

The guest rooms are very (too?) generous in their allocation. Even in our 40sq plan, we've only allowed a single vanity.

I'd try and have internal access from all the units into the garage, can only see it with unit 2.
And is there a door missing in unit 3 for the laundry?

Thank you, Doc. Good thinking, I will move the door of the garage onto the other side of the wall in unit 1. I am thinking to extend the garage of unit 1 another .5m for storage shelves. But still deciding.
- Unit 3 garage also has a small sliding door sliding door on the corner, just hard to see on the drawing.
- All the laundry has access door to the outside, just that unit 1 has a sliding door instead of open/close.

Thanks. We do have celestory windows and a raked ceiling. As our house is single level essentially with the split at the front hopefully overshadowing won't be too much for their private space on their S side, just that our block is about 0.7 higher than the N vneighbour so need to avoid looking onto their yard.

We are close to the south boundary just as much as planning allows, N side yard is very ugly due to residence next door. However having the alfresco centred should provide plenty of northern llight. Fortunate that there is extremely little heat from the west due to the great natural gum tree barrier.

We have extended the linen a little bit so there is no chance of a view to the powder room, ensured there is under house storage and completed a few other tweaks. Looking forward to having the final concept and getting along to DA, we have a baby on the way and need finance ASAP!

Unit 1 toilet is right next to the dining area - not only do you have a direct line of sight, but your diners will be able to share all the toilet sounds and smells with the user!
You can solve this be creating a small hallway into the guest room, and accessing the wc and guest from there.

The driveway curving in front of the house is a little awkward - can this be changed? It might look pretty, but it will a pain to keep having to turn to stay on the driveway.

It is worth considering if the galleries in unit 1 and 2 are a waste of space, could the soace be used more efficiently? They aren't really furnishable, so consider adding the space to the rooms or converting the space into storage.

Unit 3 looks really good, there aren't any issues I can spot there.