Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 13, 2010 9:50 pm We have to decide between two floor plans for the proposed addition. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41671991@N04/4986342782/ This is Buster's preferred floorplan. He likes the idea of being in the kitchen and having clear line of sight into the garden. The top of the floorplan is North so there will be loads of sun coming through two large banks of glass which will open onto a large deck spanning the width of the house. The garden is three or four steps down from the deck. The top left corner is the proposed family room, The bottom left is the third bedroom with the door being approximately where the gap is. Buster's plan is different to mine in the orientation of the kitchen and laundry. The bottom right is the laundry space with a window (or door) on that east wall to the side walkway. There is no other glazing on this side of the addition so the window will allow for light and increased ventilation into this corner space. The walkway goes to the front of the house (south) and will be blocked to the north by two proposed water tanks (near where the dining table is positioned), and maybe a clothes line as well. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41671991@N04/4986342470/in/photostream This is my preferred floorplan. We will likely go with Buster's layout, as it allows for the rear of the house to feel more open, as well as allowing better distribution of light and increased ventilation to the south east corner. The reason I prefer my floorplan is threefold: 1. It breaks the garden into zones and reduces the size of our oversized deck. We both love the idea of a large deck but at the moment it is going to be too big (3600x9765). I think by reducing the deck, we'll immediately see a drop in cost and the proportions will appear more suited to the space. My plan is to have a step down from the laundry to ground level where we could have a sunny little clothes drying area adjacent to the deck. Sun would be limited due to the shed to the north, the fence to the east and deck screening to the west, but I still think it would be sunny enough for its purpose as well as to create a kitchen garden. 2. I think the kitchen would feel more spacious due to that widened space in the centre. Open plans should feel open to me, but not overly so. I don't like the noise created in open plans which amount to great hall like spaces. This centre part is a concern to both of us though as it creates an unusable dead zone adjacent to what we refer as "the cricket pitch". The cricket pitch is the area in the centre which is at the rear of the island. It runs the length of the entire house, from front door to back. 3. I like the idea of having a laundry which doubles as a mud room. Come in from the garden, strip off all your grubby clothes and dump them straight into the tub for a soak, then wash yourself off before heading into the house. There is always the practical element to my planning. So this is something that requires a great deal of consideration. We've got a while to think about it, but I'd rather have our plans finalised prior to lodging our DA which will hopefully occur sometime this week. Any thoughts? Also can anyone help me with how to embed images? I tried and it didn't work. Is there a size limit on H1? People make one happy, not houses? I do not think so. Houses are more to be trusted than people. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Daughters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDX0tgONFs http://lightndreamy.blogspot.com/ Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 2Sep 14, 2010 1:53 pm Try tinypic, its what was suggested to me and I use it often. Load your pics and then copy and paste the IMG link into your H1 text. I do like DH's layout better. it seems more functional and I like to be able to see outside from the kitchen. RF Build: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=34534 Flooring: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=39733 Chat: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=53303 Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 3Sep 14, 2010 4:21 pm Thanks Raleighfarm. I'll give it a go:) People make one happy, not houses? I do not think so. Houses are more to be trusted than people. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Daughters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDX0tgONFs http://lightndreamy.blogspot.com/ Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 4Sep 14, 2010 4:24 pm Do you hvae a copy of your whole house plan so we can see how it all works together? Lauren and Tony: Building our first home in the Vaucluse estste, Doreen, Melbourne http://laurenandtonyshouse.blogspot.com/ Quote of the Day: "I know what you wanted but I did it this way becausee I thought it would look better" Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 5Sep 14, 2010 5:42 pm I like Buster's floor plan. But both have their merits. Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 6Sep 14, 2010 7:18 pm I can't post the house plan. This is an addition to an existing 3 bedrooms and lounge room. It's pre 1918 in the federation style, so entry is at centre of the front, with bedrooms each side of a central hallway. The front of house is currently undergoing minor modifications so there will be 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a lounge room to the south of this addition. The central hallway continues into this living area and the kitchen and laundry are the only section I need help with:) People make one happy, not houses? I do not think so. Houses are more to be trusted than people. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Daughters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDX0tgONFs http://lightndreamy.blogspot.com/ Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 7Sep 14, 2010 7:48 pm I think I like Busters better mainly if it lets more light into the house Lauren and Tony: Building our first home in the Vaucluse estste, Doreen, Melbourne http://laurenandtonyshouse.blogspot.com/ Quote of the Day: "I know what you wanted but I did it this way becausee I thought it would look better" Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 8Sep 15, 2010 8:37 am I vote for Buster's design too because it brings the kitchen into the living area more. It's important to me that someone working in the kitchen can feel included in what is going on in the rest of the living area. I also like the idea of a big deck because then you can have a dining area and a lounging area and really live outdoors. If you want to make the deck smaller why not have a garden in front of the family room and the deck just in front of the dining room. If there's a sliding door from the family room you could put a little path of stepping stones through the garden leading to the deck to keep the two areas feeling part of the whole. Re: Your opinions on my floor plan please:) 9Sep 15, 2010 2:43 pm Do you think there will be a problem with light in my floor plan considering this addition is to the north and it's mostly glass? My floor plan can allow for a frosted window at the rear of the cooking space (as alternative to glass SB) but Buster's cooking space will back onto the laundry and be much smaller, so I have a (minor) concern that the cooking nook will become a darkened alcove due to overhead and adjacent full height cupboards. Has anyone seen a glass splash that is actually an internal frosted glass window to the next room? People make one happy, not houses? I do not think so. Houses are more to be trusted than people. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Daughters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDX0tgONFs http://lightndreamy.blogspot.com/ i thought the flipped plan initially but bec i want narrow pathway from entry to dining (dont like bend), also cannot fit the… 7 12847 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 18320 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 9164 |