Oh and I would do a half partition wall between the toilet and vanity in the bathroom.
We have it in out ensuite and I really like it. Makes the toilet feel a bit more private. And saves and toilet splatter going near the vanity. Lol
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Browse Forums Building A New House  24 May 2016 407 QLD Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2202Feb 06, 2017 10:49 pm  staceyrussellOh man, I wish I found this thread earlier. Any comments on my custom house plan would be greatly appreciated. We are about to continue to Full Working Drawings, so if we discover any major issues with the design we might want to revise it first. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Thanks in advance! Hi Stacey, If you are intent on having an open ensuite (ok if the two of you are on the same schedules, me & my other half are certainly not, and I don't want to listen to him gargling at 6am when I still have another 2 hours of beautiful slumber), you could extend the shower into the toilet space to create a double shower instead. Move the niches to the northern wall, they will fit into the external wall space without the requirement for a double wall. Also you could put some high opaque windows on the northern wall above the shower to let in the winter sun? If you're willing to close up the ensuite with a door, you could probably fit in a WIR too! I agree on switching the laundry and pantry too. I'd like to see the pantry not on an external wall (bugs, heat through the walls). Don't know how sanitary it is using it as a mudroom from the garage? You could move the kitchen sink over to the wall with the window? Recess the fridge back in the new laundry? http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz75/jodge/1_zps1ikme5vc.jpg Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2203Feb 07, 2017 5:18 am  Craigasaurus sm_boxhill algernonIf you're going for 'wow' factor then you'd be after the biggest entry void that you can fit, noting that the required structural complexity is going to cost extra. Small, simple voids can be cheap - but they don't provide much 'wow' (and can even look worse than no void at all). 'Wow-some' voids will end up adding a lot more to your costs (you are, quite literally, adding extra structure that contains nothing) - so you should factor that into your planning, too. More specifically, the particular staircase layout and placement that you have doesn't lend itself well to a spectacular void space.. If you really want that a spectacular entry void, my suggestion is to do that first and then design the rest of the house around it. On a blank floorplan, place the void at your entry first on the floor plan of both levels, and don't have the upper floor 'projecting' into the void space (unless you also plan for pillars and/or structural steel). Next run the staircase up/around the sides of that void. Finally, fill in the rest of the house around that. I hope that makes sense. Your energy efficiency will be reduced and you'll have higher running costs, but that's the price of voids. Make sure that you're also aware of the significant price differential between open and closed staircases (side timber vs central steel stringers) to factor into your design as well. Taking a step back, though, if this is your first house there's a number of potential other issues I can see with the design. As Craigasaurus pointed out, your bedrooms are quite large - what's the living pattern that you're aiming for here? Younger kids, older kids, how many? Do you want people to stay in their bedrooms all the time, or do you want to encourage greater use of communal space? More generally, it's a very large house for a first timer - do you really need all that space? Do you have a clear plan as to how it's all going to be utilised? Where is your furniture going to placed? I can see a risk of ending up with a lot of poorly-utilised space if you're not careful - just make sure you have a clear idea of exactly what you're going to do with all those spaces before you finalise your design. Thank for your detailed feedback. It has certainly stimulated my brain in relation to how void need to be designed for 'wow' factor. I will sit down with my drafsman to see how it can be fitted. My builder gave me heads up that void will going to cost me extra $$$, so i am kind of prepared and factored into budget. In relation to family situation, we are young family ... daughter turning 7 and there will be a new arrival.. my parents are staying with me, so they will occupy bedroom downstairs ... I agree with you that house is somewhat bigger than i expected and getting little out of our set budget .. i am trying to reduce about 35sqm from 370sqm too from this design so that i can finish turnkey home within $500k budget. I am thinking to make lounge little smaller .. reduce garage size, kitchen, pantry and laundry. Also hallway is 1610mm .. do you see if i can trim to 1400mm, will it look ugly ? In relation to furniture arrangements and window position, i have something in mind as follow... sorry drawing is little messy, hope you get an idea. Do you see any blunder or any scope for improvements ? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The only little thing I would consider is removing the 720 laundry door and putting in a sliding door in the hallway to make a walk through laundry instead of boxing it in so much. I agree. This house is huge! You can easily loose the extra lounge area to the GF and the TV room to the first floor to save space. By the sounds of it you only need 3 bedrooms (maximum - kids can share!) plus the guest room for your parents so you can probably drop another bedroom too. consider multi-functional spaces as well, rooms that have a different purpose at different times of day. For example a study can contain a sofa bed for when guests come to visit, or an open plan lounge/diner can contain discreet sliding doors so that it can be closed off for 'media' nights. This is far more efficient than having a specific space for each specific function. hope this helps! 01 Sep 2015 26 NSW Junior Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2204Feb 09, 2017 12:11 am  architect_yourself Craigasaurus sm_boxhill[quote="algernon"]If you're going for 'wow' factor then you'd be after the biggest entry void that you can fit, noting that the required structural complexity is going to cost extra. Small, simple voids can be cheap - but they don't provide much 'wow' (and can even look worse than no void at all). 'Wow-some' voids will end up adding a lot more to your costs (you are, quite literally, adding extra structure that contains nothing) - so you should factor that into your planning, too. More specifically, the particular staircase layout and placement that you have doesn't lend itself well to a spectacular void space.. If you really want that a spectacular entry void, my suggestion is to do that first and then design the rest of the house around it. On a blank floorplan, place the void at your entry first on the floor plan of both levels, and don't have the upper floor 'projecting' into the void space (unless you also plan for pillars and/or structural steel). Next run the staircase up/around the sides of that void. Finally, fill in the rest of the house around that. I hope that makes sense. Your energy efficiency will be reduced and you'll have higher running costs, but that's the price of voids. Make sure that you're also aware of the significant price differential between open and closed staircases (side timber vs central steel stringers) to factor into your design as well. Taking a step back, though, if this is your first house there's a number of potential other issues I can see with the design. As Craigasaurus pointed out, your bedrooms are quite large - what's the living pattern that you're aiming for here? Younger kids, older kids, how many? Do you want people to stay in their bedrooms all the time, or do you want to encourage greater use of communal space? More generally, it's a very large house for a first timer - do you really need all that space? Do you have a clear plan as to how it's all going to be utilised? Where is your furniture going to placed? I can see a risk of ending up with a lot of poorly-utilised space if you're not careful - just make sure you have a clear idea of exactly what you're going to do with all those spaces before you finalise your design. Thank for your detailed feedback. It has certainly stimulated my brain in relation to how void need to be designed for 'wow' factor. I will sit down with my drafsman to see how it can be fitted. My builder gave me heads up that void will going to cost me extra $$$, so i am kind of prepared and factored into budget. In relation to family situation, we are young family ... daughter turning 7 and there will be a new arrival.. my parents are staying with me, so they will occupy bedroom downstairs ... I agree with you that house is somewhat bigger than i expected and getting little out of our set budget .. i am trying to reduce about 35sqm from 370sqm too from this design so that i can finish turnkey home within $500k budget. I am thinking to make lounge little smaller .. reduce garage size, kitchen, pantry and laundry. Also hallway is 1610mm .. do you see if i can trim to 1400mm, will it look ugly ? In relation to furniture arrangements and window position, i have something in mind as follow... sorry drawing is little messy, hope you get an idea. Do you see any blunder or any scope for improvements ? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The only little thing I would consider is removing the 720 laundry door and putting in a sliding door in the hallway to make a walk through laundry instead of boxing it in so much. I agree. This house is huge! You can easily loose the extra lounge area to the GF and the TV room to the first floor to save space. By the sounds of it you only need 3 bedrooms (maximum - kids can share!) plus the guest room for your parents so you can probably drop another bedroom too. consider multi-functional spaces as well, rooms that have a different purpose at different times of day. For example a study can contain a sofa bed for when guests come to visit, or an open plan lounge/diner can contain discreet sliding doors so that it can be closed off for 'media' nights. This is far more efficient than having a specific space for each specific function. hope this helps![/quote] Thank you so much ... i am definitely removing louge room now and possibly one bedroom ... hope it will turn out reasonably a good design. 01 Sep 2015 26 NSW Junior Member 01 Sep 2015 26 NSW Junior Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2206Feb 09, 2017 12:14 am Craigasaurus sm_boxhill algernonIf you're going for 'wow' factor then you'd be after the biggest entry void that you can fit, noting that the required structural complexity is going to cost extra. Small, simple voids can be cheap - but they don't provide much 'wow' (and can even look worse than no void at all). 'Wow-some' voids will end up adding a lot more to your costs (you are, quite literally, adding extra structure that contains nothing) - so you should factor that into your planning, too. More specifically, the particular staircase layout and placement that you have doesn't lend itself well to a spectacular void space.. If you really want that a spectacular entry void, my suggestion is to do that first and then design the rest of the house around it. On a blank floorplan, place the void at your entry first on the floor plan of both levels, and don't have the upper floor 'projecting' into the void space (unless you also plan for pillars and/or structural steel). Next run the staircase up/around the sides of that void. Finally, fill in the rest of the house around that. I hope that makes sense. Your energy efficiency will be reduced and you'll have higher running costs, but that's the price of voids. Make sure that you're also aware of the significant price differential between open and closed staircases (side timber vs central steel stringers) to factor into your design as well. Taking a step back, though, if this is your first house there's a number of potential other issues I can see with the design. As Craigasaurus pointed out, your bedrooms are quite large - what's the living pattern that you're aiming for here? Younger kids, older kids, how many? Do you want people to stay in their bedrooms all the time, or do you want to encourage greater use of communal space? More generally, it's a very large house for a first timer - do you really need all that space? Do you have a clear plan as to how it's all going to be utilised? Where is your furniture going to placed? I can see a risk of ending up with a lot of poorly-utilised space if you're not careful - just make sure you have a clear idea of exactly what you're going to do with all those spaces before you finalise your design. Thank for your detailed feedback. It has certainly stimulated my brain in relation to how void need to be designed for 'wow' factor. I will sit down with my drafsman to see how it can be fitted. My builder gave me heads up that void will going to cost me extra $$$, so i am kind of prepared and factored into budget. In relation to family situation, we are young family ... daughter turning 7 and there will be a new arrival.. my parents are staying with me, so they will occupy bedroom downstairs ... I agree with you that house is somewhat bigger than i expected and getting little out of our set budget .. i am trying to reduce about 35sqm from 370sqm too from this design so that i can finish turnkey home within $500k budget. I am thinking to make lounge little smaller .. reduce garage size, kitchen, pantry and laundry. Also hallway is 1610mm .. do you see if i can trim to 1400mm, will it look ugly ? In relation to furniture arrangements and window position, i have something in mind as follow... sorry drawing is little messy, hope you get an idea. Do you see any blunder or any scope for improvements ? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The only little thing I would consider is removing the 720 laundry door and putting in a sliding door in the hallway to make a walk through laundry instead of boxing it in so much. Agreed ... much appreciated your suggestion. Cheers 01 Feb 2017 415 NSW Gold Member 01 Feb 2017 415 NSW Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2209Feb 12, 2017 10:06 pm Hi Jodge! Thanks for the reply - I really like the idea for the ensuite and separate toilet. I'll try to get that in! Only thing I can see is that with the change of WIR layout the placement of the windows might affect the facade, but it's worth a fiddle to see. Nothing's set in stone yet! Hubby and I were actually talking about a double shower today, but decided we would never use it as we don't get ready at the same time  . And the reason I put the WIL there is because I felt something was needed between the MBR and the second BR! For privacy if you know what I mean...  plus having one kid's BR significantly bigger than the other is just asking for major squabbling from my kids lol 29 Apr 2016 371 ACT Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2210Feb 13, 2017 9:45 am I definitely prefer jodge's edits too - facades can always be altered with changed/additional features to compensate for changes in windows. Having same-sized bedrooms for kids to avoid issues is definitely a good idea - that's definitely a must for us! Could you move bed 2 to the southern end near bed 3 - that way you'll have a separate "kid's wing" and "adult wing" - and no need to worry about extra "noise insulation" spaces...  Even without moving that second bedroom, though, you could move the master bed to be against the northern wall, shrink bed 2 back to the original size, and then you could fit in a full built-in wardrobe along the southern wall of the master bedroom. You'd then have some additional extra space that you could either leave to make the master bedroom itself larger, or you could reduce your footprint (or a combination of the two), and you'd still have "separation" between those two bedrooms. Hope that makes sense. 01 Feb 2017 415 NSW Gold Member 29 Apr 2016 371 ACT Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2212Feb 13, 2017 5:45 pm I know the pain of trying to align double-storey plans.... good luck with it! You could always rake only part of the granny flat ceiling if it got too hard otherwise. Also, I like the way that you've addressed solar access with your design, given the orientation of your block! Just avoid the temptation to put too much glass facing west over that swimming pool The only other concern I can see at the moment is the internal bathroom in the south-west wing - I can see what you're trying to do there, but I'd personally try to get it some external 'wall-age' for a window or two (not just for natural light, but also for ventilation). With the fully internal placement, there might also be some noise issues with your wet wall placement (at the moment it's surrounded by a study nook, bedroom and living area - none of those are ideal to share plumbing noises with). If you're prepared to lose a little of the demi-'ensuite-ness' re the guest bed, placing it closer to the kitchen would (probably) also reduce your plumbing runs. 01 Feb 2017 415 NSW Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2213Feb 13, 2017 7:37 pm Oh yes that downstairs powder room has been a thorn in my side! Currently I've decided to swap it with the little corridor next to it leading to the guest br. That way at least the pool will have access to it from the outside and no one will be tramping with wet feet on my wood floor. I would certainly prefer the PR to be more central - I'm thinking of the kids barreling through the entire house to get to the toilet when they get home and come in to the garage  !01 Feb 2017 415 NSW Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2214Feb 13, 2017 7:51 pm Oh posted before I finished! Anyway, this way the PR will also at least be able to have external ventilation. I'll have to shuffle things along though to get a bit more room in the living room (which will really be a tv/kids Xbox space), as initially the wall for the tv was going to be there. I have an existing sofa that I want to fit there. I was initially worried about the west windows too, in the pool area, but now the idea is to bring the second storey roof all the way down to the single storey west wall of the pool (so my pool will have a raked ceiling too  ). We designed the pool and alfresco areas as courtyards to primarily get north light onto the back part of the house. But it also has the happy advantage of cross breezes from all directions. And I think it will be rather nice to be able to open both sides of the ground floor corridor completely and combine the pool and alfresco into one large area. I'm quite excited about that! 17 Feb 2017 5 QLD Junior Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2216Feb 20, 2017 11:48 am I don't think you can make a bad choice here, it's stunning either way, however I like the lip Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2217Feb 20, 2017 2:46 pm With D lip, I think it gives more definition. ? 29 Apr 2016 371 ACT Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2218Feb 20, 2017 3:24 pm The lip gives it more definition, but without the lip it merges better with the inset (and thus shadowed) sections below... the lip makes it bolder, without the lip will increase the apparent visual space of the building (sort of having the upper floor rise seamlessly from the shadows below). Personally, I'd go without the lip - but that's just me! It'll work either way. It might be worth considering what shade the lip provides - that might be a factor. Also consider cleaning/maintenance - will the lip just become a hard-to-clean dirt/leaf/etc collector? 17 Nov 2016 3 VIC New Poster Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2219Mar 23, 2017 12:29 am Good day everyone, Was wondering if anyone could help fix our layout. We are hoping to build a home with the bedrooms concentrated at the rear of the house. We have 2 kids and would like the rooms close to each oyher. Our plans are to keep the masters bedroom in the same spot but we feel that the masters is too narrow. We were hoping to increase the size of the room by moving the walk in closet and tinkering around with the ensuite. We just want to keep the tub in the ensuite rather than put it in the other bathroom. We just don't know how. Was hoping for some fresh opinions on what to do. Cheers Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 29 Apr 2016 371 ACT Gold Member Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 2220Mar 23, 2017 10:08 am Just to clarify - when you say "too narrow", are you talking about the 3.18 or the 3.85 dimension? And do you have a preferred size to reach, and why (e.g. fitting a specific furniture arrangement, or just want a more spacious feel)? I was talking about the main entry, it’s seems very narrow and long, will be dark. Also in regards to the suggested en-suite change, if you make the void smaller… 11 1443  Thanks for your advise. Our dining area I have measured it and should be fine to fit nice big table. Kitchen can’t be changed as already submitted our plans to council. 10 1887 6 1271 |
