A house! A house! My kingdom for a house!

You went for the sloping roof...

1. Because the wife preferred it

2. Because it's Scotland

3. Because you gave it away by saying 'initially'

4. Just call me Sherlock???

@Tennentslager Correct. But you could have stopped at 1 

Happy wife, happy life.

Much improved :-). My comments on *this* iteration, if I may, to encourage continuation of the novel.

 

Where does the person in 1st Floor back bedroom take their shower ? :-) I stand by my off list argument on those rooms.

 

I bet this is coming in chapter 7, but it doesn't seem to make full use of EW elevations, light and sea views for some rooms.

 

The front entrance is much better resolved, but is that enough dustbin space? We are about to get dustbin number 4.

 

LIke the full length windows, but I would sweat some blood on the precise arrangement. I am not sure about the levels on that stair window. It seems to be that there is more window on the basement stairs than the 1st Floor Stairs, and the floor level vs window relationship on the stairs may be odd ... would need to see a cross section. Or make the stair wall entirely glass.

 

I would say perhaps put a window at 1st floor stair half landing level with a window seat. Nice views from landing, and sparrows and trains.

 

And I am not sure about 2 sets of N facing patio doors from the kitchen. Might be inclined to lose one of those and have a sink facing the back garden through a window rather than the indicated Rudyard Kipling sink ("Watch the Wall My Darling").

 

How will you get heavy stuff e.g. ton of manure, and friends in wheelchairs, into the back garden and house  ?

 

Edited April 5, 2017 by Ferdinand

Thanks once again @Ferdinand for your thoughtful input. You're right that some of this is coming next, but I'll answer here too.

 

1st floor back bedroom and shower - with this plan, they'd have to go upstairs to the family bathroom, or use the en-suite on that floor - neither ideal, but a future change mitigates this.

E/W elevations - we've houses either side (one existing, one in planning) and we have a Planning Condition relating to that

 

"No windows or openings shall be formed in the east or west elevations of the dwelling hereby approved"

 

We also had to change the the Dining Room window to a high height narrow window - it was either that or obscure glass.

 

Dustbins - probably not enough space (we already have 4) so we'll likely use the space outside the marked area (with a screen at the front, in line with the garage) and then use the bin space for tools/bikes (behind a lockable door).

 

Placement of rear window - good spot, and you're right that the avatar on the drawing is misleading. Here's the section from a later drawing:

 

 

I wanted full height glass here (the original design had this), but our architect was adamant it would cause overheating and he liked the drama of the window placement with the landing - I'm still not convinced. There's not a view as such out the north elevation (occasional train and school playing field) but if we're going to change something (and we'd have to go back to planning) this would be near the top of the list.

 

Kitchen doors - the original plans had exactly what you've suggested, with the sink on the north wall in front of a window and a side door leading around to the garden, but we made a conscious effort to change that as we like to BBQ and wanted direct access to the back garden. We also very rarely stand in front of the sink for anything other than a minute or so.

 

Rear garden access - this is a bit of a concern of mine - not so much for smaller items, but for during the build, particularly due to the slope. Re. Wheelchairs, we've been advised by our architect that we're passing accessibility regs (we'll see) but i accept its not easy to get someone in a wheelchair up to the living level. We did briefly talk about incorporating a lift (as per a previous comment) but the cost... 

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by AliMcLeod

Will return to this after errands, but does that PC mean that you have lost all those windows on the West Elevation?

 

Especially the one in the 1st Floor Living space.

We queried that, but that's ok - its just badly worded. The "hereby approved" refers to the house with those window as designed, but we cannot add any more.

Presumably "as approved" refers to "this one with changes in the next article"? And presumably "cannot add" means without another Planning App?

 

Is the one that the builder had approved before still live? If so, anything approved on that would be difficult to refuse :-).

 

Edited April 5, 2017 by Ferdinand

The PC is on the latest version of the design you see above - fundamentally the same exterior, though we've changed the internal layout a bit.

 

The original planning runs out next month (3 years) - we did wonder whether it would be worth extending it. In that plan, all windows on the west elevation are either marked opaque (bathrooms) or frosted (dining room) - you can just about see that on the floor plans in this post.

 

There is no equivalent planning condition though.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2017 by AliMcLeod

More to say on Planning Matters including your deadline, but will do that on the later article thread or separate comment.

 
>Placement of read window - good spot, and you're right that the avatar on the drawing is misleading. Here's the section from a later drawing:
 
I think the basic point here is that you are the Client, and he is the Architect. What do you want when you are leaning on the banister in your pyjamas or walking downstairs? It is your building and you will be living in it for 20 years.

 

IMO one of the benefits of the dentist and teeth like process you are documenting has been that you have learnt (and are demonstrating) how to get such decisions right balancing many different factors. Have the courage of your convictions, in context, whichever way you decide.

>I wanted full height glass here (the original design had this), but our architect was adamant it would cause overheating and he liked the drama of the window placement with the landing - I'm still not convinced. There's not a view as such out the north elevation (occasional train and school playing field) but if we're going to change something (and we'd have to go back to planning) this would be near the top of the list.

 

Heh. Perhaps you need to have the architect explain how a North facing window (ie no sun) in a house built North of Edinburgh (= cool climate) on the Scottish East Coast (= cool air) with a largely glass South facing facade (= maximum cause of overheating if there is any) is going to cause a material increase in 'overheating'. With calculations and/or models. Peraonally I would be a little skeptical.

 

If you need to manage the excess sun on your North facing window (or even the South facing ones) there are things like effective transparent solar film available. Have discussed recently on here.

 

>Kitchen doors - the original plans had exactly what you've suggested, with the sink on the north wall in front of a window and a side door leading around to the garden, but we made a conscious effort to change that as we like to BBQ and wanted direct access to the back garden. We also very rarely stand in front of the sink for anything other than a minute or so.

 

I actually meant replace you 5m bifold with one set of patio doors or french Widows (so to keep outside access) and then extend the kitchen units slightly round the corner, but you have thought about this. On BF there is some skepticism about the long term (say 10 year) airtightness of bifolds and people are tending to go for Lift and Slide instead. Switcthing to ome set of French Doors would save several thousand, however.

 

>Rear garden access - this is a bit of a concern of mine - not so much for smaller items, but for during the build, particularly due to the slope. Re. Wheelchairs, we've been advised by our architect that we're passing accessibility regs (we'll see) but i accept its not easy to get someone in a wheelchair up to the living level. We did briefly talk about incorporating a lift (as per a previous comment) but the cost.

 

A couple of comments.

 

To my mind the wheelchair etc issue is not really about tickbox regs, but about your lifestyle and the possibility of your friends who are eg in wheelchairs and yourselves being embarrassed in that situation. Or what happens if you or your partner breaks your back and ends up disabled? In that situation you would not want to be forced to move house.

 

On the lift, I would argue for the *possibility* of incorportating one in future rather than adding 25k to the budget now. That is things like designing your structure so structural beams are not where the hole in the floor would go, putting a more robust element in for the anchor at the top etc, leaving a suitable space on each floor etc. That may not be prohibitive.

 

On the garden access, mitigation is straightforward, but full access is slightly more tricky.

 

1 - Incorporate a wheelbarrow / bicycle ramp into your side-path stair design. Something like this, which could be sunken as well as proud:

(Credit: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vindels-construction-san-diego

 

or this

or this

(Credit: http://wallswithoutcement.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/steps-and-wheelbarrow-ramp.html)

 

How you do it depends on your materials and path width and step design, and should cost not too much extra. At its simplest you just mortar in an angled brick upside down to each step, or put a groove in your mini wall at the side.

 

IMO the ramp really wants to be wide enough for a sack trolley, and you want an anchor point for a portable winch at the top.

 

In your setting I might be tempted to finish white concrete mini-side walls in embedded beach pebbles on top so I have a low friction surface for an inclined plane which would just need a board, a cable, and the aforementioned winch. Or put grooves in the top for rails.

 

At its simplest you could incorporate a small depression at the bottom where you wedge a 5m piece of gutter cut to length when you want to use a wheelbarrowm with a couple of stabilising pegs somewhere - which could be a batten to wedge in the path and 2 six inch nails.

 

I would say make the steps as shallow as possible to make barrows easier for smaller people (or it will be delegated to you), and make half landings long enough to fit a bike/barrow and a person who want a rest - say 1.5m.

 

2 - Make a straightforward path through the house wide enough for whatever - always a good idea when difficult access. Suggest 900mm which is sized for a Type III Mobility Scooter or 800mm which would take a "doorway" sized digger. That depends on your lift to work, and appropriate floor finishes and kitchen layout, but there's no point making it impossible when you do not have to. :-).

 

(You now probably think I am completely mad)

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Ferdinand

Thanks again @Ferdinand. You've got me thinking on that rear window again - if I wanted to go for full height, I'd hope to get it through as a non-material variation.

 

Kitchen doors - we very quickly moved from bi-fold to sliders, we did consider patio doors, but wanted a bigger opening - you'll see that in future floorplans. I've the same concerns about the long-term air-tightness of bi-fold.

 

Accessibility - some brilliant input here and i'm going to print this out and keep it and discuss with SWMBO. Its actually very pertinent for us as my wife has a joint condition that could affect her mobility in years to come. We've changed the (not yet posted) internal floor layout as a nod to that potential future, but its not the full solution that a lift would provide. Love the ideas for the back garden access.

 

i'll have another think about the lift, though i can't see where we'd carve out space (sounds daft for house of that size) without having to move into the "underbuilding" area on the basement level which I've been told will increases costs.

Edited April 6, 2017 by AliMcLeod

1 hour ago, AliMcLeod said:

Thanks again @Ferdinand. You've got me thinking on that rear window again - if I wanted to go for full height, I'd hope to get it through as a non-material variation.

 

Kitchen doors - we very quickly moved from bi-fold to sliders, we did consider patio doors, but wanted a bigger opening - you'll see that in future floorplans. I've the same concerns about the long-term air-tightness of bi-fold.

 

Accessibility - some brilliant input here and i'm going to print this out and keep it and discuss with SWMBO. Its actually very pertinent for us as my wife has a joint condition that could affect her mobility in years to come. We've changed the (not yet posted) internal floor layout as a nod to that potential future, but its not the full solution that a lift would provide. Love the ideas for the back garden access.

 

i'll have another think about the lift, though i can't see where we'd carve out space (sounds daft for house of that size) without having to move into the "underbuilding" area on the basement level which I've been told will increases costs.

 

Suggest starting a thread about lifts on the forum. We do not have one.

 

Someone will have done a lift or thought about it. Though I do know about putting holes in ceilings. We last talked about that on BH wrt to putting snooker tables above garages :-).

 

The question is what size you want in the lift and the footprint.

 

1.2m x 1.1m seems to be doable for a standard wheelchair lift. This one has no roof or underground structure, being self-supporting.

https://www.stiltz.co.uk/trio-home-lift-overview/

 

But it may need things around it to look attractive and part of the design, and then you have 3 storeys.

 

I think you could perhaps fit provision for one in your entrance, perhaps with minor adjustments.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Ferdinand