h18ant

Hi all, thank you so much for all of your feedback, it is massively helpful. We happened to have a session with the architect yesterday and we have made the house deeper front to back which has in turn allowed us to sort out the master ensuite and bedroom sizes. We will now be able to get 5 bedrooms we think and feel that we should be pushing for that for sure (as we said, this is to be our forever home), and we need to get it right. We have made the utility room and rear hall all one to make the space more usable, we have also made the window bigger (not sure why it was so small) and I think that the angles section at the back of the utility room may become a plant room or similar perhaps, one to ponder. The units in the utility room are just indicative at the moment so one side will be a bench and boot/shoe storage etc for sure. The rest of the furniture in the house is all indicative as well. I have taken your advice on board and we will move the beds around and make everything more realistic. We will also be able to make the sitting room/snug a bit bigger which will be much better also we feel. The pantry piece is about trying to maximise the space on site (due to it narrowing northwards) and my wife is an avid baker so we need a lot of storage for her 'kit', that said, it may be a poor design and we need to rethink it, which we will. Thank you also for the concern raised over the structural complexity, cost and viability of the design, this is something I am now digging into further and challenging the architect on. One other thing to mention is that there is an existing basement that runs under the right hand side of the house (under the sitting/snug and living area), there will be a door down to this under the stairs, instead of a cupboard, if that makes sense! It will give us a bit more storage/a usable room also we envisage. I appreciate everything that has been suggest and said, many thanks for your help so far. Ant

thanks for your help, we have employed a planning consultant who knows the local planning policies well etc and he is guiding us alongside the architect...

Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it. We haven't gone for planning yet but the new house is about twice the size of the existing one, which may prove a challenge possibly we think.

Many thanks, I appreciate your feedback.

Thanks, Yes, we have a builder to do the barrel roof, chimneys may well be removed tbh. Utility room needs a bit of a rework for sure! Open plan for our son will be great as he likes to be part of things and is very sociable, so should work well. I understand the point you have raised though for sure.

Thanks, very helpful. Utility room will have a bench etc in it, the units are just shown for a indication at this stage. It needs reworking for sure... En suite - yes, we might be able to take a bit of space from the bedroom behind it and make it a bit bigger, introducing some kind of wardrobe storage too. Garage room - all good points too, thank you!

Thanks, I'll have a read of this! There is a basement that is under the existing house so we will aim to utilise that and we will have options for a 5th bedroom if we need it. We clearly need to make sure we have exhausted the options on 5 bed. Thanks for your thoughts and comments.

Here are some higher res versions of the plans. Topographical version also showing North. North is literally at the top of the page. So the garden is South facing as will be the front of the house. topo.pdf Garage. proposed plans elevations and sections.pdf Existing plans and elevations.pdf Proposed plans and elevations.pdf floor plans with measurements.pdf

Will do, I'll aim to add more detail from the brief, thank you for your help. Initial brief below:- Initial brief as per site meeting Existing site is situated in AONB Demolition of existing derelict dwelling. Proposed replacement family house (including 5 bedrooms and study over garage) with open plan living and suitable environment for autistic son, whilst also permitting privacy. Good access to garden and external areas from the house. Replacement dwelling to be sighted at narrow/north end of site. Possible use of existing excavated basement of current building within proposals for storage purposes. Existing materials from the current building to be reused where possible (existing bricks noted to be of good quality). Proposed double bay garage with rear storage if possible and with room above to be used as a study. Proposals to incorporate a secure small courtyard between garage and dwelling for easy/safe loading and unloading of cars. What we want to get out of the house Our plan is for this to be our forever home. It needs to be future proof for our autistic son’s requirements - easy access, safe areas and open plan to enable us to keep an eye on him as much as possible, whilst also providing the ability for us to have privacy when we would all like it. Needs to feel like the house and garden are one, needs to have good flow so we can all exist together with as much space as possible (e.g. we are not fond of separate dining rooms and formal lounges etc). That said, we still want a lounge please that can be private/shut off! Most of our time is likely to be spent in the kitchen/day room type area so it has to be highly functional. We would like to have a room above the garage to be used as a study/home office - as opposed to having it in the house. Linked to the above and us not having a study in the house, we would like to be aiming for 5 bedrooms ideally as we really do want all of the kids to have seperate rooms, 4 a s a minimum Altered driveway to satisfy Highways and improve access. Acoustic/boundary fencing to be installed along west and south boundary for enhanced privacy and security. Fencing - we would like to have acoustic fencing on the road side boundary and use what we can to mitigate the road noise Other items:- Discuss use of basement, what is the art of the possible? Utility/boot room is really important to us and need to have access to the rear courtyard/car area The ability to make the downstairs open plan and closed plan by using doors/double doors or any other means is important to us We want the house to be as low carbon/environmentally friendly as possible Build method can be timber frame or traditional, we are not precious about this at this stage Triple glazing? Underfloor heating on ground floors and potentially 1st floor (maybe radiators are better), basement (if we have one) will need heating also. Air source heat pump/can this be dual purpose and offer air con? Pv panels? Heat recovery system? Likely that rear of house will be used for secure/small courtyard, cars and garage, dirty boots in and out etc The front of the house will be where we think we will sit outside (due to South facing), kids/garden and rear yard/drive will need to be visible, and the kitchen needs to overlook both front and rear if possible. Would like the master bedroom to overlook the garden so we can enjoy that view. Lounge - we would like a fireplace/woodburner if possible Master bedroom - decent ensuite and wardrobe/storage All bedrooms - some sort of storage in each as opposed to filling the rooms with wardrobes when we move in! We like the idea of some brick/exposed walls in the house to add character and variety Would like to avoid narrow bedrooms due to low ridge and dormer windows high up the walls Kitchen - would like a decent size island in it with stools along it, space somewhere for a decent size table and chairs also, the kitchen is likely to be the heart of the house so it has to be highly functional for us as a family. Pantry area - my wife is a keen baker and would like a separate storage area for her baking items and upright fridge and freezer. A room/space off the kitchen would be ideal somehow. It doesn’t need to be part of the utility/boot room unless it works better. Basement is probably the loft effectively in this house but we are concerned about damp and mold etc - we are happy to include it but do not want to use up valuable m2 living space on the floors above though vs planning approval The hall needs to not feel too enclosed if possible, gallery style landing is nice, not fussed on vaulted ceilings etc though as it eats up precious space. Utility needs to have access from the rear/side of the property to help us get in and out of cars easily but safely. Secure gates at front of property, tall and solid. The whole property has to be secure for our son.

Thanks, yes, I will aim to reload them and note North, thanks for your help.

Hi, yes, 2 will need to share we think as going for a 5 bed seems to be pushing it as the site is in an AONB and we have been advised that if we go any bigger in m2 or number of beds it may cause us issues when applying for planning. In an ideal world, we would like 5 beds to be honest, we are still pondering that one! Yes, door on the en-suite for sure! Good advice!

Hi there, Long time lurker on the forums but I would really value your view on our newbuild plans. We are aiming to knock down an existing 1.5 storey cottage and replace it with a 4 bed cottage style new build. The garden stretches out infront of the house and is South facing, hence the doors in the front of the house to maximise light but also keep the garden nicely accessible. We have asked our architect to make it as open plan as possible as we have 4 kids and the living space is really important to us. Also, the ability to shut ourselves away in a snug or similar would be handy. It will be in the country side so access to the bootroom/utility for all of the mucky boots etc is key. Our cars will also be parked at the back of the house so access needs to nice and easy. You will also note that the plan is for the stairs to wrap around a fireplace to form a central feature (kind of thing). There will also be a garage behind the house with a study/office above it. Generally we are happy so far but can't get the master bedroom to work for us, we have a super kingsize bed so think we will need to move it to the one side of the bedroom as that will work better. As long as we have a view out into the garden from bed that is fine! We would like the en suite to be decent size and squeeze a wardrobe in somehow if we can, as opposed to standing furniture. I would very much welcome your thoughts and feedback/suggestions on layout, I would be most grateful. I have attached an initial rough sketch, the existing plans and proposed plans. Ant