Feedback on house design/floor plan before meeting architect

[Spainy86]

I came across a free CAD programme over the weekend so decided I would have a go at putting some of the ideas I have for our self build down on paper

 

Managed to come up with a front and back house design and a first draft floor plan

 

I figured this would be a better starting point rather than giving the architect a blank canvas to put his own ideas in our head

 

Few things to note:

 

The square things on the roofs are supposed to represent skylights (dimensions obviously TBC)

The staircase/landing/staircase up to loft has proven quite difficult to try and configure so any ideas would really help

The master bedroom up in the loft will not be to everyones taste but was just a concept that I liked the idea of

The plan was have bi-folds/glass covering the entire back of the house but I struggled fitting the WC and utility room anywhere else

 

Any feedback/comments and ideas/recommended alterations would be gratefully received

House design CAD.pdf Floor Plan.pdf

[AliG]

I usually comment on these threads.

 

However, if you haven't seen the architect yet, I would let them do what you are paying them for and then start to tweak their design.

 

I gave our architect a list of the rooms we wanted - bedrooms, en suites, kitchen large enough to site in and have an eating area etc. Then waited to see what he could come up with. He might come up with something better than you thought of, mine certainly did, but you need to give him a bit of freedom.

 

The architect will also be aware of building regs etc, so for example if you have a bedroom in the third storey, the kitchen cannot be open to the hall.

 

A couple of general design points though.

 

1 - Why all the bi-folds. They are expensive and can be draughty and unreliable. Do you actually think you would use them all?

 

2 - Would you want guests walking through your junk in the utility room to the WC?

[Spainy86]

16 minutes ago, AliG said:

I usually comment on these threads.

 

However, if you haven't seen the architect yet, I would let them do what you are paying them for and then start to tweak their design.

 

I gave our architect a list of the rooms we wanted - bedrooms, en suites, kitchen large enough to site in and have an eating area etc. Then waited to see what he could come up with. He might come up with something better than you thought of, mine certainly did, but you need to give him a bit of freedom.

 

The architect will also be aware of building regs etc, so for example if you have a bedroom in the third storey, the kitchen cannot be open to the hall.

 

A couple of general design points though.

 

1 - Why all the bi-folds. They are expensive and can be draughty and unreliable. Do you actually think you would use them all?

 

2 - Would you want guests walking through your junk in the utility room to the WC?

Thanks, definitely agree with the sentiment of getting value out of the architect but also heard some stories on here of people getting pushed into the architects design rather than their own

 

Bifolds are simply due to wanting the combination of plenty of glazing across the back of the house but with the flexibility of opening the whole house up into the back garden, we regularly have friends and family round so think they would get plenty of use, perhaps a slightly bigger central one at the back would be better than two separate ones.

 

I was completely unaware of the regulations regarding kitchen/loft room, thanks, definitely something for me to look into.

 

Also, fair point with the utility/WC - again, something to give some thought to

Edited May 27, 2020 by Spainy86

[puntloos]

Agree it's a bit early, but a good idea to spin some ideas. Indeed letting an Architect kick it off with the 'obvious' design is perhaps a good idea.

 

- WC too far from some important locations

- Some way to separate kitchen from Entrance is probably good

- The points on the windows, do they serve a purpose? Did you think about what they look like from inside?

- You didn't mention light direction, but don't you want a living area at the rear? Or do you consider 'dining' sufficient?

[Spainy86]

1 hour ago, puntloos said:

Agree it's a bit early, but a good idea to spin some ideas. Indeed letting an Architect kick it off with the 'obvious' design is perhaps a good idea.

 

- WC too far from some important locations

- Some way to separate kitchen from Entrance is probably good

- The points on the windows, do they serve a purpose? Did you think about what they look like from inside?

- You didn't mention light direction, but don't you want a living area at the rear? Or do you consider 'dining' sufficient?

Exactly, I figured no harm in getting some ideas down in writing. 
 

The WC and utility became a bit of a headache to fit in to be honest.
 

At the moment, still some options for exact angle of house but definitely something to bear in mind. At the moment, windows have been placed pretty generically for aesthetic purpose more than anything else.

[DevilDamo]

Your best bet (which has kind of already been mentioned) is to instruct a technician/technologist/architect to put your ideas into reality because once the regulations have been implemented, that will transform your design and put things into perspective.