Sketch design for comments/feedback please

[Ferdinand]

Just brief comments.

 

 1 - There will need to be some detail reworked I think. One might be if you have to have wallspace at the bottom of the stairs to allow for a stairlift .. though you may not need that if you have a bedroom downstairs.

 

2 - You might want to reconsider your relationship of master bed to window to view to door into the dressing room. Personally I would want a window opposite the bed and the door not down one side of it.

 

3 - Think about your baths and showers. If mum is downstairs she will want a shower not a bath. My house had this shower room up bathroom down and it is not logical that you should have to climb stairs to get to the accessible one.

 

4 - If you are being efficient that downstairs shower room might fit under the stairs, depending what you want and hw you arrange it, with maybe a small loss of just from a bedroom. Have a look at my accessible shower room thread here. The space is under the stairs and roughly a 1.2m space at the side. A series of pieces.

 

it may work depending, but you will get an extra room or to make one of them much larger. The detail will need to be right, as will the upstairs layout.

 

5 - I am not convinced that the kitchen-sitting room is generous enough. I think you would get major perceived and actual benefit from a terrace over the porch with an awning over it, and a pair of patio doors in the middle of that wall for access. I might even go for a portico up there.

 

F

Edited June 2, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Dan F]

4 hours ago, Omnibuswoman said:

Not without paying an arm and a leg - Roomsketcher's fee system is really opaque and I ended up forking out more than I had planned for the 3D views. I'll have a look at Architouch 3D, thanks. I'm also trying to master LibreCAD so that I can make proper technical drawings.

 

Have a look at https://www.homestyler.com/ too.  It's really good to knock things up quickly, has a good range of furniture and has basic but very useful 3D views.  And it's free! 

[JamesP]

My thoughts,

All sounds very exciting. Personally not sure about  first floor living unless you have stunning views, want a vaulted ceiling or access to the dwelling via the first floor is due to being on a steep plot.

Outside space off the main living area would be essential with a large balcony / decking. Easy access to outside would be a main priority for most people.

I would keep the stairs totally separate from the the main living area as open stairwells seem to intrude in the general ambiance of the living space.

Increase the size of the main bedroom as @AliG suggested and reduce the pantry and move utility to downstairs plant room.

Have fun.

 

 

 

[Omnibuswoman]

thanks @Ferdinand, those are all really thoughtful comments. There is actually a shower in the downstairs bathroom, but the shower screen doesn't really show up well on the plans. It is in the north-west corner that appears empty. I don't know a lot about the space requirements for stairlifts, but this is something we think we might need in the future and I would definitely want to plan the house in a way that enables us to make it accessible for us in later life. 

 

I also really like the idea of a small terrace on top of the porch - our budget is quite tight at £300k, but I think we could probably sacrifice a little bit of the overall footprint of the house in order to afford a modest outside space on the first floor that would at least give us a spot from which to admire the garden and sit with a G&T after work on a sunny evening. 

 

I love your accessible bathroom - such a clever use of a small space, and beautifully finished. ???

 

 

[Russell griffiths]

Here’s a curve ball for you, have you thought of single storey 

our last house we built was single storey, the house we live in is a single storey and the new house we are building is single storey. 

Theres just two of us, we are not thinking of old age just yet we still think we’re both 25 and go out clubbing and dancing very regularly, we have just found not having to run up stairs to get your sunglasses you left on the bed is so convenient. 

We have 180m on the ground floor 3 beds, office,boot room, plantroom. 

[Omnibuswoman]

8 hours ago, JamesP said:

Have fun.

Thanks James!! I'm having fun at the moment playing with ideas and thinking about how our lives will be living down there. I hadn't thought about the stairs being open, but it's useful to hear your experience. I've never lived anywhere with a stairwell directly into a living space, so I hadn't even considered what impact that might have.

We are not certain how good the views will be from the first floor - the architect designed house that has PP already in place on the plot added a mezzanine level above the living area with a large window. That makes me think that they thought that the view from the first floor would be restricted by the house to the east, so we need to look again at the roof height and the height of our first floor. I may look at having the ground floor with a 2700mm ceiling to raise the first floor a bit more. We live in an Edwardian property at the moment which has high ceilings, and I do enjoy the feeling of openness and space that a high ceiling creates. It is a bugger to clean and decorate though!

[Omnibuswoman]

10 hours ago, Dan Feist said:

ave a look at https://www.homestyler.com/ too. 

 

Will do! Thanks Dan.

[Russell griffiths]

To work out your views you need to set up a gauge rod

go and buy a length of roof batten 4.8m long. 

Mark on it your finished floor height( roughly) then mark on it your ground floor ceiling height, then how high your floor joists will be roughly 300mm this will give you first floor height. 

If one of you holds it up it will give you an idea of how high you feet will be off the ground when stood upstairs

go and get a big stepladder or hire a small scaffolding tower and set it up, both get up there with a cup of tea and have a good look and think. 

Spending £200 now could be the best decision you make. 

 

I will tell you a story about mine, 

we have stunning views, the sort of views you would pay hundreds of thousands for. 

we Have a BIG picture window in our bedroom, I showed my mate around the house a few months back, as we have known each other 30 years he speaks his mind with me which is cool, the conversation goes like this. 

Him. You cocked up here, you should have a patio door there

me. Why

him. So you can walk out of your bedroom and look at the view

me. Who would want a patio door in the bedroom 

him. Well I have one in mine, it’s excellent 

me. Really, oh, how often do you use it??

him. Ooh I don’t know, haven’t been out of it for————— a few years I reckon, tbh I think we lost the key to it. 

 

So have a really good think of how YOU will use the house. 

 

Because of our views every designer we talked to wanted to put in 6-7m wide bi folding doors, we used to live in Australia so out there it would be the thing to do, but over here, really, how many days of the year will they be wide open, we went for a large sliding door and a big picture window so we can enjoy the view from the comfort of indoors. 

[Omnibuswoman]

58 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

we are not thinking of old age just yet we still think we’re both 25 and go out clubbing and dancing very regularly, we have just found not having to run up stairs to get your sunglasses you left on the bed is so convenient. 

 

 

? there's something I hadn't thought about... the inconvenience of stairs!

 

Thanks for the idea about seeing the view - I think that's a brilliant idea and something we should do before we do anything else. Unfortunately with lockdown we can't currently get down there, but we're planning to visit just as soon as overnight stays are permitted. We can't stay with my parents who live nearby but are self isolating, but we could pitch a tent on the plot for a short stay. Getting a sense of the view, and therefore exactly where we should place the house and windows, is a top priority in order to be able to agree on the design. Very much appreciate your input.

 

 

 

[joe90]

A bit late to this but we have  a dressing room as a corridor to the ensuite and it works well, good use of space, I did plan doors to the wardrobes either side (ers is walk in) but never got round to it and it looks fine without.

[eandg]

I don't know your circumstances but might you plan on having children in future? If so,  you'd definitely want to be on the same level, for the first 5 years anyway. And if not, those two extra bedrooms look like a bit of a waste of space (and links with Russell's comments about single floor living - which is arguably going to be increasingly attractive, particularly to the growing numbers of small households). 

 

Also, you'd soon get really scunnered having to go through the kitchen to the fridge. 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by eandg

[Omnibuswoman]

3 hours ago, eandg said:

might you plan on having children in future? I

No, ours are all grown up now, so those two spare rooms will be for the visiting adult offspring (there are four of these) and grandchildren (two of these, so far) plus my local ageing parents who may one day need some live-in care for periods of time. 
 

I can see the attraction of single storey living, but I really enjoy the light/ vista aspect of living upstairs. We live upstairs now in a flat, as I have done for 25 years.  I love seeing over the chimney pots into the distance. 

[Omnibuswoman]

I’ve just learned that the field to the north of us has had a planning application put in by a developer for five large houses. On the plus side, the plan involves the property next door being half knocked down and extended backwards into the plot. That would really open up the view, albeit with a price of huge building works and a new cul-de-sac next door!!

Edited June 3, 2020 by Omnibuswoman

[puntloos]

Just giving some offhand comments, I've browsed through this thread quickly so if I'm redundant or way off, just consider it as some minor food for thought and/or confirmation of agreement..

 

- No issue with master & living being close, at first floor, although I would increase sound separation. You have one thin wall between your bed and your master. You could perhaps consider sealing off the stairs to buffer the sound.

- Not ideal to have no bathroom near kitchen/living. I'd consider sacrificing the end of the utility, which is currently massive.

- The word 'snug' to me always translates to 'I have no idea what to do with this space'. Are you certain it's a good idea? Why not a larger bed2 (ensuite?)

- The porch is sealed? I can kinda see the point of a open space, but if it's basically a room before your house then unless you have horses you need to scrub I'd skip. 

- The living space feels a bit 'tennis-court-y' - no real separation of features, which includes kitchen noises and smells. Haven't thought deeply on if it's fixable

- If TV/movies is not your thing, fine, but obviously putting a TV in that corner will not let you get close to a nice viewing experience.

- Have you thought about storage space in dressing area? Can you fit all your clothes in 1.6(?) m of wardrobe?

Offhand, I'd put the stairs in the bottom right corner, and reclaim a larger amount of space for a living area, perhaps even separate it off (pocket door? dressing door down as far as possible?)

[Omnibuswoman]

On 03/06/2020 at 23:24, puntloos said:

Offhand, I'd put the stairs in the bottom right corner, and reclaim a larger amount of space for a living area, perhaps even separate it off (pocket door? dressing door down as far as possible?)

I’m interested in this, but can’t quite picture what you mean. Do you mean put the stairs in the dining table corner?

[puntloos]

On 05/06/2020 at 11:42, Omnibuswoman said:

I’m interested in this, but can’t quite picture what you mean. Do you mean put the stairs in the dining table corner?

 

Something like this.

 

Clearly the table is a bit of a squeeze  - perhaps it can fit somewhere better with some movement.

Just something to think about.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2020 by puntloos

[puntloos]

I guess that settles it then

[Omnibuswoman]

On 14/06/2020 at 15:14, puntloos said:

I guess that settles it then

thank you @puntloos!! I showed your layout to my other half and we both thought there was real merit in having a sitting area that we could close off from the kitchen/dining area. Great idea! 

[puntloos]

On 18/06/2020 at 23:47, Omnibuswoman said:

thank you @puntloos!! I showed your layout to my other half and we both thought there was real merit in having a sitting area that we could close off from the kitchen/dining area. Great idea! 

 

Nice to hear! Clearly i've just 'thrown it together' in a free moment so do have a pro check it through, but I've been playing with various room designs for a while so it's not absolutely crazy I think

 

Quick note: I'm probably going to go for a telescoping pocket door which give you even more gap space.

https://www.eclisse.co.uk/telescopic-sliding-pocket-door-system-double/ is on my shortlist.

Also do make sure you have enough storage in the kitchen. Not that I changed anything to yours but it seems a bit thin on shelf space? I would probably try to use the side wall too.

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by puntloos

[timsk]

Hi M,

Sorry, I'm late to the party - only recently joined the forum and just seen your thread for the first time today.

 

My immediate reaction to the plan is that you've got a large plot and have resisted the temptation to build a mansion that kisses all four boundaries. So, well done for that!

?

Okay, now for the criticism! As you approach the property, the first thing one notices is not a beautifully designed and built house (hopefully!) but a garage! That's not good, IMO. In your shoes, I'd move the whole house down the plot very slightly - only by a metre or two, so that you can then swing the garage around 90 degrees and have the door to it on the north side (as one looks at the plan) as opposed to the east side. I'd also link it to the house, so you can access it internally without having to go outside in inclement weather. This provides the addition benefit of being able to easily convert the garage into extra living accommodation / workshop / granny flat - or whatever in the future should you want to. It will also be an attractive benefit on the property particulars should you ever want to sell it. If you do this then, from the outside, the garage will appear as an integral part of the house and won't scream garage on arrival. Attaching a trellis to the east wall and having some planting will soften the whole look. Aesthetically, if you go down this route (or something similar), I think it will make a huge impact on the overall look of the building - for the better, obviously. This is especially true for people arriving at the property for the first time; first impressions count and all that.

Just my £0.02p worth.

Tim.

Edited June 21, 2020 by timsk

[Omnibuswoman]

Thanks @timsk. I hadn’t even considered that possibility! I will mention it to the designer we are working with as he is presently generating some proposals based on my ‘starter for 10’.