Plans feedback appreciated

[shuff27]

So while waiting for my house sale to complete so I can progress with the plot purchase, I've been playing around with the floorplans:

 

 

[shuff27]

I've removed the attached garage altogether & added 2 windows to the front elevation (dormer on 1st floor) where that would have been.  Hoping to placate the planners, I've kept the same footprint, orientation, roof pitch & ridge height.  Most of the windows are in similar positions, although on the rear elevation which has no overlooking issues I've changed the bedroom windows from dormers to casements.  The 2 bathrooms would have rooflights (conservation of course!).

 

I've kept all the wet rooms & services together for efficiency.  The living is large enough to be subdivided to create a ground floor bedroom if required in the future, while the toilet is large enought to have a shower installed.

 

Comments welcome as usual! @TerryE @Iceverge

[shuff27]

Sorry l posted the 1st floor twice, here's the GF:

 

 

 

[shuff27]

Please note all measurements are approximate so some elements won't line up etc!

[the_r_sole]

A 3m long x 700mm wide cupboard for coats will be absolutely useless, I think there's way too much hall way on the ground floor, it must be over 25% of your floor area. 

Your ground floor has zero future adaptability.

First floor the only bedroom which isn't dual aspect is the master!? 

The office doesn't seem like it's a useful proportion,  put some furniture into that layout and you'll start to see the issues 

 

[joe90]

I agree about the large size of hallway, but I don’t like pokey hallways?‍♂️, I would extend the downstairs toilet into a shower room as well. The problems with large cupboards are they tend to get full up with junk (ask me how I know!). 

[shuff27]

The coats/boot room will be 3m x 1m.  We had similar in my last selfbuild & it was great - 2.5m run of coat hooks along one side, Ikea shoe racks with bench tops underneath.  No door for easy access.

 

I like large hallways with a partial void above and a galleried landing (again, had one last time) - the house is a boring rectangle to reduce build costs so this gives it one distinctive feature inside.

[shuff27]

Re master bedroom - I use the bedroom to sleep in not look out of the windows so a single window is fine for me ?

 

 

[shuff27]

I may remove the side windows from beds 2 & 3 for the same reason.

[Bozza]

Downstairs.  Per attached L shaped WC.  If you don’t require shower downstairs put pipe work / removable wall in hallway cupboard fir future shower.  This design gives you a big walk in cupboard downstairs.  I also like spacious hallways.  I also have living and kitchen dining either side of spacious central hallway with direct front door.  I do regret not having having vestibule especially during inclement weather. 

 

Upstairs.  Square off master bedroom and make study a bit wider.  You’ll not notice much difference in the master as it’s still big & square, but this will stop the study feeling like a corridor.

 

hope this helps.

[shuff27]

Good solution @Bozza for the downstairs WC, I'll amend plans accordingly.  Will also increase size of office/study/hobby room.

[the_r_sole]

I dont have a problem with large hallways per se but having a hallway wider than the main living spaces in the house is a bit counter intuitive when it costs so much to build... 

I think there are other places I'd look to create a feature that doesn't need a quarter of the most expensive bit to build, but if you've got money to burn why not make the house more interesting? 

For me the justification of keeping a simple form to ease the buildability then have so much floor area not working hard on a small footprint is pretty flawed logic.

 

[TerryE]

Consider a double wall between the office and the master bedroom with the void split say 70:30 as built-in wardrobe for the MBR and shelving for the office.  Such built-in features are part of the fix of the house and are VAT zero-rated.  They also work much better than free standing equivalents, IMO.

[Adsibob]

On 21/02/2021 at 11:10, shuff27 said:

 

Good point.  ATM I'm a sprightly 58 but hoping to live in the new home as long as poss!

If you are sprightly, I would keep the stairs steep as that will help you keep active as you age. If you don’t use it, you lose it.

 

[Adsibob]

16 hours ago, shuff27 said:

So while waiting for my house sale to complete so I can progress with the plot purchase, I've been playing around with the floorplans:

 

 

Some of these windows look a little small. And you don’t have any windows in the bathrooms, although I see now you have rooflights. Will this be openable? Will they be large? Even with MVHR you would want openable ones there, for ventilation in summer when you might switch MVHR off?

Edited February 28, 2021 by Adsibob

[Adsibob]

14 hours ago, shuff27 said:

Re master bedroom - I use the bedroom to sleep in not look out of the windows so a single window is fine for me ?

 

 

Sure, but natural light in a space makes a real difference to it. Without bigger windows it will feel dark and gloomy at times. Think of resale value as well. Bigger windows make a room feel airier and bigger.

[TerryE]

3 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

And you don’t have any windows in the bathrooms, which is odd

 

@shuff27 has ridge height limits and this has resulted in the imposition of dormer-style windows.  However I don't think this would preclude small Velux-style windows in the bathrooms.  The LPA also has a think about large picture-style windows on the principle elevation, and overlooking neighbours, so increasing window areas might prove problematic.

[shuff27]

@Adsibob none of the windows shown are the finished size or dimensions, I'm just playing around with the free floorplan software & intend to have proper plans done once I've secured the plot.  The 1F bathrooms will have decent sized Velux or Fakro opening roof windows (LPA has of course conditioned they must be conservation style even though nobody will see them at the rear).  I'm basing everything on the existing FPP - as @TerryE notes the LPA is notoriously prescriptive with house design & resistant to amendments.

[Adsibob]

17 minutes ago, shuff27 said:

@Adsibob none of the windows shown are the finished size or dimensions, I'm just playing around with the free floorplan software & intend to have proper plans done once I've secured the plot.  The 1F bathrooms will have decent sized Velux or Fakro opening roof windows (LPA has of course conditioned they must be conservation style even though nobody will see them at the rear).  I'm basing everything on the existing FPP - as @TerryE notes the LPA is notoriously prescriptive with house design & resistant to amendments.

Hi @shuff27 that makes sense. I bloody hate LPAs! Look forward to seeing the next version!

[Dave Jones]

hallway wastes a huge amount of space

[TerryE]

9 hours ago, Dave Jones said:

hallway wastes a huge amount of space

 

That's quite a subjective view really.  The hall way can act as the focal point unifying the house.  We've got a fairly tight footprint and space usage was quite an important design factor, but we still have an open hall way going up all three storeys in our house.  My wife and I think that this is one of its most effective design features.  It pleases us and surely that's what matters.

Edited February 28, 2021 by TerryE

[Iceverge]

@shuff27

 

nothing really to add apart from the south facing windows in the kitchen. i’d make them as large as you can get away with. they’ll really enhance the room.