Design - feedback, comments, opinions welcome!

[LnP]

This is where we're up to with the design of our new build timber frame house. I'd be very invested in comments.

 

• The views are to the rear overlooking a canal.
• The rear faces north.
• We like natural light.
• All the landscaping shown on the site plan is existing information from the topo. Apart from the outbuilding in the NW corner, it's all open to being changed. Compared to what's shown, we will move the house to the west by about 2 m and move the garage further into the SE corner. We'll also rotate the garage about 20' clockwise to make it easier to drive in. 
• I've attached a street scene from a planning application from another house on the street. Our planning consultant tells us we have a reasonably free hand with the look of the house. The street scene is from our side of the road which is late Victorian, but the other side of is 1970s and a couple of the houses have been renovated with very modern designs.  We're inclined towards something which is in keeping with the other Victorian houses.
• As well as layout functionality comments, I'm interested in ways to make the design more cost effective.

 

This is the first time we've faced a project like this, so we're very open to comments, criticism etc, in fact hoping to learn from BH wisdom!

 

Floor Plans 5.pdf 3D.pdf Street Scene.pdf

[CharlieKLP]

I like the layout, works really well!

 

I’m struggling with the front elevation if I’m honest. I don’t hate it but I find the middle dormer a bit weird and the bays a bit overpowering combined with the porch, it’s just ‘a lot to deal with’.
 

What style is this house? it seems a bit of a mishmash. I’d suggest getting rid of an element or making something lighter.

 

When you have the walls on the side of the roof in timber frame it can also be a bit of a state when you build it. Just something to think about, what will you have on the top, GRP coping?

[LnP]

Good comments thanks @CharlieKLP. I'll give some thought to how we might integrate things on the front elevation a bit better.

 

I don't know that we'd give the style a label, but three of the late Victorian houses on the street have been described as Arts and Crafts. You could have a long discussion about what makes a style Arts and Crafts. Those three houses all have hanging tiles, but putting a few hanging tiles on a house can easily end up looking mid twentieth century "semi-detached suburban". Arts and Crafts half timbered can end up looking more like Mock Tudor ?. We're planning brick exterior and stone mullions on the bays. The brick will have some kind of detailing, but we haven't decided what yet. The rear elevation will be timber clad as a cost saving measure to avoid an additional steel beam to support bricks over the doors out of the kitchen/dining room.

 

When you talk about the walls on the end of the house, are you talking about the gable ends? What are the challenges with that? The copings on the parapet verges would be the same reconstituted stone as the mullions in the windows on the bays.

 

 

[CharlieKLP]

This definitely isn’t Arts and Crafts but I can see what you mean generally.

 

I’m talking about the parapet walls yes. They would be a brick thick if they are real stone, you don’t generally support stone on timber frame, they wouldn’t be as thick as drawn imo. There is also unsupported brickwork on the top dormer unless the cheeks are timber.

 

I like the back a lot more than the front, apart from the balcony clashing with the roof.

Edited January 24, 2022 by CharlieKLP

[Iceverge]

I really like the design. One of the more thought out examples I’ve seen on here. certainly better than our house.

 

However one aspect of your brief keeps bugging me.

 

The need for natural light.

 

Typically light from the South can penetrate about 4m into a room. Diffuse light from the North a maximum of 3m. 

 

Looking at this I can’t help but feel your kitchen will be very dark towards the centre of the house, the upstairs landing similar. 

 

The master bath and B4 will take the lions share of the sun upstairs while the study may suffer from overheating and the library/sitting to the south west will be (perhaps) rarely used during daylight hours. 

 

I would consider a rejig or the rooms. I would bring the kitchen/diner to occupy the East side of the ground floor( ideal for morning) stretching from South to North and the lounge to central rear for views of the garden. The projecting extension could be moved to the east side to accommodate both the inside space and with a roof terrace omitting the need for a separate balcony.  

 

To bring more light to the centre of the house I would make the staircase more spacious leading right to the top floor (may have fire safety considerations) with a pair of large remotely operated Velux’s on the top centre of the North roof.  These would have a “Halo”effect on the hall being really visually striking as you entered the front door. If done well it could look like a stairway to heaven! Additionally it would be very effective as stack ventilation during cooling months.

 

The master ensuite is terrifically large but if you were to make it a bit smaller it would still feel very spacious thanks to that terrific bay window. Take that bit and widen the dressing room slightly. Put a tall window in the east wall ( frosted perhaps for privacy) and a large mirror on the West Wall. Then line the North and South walls with cloths storage. (corner cupboards/storage are too difficult to use well. Finally glaze the bathroom door (mayby something funky like frosted stained glass). This combined effort would take the dressing room from a small dark room full of messy corners into a bright enjoyable area to get clothed.

 

Now for the part I’m certain I’ll get more detractors on. I would drop B2+ensuite down a floor in the same position and raise the utility and study up a floor in their place. ( maybe put the study in B2 and leave b3 as is) Practically unless you’re a die hard “hang the clothes on the line” type there’s far less benefit having a utility/laundry near the garden rather than near the bedrooms where all the cloths live anyway. Realistically I cant see the downstairs utility door being used all that much either. A good door is three times the price of a good window. An upstairs north facing study is isolated from street noise, has even diffused sunlight (much better than direct for working in + video calls etc) and importantly, for those of us who have seen covid test our belt buckles, far away from the biscuit box! 

 

A downstairs bedroom with access to a shower is practically so so useful. For having small kids its brilliant to be able to change dirty nappies and wash them up on the ground floor. ( Even with years of farming and various types of manual labour,  nothing has been as testing on my back as children). Its great for friends and relations who are not as well able to handle stairs to come and stay. Also being on a different floor it gives good privacy to guests, au pairs and inmates alike! Finally, although we all hope to be active for many years its quite likely a temporary injury will come sooner than you expect. I fell off my road bike and bashed my knee a few years back and although it was only a week, having a choice of living upstairs with a bathroom or downstairs with the tv and kitchen was not as dignified as it could have been. Then there’s the old age debate which of course is well known.

 

I know you have provisioned for a lift. This isn’t a terribly robust path in my opinion. The likelihood is that if you aren’t building it in on day 1 you won’t do it until you really have to have it. Then you are assuming that you’ll be in a position to splash £20k minimum + inflation and be able to wait for it to be installed. Remember older people can find it difficult to access credit and some illness and accidents (as i found out myself) can come very suddenly.

 

Overall though I love the feel of the plans, the room shapes and scale. I have a couple of thoughts on the outside but make sure you’re really certain if the layout first.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by Iceverge

[LnP]

@Iceverge thanks for your fantastic comments. There’s a lot to think about here. I especially like your suggestion about the roof lights over the staircase. 
I’m going to get the red pen out and do some sketching. 

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@LnP

[Mr Punter]

On 25/01/2022 at 00:47, Iceverge said:

Practically unless you’re a die hard “hang the clothes on the line” type there’s far less benefit having a utility/laundry near the garden rather than near the bedrooms where all the cloths live anyway.

+1

 

We have laundry on level 2 as the bedrooms are level 1 and 2.  It has access to a balcony and we use a low level airer that is not visible from outside.

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@LnP

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@LnPand a completely modern version.