Floor plan. Ideas?

[Sjk]

Hello,

 

I have attached the floor plan for my house, space is at a premium so I want to make sure the space is used as best it can.

 

There seems some dead area in the kitchen and I wonder if the hallway could be brought forward, which would add to the living room.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Sjk

[Sjk]

The front of the house points west.

[newhome]

I'm definitely no expert lol but do you need to have 2 doors into the kitchen? If you lost the single door it would give you more usable space in there. 

[Sjk]

That's a fair point, the double doors are so the kitchen and living room can be better connected however would it not be strange to have to walk all the way around to get to the kitchen without the single door?

 

Maybe a bigger rework is needed.

[Cambs]

It’s not to everyone’s taste, but I’d be tempted to go open plan. Something like this, perhaps?

[Tennentslager]

Maybe do away with most of the internal walls and go open plan...delineate by finishes and lighting

[newhome]

41 minutes ago, Sjk said:

That's a fair point, the double doors are so the kitchen and living room can be better connected however would it not be strange to have to walk all the way around to get to the kitchen without the single door?

 

How many times will you enter the house and head straight to the kitchen? Surely mostly you'd head for the living room, and then the kitchen is conveniently located off there. I get the point of the double doors is to open the space up (you could also consider losing the actual doors as I imagine they'll be open much of the time if you want an open space thus encroaching into the living space?) It wouldn't be an issue having 2 lots of doors into the kitchen if you had lots of space but as it's at a premium I would look to lose one set. With the current trend of having more open spaces I would lose the single door. Can't advise re the hall I'm afraid as no expert on the design of stairs etc .  

Edited March 3, 2018 by newhome

[Sjk]

Thanks for the replies! Gives me lots to think about.

 

After seeing the open plan floor plan, that does make the whole space seem much larger and more versatile.

 

I didn't really consider open plan before because years ago I lived in an open plan flat and the noise and smell from the kitchen would travel. The odour would be limited with the ventilation system I am looking to install, I assume. I could always get a good audio system for the living room :D.

 

 

Newhome, honestly, quite often I think, after grocery shopping and often get home and either put the kettle on or start lunch dinner etc. Maybe it isnt much of a problem though.

 

 

[Ferdinand]

Can we see the upstairs plan?

[Sjk]

Sure Ferdinand. I don't have the second floor to hand, but there will be an additional bedroom and an en suite.

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Sjk

[ProDave]

I would go half way house, not open plan but join the kitchen and corridor together so whole of front is kitchen and whole of rear is living room.

 

Try and move the stairs forwards and WC under the stairs.

[Sjk]

.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Sjk

[Ferdinand]

Sorry .. and the overall dimensions.

 

I am thinking that it looks quite conventional and there may be quite a lot of potential for space saving and simplification.

 

Three thoughts.

 

1 Your plumbing is very spread out. Put them more of less above each other?

2 That 1st floor bathroom could become 2 ensuites were you so inclined.

3 You can gain a square meter as @ProDave says, by moving the loo partly under the stair run. Dave said move it whereas I wonder about reversing the staircase which would give you either a squared off living area, or a closet by the front door which could be a coat store, or could take a washing machine and dishwasher in tandem to get them out of the kitchen which would be better noise and space wise.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited March 3, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Sjk]

The house is 5.5m by 9.5m.

 

1.The gf loo is quite out there on its own, but not sure how else I could incorporate it? I don't think I can easily move the stairs as the floors above will have to be rejigged. Is the kitchen and bathroom so bad?

 

2. I could probably get away with smaller bedrooms and two ensuites, thanks something to think about.

 

3.Interesting, Ill have a play around.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Sjk
eta

[Ferdinand]

Don't worry - I am just throwing some ideas about :-).

 

I suffer from washer vibration noises during the spin cycle even though it is in the utility behind a door.

 

Not intending to sound abrupt.  Apologies if so. I always feel that it is better to stick my neck out whilst things are still on paper (said the giraffe).

 

We comment and In the end you are best placed to choose the best ideas for you.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Sjk]

It's good to have ideas i had not considered, easier to change things now than later, I wasn't that happy with the layout anyway but my mind was blank on how to improve.

[Dee J]

Mention of second floor? So, ground, first and second? Do fire regs require some sort of protection of the stairs area/ escape route? Maybe precludes the full open plan option.

[ultramods]

If possible (hard to know without seeing a site plan) I would look at putting windows in the south facing wall of the living area.

Even at this stage I would be adding storage for coats, hoover, ironing board etc and built in wardrobes.

ensure the window(s) in the stairwell will bring light into the first/second floor halls

[Sjk]

good point dee j, I believe I could use automist to get around this, if I have understood correctly.

[ProDave]

Reversing the stairs would open up a lot of possibilities but would create one of my pet hates, stairs going up from the living room.  I have known too many houses (my first 1980's house) that had stairs up from the living room and it made that side of the room unusable in winter because of the constant stream of cold air coming down the stairs, and made the living room very hard to keep warm (in contrast the landing was always toasty warm because it had all the heat meant for the living room).  But this was in a very poorly insulated, draughty 1980's house. It might not be so bad if the whole house is well insulted and reasonably draught free.

[Russell griffiths]

Do you need to set this out at all ?

can the main structural elements not be built and then internal walls added as you see what the space looks like

all you need to have set in stone would be stair locations and soil pipes for drains 

the rest could be constructed as an empty box as your span from side to side should not dictate that you need any of the interior walls for structural purposes. 

Just an idea. 

[epsilonGreedy]

Some of the proposed designs contravene building regs I suspect.

 

1 - Open plan kitchen to stairs = fire risk.

2 - Toilet door opening to food preparation area = health issue.

 

Looking at my own life style I reckon well over 50 percent of home entries head to the kitchen so the door priority of the original design at the top of the thread makes sense.

 

Open plan in a modern low ceiling small house = yuck due to lingering cooking smells.

 

I suggest a kitchen diner and a more cosy living room.

 

Two bathrooms up stairs will enhance resale value because it is a far more letable formula.

[newhome]

2 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Do you need to set this out at all ?

can the main structural elements not be built and then internal walls added as you see what the space looks like

all you need to have set in stone would be stair locations and soil pipes for drains 

the rest could be constructed as an empty box as your span from side to side should not dictate that you need any of the interior walls for structural purposes. 

Just an idea. 

 

Not sure you would get a building warrant approved on that basis as they will check the internal layout for conformity surely? 

 

[JamesP]

16 hours ago, ProDave said:

I would go half way house, not open plan but join the kitchen and corridor together so whole of front is kitchen and whole of rear is living room.

 

Try and move the stairs forwards and WC under the stairs.

I think this is a good option. Also when you have visitors you don’t need to stand on the stairs to let them in. 

[caliwag]

I go along with Ferdinand re slotting the washing machine under the stairs...something I've done in the past. I'm also a fan of bay windows, so instead of folding doors could you consider that. Ideal for a work space (leaving half done work), capturing the rising sun or to act as a small breakfast space. If you're having a second floor you'd definitely need fire separation from kitchen. You mention 'lifestyle' and use of ground floor. I'd go further and list daily, weekly and monthly routines (deliveries, visitors (formal and relatives) activities around the front door, storage, coats, skateboards etc...