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I'm trying to renovate what was once a group home into a single-family house. It is a 3-story (plus full basement) boxy colonial-type house:
As seen from Google maps.
The current first floor plan is here:
I intend on modifying it to something like this:
Some notes:
- There are two areas in the middle which are walled-off, probably because they're chimneys and/or load-bearing walls.
- There is space for about 6-7 bedrooms, 2 half baths on the first floor, maybe 1 half bath in the basement (to be partially finished), around 2 full baths and 1 half bath on the second floor, and 1 full bath on the third floor.
- I imagine the large third floor (finished attic space) to be a M-I-L suite of some sort, with a kitchenette.
- No leaks or other major structural issues, but all of the flooring, kitchen and baths will have to be redone.
Are my ideas for the first floor a good one? How would you change/improve on it? Thanks!
Love the house but you have taken so much living space away. Is there a reason the office needs to be in front?
It will be far bigger than if it were on that left hand side, almost twice as large, or is your drawing not to scale? In addition, you don't need to totally shift all the plumbing as in the plans when it's at the front of the house. Shifting plumbing is verry expensive.
I think that small jutting out load bearing wall in the middle of the back right area should become a wall for a pantry, and have the kitchen flow into a dining room and living space, then have another separate living space at the front of the house. It's easy to get carried away with opening up a space and end up with a room that feels like a warehouse. I like openness and flow, but it needs to be sensible.
Is there any online floor planner that I could sketch ideas and share without downloading and uploading things?
I see what you're saying, and I think you're right. I use a program called Sweet Home 3d (link here), which I really like because it's not a commercial product made by honest people and won't install spyware. I've downloaded the program, although it seems to have an online version as well that I have not used yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NCN
Love the house but you have taken so much living space away. Is there a reason the office needs to be in front?
Please see Page 4 in this thread where I made some updates based on a walkthrough with an engineer, and where T. Damon responded with a very well done proposal as well.
Just saw your second floor thread, and thought I would post my thoughts on your first floor here too. I like T. Damon's design, but understand you have a few constraints. I like the central kitchen next to the family room, especially if the sink wall is partially open with a breakfast bar on it, if you like a more open floor plan. His laundry room is nice and it has a first floor powder room. No way would we not have a powder room on the first floor if the master bedroom is on the first floor. My wife would not let guests use our master bathroom!
I do like his bedroom idea, the bay window is nice in a bedroom, but I would make the bathroom and office into a large "his & hers" bathroom and closet. Put the bedroom door where the "B" is in the back hall, get rid of those walls, put "his" sink between the load bearing wall and the window in the Office, cut an opening in the load bearing wall between "his & hers" sections, and make the rest of the Office a closet, or add a shower in the back corner of "his" section and closet next to it. This would give you a larger master bath, dual closets, nice laundry, and a powder room.
Your design is good too, but I would probably forgo the den and make that whole area the master bedroom with a small study in the top right corner, make the queen bed area the walk in closet, and make the closet area the powder room opening to the kitchen area. Again, you have a LOT of options in this place.
If I put the kitchen in the rear right corner, the size will be pretty small. Are you suggesting an open kitchen and dining room? What would you recommend as to the rear middle room? For the rear left ensuite bathroom, would you recommending putting another powder room on the first floor at all?
What do you love about T. Damon's design? What do you feel is problematic in mine?
I liked a few things about it.
I visualized walking through that plan and it seems that the flow, light from windows and walls would work the best, the key being- in my eye. So obviously, my taste in what makes a smart house.
I liked the clearly defined foyer space. BR is away from living area *away from guests if you have them over. Handy being on the first floor even if it's used as a guest room. Had a couple friends now who have been couch crashers in their own homes after something like surgery making stairs temporarily unfeasible, and all their BR's on the top level. Having a bed to sleep on obviously is by far preferable. I would avoid a home with the master BR off the living room as sometimes I have guests over and I wish to stay asleep while they use common areas of the house.
Smart use of controlling flow with hallways. Seems to me the plumbing runs make good fiscal sense. I like the powder room by the back door. Then again, having a service area, laundry and powder there for someone like me is good. I enjoy using my yard for gardening, but if one has kids that get mucky playing outside it's nice to have the service space to get them cleaned up too before tromping through the house. I'm just an oversized kid- so that's my reasoning to preferring that space to a den I wouldn't want muddy prints on walk-in. :P Not too much wall, and not too little. I like having enough walls for things like artwork, framed mirrors etc. Also, separate powder room so visitors aren't using the full bath. It's also not too close to the kitchen. The kitchen seems to have good flow as well, cabinetry at close reach from sink/DW which is close to fridge and stove. It's of smaller size but seems intelligently laid out if you enjoy cooking. *which I do, pretty much every meal I ever eat. so I am pretty picky about kitchens.
Just some personal preferences, I don't like to be able to see the kitchen when I walk into a house and the same goes with a formal dining room. Think about having a big meal, say Christmas, with family over, and sitting at the dining room table looking into a messy kitchen from all the prep work getting the meal done. I would switch the dining room and the living room around at minimum but it also doesn't really make sense to have an open "den" to an open living room. The bedroom is way too narrow. The design that T. Damon did is much more workable. With having the room for 6-7 bedrooms upstairs plus a full basement, you don't need a main floor family room/den. That room can be in the basement, on the second floor, or both.
I would build the island in the kitchen to accommodate seating for 6..or more..since everyone congregates in the kitchen anyway, maybe round out the window side of the island to make that more table-like.
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