More floor plan opinions?

[theintended]

Here's our current floor plan. It's a one-level house with an unfinished basement:



Here's the first floor with the addition we're currently considering (which goes both out and up):



And here's the second floor of that plan which is above the kitchen/dining room), essentially adding a master suite upstairs:



Anything you don't like about this layout? What would you change? Thanks for indulging me. : )

[Kore]

I love seeing pics, but suffer from being very easy to please & unable to visualize plans. I think it looks really cool! The upstairs bathroom kinda has a Narnia feel, all hidden in the closet, but I can't see another logical place to put a door.

[Here]

I feel like the closet is huge without much storage and the bedroom is a tunnel.

[theintended]

Sept 21, 2012 22:47:53 GMT -5 Kore said:

I love seeing pics, but suffer from being very easy to please & unable to visualize plans.

lol. I'll take this over my husband, who's hard to please and unable to visualize plans. ; )

This is sort of the feel I'm hoping for with the closet/bath.

www.houzz.com/photos/980640/GREEN-with-Envy--LEED-Certified-Whole-House-Renovation-traditional-closet-dc-metro

[Here]

Can you put the bedroom on the other side? Add a window on the right side.

[theintended]

Sept 21, 2012 23:03:05 GMT -5 Here said:

Can you put the bedroom on the other side? Add a window on the right side.

It's tricky with the windows on the front wall. Those need to stay for balance on the street side of the house. I hear you on the bedroom/closet issue. Also playing around with this:

[Here]

I like that better.

[Balki.Bartokomous]

I like the first version better.

I think just putting the bed in front of the side window will really open up the room & make it feel less tunnel-like. Put a few sitting chairs over where the bed is currently. A 12 by 18 room is a fairly good size so segmenting it into sleeping & sitting areas will help, I think.

I really wish there was a way that you could put the bath & closet along the entire back wall & then make the front half of the floor the bedroom, but with only 18 feet to work with, I don't think it can be done. If you had 20 or 22 feet of depth, I think it could somehow work. Something like this is what I'm envisioning, modified to have a double sink.

www.brandsconstruction.com/Images/Bathroom-Design-Ideas/9x18-master-bath/Master-9x18-bath-bed-closet-floor-plan-040510.JPG

[rubytue]

Sept 22, 2012 2:27:47 GMT -5 kooshball said:

Is there such a thing as a close that is too big? Are you concerned about being a floor above the kids?

Not too big, but inefficient. I think the first one had a lot of dead space that couldn't really be used. Basically 12' of hanging space (6' on each side) with a open area in the middle. More like a small room with two reach in closets on each side than a true walk-on. I think shirking (2nd plan) it a bit makes the bedroom less boxy and the closet more of a closet.

Thumbs up on plan 2 here

[rubytue]

Side note - personally I'd go for a bigger shower and less tub, but that is personal preference. Some people love their separate tubs, while others think its a big dust catcher and would rather have a huge shower with a bench and stuff. I'm the later

[Deleted]

1st floor...

1. Are those steps added in the garage by the door to the house? I don't understand why they are there.
2. There's too much dead space / wasted space in the kitchen and dining area. The "hallway" is 10-12' wide! Is this because you don't plan on redoing the kitchen?
3. I would get rid of door between the kitchen and mudroom. I would remove the wall to get rid of that narrow hallway and move the door to where it would be opposite to the door going down to the basement. If you prefer the garage door to go to the mudroom, then move the door.

2nd floor..
1. Your measurements seem off. The bedroom is labeled 12' while the bathroom 10' wide. But the drawing shows a wider bathroom.
2. Are you sure you can't switch the bathroom/closet and bedroom location? I don't see why you can't keep the front windows when flipping the 2 areas.

How long do you plan on staying in this house? Do you plan on having kids (or do you already have kids)?

[ECB]

I like the 2nd bedroom better. But I agree - your measurements are off. The bathroom is clearly larger, but it's supposed to be 2 feet smaller then the bedroom.

[Deleted]

IMO the first floor addition is kind of wasted space - a giant dining room and the extra walkthrough space in there. the mudroom is useful, obviously but are you really not going to rearrange your kitchen layout? I'd turn that end of the u-shape along the long wall and turn the dining table 180 degrees, and maybe put an island in there.

I'd also worry about the tiny bedroom upstairs - it looks like it only fits a bed and a dresser? Not exactly what buyers will look for in a master suite - though I get sacrificing something for the closet. Is it just the rendering that makes it look that small? I might rethink the arrangement of the bathroom and if it were me, do a really nice glass shower and skip the tub if you have one downstairs. Although I do get wanting to take a bath in your master if you're into baths.

You're so lucky! LOVE the general idea, great add-ons!

[theintended]

Yes, the scale was off in the bedroom. It's actually a bit less tunnely:



Balki (lol), another reason I like having the bedroom in the back of the room is because I'd like to be able to look out windows to the backyard and to the west. But I know what you mean about that design.

[bunch]

Am I missing why you can't move the sink to next to the toilet and then enter the ba through there instead of the closet? It would make the closet a lot more efficient.

[theintended]

Sept 22, 2012 4:25:42 GMT -5 d0ri said:

1st floor...

1. Are those steps added in the garage by the door to the house? I don't understand why they are there.

The garage is lower than the house. I accidentally left the steps out that are currently in the "mudroom."



I'd want to make that area flat and part of a hallway from the basement to the new laundry area.

Sept 22, 2012 4:25:42 GMT -5 d0ri said:

2. There's too much dead space / wasted space in the kitchen and dining area. The "hallway" is 10-12' wide! Is this because you don't plan on redoing the kitchen?

We renovated the kitchen when we moved in 3 years ago. I love that space and don't have a need to redo it. I just want it to open up to a dining room and a wall of windows onto the backyard. I agree. the space where the dining room table is now will be very open, but I might look into pantry-style cabinets, built-in bookshelves or booth seating down the road.

Sept 22, 2012 4:25:42 GMT -5 d0ri said:

3. I would get rid of door between the kitchen and mudroom. I would remove the wall to get rid of that narrow hallway and move the door to where it would be opposite to the door going down to the basement. If you prefer the garage door to go to the mudroom, then move the door.

I agree that that space could be better. I'm working with a contrived setup now and am trying to keep the footprint as close to what it is now (keeping door openings where they are) to cut costs a bit. I also like keeping the basement/mudroom/garage fully separated from the rest of the house. But I'll think about that configuration a bit more.

Sept 22, 2012 4:25:42 GMT -5 d0ri said:

2nd floor..
1. Your measurements seem off. The bedroom is labeled 12' while the bathroom 10' wide. But the drawing shows a wider bathroom.

2. Are you sure you can't switch the bathroom/closet and bedroom location? I don't see why you can't keep the front windows when flipping the 2 areas.

Just answered both in the post above. The view is better to the west than east.

Sept 22, 2012 4:25:42 GMT -5 d0ri said:

How long do you plan on staying in this house? Do you plan on having kids (or do you already have kids)?

Indefinitely. We have one kid, who is four and will likely be an only.

[theintended]

Sept 22, 2012 7:15:44 GMT -5 @sirsleepsalot said:

IMO the first floor addition is kind of wasted space - a giant dining room and the extra walkthrough space in there. the mudroom is useful, obviously but are you really not going to rearrange your kitchen layout? I'd turn that end of the u-shape along the long wall and turn the dining table 180 degrees, and maybe put an island in there.

I pine for a large room on the other side of the kitchen. We've bought the house 3 years ago knowing we'd do an addition at some point, so we've been taking our time thinking through what we want. Mostly, it's to open up the first floor to the backyard. That large space might be a dining room, or we might use the front room with the fireplace as a dining room and have the living room in the back.

The kitchen is newly renovated, and we love it, so no plans for a change there.

[theintended]

Sept 22, 2012 8:39:41 GMT -5 bunch said:

Am I missing why you can't move the sink to next to the toilet and then enter the ba through there instead of the closet? It would make the closet a lot more efficient.

No obvious reason, and it's an option. I think I like the idea of the bathroom being around the corner from the bed, though, so the person showering and getting dressed isn't disturbing the person who's sleeping.

[heyrebekah]

Sept 22, 2012 8:32:29 GMT -5 theintended said:

Yes, the scale was off in the bedroom. It's actually a bit less tunnely:



Balki (lol), another reason I like having the bedroom in the back of the room is because I'd like to be able to look out windows to the backyard and to the west. But I know what you mean about that design.

I like this one, but agree with whoever suggested moving the vanity next to the toilet and having the bathroom door where the vanity was. The inspiration pic you posted looks cool, but you would get way more storage in the closet without 2 doors. Plus it seems like a pita to walk all the way around through the closest when you get up to pee in the night. Or maybe that's just my concern.

[whitemerlot]

I agree with others on not having the bathroom access only through the closet.

[bunch]

Sept 22, 2012 8:56:40 GMT -5 theintended said:

Sept 22, 2012 8:39:41 GMT -5 bunch said:

Am I missing why you can't move the sink to next to the toilet and then enter the ba through there instead of the closet? It would make the closet a lot more efficient.

No obvious reason, and it's an option. I think I like the idea of the bathroom being around the corner from the bed, though, so the person showering and getting dressed isn't disturbing the person who's sleeping.

. That makes sense and I think it's a good idea, just wondering if you'd considered it. I really like the bedroom. It's tucked away and seems kind of romantic. I've seen a few hgtv attic renovations and I always love the feel when they're done. It reminds me of one of those. Our bathroom has an almost identical layout and I've been very happy with it. Compact but useful. We did a full glass shower to keep it bright and then had the tub ledge edge into the shower as a shave bench.

On the first floor the dining room does seem too large for me, but you know how your family will use that space, so I'm sure you've considered that.

[bunch]

Sept 22, 2012 9:04:08 GMT -5 bunch said:

Sept 22, 2012 8:56:40 GMT -5 theintended said:

No obvious reason, and it's an option. I think I like the idea of the bathroom being around the corner from the bed, though, so the person showering and getting dressed isn't disturbing the person who's sleeping.

. That makes sense and I think it's a good idea, just wondering if you'd considered it. I really like the bedroom. It's tucked away and seems kind of romantic. I've seen a few hgtv attic renovations and I always love the feel when they're done. It reminds me of one of those. Our bathroom has an almost identical layout and I've been very happy with it. Compact but useful. We did a full glass shower to keep it bright and then had the tub ledge edge into the shower as a shave bench.

On the first floor the dining room does seem too large for me, but you know how your family will use that space, so I'm sure you've considered that.

Eta: when I said kind of identical, it's exactly what you have, but flipped. Our door comes in between the shower and the toilet. Funny.

[theintended]

Sept 22, 2012 9:04:08 GMT -5 bunch said:

Our bathroom has an almost identical layout and I've been very happy with it. Compact but useful. We did a full glass shower to keep it bright and then had the tub ledge edge into the shower as a shave bench.

Have you been happy with that? I've been considering it, but am wondering about leaking over time, whether it will mold, etc.

[bunch]

Yes, except for our light grout. The tile guy just made sure it was well sealed, sloped toward the shower and then we paid extra for epoxy grout. Ours is not deep at all. Just something to put your toes on. We also have a little corner seat (a kit made for the purpose). I like them both.

[bunch]

..

[bunch]

By doing ours the way we did, we were able to carve out a toilet room, which is nice, but the shower is kind of loud.

[Deleted]

You got rid of the big red toilet in the office!

[ECB]

I think I agree about moving the entrance to the bathroom. That just seems like a WALK to get up and go pee! And it would give your more actual CLOSET space.

[theintended]

Sept 22, 2012 9:44:08 GMT -5 v said:

You got rid of the big red toilet in the office!

lol. Emergency toilet had to go. ; )

[Here]

Can you make that hallway near the garage a pantry and move the door to the laundry room towards the back of the house? Is that dead space of the right side of the kitchen enough for a kitchen table, allowing you to make the back portion a family room?