Gently critique my house plans (updated drawings post #76)

[Apple]

Dec 13, 2019 20:48:24 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

Something else to consider if you are building for future aging in place with the possibility of wheelchair needs, how will you function in your bathrooms & kitchen at a wheelchair height?

Hope to only need a walker, and never a wheelchair!  And if I get to the point of needing a wheelchair, have a live-in to handle all cooking needs, and just modify the one bathroom for the new needs.

Really though, I know that if I get to that point, and want to have use of my kitchen, etc, I may have to do a major remodel (non-structural).  The master bath is 6x10, so large enough to remodel if required (moving plumbing could be a pain, but at least it's over empty space in the basement, so not impossible).  I'm not trying to be flippant, but family history is that no one was using a walker or wheelchair until their 90s, so I'm cautiously optimistic it could be the same for me.  

If things hit too hard and I can't have a live-in caretaker(s), I'm not going to be able to live there anyway, because I'll just be too far from town, and there would just be too much property.  At that point, I'd have to move into a home (there are some really nice places here with both assisted and unassisted living).

[Apple]

Dec 13, 2019 20:50:32 GMT -5 oped said:

Dec 13, 2019 20:44:09 GMT -5 Apple said:

That does spark an idea...

Guest bathroom:

Remove tub.

Put in stand up shower where you have "toilet" written, leave toilet and sink how I had them drawn.  Now the wall is shaped like you have drawn, so it leaves a lot more space between corner of bathroom and whatever is on the far side by the garage door.

Play with fridge placement a little more to see which would be better (my fridge is currently away from any counters and it's a bit annoying-- I end up balancing things on the door with sometimes messy results.  Because I'm lazy enough I don't want to move a few feet to the nearest counter.)

(and, just a note, the master bath is actually almost 10' x 5.5-6')

Yep... was 9 I think and I inverted lol... it’s rough. I do that all the time!  I am great at math, but have to triple-check myself because I do that.  I tried with shower there but then you have a hard time doing 2 doors.

You could put a small counter where the hutch is and move the hutch... shorten another counter, or put it instead of a pantry... I've considered this kind of stuff before, but pantry is non-negotiable, need the counter space, and I really want to keep my hutch (partly in spite, but mostly because I just really like this hutch).  I've tried to come up with my best compromise for such a small space.

[Apple]

Oh, and for a big YM tie-in...  My retirement planning includes being able to afford live-in care or nice assisted living.  Assuming the house is paid off, my pension would more than cover all of my living expenses (including taxes, groceries, some entertainment, fuel, health care premiums, etc) without touching my SS or TSP account.  I've been contributing to my tsp since I was 21, so it should be well funded before I start using it.  My firecalc graph is a happy little graph even with some extravagant-for-me spending.  It should also cover any necessary modifications to be able to continue living in the house.

Now, just knock on wood that things don't get catastrophic. 

[laterbloomer]

I don't like 2 doors to a bathroom. And when the 2 doors are about 4 ft apart it doesn't seem necessary to me. I'm really not a fan of the cheater ensuite. I would take out the door from the quilting room to the bathroom.
I love that your toilets are not next to your tubs.

[TheOtherMe]

I have had bathrooms in the past with a regular door to the hallway and a pocket door to my bedroom.  The pocket door was only used when I had company.

When I bought the house, the 3rd bedroom and it's bathroom were not finished.  Once I had those finished, the pocket door was not used.

I never found the pocket door to be a problem.  I'd rather have it than have to go in to the hall to get to my bathroom.

[bookkeeper]

When we were working on our kitchen remodel, the refrigerator was also a problem.  Modern refrigerators are so huge!  We opted for a counter depth frig and it has worked out fine for two people.  Full disclosure, we have a second frig on the porch for beer and garden produce.

I would encourage you to utilize pocket doors in your design.  My DH was in a serious car accident a few months ago and came home from the hospital in a wheelchair.  Sometimes your DNA has nothing to do with how you age in place.  I had to take the hinged doors off on the bedroom and bathroom he used just to make room for his walker to navigate.  Try navigating your current home carrying a large box in front of you.  That is what using a walker is like, it takes up a lot of space.

We visited our son in Japan a few years ago.  The Japanese are masters of maximizing their square footage.  The house he lived in had no swinging doors, all sliders and pocket doors.  After living in such a house for a week, the benefits are obvious.  

One bit of advice for your bathrooms and hallways.  If you do not want grab bars installed immediately for cosmetic reasons, be sure to have the contractors install "backer boards"  under the drywall where the assistance devices would need to be placed.  Later the grab bars can be easily installed directly into a stud for best stability.  Backer boards are also great above windows for hanging window treatments and near tubs/showers where the towel bar needs to be hung.  Nothing more frustrating than a curtain rod or towel bar that keeps pulling out of the wall.

[oped]

We have 3 pocket doors and 2 barn door like sliders.  Love them.


Might do another barn slider on the library... that doorway is 4+ feet door, so a little more challenging... most of the time I like it open, but we have a very open house and if someone is having a party, it is loud everywhere.  On the other hand, the kids aren't likely to live here forever... but anyway, It would give me options...  There is a reclaimed building materials place that has some huge old heavy wood doors that i admire... but they aren't cheap so i haven't followed through. 

[Apple]

Dec 13, 2019 22:57:22 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

I don't like 2 doors to a bathroom. And when the 2 doors are about 4 ft apart it doesn't seem necessary to me. I'm really not a fan of the cheater ensuite. I would take out the door from the quilting room to the bathroom.
I love that your toilets are not next to your tubs.

I added two doors when the plan was that the second bedroom would be a spare bedroom (murphy bed setup).  I'd want a guest to be able to wake up and use the bathroom without having to put on clothes (I've never packed a robe) to go use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  They could also go from the shower to the bedroom and be able to dress in the room instead of the bathroom.

If the second door gets in the way of how I have to arrange things, I'll remove it, but if it doesn't, I'll be leaving it.  It does mean that I can't add shelving/cabinets on that wall space, but I don't need to.

I also like my toilet away from the tub!  I don't know why that's my preference, but it is.

[Apple]

Dec 14, 2019 9:56:57 GMT -5 bookkeeper said:

When we were working on our kitchen remodel, the refrigerator was also a problem.  Modern refrigerators are so huge!  We opted for a counter depth frig and it has worked out fine for two people.  Full disclosure, we have a second frig on the porch for beer and garden produce.

I would encourage you to utilize pocket doors in your design.  My DH was in a serious car accident a few months ago and came home from the hospital in a wheelchair.  Sometimes your DNA has nothing to do with how you age in place.  I had to take the hinged doors off on the bedroom and bathroom he used just to make room for his walker to navigate.  Try navigating your current home carrying a large box in front of you.  That is what using a walker is like, it takes up a lot of space.

We visited our son in Japan a few years ago.  The Japanese are masters of maximizing their square footage.  The house he lived in had no swinging doors, all sliders and pocket doors.  After living in such a house for a week, the benefits are obvious.  

One bit of advice for your bathrooms and hallways.  If you do not want grab bars installed immediately for cosmetic reasons, be sure to have the contractors install "backer boards"  under the drywall where the assistance devices would need to be placed.  Later the grab bars can be easily installed directly into a stud for best stability.  Backer boards are also great above windows for hanging window treatments and near tubs/showers where the towel bar needs to be hung.  Nothing more frustrating than a curtain rod or towel bar that keeps pulling out of the wall.

If I can, I want most of the interior doors to be pocket doors or barn style hanging doors.  This will be a question for the builder when I get one...  Can a barn style door be built with enough sound insulation from other rooms?  I have no experience with them other than closets, but I like the way they look, and I have a ton of lumber available to me to build my own (spalted oak tongue-and-groove, pine from my parent's trees, reclaimed lumber from the collapsed shed--the lumber was actually milled on the property, etc).

I like the backer-board idea.  I don't know how much of my walls will be sheet rock, and how much will be wood (the spalted oak is gorgeous, and I have a lot.  I'd use it for flooring, but it's a little too soft for that, so want to use it for the ceiling, and then whatever would be left throughout the house.)  I like the idea of the wall structure to already be in place for things that will require better mounting later.  And being able to change out window rods, etc, would really be nice to not have to hunt for a stud or use sheet rock screws.

[Apple]

Dec 14, 2019 11:02:11 GMT -5 oped said:

We have 3 pocket doors and 2 barn door like sliders.  Love them.


Might do another barn slider on the library... that doorway is 4+ feet door, so a little more challenging... most of the time I like it open, but we have a very open house and if someone is having a party, it is loud everywhere.  On the other hand, the kids aren't likely to live here forever... but anyway, It would give me options...  There is a reclaimed building materials place that has some huge old heavy wood doors that i admire... but they aren't cheap so i haven't followed through. 

Will you do two doors that slide opposite directions, or is there not enough room for that?

Do the barn doors isolate sound well enough?

[oped]

The two we have are both bathrooms. They seem to be fine.

[Bunnysmom]

Maybe i missed it but where does the HVAC unit go? If in attic, you need space for ductwork down to basement. If in basement, you need ductwork to attic to serve 1st floor unless you serve from floor.

[Apple]

Dec 16, 2019 21:42:25 GMT -5 Bunnysmom said:

Maybe i missed it but where does the HVAC unit go? If in attic, you need space for ductwork down to basement. If in basement, you need ductwork to attic to serve 1st floor unless you serve from floor.

Don't plan to have HVAC, since it it doesn't really get hot enough to justify central air, and no natural gas available.  Most people up there solely use a wood burning fireplace, but I haven't figured out what I want to do for my heating options.

Attic HVAC is not common here, so if I did decide to add that, it would just go in the basement.  Doesn't take up much floor space, so it could easily be added in.

[tskeeter]

A couple of thoughts.

The basement is likely to get a little Smokey unless you take some space on the first floor for a chimney for the fireplace to go from the basement through the roof.  It also looks like your planned fireplace locations would require a chimney where some of your first floor windows are located.  Your first floor plan will determine where the fireplace in the basement can go.

Plan your kitchen to include a landing space for groceries that you are bringing into the house.  Open counter space or table that is convenient to the pantry and fridge.  Look at your counter top arrangement and provide a good sized space for food preparation and baking.  Counter top without cabinets above it is most desirable for prep and baking.  Compact kitchens are easier to cook in than kitchens where it is several steps between the sink, prep area, fridge, and pantry.

[Apple]

Dec 18, 2019 22:59:15 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

A couple of thoughts.

The basement is likely to get a little Smokey unless you take some space on the first floor for a chimney for the fireplace to go from the basement through the roof.  It also looks like your planned fireplace locations would require a chimney where some of your first floor windows are located.  Your first floor plan will determine where the fireplace in the basement can go.

Plan your kitchen to include a landing space for groceries that you are bringing into the house.  Open counter space or table that is convenient to the pantry and fridge.  Look at your counter top arrangement and provide a good sized space for food preparation and baking.  Counter top without cabinets above it is most desirable for prep and baking.  Compact kitchens are easier to cook in than kitchens where it is several steps between the sink, prep area, fridge, and pantry.

Yeah, I have a note on the left that windows on that side will depend on the location of the fireplace (and not sure I'll go full fireplace or just wood stove, or a fireplace downstairs and small wood stove upstairs... I want to talk to someone more experienced for that part.)  Since I want a lot of windows, I want to know where the fireplace will be first, so I can change up the window layout.  I don't want to be stuck with a fireplace in a less-than ideal place because of the windows.

The kitchen has been hard, because I want the usable set up, but I won't be crowded in a galley kitchen again.  The fridge is a lot closer in this drawing than what I currently deal with (my fridge is too tall to fit in the area cut out for it in my kitchen, and it's not a tall fridge, but bigger than the old 40s and 50s fridges, and I don't want to cut into the cabinets).  One nice thing is that the table is movable...  I drew it in because I want to make sure it will fit in the kitchen, but I can move it around until I decide what I like most.  I just don't want to bump into it when I'm cooking.

I'm hoping to draw an updated bathroom this weekend (or next week) now that my quilt project will be done.  This would give me a "cut out" in the bathroom that would add space to the kitchen.  Then I might be able to put a mobile butcher block there, which would give me the landing space.

I'll probably install high cabinets to give the room for prep (my parents have this).  Eliminating upper cabinets would reduce my storage area in the kitchen too much.  New kitchen has about as much counter space as current kitchen, so I think I'll be pretty happy with it. 

My current kitchen also has three or four pull-out cutting boards.  I don't really use them as cutting boards (because they aren't the easiest to clean, and they are old/kind of beat up), but I can pull them out to give me more counter space for food prep as needed.  When I'm doing something that takes a lot of counter space, I'll pull out the one under my microwave and use it to stage my ingredients.  When I'm doing a lot of stuff on my stove, I'll pull out the one next to that to use for staging things there.  When I make my coffee in the morning, I pull the one under the the espresso machine out to set things there until I'm finished, or I might stage my food for work there (if I put it there, it's visible from the door, and I give a quick glance to make sure the cutting board is closed and I didn't forget anything.  When I stage my food/coffee on the counter, I'm more prone to forget it.) I plan to have a lot of these in the new house because they are so handy to create room, but easily tuck in out of the way when not in use.

[oped]

I didn’t see the fireplace info originally. Don’t move the kitchen door then (don’t think you were leaning that way but... ) because they shouldn’t be opposite.

[Apple]

I have slightly modified the upstairs based on some of the suggestions.

There is now only a shower in the guest/spare room bathroom.

The shower-only opens up the choke point in the kitchen, and there is now a little more open space by the pantry.  I could leave this area open, or have a portable butcher block/spare counter in that corner, that I could roll around to another area if needed.  It would also act as a place to set some stuff down (groceries, whatever) when I bring them in.

The master bath would have a closet around 2 1/2' deep and around 7' long (will change as needed once real walls are accounted for, but will stay wide enough.

The spare room (which will be my quilt/craft room, but could also be a bedroom) will have shelving instead of a closet.  Shelves would be 18" or so deep, and also around 7' long.

When it gets closer, I'll be looking for a low-profile fridge to see if I can find one, reasonably priced, that doesn't stick out so far.  If I can't, I can't.  I will likely have a fride/freezer in the garage as well.

Also made most doors 3' wide.

Option 2:




Option 3:



Option 4 (least desirable because it cuts into spare/quilt room too much).  This is the one, if I have to do it, that would probably force me to make the house one foot longer in order to make the spare room the right size again (11 x13 instead of 10 x 13).  If I did it, then both upstairs rooms would be the same size again (as they were in my original drawing, many versions ago).:

[Apple]

Thanks again, everyone!  The input has really helped.  Now I just need some things to sort out so I can finally seek out a builder and start to make things happen.

[Apple]

Little update...

I called a local design company today and sent off my "rough draft" of everything (a few small changes since my last post, but mostly "option 4" with the 10 x 13 rooms).  I've been in a legal battle to get the deed for nearly two years now, and that will hopefully all be settled next week (with my deed coming in the near future).  I won't be able to build this year, with timing of everything plus insane costs of construction materials, but, if things go well, a new house in 2022 might actually (finally!!) happen.

I also have a new neighbor next to me (she seems nice, is retired and friendly).  She's been finishing a house that was kind of started when she bought her place.  Her biggest requirement was that she have a door from her bedroom to her back porch (she only needed that one door, it's a tiny house).  So, I might be weird about that, but I'm not alone, lol (she got a hard time from her bf, who was finishing building the house for her).  

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Mar 31, 2021 14:39:41 GMT -5 Apple said:

Little update...

I called a local design company today and sent off my "rough draft" of everything (a few small changes since my last post, but mostly "option 4" with the 10 x 13 rooms).  I've been in a legal battle to get the deed for nearly two years now, and that will hopefully all be settled next week (with my deed coming in the near future).  I won't be able to build this year, with timing of everything plus insane costs of construction materials, but, if things go well, a new house in 2022 might actually (finally!!) happen.

I also have a new neighbor next to me (she seems nice, is retired and friendly).  She's been finishing a house that was kind of started when she bought her place.  Her biggest requirement was that she have a door from her bedroom to her back porch (she only needed that one door, it's a tiny house).  So, I might be weird about that, but I'm not alone, lol (she got a hard time from her bf, who was finishing building the house for her).  

DH refuses to entertain the idea of our proposed addition until next summer due to the high cost of lumber.

[susana1954]

I don't think the cost of lumber is going down over the next year.  

Inflation is going to hit as we struggle to pay for the stimulus dollars that were given out.  I don't think it will be as dramatic as it was in the 1980s (13% dealer car loans for people with good credit, anyone?), but prices are going to go up, not down.

Just something to think about!

[Lizard Queen]

The standard depth of a closet is around 24", so you might want to shift the depths of your closets a little so that the spare bedroom can easily qualify as a bedroom in the future if you ever need to sell.

[Apple]

Mar 31, 2021 17:02:03 GMT -5 susana1954 said:

I don't think the cost of lumber is going down over the next year.  

Inflation is going to hit as we struggle to pay for the stimulus dollars that were given out.  I don't think it will be as dramatic as it was in the 1980s (13% dealer car loans for people with good credit, anyone?), but prices are going to go up, not down.

Just something to think about!

It's a complete toss up right now...  I know a lot of wood products come from China, and there was a big stop on delay of imports for a long time, so that has had some affect.  Also, there was some delays on the rivers in the NW so raw lumber wasn't able to get downstream for a month or so.  Plus a few other things that hit lumber prices a little harder than usual.  I know a 2x4 that sold for ~$2 early last year was selling for ~$10 fairly recently, and, ugh.  So, I know I'll have inflation to deal with, but the other factors affecting lumber will hopefully calm down some.  Either way, I can't build this year, so I can only cross my fingers.

The former owner of the property has screwed me every step of the way, for years.  Ideally, this place would have been built 10+ years ago :/  I figure I've lost out on low lumber costs, low financing, etc, with every passing year.  

[Apple]

Mar 31, 2021 17:03:06 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

The standard depth of a closet is around 24", so you might want to shift the depths of your closets a little so that the spare bedroom can easily qualify as a bedroom in the future if you ever need to sell.

I'm limited with what I can draw in excel, but closets are planned to be 24" (same as my current closets).

ETA: That's one of the "slight changes" in the mock-up I sent to the builder that's not apparent in the drawings here.

[sesfw]

I haven't read the whole thread but just looking at the plans from my experience ..... I would make the garage at least 2 1/2 cars in width, preferably 3 car garage.

Better resale and more room for workshop and holiday storage.

[ktunes]

if i get the chance to build, i'm going to do his n' her master suite...2 master bedrooms on each end, both have walk thru closets leading into the central master bath

good luck with your build

[Apple]

Mar 31, 2021 19:57:19 GMT -5 sesfw said:

I haven't read the whole thread but just looking at the plans from my experience ..... I would make the garage at least 2 1/2 cars in width, preferably 3 car garage.

Better resale and more room for workshop and holiday storage.

Too large of a garage would completely dwarf the house.  I have ~9 acres with an existing pole barn (about 26' x 36') and a concrete slab for a shop (over 40' x 40', existing shop collapsed but the slab is good, so I plan to build a new shop when I have money again).  I also have plenty of space to build the shop larger if I wanted.  So, personally, I don't feel I have need for a bigger garage since it won't be my only available storage/work area.  I just want a few shelves in the back (canning supplies, small tool box, and other things handy to have right there), and room for my car and pickup.  I don't even want to store much yard equipment in the garage, except for maybe a snow shovel and snow blower. 

[Apple]

Mar 31, 2021 22:22:40 GMT -5 ktunes said:

if i get the chance to build, i'm going to do his n' her master suite...2 master bedrooms on each end, both have walk thru closets leading into the central master bath

good luck with your build

There are so many layouts that I love for bigger houses!  And, as a person who loves my space, I don't think I'd mind two different master bedrooms if I were coupled up   Smaller house layouts are so much harder to "get right", I haven't seen a single layout I truly like.  However, with single life and not wanting to be a slave to cleaning, I want the smaller house (with a roomy basement).  Ideally, I'd be able to pressure wash the inside to clean, but I'm not really a fan of an all concrete build with plastic furniture :/

(Also, thanks, I need all the luck I can get!)

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Mar 31, 2021 17:02:03 GMT -5 susana1954 said:

I don't think the cost of lumber is going down over the next year.  

Inflation is going to hit as we struggle to pay for the stimulus dollars that were given out.  I don't think it will be as dramatic as it was in the 1980s (13% dealer car loans for people with good credit, anyone?), but prices are going to go up, not down.

Just something to think about!

DH follows lumber closely for his job, and it is projected to come down next year.

[finnime]

One thought: have at least a rough-in for a toilet in the basement. It's nice to have the option for the future.

I like your idea about a rolling cart in the kitchen. I suspect you will use it quite heavily (from someone with a very small kitchen.)

With the porch and patio, this will be a very welcoming home.