hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 13, 2019 22:24:23 GMT -5
HOw do you envision using the basement areas? Would you put a kitchen table across from the fridge/sink? Would you make the big area by the ?doors to the patio?? the "living room " area? How would you use the space were the stairs are? Is this entire basement for Mom? would a clearly defined "kitchen area" be useful rather than the "pass thru kitchen area"? Will you all be spending time watching TV and the kids playing/hanging out there? I guess I'm asking what "paths" mom will use thru this area. Would a door from her room to the stair area give her easier access to the upstairs part of the house? Or let her use that area while another person(s) use the other side of the bathroom area? without disturbing each other? Too bad you couldn't add a 1/2 bath in there - so if Mom wants some privacy in her room and you all want to use the basement - you don't have to go into the "sleeping" areas (even though there are doors) or use her bathroom. So there are 2 ways I envision the basement being used. 1. While my mother lives there. She won't likely live there forever. She's young enough now to really want to use the 10 acres we'll have for gardening and other outdoor activities. Once there's a house that comes available in town, she'd like to move there in a little townhouse type of setup (small town, limited inventory). We envision her living with us about 5 years. I say "we" meaning my wife, myself, and my mom all have the same vision, discussed at length. 2. Once my mother leaves and the kids are potentially old enough to want to move to the basement. Then her "living area" likely becomes a game room for the kids. At the moment, my mother's area will be her bedroom, and the top large open area (which will be her living room, which is also her current living room prior to the remodel). She will likely put her dining table in the area next to the kitchenette (she's had it there before when the kitchenette was bookcases instead). The area immediately at the bottom of the stairs to the left will be my family's "family room". TV area, child play area, a 2nd living area for us. The open room to the right of the stair landing will be the gym. She chose the path...primarily because she likes having her living area at the top where the light and the view is, and she wanted her bedroom entrance back there as well (currently it's below the bathroom, she wanted it moved). Essentially it is set up so that she walks through "our" area, kind of to the side of it...but we never really need to walk through her area (except for the bathroom down there, but we'd likely just run upstairs to use the bathroom if it was going to disturb her). I don't honestly envision us down there much given the large living area we'll have upstairs. It will likely turn into an area for my mom to play with my kids where they can keep their toys instead of cluttering up her living area. I'll have my desk in that area for my home office as well when I need to work from home. The most awkward part will be that the guest bedroom is basically through my mother's living area. But we also don't have a lot of guests, mostly just my in-laws, and my mother is fine with it (there were other configurations where her space was more secluded, but it involved her changing bedrooms which she didn't want to do given the fact it's been her room for 40 years.
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oped
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Post by oped on Dec 13, 2019 22:29:46 GMT -5
Kids in the basement eventually and at that point their upstairs bathroom becomes the guest... that works.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 13, 2019 22:33:24 GMT -5
A 1/2 bath downstairs WOULD be nice. I think it would only get use for the next 5 years or so while mom lived with us. By nature I am someone who wants to UTILIZE space, and cram as much as I can to make it "efficient". At one point the upstairs area was 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. It was a bit difficult for me to step back and realize it wasn't really an efficiency thing...that I didn't need to have the most bedrooms and bathrooms in a given space as I could fit. That's also a lot of the reason we don't have a half-bath upstairs. I had to think about whether it was worth it to have one so that it could get used a few dozen times a year. Or was it really worth sliding in another bedroom upstairs just so that 3 times a year when my in-laws visit they don't walk through my mom's living room to go to bed at night at the risk of taking up upstairs space we'd use every day.
At some point I had to look at it and say "Why did I design an 8-bedroom house when I've got 2 kids and I'm not having more?" My in-laws have a bedroom designated for them, I don't need 2-3 guest rooms for my parental in-laws, sibling in-laws, and nieces/nephews. They'll make do crashing in the family room when they come a couple times a year.
We also tried to keep the bedrooms a bit larger with the idea that with aging parents, they might be upstairs and the kids downstairs...and we've had small guest rooms...hard to use even when everyone is totally mobile.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 13, 2019 22:34:23 GMT -5
Kids in the basement eventually and at that point their upstairs bathroom becomes the guest... that works. Yes, and by then mom will be moved out, so my office goes in one upstairs bedroom, and the guest room in the other. Kids just take over the entire basement.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 13, 2019 22:38:11 GMT -5
You could also have a long skinny bathroom on one side and a long skinny closet on the other. But I really like the big room-like closet. I like that idea. You could have a nice design for each 6 feet wide. The bathroom could have a water closet at the end. Over all I like your plan and I'm just nit picking because you asked.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 13, 2019 22:43:59 GMT -5
Growing up, it was a right of passage to move into a basement bedroom (upstairs it was a shared room with bunk beds, with the living room on one side, and my parent's bedroom on another. Five kids, personal space was at a premium.). Sounds like a good plan.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 14, 2019 1:06:44 GMT -5
A 1/2 bath downstairs WOULD be nice. I think it would only get use for the next 5 years or so while mom lived with us. By nature I am someone who wants to UTILIZE space, and cram as much as I can to make it "efficient". At one point the upstairs area was 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. It was a bit difficult for me to step back and realize it wasn't really an efficiency thing...that I didn't need to have the most bedrooms and bathrooms in a given space as I could fit. That's also a lot of the reason we don't have a half-bath upstairs. I had to think about whether it was worth it to have one so that it could get used a few dozen times a year. Or was it really worth sliding in another bedroom upstairs just so that 3 times a year when my in-laws visit they don't walk through my mom's living room to go to bed at night at the risk of taking up upstairs space we'd use every day. At some point I had to look at it and say "Why did I design an 8-bedroom house when I've got 2 kids and I'm not having more?" My in-laws have a bedroom designated for them, I don't need 2-3 guest rooms for my parental in-laws, sibling in-laws, and nieces/nephews. They'll make do crashing in the family room when they come a couple times a year. We also tried to keep the bedrooms a bit larger with the idea that with aging parents, they might be upstairs and the kids downstairs...and we've had small guest rooms...hard to use even when everyone is totally mobile. I was thinking long term (ok, judging the floor plan for basic nice to haves from what I look for and what I guesstimate other people look for in a house ). the next owners might also like to use the basement as the mother in law set up - so having a separate 1/2 bath for general use for the shared areas really makes the basement useful/convenient. I hear you on the multi bed rooms. With all that space in the basement you don't need more bedrooms - you could just have a sleeper sofa or an inflateable areo bed in the "family room" areas and sleep a handful of people as needed. That's when the 1/2 bath comes in handy again (when a lot of people are using the area). Or if you turn one of the other rooms into a workshop or sewing room or Man cave and you are spending more time down there while your mom is there. You wouldn't have to use the "mother in law suite" bathroom. The upstairs floor plan has all the "parts" of a useful/efficient house. A 1/2 bath up there would put you in the "luxury" house zone. Most 3 bedroom "ranch" style houses (all the main living space on one floor) have a master bath and a bathroom for the other two bedrooms/guests to use. All that space in the basement and then bedrooms and only one full bath (aka one toilet/sink)- makes an additional 1/2 bath more of a "useful convenience" versus a "luxury". I imagine a family with older kids (and their friends) and a live in mother/MIL using that space all at the same time. So an extra 1/2 bath - that doesn't have the modifications for an elderly person would be nice. ADDED: About that basement... I can totally see teenage/college age me hosting "game night" for 5 to 7 of my friends and using a big table (the kitchen table) and the kitchenette as we play Catan or Gloomhaven or some dice and paper RPG and then having to have my friend use "Gram's" Bathroom.... It's an awesome basement set up... I can see adult me using the extra room as a work room - for crafts and hobbies I'd set up a sewing station OR I might use it as my "work from home Office". So, again the extra 1/2 bath would mean I wouldn't need to infringe on "Mom's personal space" if I'm down there all day - even if I'm using the kitchenette. That is an AWESOME basement.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Dec 14, 2019 12:44:36 GMT -5
You could also have a long skinny bathroom on one side and a long skinny closet on the other. But I really like the big room-like closet. I like that idea. You could have a nice design for each 6 feet wide. The bathroom could have a water closet at the end. Over all I like your plan and I'm just nit picking because you asked. You could also make them L shaped, if you need additional depth.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Dec 15, 2019 11:04:21 GMT -5
I’m confused. Is your mother’s living space near the stairs or near the top outside wall?
Also, I LOVE wide open concept, but I also like a few right angles to keep a space from being one giant alley. Maybe offset some of the main floor spaces a bit — either the dining room turned 90 degrees to one side or the living area angled to prevent that long runway effect.
Oh, and you’re in the Midwest — like New England — land of snow and cold and power outages — no fireplace or wood stove?
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Dec 15, 2019 11:07:04 GMT -5
One more personal issue, LOL,: you’re still figuring out fridge placement. Do NOT ever put the fridge and stove/oven beside each other. That’s beyond inefficient asking each appliance to compete with the other. It drives me nuts when I see that in a kitchen, just dumb.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Dec 15, 2019 11:10:54 GMT -5
One more, LOL, the ceiling fan in the kid’s bedroom at the front of the house is so large it will blow that kiddo all the way out the far exterior wall. Is there a reason for the industrial-size fan in that room?
😂😂
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 15, 2019 11:19:20 GMT -5
Oh, one thought, that I phrase as "weird European sh*t". When you have outlets installed in the bathroom, have one installed near the toilet (where a 3' or 4' cord could reach from around the seat area). Toilet seat bidet... I had one put in when I redid my bathroom, and I kind of love it. Other reasons that could come in handy-- someone breaks their dominant arm? They can give their butt a shower and get cleaner than off-hand wiping. Digestive issues making things feel raw? Give the butt a nice shower and pat dry. Hot muggy day and have swamp-ass? Give the butt a nice shower!
I actually bought one for my dad after getting mine, because he has some issues, and I have truly realized just how awesome they are. You wouldn't have to put one in now, but having the outlet in place would make putting one in take just a few minutes. Also, you want the power to always be on (to keep the water heated), not one that turns on and off with the lights or exhaust fan.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 15, 2019 13:06:30 GMT -5
I’m confused. Is your mother’s living space near the stairs or near the top outside wall? Also, I LOVE wide open concept, but I also like a few right angles to keep a space from being one giant alley. Maybe offset some of the main floor spaces a bit — either the dining room turned 90 degrees to one side or the living area angled to prevent that long runway effect. Oh, and you’re in the Midwest — like New England — land of snow and cold and power outages — no fireplace or wood stove? Near the top outside wall. No wood burning fireplace, we'll have an electric fireplace at the top of the first floor, that's what the little rectangle is (we've had fireplaced, and we have one now, but honestly, we just rarely use it)
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 15, 2019 13:08:50 GMT -5
One more, LOL, the ceiling fan in the kid’s bedroom at the front of the house is so large it will blow that kiddo all the way out the far exterior wall. Is there a reason for the industrial-size fan in that room? 😂😂 the fan isn't to scale
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 16, 2019 16:35:56 GMT -5
Just a quick update since I talked to my wife this weekend and presented some of the suggestions to her.
1. Fridge placement is staying where it is. She just doesn't want it on the same wall as the over. Her big complaint seems to be that whenever she's in the kitchen cooking everyone is constantly at the fridge encroaching on her (the fridge and range are only separated by a 15" cabinet at the moment. She wants the fridge where there is lots of room to walk around someone opening it, and where it's "out of the way" when she's working. So it's staying where it is.
2. Master bedroom/closet/bathroom will definitely be in some kind of linear order, no split side-by-side of 2 long rooms (primarily because she wants to be able to have me go in there in the morning and not come back to the bedroom to go into another room...and the side-by-side would mean I either have to go back in there or the closet would need 3 doors...1 for the bedroom, 1 for the bathroom, 1 for the laundry. She's reconsidering whether she wants the bathroom or closet to be nearest the bedroom...but my hunch is that it will stay as-is.
3. Part of the software I use to draw this up has some 3-d modeling. We're going to model changing the kids' bathroom from a big 8' opening to a smaller 4' opening and closing the walls off a little more to conceal it from certain angles. Same with making a little "cove" by the master bedroom door so as to hide the door from direct sound in the living room. Once she sees it in the model she'll decide what she likes best.
4. Putting in a door in my mom's closet to go into the family room. It will probably not be used ever, but it's good piece-of-mind in case there's a need for egress.
5. No 1/2 bath upstairs for sure. We both agree it's probably unnecessary (we have the same setup today, and have had that "visitor bath" in a previous house, and we both are on the same page it rarely gets used). I'm going to work up a plan for where a hypothetical 1/2 bath could go in the basement though. We'd need to take a chunk of the existing bathroom most likely, but that's fine because that bathroom is huge. Also have to get a quote for the cost of it...the beauty of the basement bathroom right now is that it all currently exists...which means no breaking up concrete or anything. The plumbing run in the concrete floor already matches up with the fixtures in that room.
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