Floor House Design?

9 years ago

This is the essential footprint of my future retirement log home. The architech at the log home company designed this up for what they would mill on exterior walls (including the wall between garage to the right and the house proper).

In the diagram, I cut out the garage and the deck in back for viewing of interior idea purposes. House interior will be stick-built. The kitchen will move over to the right a foot or 1.5 foot into the dining nook to encompass a 5/6 element gas range -- moving that penninsula over as well. All doors will be 36 inches for handicap age-in-place needs. The Master bath will contain a drive-in shower, not a tub as depicted.

I am very tall and sometimes my back goes south - and not needing the wheelchair for years, I hope. Therefore the wall between the kitchen and living room will be 8 feet tall, so I can have a plethora of USEFUL upper cabinets here, as well as along the left kitchen wall. There will also be a place for cookbooks on shelves. Living/dining/kitchen - cathedral ceilings. The laundry area to the left of the kitchen is hard to see, but would probably be stackable front-opening units, with a portable table to the north in that room.

The house would be built on a slope with walk out basement to the south. Yes, there is a generous guest bedroom, but seriously there's a dearth of good motels in the area for visitors.

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Comments (8)

mrspete
9 years ago
I think your living spaces look fine, but if you're concerned about a wheelchair being in your future, I have concerns about the functional spaces -- the bathrooms and laundry rooms especially -- working for you. I'm not sure they're large enough for you.

With the same thoughts in mind, I think I'd go with a reach-in closet instead of a walk-in in the master. Again, I'm not sure you'd be able to get in/out in a wheelchair.

And I think the kitchen layout could be better. With the stove and the sink pushed together in one corner, it seems that you have too many "major players" too close together.
doodledog_gw
9 years ago
The laundry room location doesn't make sense. I'd move it close to the bedrooms or change the access so you get to it through a bathroom.
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live_wire_oak
9 years ago
Key living points are not at all ADA friendly. This isn't a retirement home unless it's very early retirement. Once some frailty sets in, this home won't be able to be occupied.
artemis_ma
Original Author
9 years ago
Hmmm. I can switch the kitchen window with the range. That is a great point.

The master walk in closet could be a reach in type, freeing extra room to the guest bathroom. The door for that closet would become sliding doors.

By moving the hallway one foot northwards, I can expand the size of both the master bath and the laundry room. The guest room and office would be a little bit smaller but still very workable. I believe shifting the weight bearing posts in the basement should suffice for support in log homes.

I'm not going to change laundry room access.
rmsaustin
9 years ago
If I were a guest, I'd give up some bedroom space to have private access to a bathroom -- not suggesting you add a bathroom; just reconfigure so that the guest bathroom could be made private when guests are staying -- would require shifting things around a bit -- moving second bathroom to the other side of house (between bedroom and office) and affording access from the guest room and the hallway.
artemis_ma
Original Author
9 years ago
RMSAustin - this could be a good idea and I will consider, but I do have to note when I've been an overnight guest at nearly all of the friends I've visited lately, it's not been a private bathroom. (When I visit my brother, it depends which room of his I get to stay in, which also depends who else is there at the same time -- the person with the worst back gets to stay in the bedroom with the best bed -- and that room does have a private bath!) Take home message: Make certain that the guest bedroom has a comfy back-healthy bed!!!
annkh_nd
9 years ago
Your guest rooms are generously sized. I would put the closet for the upper left bedroom on the right wall - between the two bedrooms, to add privacy to both. Then you can either have more closet space in the master, or add a linen closet (or stackable washer/dryer) at the end of that hall.
artemis_ma
Original Author
9 years ago
Annkh: The north/right bedroom is also going to be an office, which may mean I may meet clients there. (I will be retiring, but I still plan to work.) I don't want to make it much smaller. I am however, considering how to work some of this in. However, I don't want the second bath to be too small, as that will be the one with the tub. (I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've taken a bath rather than a shower in the past 20 years in my current house.)

One reason I don't want washer/dryer at the end of the hall is because I'd like all the plumbing to be centralized.

I hope this helps.