round 2: please help with elevations & stairs!

9 years ago

Well, we got the revisions back from the designer. And we took 1 step forward and 10 steps back - anyone else ever feel like this?! It's almost laughable at this point.... my #1 desire throughout this whole (4 year) process has been wanting my sink under a kitchen window. So what happens... he sends me back a plan with my sink in the island!!! WHAT!?

anyway, here's the latest plan - please critique. Obviously, I'm moving the sink back to the window wall. I understand why he did it - for exterior reasons - but I will be changing that and putting a bank of 3 windows on that wall. Then mimicking that look in the study. Will that look ok? Not the original look of the inspiration, pic - but I'm too over all of this to really care.

My main issue now is the stairs - can anyone figure out a better stair design? that walkway through to the family room is too tight and I don't like how I'll have a nice 6ft cased opening to the family, but then a janky 3ft opening by the stairs - shouldn't they match up? (sorry, can you tell I'm a little cranky this morning?)

Upstairs - got a whole lot bigger, ugh. Bath - we will shorten the vanity to fit a pocket door in there to close off the toilet/bath.

Elevations - what do you think? I like the overall look, however we need to beef up the trim on the windows and put some more details in there (belly band? beefier frieze & rake?) I feel like the back is a little too flat & boring as well. We're also not sure about the little dormers on the front? Dh thinks the one on the left should definitely be nixed. Should the right one stay or get bigger or what? Would it look bad without the little dormers?

Thanks for your help! I'm thankful I can come here and vent as I feel like most of my friends and family don't share my love of architecture & need for details...

inspiration pic:

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Comments (6)

momtoblondie
9 years ago
I clicked on your image and it took me to your photo bucket . . . .there was a plan in there that looks like it was predrawn (also has two alternate elevation) Do you remember where that came from? I would be interested in looking at it further. Sorry its off topic. Thank you!
Katie S.
9 years ago
Would you be willing to cut off your study from your foyer?

I would personally pull the stairs down so the landing is on the exterior wall. You would enter the house, have a few steps immediately to your left, landing with window, and a longer straight run up. This longer run might allow you to stack the basement stairs underneath as a straight run.

Of course the guest bath would need to be reworked so you could have study access off your master hallway.

Might not be an option for you, but would certainly open up the foyer.
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laurensmom21
Original Author
9 years ago
momtoblondie - I'm linking below to that house plan.

cas - thanks for your suggestions, but I was hoping not to have to rework the bath area, etc... I'm hoping there's a way to redo the stairs that wouldn't need to majorly overhaul everything else...

anyone have any thoughts on elevations? or more stair ideas? thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: house
laurensmom21
Original Author
9 years ago
bumping this up to get some more suggestions...
Nick
9 years ago
I see two options. The first one being making the two mid landings on the stairs into winders, effectively making one step into two. That would slice two steps out of the center of the foyer and open it up a bit. Not sure about the math or residential code when it comes to winders though... Ren8 would have to check me on that.

Second option would be to trim that bump out off the study and have the stairs run towards the exterior wall. How it is currently would interfere with the windows, but if you are mirroring the triple kitchen window in the study I think you could work it out.
done_again_2
9 years ago
Could you work on moving the pantry/office to the other side of the kitchen near the laundry and garage? Or make the pantry/office shallower? That would let you keep the stairs as is and increase the foyer width.

My foyer and staircase have a spot where it's just over 3 ft. coming in from the front door. It's definitely tight. I would do what you can to make it bigger or reconfigure the staircase.