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aramaram

Please critique floor plan (3D pictures)

aramaram
9 years ago

I would appreciate feedback on this open floor plan. This is a small house, about 40' by 20'. I'd like to get some opinions and suggestions on the kitchen/living room area. Below is the floor plan and some 3D renderings. Your help is very much appreciated.

Comments (14)

  • aramaram
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is the floor plan.

  • aramaram
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Kitchen view

  • Buehl
    9 years ago

    Do you have a 2D layout with the measurements added? It would also help to have all the rooms marked. E.g., where is the dining area/table space - to the left of or below the island?

    Also, could you tell us about you and your family and how you plan to use the space?

    I suggest reading the "Layout Help" topic in the Kitchens' FAQs (linked below).

    Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

  • function_first
    9 years ago

    We had a similar layout in our previous house and it was suggested that we put a prep sink in the area to the right of the range. We made the change putting it to the far right, and it got used daily-- was a great space for prep and left the other sink for cleanup. Highly recommend adding it to your layout, as well. If you don't that large length of counter space will be seldom used as it's just too far from a water source. I would also recommend adding a dedicated trash in the prep area. We did not do that and wished we had. Am wondering am why the island isn't wider, also? Are you reserving space against the wall for dining table? If not I'd make the island wider for sure, it looks to me like you could use the extra storage space that would bring.

  • dilly_ny
    9 years ago

    I don't like the sink boxed into the corner, but if you move your sink to the other side of the stove, your work triangle is too spread out.

    Are you trying to work around existing windows? Or is there a possibility of moving windows?

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    Although I generally like the sink between the refrigerator and cooking area, since your kitchen isn't that long (how long is it?), I think it would be better to move the sink and dishwasher to the right of the cooktop (thus getting the cleanup area "out of the way"). You could move the cooktop down to the left a bit, unless the symmetry between the windows is important to you.

  • sheloveslayouts
    9 years ago

    Is this a single family home? Do you need access to the backyard? I don't see a back door.

  • sheloveslayouts
    9 years ago

    Is the location of the front door directly across from the bathroom door original to the house?It seems like a less than ideal configuration.

  • aramaram
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all very much for the inputs. They are extremely valuable.

    Here is a drawing with the dimensions.

    For the next few years, the house will be for me and my girlfriend. Down the road, perhaps some kids but I will likely upgrade to something bigger then.

    This is a 2 story house and the bottom is all garage/undeveloped area because the house is on a slope. I will develop the downstairs later but it is a more complicated and costly affair. There is no internal garage access but I did not want to sacrifice the little space there is for stairs.

    The big windows to the right (in drawing) have very good views, so I try to preserve that. There are some views to the upper right as well, that is why the corner has windows. The windows can be moved if necessary but the only one I could practically see moving is the one above the sink.

    I considered making a wider island but as another poster guessed, I wanted to put a dining table by the windows to be able to dine and enjoy the views.

    The main room ends up being quite awkward because of its length and I have not figured out what to do with it.

    Indeed, the front door is directly across from the bathroom and that was something I couldn't quite get around. The original door was the same and although the bathroom was expanded, I could not come up with a practical way to move the door elsewhere.

    The prep sink and dedicated garbage are great ideas. How about a slide out garbage drawer in the island?

    Thanks again.

  • function_first
    9 years ago

    edited

    This post was edited by Function_First on Wed, Oct 1, 14 at 8:30

  • function_first
    9 years ago

    I think the slide out garbage in the island would work, but just o.k., not great. If you go that route IâÂÂd make sure to position it so that it could be pulled out while the dishwasher is open. Our former kitchen was nearly the same dimensions (16 1/2â x 9âÂÂ) and we put our trash on the island. If you can at all manage to give up the cabinet space, though, IâÂÂd put two pull out trash bins -- one to be accessed for the clean up area, and a separate one for the prep area. We had a single pullout trash in the island for both areas, it meant gathering up handfuls of things to be disposed of from the prep area and pivoting across the aisle with wet and drippy stuff to get it to the trash -- and this was with a garbage disposal at each sink, so multiply that issue times 10 if you are not going to install disposals. If there isnâÂÂt room for two pull out trashes, and I had to place the trash closer to one or the other, IâÂÂd definitely put it in the prep area so that things can be swept directly from the counter into the trash, and not on the island where you have to cross the aisle to throw things away. YouâÂÂd think youâÂÂd use it more at the cleanup sink, but most of the dishes at the cleanup area were already scraped before landing there. Prep areas are constantly generating things to throw away (things that canâÂÂt go down the disposal).


  • sheloveslayouts
    9 years ago

    We're in a similar renovation. We bought a little house about a year ago with the kitchen in the same spot and a great view of the valley and Mt. Hood directly out that upper right corner.

    We've been tweaking the floor plan this whole time - yes, one year - and we're finally submitting permits tomorrow!

    What we ended up doing is.... We moved the kitchen to the front of the house.

    By doing this, we preserve the view out the back and side of the house. Also, since we don't have a garage, it will be nice to bring in groceries without having to walk through the living space. A bonus is that since our kitchen sink faces to the front yard, you don't see it when you walk in the front door; seeing the sink from the entry is a silly pet peeve of mine.

    We studied minimums and how we use the kitchen and ended up with a 8'x12'6" galley kitchen that is kind of open to the main living space.

    We have a deck off the back of the house, so we put a swinging full lite door about where your sink is

    Maybe reading what we are doing will spark some ideas for you.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    I could not come up with a practical way to move the door elsewhere

    If you're willing to do the work, you could consider closing up the wall where the bathroom door is now, move the vanity so it is perpendicular to the bathtub on the back wall, move the door to the bedroom so there's a little entry, and put the bathroom door (inswinging or pocket) where the vanity was. It may be too much work, but it would do away with the "staring at the bathroom door" issue.

  • aramaram
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all very much for the inputs. They are extremely valuable.

    Here is a drawing with the dimensions.

    For the next few years, the house will be for me and my girlfriend. Down the road, perhaps some kids but I will likely upgrade to something bigger then.

    This is a 2 story house and the bottom is all garage/undeveloped area because the house is on a slope. I will develop the downstairs later but it is a more complicated and costly affair. There is no internal garage access but I did not want to sacrifice the little space there is for stairs.

    The big windows to the right (in drawing) have very good views, so I try to preserve that. There are some views to the upper right as well, that is why the corner has windows. The windows can be moved if necessary but the only one I could practically see moving is the one above the sink.

    I considered making a wider island but as another poster guessed, I wanted to put a dining table by the windows to be able to dine and enjoy the views.

    The main room ends up being quite awkward because of its length and I have not figured out what to do with it.

    Indeed, the front door is directly across from the bathroom and that was something I couldn't quite get around. The original door was the same and although the bathroom was expanded, I could not come up with a practical way to move the door elsewhere.

    The prep sink and dedicated garbage are great ideas. How about a slide out garbage drawer in the island?

    Thanks again.

    {{!gwi}}