You should express these desires to your architect. You can locate your living room on the south side where the view is if the space extends to the north side with windows and a deck there. The stairs take up a lot of room but that is their nature. You want to keep the kitchen ideally on the cool side. Good luck!

Without knowing more info about your piece of land, I would prefer having the main living spaces facing the view (ie: swap the Dining Room with Bedroom #2, so the entire area would be sun from morning to sunset.

I would personally like the kitchen where the dining room is now. I just like being able to go from the kitchen to the outside easily. I like eating out there.

Oh, I also think that the open plan between the dining and living makes it feel bigger.

Somehow the layout takes advantage of both sun and view.
The laundry room just doesn't sit right with me. Could it not go under the stairs, next to the bathroom. Then you can open up that wall in the dining room some more to let in extra daylight.
I assume that the dining/kitchen/living is open plan ?? Which is good as you'll be able to enjoy light and view from anywhere in that space.
My other question would be : Why no windows on the east side of the house ??

Where is the main entry to the home located? And where is the main street in relation to the house?
I, too, am curious why there are no windows on the east side?

I might extend the opening from the dining area (removing some of the kitchen wall) to the hall/stairs to create an even more open feeling. This would also give you the opportunity to make the staircase a design feature in this expanded view.

2 other small details...I would probably decrease the size of the hallway closet and expand the bedroom 3 closet. Do you really require an exterior door from your laundry room? I would prefer to have the wall space for cabinets, shelves, hampers...

Good luck :)

I like Dytecture's idea. Kitchen is in a good location, although, is there some privacy issue relating to why there are no windows to the east? The morning sun into the kitchen and two bdrms, would be nice, which may be possible with a change in BR 2 location and adding windows, as suggested, if it squares with the site orientation and required zoning and or privacy issues. Also, entering through either the laundry or apparently, the dining room, assuming the courtyard is a parking platz (?) is different, but then, I realize s.f. is at a premium. Yes, face to face dialogue is paramount in the design process, as suggested.

Thank you everyone for your comments. We live outside Christchurch, and the house was badly damaged in the quakes here. The post-quake rebuild process could safely be described as slightly chaotic, and the house company I am using are located some distance away (like on the North Island), which is why discussion with the architect has been - em - less than optimal. The architect threw something at me to get me out of my comfort zone I think and this is what's freaking me out!

I think the windows on the east side are to come (no reason for them not being there), and probably a skylight in the kitchen roof. The section of land is narrow and steep, (this is a historic port town and with access from the south (where the view is); there is no parking other than on the street (south).

Patricia - the laundry doesn't sit right with me either! Looks a bit like it's been glued on the side of the hosue. And it is too small as it is to store coats, shoes etc. This is the access to the back garden - thus the door (also means muddy boots can be dumped when we come in!).

Entering a house through a living room is very common over here, especially where space is at a premium (small section, small house footprint).

Why not stretch the utility out a bit. That way you can make extra storage for shoes etc.
Have you got photos of the land and views ?

This is the view... The land is steep; rises up via steps from the road then heads up a series of terraces above the house, which kind of sits on a platform. The courtyard is lovely and sunny; I can see the advantage of accessing this easily from the dining room but the design really doesn't make the most of afternoon sun... Dilemma, dilemma. :)

Stunning view ! Is the house to be build still ? Do you have to follow the footprint of the old house ?

Perhaps if you flip the house plan over, it might work better for you. Dining, kitchen,living on the left and bedrooms etc on the east side.

Karen, I personally think that splitting that room in half gives you two boxy, cell like rooms, that contrast with the open views. I would move the entrance doors of both the living room and adjacent bedroom down, reduce the size of the court yard door to allow more wall space, than have the kitchen on the north east corner, as shown. You can than make it either a straight kitchen, with the refrigerator un-attached, which gives you a long counter, and also a more econmical cost overall, or you can make a traditional L-Shape kitchen. Also, if you don't cook a lot, consider smaller appliances, such as 24" stoves and 28" refrigerators, they will give you more counter space. Be sure to put hard wood floor that runs along the room, I would recommend prefinished white oak, and with these kind of views, I would paint the room Benjamin Moore Super White wall and ceilings. You will be stunned by the results

PS I also moved the courtyard door to the very corner, aside from reducing it. In rooms such as these every inch count and every little nuance is highly noticeable,

All good stuff! In theory we should follow the footprint of the current house reasonably closely but as the current house is an 1870s workingman's cottage there aren't very many straight walls (and I think it's been modified by each round of inhabitants :: ) I am wondering about flipping the thing over though established steps up to the back garden leave from just behind the courtyard...

I'm so sorry about your house damage from the quakes--I hope you all are ok.
You certainly have a beautiful view!
I'm wondering about building the living room on the SW; the kitchen on the NE; the dining room on the NW; and the 2 bedrooms on the E and SE--with the master on the front. Could you bump out the west wall by the NW corner to increase the floorspace there, and then add the laundry to the bathroom area?
I'm so glad you are asking questions now, during the planning stages! This is YOUR home--you have the right to question and plan to get it just the way you want it!

Hi Karen, There is one upstairs bedroom now...can there be two? Or perhaps all bedrooms and the laundry upstairs and the so-called public entertaining spaces downstairs. Perhaps on your lot and with the age of the cottage and other issues, it would be prohibitively expensive but as I see it there is already that very wide stairway up to the bedroom, make it worth its space. Just a thought. My previous home had been built like this with bedrooms down (the cliff) and public rooms street level and it allowed views of the Pacific Ocean for almost all the rooms of the house; you have a tremendous view so as many areas as possible facing it would be optimum. Good luck!