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Raised Ranch Plans review

15 years ago

We have just finished first pass on our plans and wanted to get opinions from you all. link to the plans are tagged at the end of this message, or you can copy following link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FSPqti90DDOWZWxXfMbjaFuX1Go0sdtfY-71OWqDCAc?feat=directlink

Its a complete remodel, with current footprint of the house is 52 x 26, mostly all walls are coming down except for bedroom on the front left corner. 3 car garage is on the lower level (below bedrooms) and basement is walkout from the back. In all we are looking for 3 bedroom/3.5 baths on the main level, with office, family room+dining+kitchen and a formal dining room. Formal livinig room is a plus, but not a need.

We have not put effort in thinking where the deck should go, but most likely it is going to be behind the dining area with some of the deck covered with screen porch.

thanks in advance. keep the comments rolling

Here is a link that might be useful: House Plans

Comments (7)

  • 15 years ago

    Here are the plans...
    will be nice to get people's opinion on how we can make this better. Ideally we would have liked a wider master.. should we take more space from the closets out in the room?
    May be make master bathroom less wider and give more space in the closet, that way we can compensate for lost 1 to 2 feet of length.

    Also would like to see someone come up with a a way to separate the kitchen from family room a bit more. If we extend the pantry wall out towards the family room, would it look to compartmentalized?

    Appriciate any feedback.

    From House Plans

  • 15 years ago

    You seem to have alot of square footage in hallway space. For example, do you need that little alcove between the 2 front bedrooms? What if you straightened out the hall wall and put the doors there; the bedrooms might feel more open (especially the one on the right, where the bed is right near a short wall with no room for a nightstand.) Then since those doors open onto the main hall, I'd put French doors at the end of the hall, to separate the private spaces from the public. (Rough mockup below.)

    The master bedroom does seem a bit cramped. Do you store all your clothes in the closet, or do you need some room for a dresser or chest of drawers? You don't have room for much furniture the way it is now, but you might prefer no additional furniture.

    I'd think about how much closet space you really need, or think about if you need a living room in addition to a study and a family room. If you don't think you'll use the LR much, you could consider splitting the study space between the MB and the FR; using the LR space partly for a study and partly to make the DR bigger. (If you ever have big family dinners, the DR will start to feel small. Ours is about 14' x 14' and feels small.) However, this whole paragraph can big ignored if you want a LR separate from the FR.

    I'd post the layout on the kitchens forum too, for some excellent layout feedback. (Post the whole thing and a close up of the kitchen.)

    {{gwi:1426815}}

  • 15 years ago

    In the master bathroom the toilet, shower and tub seem out of proportion to me. And the from bath looks too small for all that is in it.

  • 15 years ago

    Could you do an angled penninsula thing to separate the kitchen from the living area. Lots of examples in house plans, but I had this one handy. (Pretend cooktop is not there.)

    http://www.eplans.com/image-gallery.hwx/Q/Plan.HWEPL08382/ImageId.242209

    http://www.brendaobrien.com/pusch-ridge-vistas-ll-2820.html

    I do think the bathrooms need some more tweaking, especially room around the toilets. Most places want 30-36" of "elbow room". Sometimes they word it where it is 15" from the center of the toilet to any obstacle. Also make sure you have plenty of room in front of it as well, especially if you are closing it in like in the master bathroom. The bathroom closest to the entry is way too small for anything but a toilet and vanity. I think you would also want to switch the direction of the drains on both tubs.

    Will you have a dresser in any of the bedrooms? Seems like that might be a tight fit. Really think about furniture placement and door locations and how those work together.

    Also, do you have a good elevation that you like that needs this house shape? If not, why not make it a square or at least symetrical? You get a much cheaper (but simpler) roof line that way.

  • 15 years ago

    Thanks Chicagoans for tweaks in bedrooms and eliminating some of the hallway space. I agree there is much of hallway space in the current design. Also agree with French door idea to separate the bedrooms from living area.

    Master bathroom does need rethinking. This was the first pass on the layout, so we didn�t pay much attention to the bathroom details. Will definitely look into it. In regards to the cramped space in Master bedroom, I really cannot take much space from study area, so it has to be closets. Maybe take couple feet of length from closets and give into master bedroom. We do not plan to have a chair/seat in the master bedroom, instead can fit dresser in that space.

    The whole living area needs re-thinking. A friend of mine noticed the sharing of office wall with TV wall, which is a big problem for me. I really do not like the TV sound in the background. Is there an inexpensive way to sound proof the wall/room between Family room and the office?
    Also just counted blocks on the paper to understand distance from master bedroom to kitchen, comes out to be more than 60feet. Is it too much of walking inside the house for most common areas?

  • 15 years ago

    Have you considered combining the laundry room with the half bath? If every bedroom has their own bath, then that powder room is strictly for guests. It's unlikely you'd be doing laundry at the same time as entertaining guests. Newer machines are quieter, and you can hide them behind cabinetry like this.

    You could keep a pull out cabinet laundry sorter on the side of them, to keep your laundry space neat and tidy and behind doors.

    That would buy a lot more room for your master without eating into closet space.

  • 15 years ago

    Dining room is not large enough. For this sized home I would expect a larger dining room...anything below 13' wide can make for some tight fits when you consider a large family gathering, china cabinets, table, chairs, etc.