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Adding on to 20s Eclectic House, Advice needed!

18 years ago

We got great plans from an architect but I felt a few things needed to be reworked. Do my changes make sense? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Gray boxes in MBR are existing furnishings. The architect's proposal is shown first, my (butchered?) plans are second and third boxes. (click to enlarge floorplans)






Closet in the main part of the MBR exists already but the space is awkward. The plans basically involve adding doors.

The bath exists but also is very awkward and old. Currently you walk through a make shift dressing area to get to the bath. I thought having the water closet closest to the entry made sense.

One the first floor, existing kitchen basically becomes powder room and pantry/laundry room. Kitchen, family room and mudroom are new spaces.

The closet in the bathroom is partially because my husband leaves at 5am and disturbs me! I want it to be private so I can sleep.

Not sure about the kitchen. I changed it to 2 islands, not even sure if that will work. Butler's pantry exists as-is. It has a lot of charm and we don't want to destroy it. We will probably make it into a bar area. Not sure how else it will function.

The dining room exists and we are currently using it as a family room. It is about 14x17, plenty big for us.

The front room is currently one large room, about 15x25. If we break it up the living room will be about 13x15, which is big enough to function as a parlor type room. We would probably do half walls to keep it feeling open, but it would be less awkward than walking right into the space which is what it is now.

It's an arts & crafts/eclectic home with mission and victorian elements, so it's kind of quirky. We want it to function better for our family of 5, but have it maintain some charm.

Yes, there are a lot of doors and doorways. I wantto eliminate some of them so if feels less choppy, but as I said, it's an old house, it wouldn't be very open.

Thanks for your comments.

(cross posted from home decor, where it only got one response. I thought maybe Old Home aficianados might be able to help!)


Here is a link that might be useful: soshh photobucket with floor plans

Comments (2)

  • 18 years ago

    First I have to say that I wish I had your problem! I could spend a week thinking about your house's plans!

    I think I like the architect's master bedroom/bath layout better. The second version, with the toilet and bidet, looks rather cramped and clausterphobic. Looks like there is hardly room to turn around. Looks like if you are sitting on the toilet, you are staring at the wall just a few inches from your face. ( Hard to tell because I don't know the dimensions). Is that a pocket door for getting in and out of the toilet compartment?

    Not sure if having a closet to the left of the sinks, instead of at the entrance to the bathroom, does anything as far as reducing the noise that husband makes in the morning? I would think that most of the noise is from the water running, the toilet flushing, etc. and not from him opening drawers or pulling his clothes off the hangers. You also have a bedroom door that separates the bath entirely from the bedroom, so wouldn't that help with the noise and the light while you are sleeping?

    With the architect's plan for the dressing room, you could put a chair where he can sit down while dressing, so he can do all the dressing in the dressing area and not in your bedroom. WIth your closet plan, there doesn't look like there is room for a place to sit?
    This is just my opinion. Only you know your family's needs the best...

    I liked both the kitchen plans. Your plan with the stove against the wall looks a little safer in terms of having kids running around while you are at the stove. But I also like the large single island/cooktop arrangement too. It doesn't make the kitchen look so chopped up. I thinks sinks are inherently wet and messy areas, so maybe having it against the wall instead of on an island might make more sense.
    Cannot tell where the refrigerator goes.

  • 18 years ago

    Yes, there would be a pocket door. The depth of that space would be about 4 feet. I don't know if that's too small. I am sure my architect will let me know if it is. I just wanted it compartmentalized somehow, and his plan with the toilet on end and and bidet (IF WE GO THAt route, not sure) on the opposite wall wouldn't work. Perhaps if we only had the toilet we could turn it sideways in that space and it would be less cramped.

    My DH is LOUD! There is no door (other than the bathroom door) that would close the bedroom off completely, just an archway. This morning besides the alarm going off, the light on and off, etc, he woke me at 5am! I am not sure what is the best solution, but the closet leading into the bathroom didn't really have enough continual wall space. Also, we both tend to not be the neatest, and that's really a big concern. Walking over clothes to get into the bathroom. If the closet is at the end of the space, clutter will be more hidden.

    This closet would be all casual/work clothes. He wears jeans to work. He could easily use the bathroom space to dress. I would like to put a small bench (my grandma's) in the bathroom, so that will serve 2 purposes. I think in the closet we need the storage more than a chair, though it would be nice.

    The refrig. goes in the alcove on the upper left of the kitchen plan. My architect believes you don't need it directly in your work space, having it right outside a work zone with counter space near makes it accessible for drinks and snacks without getting in the way of the cook, me!

    Thanks for looking this over and your comments. Much appreciated.