Designing $1M+ Home in Austin TX- Floor Plan, Elevations and Site Plan
Austinite
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (372)
Austinite
2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Plan review for "Parade of Homes" house (my design)copyrite
Comments (10)First off let me preface what I'm about to say with some information. I've been in the Architectural profession for 30+ years as a Designer / Sr. Project Manager and Construction Administration Project Manger. My construction background (Florida Licensed GC) and a Design/Build partner has given me exceptional opportunities throughout my career bridging the gap between the design studio and the site realities. I've worked on just about everything from airline maintenance (Boeing 777 for Continental) hangers to luxury ocean side homes and condos and everything I say here is not so much a negative as they are merely my personal opinions and observations. With that and $1.29 I can get a medium coffee to go at the local Mapco (think 7-11). Graphics: I realize it's hard to get a full view at this scale, but I find it very hard to read your presentation plans. To much information. All the colors, shading and construction notes make it extremely difficult to read. It took me a while to find the front entry door. My suggest is to clean up the plans. Leave the construction notes for the presentation sections and details. The presentation plans are mainly to convey the layout. It looks like you've tried to marry the construction plans with a presentation plan and in doing so you've negated the purpose of both. Layout: The first glaring objection I have is the distance from the garage to the Kitchen. You have to transverse the entire house. My wife, and I suspect many wives, would object to this right off the bat. In dealing with many clients, be they 1200 SF homes or 10,000 SF monsters, the wives have always had major concerns with proximity of kitchen to garage, kitchen to pantry, and bedrooms to laundry spaces. The next biggest issues were public spaces to private spaces (i.e. entry, living spaces, dining rooms to bedrooms). You have a nice master bedroom space, but personally I think it's weakened by the entry door and its location right off the living room spaces. This applies to the bedrooms off the entry way and the other end of the living room. Construct-ability: While it appears you have given much thought to the super-structure, as a builder the first thing I see is a massive amount of beams, girder trusses and large headers will be involved in this project. That equals higher cost. Secondly, systems. This is going to be a plumber's jackpot project. The apartment alone has 3 wet areas (drains and supply). The kitchen, the laundry and the bathroom, none of which will share any common supply, branch drains or vents. The main house is better, but still spread out and will require multiply vents and separate runs (supply and drain). The mechanical aspects aren't much better. Overall Design: While I am an adamant fan of the Prairie style look, I suspect your reliance on the high window look under the overhang for solar and thermal aspects will be offset by a cave dwelling feel to the inhabitants. I like the exterior lines, but I think you're relying too much on the Cedar shake........it's overload. You need to break up the look more....See MoreWhat colors should I paint my house? I plan to unify the house by painting the brick and siding one color.
Comments (84)I'm a little late adding my two cents, but it's probably not very helpful anyway. In my old neighborhood there was a house that looked just like yours and was (no offense) kind of an eyesore compared to the rest of the neighborhood (think golf course neighborhood where some homes are 1M+, not that mine was, lol). Anyway, the people ripped the porch off and put in a porch that spanned the entire front of the house with nice big columns and the new porch had a hip roof. They kept the brick put painted the rest and did some landscape as part of the job. I wish I had a picture to show you, because honestly, when they were done it looked better than some of the significantly more expensive houses in the neighborhood. Probably a different budget than just giving the house a paint job, though :(...See MoreFloor plan Critique, L-shape house
Comments (21)Thank you very much for the comments. The kitchen, exterior, and stairwell ideas are awesome. The builder recently decided he wants to build another house based off of the plans we are working with. I took that as a compliment. I really wish we could get the U-shaped stair case, but I am afraid it will pinch the dining room down in size. My wife isn't so sure about giving up the tub, but we will see. I know it is an easy decision for me... I think the exterior is challenged due to the large flat surface in the front. We wanted a big bonus room, and I think it has its cost in curb appeal. The L-shape design first caught my attention after discovering houses can set 7-8' closer to the curb providing a bigger back yard (big bonus for our two boys). There is close to 190 linear feet of cabinets in this house, and the kitchen concepts might actually cut that down by a few feet. Every foot is a good chunk of change... MLS #: 201405499 is a similar design in the area, and the photo is from another L-shaped house in the area. Any other comments are greatly appreciated. We will expand that kitchen island for sure, and the timbers in the entry is un the works. Again, thanks....See MoreHome plans (suggestions)
Comments (34)shirlpp: Unfortunately the person who helped us didn't want to come and look at the property. That should have been our first clue to find somebody else. The area where we will be building is in a rural subdivision. There are over 20 houses in the subdivision so far with a minimum of 3 acres on up to 23 acres (we bought the largest lot). The home across from ours is also built on a hilltop (16 acres) and they didn't require dynamite to excavate. The land in the area has a lot of red rock. Our current home is also built on the same type of land (red rock or sandstone) we currently live on a hilltop. We do have a 3 car attached garage on the plans and if it's going to be too much for the underground dig out (for lawnmowers, etc. we will exclude it from the plans and have an outbuilding. There are 2 homes in the subdivision that currently have the dig outs. Thank you for your input!...See Morecpartist
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoWestCoast Hopeful
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agoKat
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
2 years agoshead
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agoKat
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoIg222
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoAustinite
2 years agocpartist
2 years agoJ Williams
2 years agofissfiss
2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoFlo Mangan
2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoFlo Mangan
2 years agoFlo Mangan
2 years agoFlo Mangan
2 years agoDavid Cary
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
2 years agoKat
2 years agoAustinite
2 years agoDavid Cary
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoAustinite
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agolyfia
2 years agojust_janni
2 years agoKat
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoWestCoast Hopeful
2 years agojust_janni
2 years agorichfield95
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoKat
2 years agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
2 years agoKim Weaver
2 years agojmm1837
2 years agoWestCoast Hopeful
2 years agoMrs Pete
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agojmm1837
2 years agoWestCoast Hopeful
2 years ago
Related Stories

HOUZZ TV LIVETour a Designer’s Glam Home With an Open Floor Plan
In this video, designer Kirby Foster Hurd discusses the colors and materials she selected for her Oklahoma City home
Full Story
EVENTSHow to Plan a Home’s Design Around People and the Planet
Learn 7 ways design professionals focus on health and sustainability
Full Story
ARCHITECTUREDesign Workshop: How to Separate Space in an Open Floor Plan
Rooms within a room, partial walls, fabric dividers and open shelves create privacy and intimacy while keeping the connection
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESPlan Your Home Remodel: The Design and Drawing Phase
Renovation Diary, Part 2: A couple has found the right house, a ranch in Florida. Now it's time for the design and drawings
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESHome Designs: The U-Shaped House Plan
For outdoor living spaces and privacy, consider wings around a garden room
Full Story
WORKING WITH PROSUnderstand Your Site Plan for a Better Landscape Design
The site plan is critical for the design of a landscape, but most homeowners find it puzzling. This overview can help
Full Story
HOUZZ TOURSUpside-Down Plan Brings Light Into a Home’s Living Spaces
An architect raises the roof and adds a third-story addition to an Edwardian house in San Francisco
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESSee What You Can Learn From a Floor Plan
Floor plans are invaluable in designing a home, but they can leave regular homeowners flummoxed. Here's help
Full Story
HOMES AROUND THE WORLDHouzz Tour: Open-Plan Design Makes All the Difference
The owners of a narrow cottage near Sydney revamp their home’s layout, adding flexibility and modernity on a budget
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESGood Spaces: Mastering the Open Floor Plan
10 things to consider when planning a comfortable, functional interior design
Full Story
Mrs Pete