Need help with Kitchen and Living room on large remodel

9 months ago

Here is a home we purchased; we are looking to renovate the home.

There is a in-door pool addition; we are thinking of filling in the pool and making it into a gym.

The two walls near the Media Room; to south and west, have support, sewer\water\and sheer to them; but are removable if needed; but long spans, 34-35 feet.

We've discussed opening up living\media room to make it large space; and reconfigurating the kitchen and pantry; enlarging the Dining Room, but whatever we try; we feel like it doesnt work; or its off.

We would like a office\computer area near the kitchen\family area

Here is some design ideas we've come up with... This is where its all open; we dont have a gym in indoor pool area; its more like a office\mancave, but we would have to build a ADU for a gym if we wanted it. Enlarged kitchen w/ pantry in back, but pantry blocks off windows from north, and u have that 35 foot span to support down middle of living room

Here is another concept keeping the walls, indoor gym in place of the pool, office off the kitchen, and pushing out the living room, but you have to walk through the living room to go outside; walk thru the space, kind of odd design.

Any help would be appreciated, just cant get this design right; or any alternatives designs.

Featured Answer

3onthetree

9 months ago

There is not enough information presented on both existing or desired programming. The main approach to the house (what do you consider the front?) arrives past private outdoor living. A Motor Court is shown in one drawing, an attached garage in another. A fence or partial wall of another building is shown across from the indoor pool. The backyard and neighbor is unknown on proportions/distance. The thick walls on the existing drawing looks to be a masonry built house, on the proposed drawings it is now a wood framed house. The Family Room fireplace is a big part of the equation, can that even be removed. The outdoor cooking is unclear if that is just a wheeled BBQ on one of the collonaded porches.

Questioning the proposed programming, I quite like the indoor lap pool, it appears to be adding seamlessly to the level of house, and has adjacent spaces that functionally mate to it. The Gym space needed is not defined, but sounds like quite a bit and a big part of the remodel. The dining seats are unclear as to seating 8 at a dual-island with 10 in a formal Dining simultaneously. As far as opening up the Kitchen/Family Room to modern American ways of living, making a "roomed" house be open concept has to be done within the framework of the concept of a "roomed" house, otherwise it would be a muddled mess or you arrive at:

"but whatever we try; we feel like it doesnt work; or its off"

I don't know the team you have assembled, but the proposed plans don't appear to be successful, and that might be partially or wholly contributed to the programming set by you.

Without knowing anything other than what I can decipher from drawings, here is a scheme I might want to look at. I can't read dimensions, so room sizes are based on proportions of other rooms in the house, which they should be.

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Comments (9)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
9 months ago
Way beyond the scope of this forum. You need a very good architect to start My first quetion is how many seats do you need for eating. To me the original would have been a tear down so porly designed and honestly the 2 you show not much better . I will start by saying bigger is not always better in home design
la_la Girl
9 months ago
Agree an architect + kitchen designer is needed for a project like this
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chispa
9 months ago
What attracted you to this home?

How big is the lot?

How close are the neighbors?

What are the views from the different spaces?

Where is the main outdoor entertaining area?
PRO
JAN MOYER
9 months ago
Not every question is one for Houzz.

You need an architect on site. Whatever you paid for the house, was less than a similar size home, .........few people really want an indoor pool, so you may have gotten a great "deal"

Use the dollars saved to make a home that suits. Not here. Architect in order: )

You need a TEAM

Architect

Interior Designer

PRO Kitchen and bath designer

Builder

All working in tandem with synergy, communication, all on the same page for look, style, intent . execution ...............that's the team.
Jeff
Original Author
9 months ago
@chispa

What attracted you to this home?

Privacy; large lot where many dont exist; very few neighbors

How big is the lot? .78 acres, 34,000 sq feet

How close are the neighbors?

only 1 neighbor on side of the indoor pool area.

What are the views from the different spaces?

The back of the house faces mountains; front of the house looks at greenspace

Where is the main outdoor entertaining area?

Main Outdoor space is off the back of the house; pool is position off the entrance; and BBQ\outdoor living is off the living room; but thats another challenge in itself.

For all those responding with needing a "team" we have a team, everyone has their input; but I've been driving the direction of layout; and we've done exploratory demo to find out what walls cant move and such.. We are working within the layout. Tearing it down and rebuilding it in this state would cost 2-3X more. There is alot of value in whats left over.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
You have a team listen to them if they are actual pros and not your friends or relatives . I have no info as to why this size home ever unless you have more than one family living in it. IMO built to impress not actually for real life unless as I said . Any chance of help from here will require a ton of info oops I see the lot is 35000 sq ft what is the size of the house since it is almost impossible to read measurent s
PRO
JAN MOYER
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago

^^^^^

That kitchen, alone.............shows why you need the "team" .........which seems not to include a PRO K,D

You do not know what ( how much )you don't know.

A house this size with those clearances? That would be HARD no.
la_la Girl
9 months ago
Not a pro but I’d be tempted to remove the pantry and shift the kitchen that way to get some more access to natural light -

I would not do the second island and I would not put the range and sink opposite of each other - makes for a tight working space for no reason