Downstairs layout

miss.piggy

Hi all,
I'm currently designing my house, already have planning but did plan originally in a rush and now that I'm going to be starting house soon I am going to apply to alter them.
I have half my downstairs layout sorted - a large kitchen dining room running the length of the house back to front with a sitting room/sun room off this.
I am trying to sort out the other half now. I have it in my head that I would like a "back hallway" so that when you come in the back door you are not in the utility room but can either go right into the utility room or right into the kitchen. Any thoughts/experience of this?
Also off this hallway I want the downstairs toilet, which I want to also be the ensuite for a downstairs bedroom so it will contain a shower, toilet and sink.
I also need to fit in a pantry somewhere (a walk in room with floor to ceiling shelving). Can anyone give me any recommendations on this including size?
I am also considering putting the boiler room in the house as my feeling would be that there would be less heat loss this way - would anyone recommend this or otherwise? What size roughly would it be?
Apart from all this I want another sitting room/playroom downstairs. I would also love a small study but am thinking I will have to combine this with the downstairs bedroom as house is getting too big. Would also love an "interesting" stairs! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

sinnerboy

Why aren't you hiring an architect for this?

miss.piggy

I am an engineer myself so I am able to do all the drawings and apply for planning permission myself. I have (I think) a good eye for things and a fair idea of what I want and don't want anything off the wall so just doing it myself!

sinnerboy

In that case why not barter time with an Architect ? An afternoon of his / her time for yours in return . Very difficult to establish a layout on a forum.

miss.piggy

Sinnerboy - not really sure why you're being so negative and I am hoping that people with advice on my queries will reply! I don't think it's always necessary to employ/use an architect. I have seen many posts here with people looking for advice on layouts and they haven't just been told to go get an architect! If you read my post you will see I have asked for specific advice e.g. opinions or experience of including a back corridor, ideal size/location for a pantry/larder and benefits of including a boiler room within the house as well as a rough size a boiler room might be. If anyone has any advice on any of these areas I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

fclauson

to comment we would need to see the plans

my only advice without seeing them would be think about the sun, think about how you use the rooms, think about the flow through the house

muffler

miss.piggy wrote: »

Sinnerboy - not really sure why you're being so negative and I am hoping that people with advice on my queries will reply! I don't think it's always necessary to employ/use an architect. I have seen many posts here with people looking for advice on layouts and they haven't just been told to go get an architect! If you read my post you will see I have asked for specific advice e.g. opinions or experience of including a back corridor, ideal size/location for a pantry/larder and benefits of including a boiler room within the house as well as a rough size a boiler room might be. If anyone has any advice on any of these areas I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

I hate to rain on your parade but you wont get your house designed here. Thats a private matter between you and your designer.

If you wish to post up a copy of your floor plans then Im sure you will get plenty of comments and suggestions.

What we have here is a discussion forum and not a design service. I dont mean to be blunt but Im just stating the obvious.

doctorjohn

Myself and herself did what you are thinking and along the back hallway have the following flow
1) Carport/overhang over back door entrance so that you don't get rained on when bringing in the shopping / or taking off mucky welly boots (great idea)
2) Back door
3) Back corridor (left = up the stairs and understairs cupboard/heating manifold/coms /fuse box etc)
4) Right side in the following order, all with their own doors onto the hall (downstairs jacks, bench / coat hooks outside it)(utility room - do have a separate door , otherwise the whole back corridor becomes a messy laundry room)(pantry /larder press)
5) Kitchen door straight ahead.
It works well.
ps in the pantry press we put in an indulgence - a second dishwasher (for big pots etc when we have gatherings, as I cannot stand it when rellies gravitate away from kitchen table and chat, towards doing the dishes), also put in a small fridge and a small front opening freezer.
This way no freezer needed in kitchen and if more freezer needed then the shed will do.
Good luck with the plans
John

sydthebeat

miss.piggy wrote: »

I have seen many posts here with people looking for advice on layouts and they haven't just been told to go get an architect! .

the vast majority of these posts looking for 'advice' have pdfs or similar attached to the posts so we can see what you are talking about.

Listing rooms etc is completely abstract from the point of view of designing.

finisklin

doctorjohn wrote: »

Myself and herself did what you are thinking and along the back hallway have the following flow
1) Carport/overhang over back door entrance so that you don't get rained on when bringing in the shopping / or taking off mucky welly boots (great idea)
2) Back door
3) Back corridor (left = up the stairs and understairs cupboard/heating manifold/coms /fuse box etc)
4) Right side in the following order, all with their own doors onto the hall (downstairs jacks, bench / coat hooks outside it)(utility room - do have a separate door , otherwise the whole back corridor becomes a messy laundry room)(pantry /larder press)
5) Kitchen door straight ahead.
It works well.
ps in the pantry press we put in an indulgence - a second dishwasher (for big pots etc when we have gatherings, as I cannot stand it when rellies gravitate away from kitchen table and chat, towards doing the dishes), also put in a small fridge and a small front opening freezer.
This way no freezer needed in kitchen and if more freezer needed then the shed will do.
Good luck with the plans
John

John,

I presume the stairs you mentioned is in addition to the mains stairs at the front of the house? How does that work out up stairs? I am trying to visualise it to no success!

Fini

miss.piggy

Thanks a million for the replies, the car port idea/overhang sounds great.
I will post up a pdf of my plans shortly when I have it together a bit more. And I would welcome any comments then. Thanks very much

doctorjohn

am going to try to attach pdf of ground floor.
only one stairs , at the back door area, as the back door entrance is the daily entrance that we use and handy to be able to go upstairs.
Guests have no need to go upstairs and we reckoned therefore there was no need to have a second redundant stairs close to the front door.

mark2003

Have a look at this design,everthing you want except a room for plumbing and hot water system. The house is 2800sq ft. Part of the pantry is under the stairs so as to get a big enough pantry in. As you walk in the the front door, you cannot see the back door. we put the curve of the wall of the pantry big enough to prevent us from seen the back door. We also have the stairs curve from the 5th step down to give the hallway a nice feature.

finisklin

mark2003 wrote: »

Have a look at this design,everthing you want except a room for plumbing and hot water system. The house is 2800sq ft. Part of the pantry is under the stairs so as to get a big enough pantry in. As you walk in the the front door, you cannot see the back door. we put the curve of the wall of the pantry big enough to prevent us from seen the back door. We also have the stairs curve from the 5th step down to give the hallway a nice feature.

That's a neat layout and builds on the previous one. Downstairs layout is someting that I am looking at the moment. The first couple of drawing's haven't captured our needs (we have two kids and a play room is on the list) and we have come to a halt to reflect.

This layout works and I like the curved wall so that front and back door are not visible. The hot press downstairs is unusual and I appreciate why - after drying on the line it is close to the back door!

If anyone feels like sharing what work's for them in their downstairs layout please post or share their plan. Hope this is ok? Let me know as I don't wish to break the forum's charter.

Technophobe

finisklin wrote: »

That's a neat layout and builds on the previous one. Downstairs layout is someting that I am looking at the moment. The first couple of drawing's haven't captured our needs (we have two kids and a play room is on the list) and we have come to a halt to reflect.

What age are your kids?
Reason I ask is that we were in same boat with 2 very young kids and so went with a playroom directly across the hall from the kitchen hall entrance...that way the young uns can wander back and forth form playroom to kitchen when we are in there..
We planned and built it big enough so that it can become a second sitting room in time for when the kids are older so that they can use it to play games, dvds etc..(I even wired it for speakers for surround sound in the future..)

Our layout has an ouside covered canopy with double door directly onto our dining room/kitchen are (all the one large area with split level) and then also a door into the Utility and back toilet area...
We find it works well....T
The covered canopy area is brilliant even for just sitting out in, havin a cuppa or beer or more practically for takin off boots etc without getting wet, for putting out recycling stuff and so on...

hope this helps with the ideas!

finisklin

Thanks for that technophobe....

The kids are 3 and 1 respectively. I think our problem is where we put the back door. Maybe more background might help. The plan at the moment is focused on open plan. So you come in the back door into the utility and to the left is a playroom and WC. Then to the right is the kitchen. This opens up into a wide space with a conservatory adjacent to it and the dining area is in a L shape as well.

The dining/kitchen area runs from the front of house to the back and is a big room! We are not sure if the playroom is in the right area (so that we can keep an eye on the kids) and that the kitchen/dining area is too big a space!

I appreciate your insight....do you have a corridor at your back door? I think this may work for us as my visualisation skills are improving!

Technophobe

No problem..

our kids are similar age

Our layout is such that when you step in the back door, you are in the Utility with a door for the toilet straight ahead of you..A door to the left brings you into the open plan kitchen and dining room which is quite large.. another door from the kitchen leads to the hall and directly across the hall is the playroom...that way we can block off all other parts of the house if we require so that kids can wander from playroom back and forth to kitchen area...

All depends on your layout and what you have to work with I suppose but if I am understanding your current layout the kids would have to wander thru the utility to get from playroom to kitchen where you or herself may be...??
Leaves them plenty of opportunity to push and pull switches on the washing machine and dryer...:D

finisklin

Good point about the utility and the access to the washing machine etc.

I definitely missed that one!