4 bed detached house off the plans

detoxkid

We are buying a standard 4 bed house off the plans and they are starting work on it tomorrow! The builder wants to meet with us to discuss any changes we want to make to the layout etc. To be honest I thought we would have to stick with what we were given! Does anyone have any suggestions about changes they have made to a standard layout which worked really well? We are leaving the kitchen /living area/ sitting room all open plan.

4ensic15

The best one I heard of was to take out the en-suite and get an extra bedroom. A friend of mine got 2k off the price, got higher rent than the neighbours and sold the house for more than the going rate after the 10 years was up.

Squall Leonhart

Very hard to make real suggestions without seeing the plans. Can you post a PDF link or image maybe?

Ronaldinho

detoxkid wrote: »

We are buying a standard 4 bed house off the plans and they are starting work on it tomorrow! The builder wants to meet with us to discuss any changes we want to make to the layout etc. To be honest I thought we would have to stick with what we were given! Does anyone have any suggestions about changes they have made to a standard layout which worked really well? We are leaving the kitchen /living area/ sitting room all open plan.

I can only offer very limited advice based on my own experience and a lot depends on the spec you have paid for so to speak but fwiw:

Have a think about lighting, especially in the kitchen/diner where you may want to consider under cabinet LEDs or other task lighting.

If the major appliances are included - are they up to the spec you would prefer. If not maybe they would give you an allowance to allow you to select alternatives yourself.

If you have a hot press / utility - might be worth considering having them do shelving for you.

Radiators if put in awkward places could be a PITA to move. So consider where they might be a nuisance - such as under windows where they can influence your choice of how to dress the windows.

Depending on your budget, the possibilities are endless... If it was me I would concentrate on stuff that would be inordinately messy to do afterwards.

C3PO

4ensic15 wrote: »

The best one I heard of was to take out the en-suite and get an extra bedroom. A friend of mine got 2k off the price, got higher rent than the neighbours and sold the house for more than the going rate after the 10 years was up.

Maybe if you're buying to rent but I certainly wouldn't do that in my own home!

MattressRick

detoxkid wrote: »

We are buying a standard 4 bed house off the plans and they are starting work on it tomorrow! The builder wants to meet with us to discuss any changes we want to make to the layout etc. To be honest I thought we would have to stick with what we were given! Does anyone have any suggestions about changes they have made to a standard layout which worked really well? We are leaving the kitchen /living area/ sitting room all open plan.

Have u lived in a place with open plan kitchen and sitting room? Just from own experience I couldn't do it again. Too much noise from kitchen affecting TV etc and if different visitors or family call it's nice to have more then one area to chill out in.

Victor

detoxkid wrote: »

We are buying a standard 4 bed house off the plans and they are starting work on it tomorrow!

The most important thing they need to know now is if you want any changes to the structure that will affect foundations or changes to drainage.

The builder wants to meet with us to discuss any changes we want to make to the layout etc.

This is how builders make extra money - fancy bathrooms, glorious kitchen, shiny paint, extra lights, add carpets and tiling, timber deck, garden shed and so on. I understand it's a sales technique to insist both (if relevant) buyers are present. This is a hard sell to extract more money form you.

The one thing I suggest you look at is ensure you have enough power and data points.

We are leaving the kitchen /living area/ sitting room all open plan.

Heating this space for the full day during winter may be quite expensive - you won't be able to close the door and turn down the heat in an unused room.

Lumen

Upstairs living room.

detoxkid

Squall Leonhart wrote: »

Very hard to make real suggestions without seeing the plans. Can you post a PDF link or image maybe?

Some images attached

detoxkid

MattressRick wrote: »

Have u lived in a place with open plan kitchen and sitting room? Just from own experience I couldn't do it again. Too much noise from kitchen affecting TV etc and if different visitors or family call it's nice to have more then one area to chill out in.

No...and good point!

detoxkid

Victor wrote: »

The most important thing they need to know now is if you want any changes to the structure that will affect foundations or changes to drainage.

This is how builders make extra money - fancy bathrooms, glorious kitchen, shiny paint, extra lights, add carpets and tiling, timber deck, garden shed and so on. I understand it's a sales technique to insist both (if relevant) buyers are present. This is a hard sell to extract more money form you.

The one thing I suggest you look at is ensure you have enough power and data points.

Heating this space for the full day during winter may be quite expensive - you won't be able to close the door and turn down the heat in an unused room.

All good points and yes I can see how tempting it would be to upspec. My husband is meeting the builder tomorrow - thankfully he is way more practical than I am!

helimachoptor

A friend was in a similar position and got the attic converted at a reasonable cost (though cant be classed as a bedroom)

Tigerandahalf

MattressRick wrote: »

Have u lived in a place with open plan kitchen and sitting room? Just from own experience I couldn't do it again. Too much noise from kitchen affecting TV etc and if different visitors or family call it's nice to have more then one area to chill out in.

This stood out for me as well. When you say open plan will there be dividing french doors to close off the sitting room?

Imagine something burning in an oven, the noise from a fan, steam from pots on the hob, the smell of food.

It is nice to have a completely closed off sitting room. If a guest calls and you want to chat being able to have a separate closed off sitting room allows you to hear and have privacy.

Squall Leonhart

Screenshot only contained a clipped view of the plan.


But I would echo suggestions made here already;

If budget is a concern only change structural items/layout elements (moving position of a door...etc) for now. Upgrades to finishes can always be made later.

Ensure you've a lot of sockets allowed for (I'm living in a house built in 1996.. lot of extension cables!)

I like the idea of pulling a door on a room also, open plan would drive me spare, think noise of extractor fans when cooking, TV needs to be low or off if kids doing homework, heating... Etc.

awec

Go through the locations for plug sockets. Make sure you will have sockets everywhere you'll need them. For example make sure there's a socket behind both bedside lockers in the bedrooms.

You could also consider getting network ports put into all the rooms.

Tigerandahalf

awec wrote: »

Go through the locations for plug sockets. Make sure you will have sockets everywhere you'll need them. For example make sure there's a socket behind both bedside lockers in the bedrooms.

You could also consider getting network ports put into all the rooms.

If the house is going to be wired for Virgin make sure the Virgin port is somewhere sensible.

Are all new houses fitted with usb sockets now?
It makes it handier for charging things though not everyone would be a fan of cables sticking out.

If there is a vanity/storage room beside the WC get plenty of floor to ceiling shelving. Storage is always a big issue.

Another poster mentioned converting the attic. It certainly would give you a lot of storage especially with easy access through a stira stairs.

granturismo

Electrical sockets, you can never have enough and get one in the back garden.

Outside tap in the back garden.

Who is supplying tv and broadband for the estate - how many tv outlets do you need if you watch on a tv instead of a device.

twowheelsonly

4ensic15 wrote: »

The best one I heard of was to take out the en-suite and get an extra bedroom. A friend of mine got 2k off the price, got higher rent than the neighbours and sold the house for more than the going rate after the 10 years was up.

C3PO wrote: »

Maybe if you're buying to rent but I certainly wouldn't do that in my own home!

When I was tiling I always advised people to take out the toilet from the ensuite and just use it as a shower /wet room / dirty laundry room. Once I took out he toilet and showed them how much room it gave them 90% went with it. A shower, a sink ,a mirror and a rad. In most cases ensuites are less than 10 steps away from a bathroom anyway so why crap in your own bedroom ?


Back on topic... I'd ask them to floor the attic ( a pain in the ass job if you end up doing it yourself later) , add an outside tap and depending on the grounds add outdoor electrical outlets and a wired shed if possible. All small things that will make life easier down the line. Design and features are all pretty personal so I wouldn't venture to advise you on those.

Samuel T. Cogley

Cat 6 Cabled

Bedroom 3 strikes me as a shame it's a single. Could the en suite be rotated by 90 degrees to allow a slightly smaller master and bedroom 3 to become a double?

Is there scope to convert the attic? Maybe have a master suite up there?

Just some bits of the top of my head.

Victor

twowheelsonly wrote: »

When I was tiling I always advised people to take out the toilet from the ensuite and just use it as a shower /wet room / dirty laundry room. Once I took out he toilet and showed them how much room it gave them 90% went with it. A shower, a sink ,a mirror and a rad. In most cases ensuites are less than 10 steps away from a bathroom anyway so why crap in your own bedroom ?

All well and good until you are competing for bathroom space with a bunch of teenagers.

Some comments attached.

Gumbo

This is what I’d do :

TV points in every room and all bedrooms. At every tv point have a nether net point wired back to a central location or where your future internet router will be. This will allow all tv to be connected to the router directly for watching Netflix, streaming etc saves you connecting them all to WiFi and worrying about it dropping etc

Put in kitchen island and associated drainage for washing machine, dishwasher and sink.

Pour foundations in the void and build up rising walls to square off the rear of the house to allow for a future extension with the ground works already done.

I’d alter the upstairs bedroom 3 so the entrance is pushed towards the front of the house. Yes the room gets smaller but it provides space for a proper fixed stairs to the attic for future conversion. And with a future conversion in mind I’d ask for the roof to be done so that the open space is already there including the structure/floor and some Velux windows etc

These upgrades won’t be cheap but they’ll save you a fortune in the future.

the_syco

detoxkid wrote: »

Some images attached

How old are your kids? Will you use the bath, or would you prefer a decent sized stand in shower for the main bathroom?

I'm going to concentrate on the attic on the following points, as IMO it's the hardest place to get to internally and externally.

helimachoptor wrote: »

A friend was in a similar position and got the attic converted at a reasonable cost (though cant be classed as a bedroom)

This. Even if you just get the bare boards down, it can drastically increase your storage space, especially for seasonal crap like the fake christmas tree and all the lights, etc. Being able to put all these boxes to one side makes life so much easier, and allows you not to have to keep buying the same tat every year. Also, add a chest, and you can store winter/summer clothes up there.

Location of water tank in the attic. If you want to make use of the attic space, you don't want to block off a large section of the attic because the water tank blocks access to it. If it can be put to one side of the attic so that's it's parallel with the side, as opposed to sticking out at a right angle. In my parents attic, the water tank blocked off at least a quarter of the attic, whilst the water tank at a mates didn't, as they had moved/gotten it moved to the side.

Finally, again with the attic; have sort of natural light source. A double glazed Velux window allows light in, and can be opened to let air in. It can be nice to have if you decide to make use of the attic in other ways further down the line.

mrslancaster

good luck in your new home. Just wondering if the house is terraced with no rear access? Always a pain trying to get anything done in the back garden as everything has to go through the house like patio, shed, garden lights, outdoor electric sockets, taps etc.

Edit: oops, just saw house is detached..😴

dori_dormer

One thing I regret in our build is I didn't cop you needed different plumbing for regular sinks vs floating sinks! ( one comes from wall and other floor) so I'd defiantly do that. Get storage units under the stairs. Utility looks tiny there especially if boiler In there too there'llbe no room for anything else. Get an island in the kitchen as there's very little counter space. Check where the ladder for the attic will come down- ours stupidly goes up into an awkward eves space . Get alarm wired in.

Cyrus

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Cat 6 Cabled

Bedroom 3 strikes me as a shame it's a single. Could the en suite be rotated by 90 degrees to allow a slightly smaller master and bedroom 3 to become a double?

Is there scope to convert the attic? Maybe have a master suite up there?

Just some bits of the top of my head.

To be fair getting 4 double bedrooms in 1200 sq feet is a big ask looks like 2 of them are single

the_syco

External (covered) socket (with it's own switch on the main fuseboard if at all possible), as this can be great for xmas lights and strimming the grass, etc. And a tap a meter away. Would recommend having this socket on the same side of the house that you'd think of putting a shed (so that you could connect the wire from said socket along the wall to the shed).

Samuel T. Cogley

Cyrus wrote: »

To be fair getting 4 double bedrooms in 1200 sq feet is a big ask looks like 2 of them are single

Aye, but I thought they might get three. I think the better suggestion than mine was proper access to the attic. Potentially that could add another double bedroom, with en suite and significant value to the property.

I assume planning would be an issue though?

c montgomery

Get a shed wired with power to accommodate washer/dryer

tradesman

Bring central heating pipes to either one of the rear doors for possible future extension. Also depending on position of fuseboard allow electrical wires for future extension

PhoenixParker

Pocket doors from the sitting room to the kitchen.
Make a list of stuff to plugin for each room then review socket locations with that in mind.
Make the sink in the downstairs wc a big Belfast style sluice sink.

There seems to be a big lack of storage across the house.
Make a list of all the awkward items you need to store and assign them.
Ironing board, sweeping brushes, mops, suitcases, Christmas decor etc.

detoxkid

Op here. Some great suggestions, thanks to everyone for taking the time so far, will read through them properly shortly

robp

Ask for no recessed lights and more importantly ask for bottom of interior plasterboard to be sealed to floor.

awec

Out of curiosity does anyone have a rough guestimate of what you'd expect to pay to get cat6 cabling throughout the house in a 4 bed, 3 story house if the work is being done while the house is being built?

Are we talking hundreds or thousands?

the_syco

awec wrote: »

Are we talking hundreds or thousands?

1000ft of cat6 is $110 (before tax), so I'd say the expensive part would be the labour. Personally, I'd have the router in the attic so I could attach a NAS directly to it, but I'd say parts + labour would be hundreds. Of course, it'd depend on if they needed to subcontract the work out, for someone to pop in to wire the house for them, or if one of the sparks will wire the house up, and leave all the wires sticking out somewhere for the router. They could "know a lad", or they may need someone with certs, with the latter being possibly costly.

Cyrus

Also depends if you want it wired to a central switch etc etc

awec

All I'd be looking is the internal wall wiring done with face plates put on. Everything else I can do myself.

ted1

4ensic15 wrote: »

The best one I heard of was to take out the en-suite and get an extra bedroom. A friend of mine got 2k off the price, got higher rent than the neighbours and sold the house for more than the going rate after the 10 years was up.

I’d rather the ensuite. He’s buying a home not an investment property

Eric Cartman

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=452674&stc=1&d=1528322120

not sure if its to everyones taste but here we go.

1) Give the stairs a turn and put the hot press infront of it, creating more space in bedroom 4
2) move the bathroom out so it gives more space to bedroom 2
3) make the ensuite a wet room so it can be a bit smaller making up for the slight master bedroom space lost.
4) cut the weird corridor / stairwell encroach out of bedroom 3, its just dead space and its now the same size as 4.

I think this makes the hall more open and doesn't really waste any wall space or create any nooks in it, makes it easier to light evenly, still gives ample space for the 4 bedrooms and theres no loss of features but theres no odd shaped rooms or encroaches now.

awec

Eric Cartman wrote: »

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=452674&stc=1&d=1528322120

not sure if its to everyones taste but here we go.

1) Give the stairs a turn and put the hot press infront of it, creating more space in bedroom 4
2) move the bathroom out so it gives more space to bedroom 2
3) make the ensuite a wet room so it can be a bit smaller making up for the slight master bedroom space lost.
4) cut the weird corridor / stairwell encroach out of bedroom 3, its just dead space and its now the same size as 4.

I think this makes the hall more open and doesn't really waste any wall space or create any nooks in it, makes it easier to light evenly, still gives ample space for the 4 bedrooms and theres no loss of features but theres no odd shaped rooms or encroaches now.

The stairs would need to be pretty steep to get high enough in that amount of space. Where the stairs turn you need a flat area.

Eric Cartman

awec wrote: »

The stairs would need to be pretty steep to get high enough in that amount of space. Where the stairs turn you need a flat area.

are you not allowed to use a radial turn here ?
http://www.therutlandworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/Bespoke-Oak-Staircase-Corner.jpg

4ensic15

ted1 wrote: »

I’d rather the ensuite. He’s buying a home not an investment property

He is investing in a property.

no.8

MattressRick wrote:

Have u lived in a place with open plan kitchen and sitting room? Just from own experience I couldn't do it again. Too much noise from kitchen affecting TV etc and if different visitors or family call it's nice to have more then one area to chill out in.

Best place I ever lived was open plan. Excellent when raising young children or simply feeling in touch with the person / people you live with.
Additional light in the house as well.
You can install a folding or sliding doors for partitioning

no.8

Victor wrote:

Heating this space for the full day during winter may be quite expensive - you won't be able to close the door and turn down the heat in an unused room.

Depends on how well insulated the house is. B1 up (or thereabouts) and you should not worry about this as convection from heatimg of the opposite side by the sun will then transfer (e.g. from south to North). In addition you shouldn't leave a room v cold. I used to have an extremely large open plan area with absolutely no heating issues.

MattressRick

no.8 wrote: »

Best place I ever lived was open plan. Excellent when raising young children or simply feeling in touch with the person / people you live with.
Additional light in the house as well.
You can install a folding or sliding doors for partitioning

Each his own.
Having kids you still need downtime for watching a TV show or match while partner minds the kids. And cooking creates a racket too. But again it's a personal choice.

no.8

MattressRick wrote:

Each his own. Having kids you still need downtime for watching a TV show or match while partner minds the kids. And cooking creates a racket too. But again it's a personal choice.

All good points. I guess ideally you could have it all . May vary with age too (e.g. put up block work quick when they are teenagers and then remove it when they move out ).

no.8

Some houses these days have too many toilets imo.
Could be used for a walk in wardrobe/more room for each of 1 of the bedrooms...or Indeed a single massive upstairs bathroom with a sauna or jacuzzi

twowheelsonly

Victor wrote: »

All well and good until you are competing for bathroom space with a bunch of teenagers.

Not really as the biggest fights take place because you need to use the shower / sink / bath at the same time that your lovely daughter (or son !!) decides to undertake an hour long beauty regime.

There's already two other toilets there which should be more than adequate and you'll still be retaining all of your washroom facilities which is what you really need most of the time.