Design Feedback - for new property in inner west (syd)

I purchased this run down lot awhile back and I have always wanted to renovate it and do-it-up like all the other properties around the Drummoyne area, but I never had a chance. It's an IP now but I intend to live in it after its completed.

I finally got my act together recent and got my architect to do the plans.

The block is kinda small (227 sqm) so we intend to build a two storey to give us sufficient space.

The current configuration is 4 bed, 3 baths, 1 study but no parking. With 190sqm of internal space.

The original brief was

1) Capture the natural light that is coming from the backyard (North/East)
2) Open kitchen and dining
3) Plenty of storage
4) Good modern and contemporary designs​

The cost of the build is estimated to be around $550k.

The finished product will need to be in the range of $2.0m to $2.2m property.

Just want to gather some feedback and see what people think of the design.

Questions for people who have gone thru this knock & rebuild process
1) Do you like the design? The layout and exterior facade?
2) Anything that you'd like to change/include?
3) Do you think the build cost is realistic?​

3D Render
Ground Floor


First Floor

 

The walkway space across the bottom side of the drawing,where the laundry exits to, is that per council requirements or for the laundry door? Seems like more potential inside area rather than just for a path to/from laundry

It's a massive living /kitchen area. I'd look at changing the island kitchen to L shaped to break up the room a bit. or even putting the powder /ldy under and out where the stairs are.

 

Can you add car parking?

 

May need to reconfigure ground floor. You have enough space to fit in double living room and bit breathing space for dinning room.

Other thing to consider, you may need to consider streetscape. Council would want to have similar sort of facade, roof pitched, matching or in line with your neighbouring properties.

 

A few little points from my point of view:

4 beds - but only 1 living area (need 2)
Swap ensuite/main bathroom configuration (main should have the bath)
Mirror the laundry - you don't want the washing machine against the bedroom wall (needs hand basin)
Window (for light) in pantry (possibly butlers pantry, so need wet area)
Parking space (does council have any requirement for off-street parking space?)
Possibly reverse the stairs to create more useable space upstairs for additional living area (move Bed 1 door etc)

 

Can I be brutally honest? That is a lot of wasted space that I don't understand.

My suggestions:
- the master WIR or whatever that is, is a huge waste of space. You would be better deleting it to create and upstairs living area and putting a proper WIR out over the ground floor
- the 6m x 5m kitchen dining should have the dining room table between it and the stairs otherwise it is just one big empty expensive space. You could then reduce the size of the living area to make decent decked outdoor living area. So where the current dining room table it make that the outdoor deck
- move the pantry wall to line up with the internal laundry wall and reduce the depth of it as it's now longer.

 

+1 Agree with this for sure. That area is a waste of space. I like @bob shovel idea too of creating a separation of sorts by using an L shape island bench in the kitchen. This will also provide more bench space.

 

*in the distance a drafty was heard whimpering*

 

When your pantry is possibly bigger than your main bathroom I see a valuation issue.

For a $2m house I'd want a double vanity in the Ensuite and a bath and separate toilet in the main bathroom.

On the ground floor I would seriously consider building to boundary where the kitchen and lounge is as there is not even windows there so you aren't losing natural light. A drying area from the laundry is still possible then just kick to the wall and shove the living areas and open up the other side.

 

Architect! A drafty would have designed something more practical

 

It's going to be an interesting convo with the archytek ... Hope you haven't paid anything yet, cause they're starting again

... Hang on a minute... Is dboy tomato darlinghurstsboy?? nothing gets passed me

 

WM, this is barely over median (for a new build) in the suburb - none too flash. But yes, I would expect a bit more in many aspects of the design too.

I mentioned that I had an issue with the ensuite & main bathroom.

 

No way, I say. Too big a project for our fave boy from the 'hurst.

 

Ok I've just looked at a lot of listings in Drummoyne and I might have been a bit harsh. Seems big bathrooms aren't the rage in the area and of course land/sites are uber expensive.
Still I think it could be made more functional with some easy changes and you will enjoy it more living there.

 

The design could be a copy/paste from a narrower block nearby, I think @vtt had plans and similar neighbourhood. Archy has just added the extra metre or two width into the kitchen and wardrobe upstairs

 

Hi @bob shovel, thanks for the feedback!

We are doing a complying development so we are not going to go thru the council.

The walkway beside the laundry is so we have direct access to the backyard so we don't to go thru the house.

Yes the living/kitchen area is massive and that's the wow factor we wanted for the place when ppl walk in to the house *starting to think is it an over kill*?

 

We tried, but our architect said it's going to be very hard because in our street, we have a very very narrow width where the turning circle of our drive way will eliminate two public car spots. So it's going to be a very tough fight.

I REALLLY wanted a carport

 

Our initial design had a 2nd living area upto but we removed it as it too small.

We built a library - which is kinda like a 2nd living area for people to sit down and read (no TV!)

We are doing a CDC, so I don't think the façade will be an issue. Because we fall under the Leichardt council so we didn't want to go thru the DA process as building a two storey block will mean a length approval process particularly our neighbours will be probably be unhappy with us building that tall.

 

Swap ensuite/main bathroom configuration (main should have the bath)
Dboy: Thanks will look into this
Mirror the laundry - you don't want the washing machine against the bedroom wall (needs hand basin)
Dboy: Good pt, didn't think about this
Window (for light) in pantry (possibly butlers pantry, so need wet area)
Dboy: Not sure how we can do this because our western wall is very close to our neighbor and there isn't much light coming in. So that's why we put the laundry near that side.
Parking space (does council have any requirement for off-street parking space?)
Dboy: We can't put a parking because the street is super narrow and we can't remove public car space to cater for an off-street parking
Possibly reverse the stairs to create more useable space upstairs for additional living area (move Bed 1 door etc
Dboy: The stair has been a nightmare because we wanted to create the big window wall against the eastern wall along the staircase. If the staircase faces the otherway then we may not have enough room to move funitures up& down the levels.

Thanks!

 

- the master WIR or whatever that is, is a huge waste of space. You would be better deleting it to create and upstairs living area and putting a proper WIR out over the ground floor
Dboy: Yes, that WIR doesn't make sense to us. We wanted a WIR for the master bed as that was my wife's requirement. This 2nd living area keeps popping up so definitely will look into this. Maybe convert the library to a 2nd living? Or is it too small?
- the 6m x 5m kitchen dining should have the dining room table between it and the stairs otherwise it is just one big empty expensive space. You could then reduce the size of the living
area to make decent decked outdoor living area. So where the current dining room table it make that the outdoor deck
Dboy: Damn, that was the initial design given by our architect but we didn't like it....
Maybe he was right....

- move the pantry wall to line up with the internal laundry wall and reduce the depth of it as it's now longer
Dboy: Good point Will do that