Hi all, Sorry if this is another 'what do you think of this floorplan' type post... We are a family of 4 (two kids under 5) and need more space. We currently have a home in Sydney that is split down the middle and rented as 2 x two bedroom flats. The plan is to extend this home and convert it to our forever home. The current layout looks like this. We're keeping the front of the home consisting of 4 bedrooms intact, given it is federation style. An architect has provided us with two layouts. Both assume that the back half (which is a 70's add on) will be demolished completely. Option A is to create a large master suite looking over the backyard. The other (call this Option B) will convert one of the existing rooms into a master bedroom and allow for a more open plan living area. Option A Option B Which option do you guys prefer, if you were doing this? The budget (we hope) is around $400-500K to get something like this done, according to the architect. We're still in the early stages so open to all ideas and feedback. Thanks in advance
From a structural point of view option A is going to be easier to build as the extension is all on one lower level. From the looks of it Option B will need to raise the slab of the master WIR and Ensuite to be 5 steps higher so that it's the same level as the master bedroom. A lot for things come down to how a family lifestyle and how it perceives it will change in the future. I know some parents will always want their bedroom close to the front door because they perceive it safer if there was an intruder or their child decided to let themselves out - so for them a master bedroom at the back would send them nuts. Option A also has a lot of bedrooms for a family of 4 - 5 bedrooms plus a study? Perhaps one of the front rooms is earmarked as a lounge or something in the future? I'd probably want to do something different and will refer to the labels on Option A for my descriptions. I'd go with the master in a front room (probably top front bed 1) and then the ensuite and WIR in the room next to it (bed 2). Make the front bottom room a lounge (bed 3) and the study a study. Then I would place 2 kids bedrooms and bathroom in the wing at the lower level - it's approximately 13 x 3m and could handle a 3 x 4m bedroom at each end with a bathroom, powder room and laundry in between. I think I would definitely try and have the toilet outside of the kids bathroom if possible. Keep Bed 4, kitchen, living, meals as is. If you don't need that extra bedroom then bring the living areas and alfresco down inline with the kids wing
Wow thanks for the detailed response. I agree with you that it depends on how we want to live. With young kids (as they are now), I'd want the parents room to be close-ish to the kids room as they will need settling overnight. However with teenage kids I wonder if having a parents retreat as far away as possible is more harmonious for all... Yes, Option A Bed 1 could also be a second lounge area - we definitely don't need six bedrooms. One issue with Option A is that the Master bedroom walks straight out into the kitchen, which I thought might be a bit strange. I like the idea of having a master bedroom using Bed 1. The only downside of this is we would lose the nice ceilings etc of Bed 2, as it would then become a WIR and ensuite.
Of the two options you present I favour Option B, simply because the lounge / dining / kitchen area is seamless and give the effect of what I call a 'great room'. Big tick. A vast area for cooking, living and entertaining all in one, and flowing to the patio. Unfortunately it is eastern patio rather than north but it still works okay for your block I reckon. (Option A is a clustered mess in that zone). But I'm not loving the front part. So what I would do is directly swap the WIR/ensuite over with the study. Bed 3 obviously becomes the new master accessing these areas. Plus you benefit from back to back plumbing on your two main wet rooms then. And the (new) study I would use as a theatre room or simply extra living / second lounge / kids play. Can be all of these with a barn door to access. Finally I would boot your linen cupboard and turn that space into an office nook somehow. I'd put built in robes to those first two northern bedrooms, and at the same time get a new linen cupboard (accessable from hallway) cut into the one that you presently call master, which would be BR3 in my design. My 2 cents.
Pretty mich thought exactly what Westminster thought. I'd choose option 2 but make some changes. - Bed 2 at front of house should be master and the WIR/Ensuite should be where master is listed. - Bed 3 should be guest bedroom or living room. - WIR/Ensuite section should be another bedroom so that you have 2 children's bedrooms near bathroom.
Option A Consider skylights for several rooms and corridors. These give off a lot of light. If this is to be your forever home then it should be on one level, making is easier to move about with a walker, wheelchair or electric scooter. Not many people will need four bedrooms plus a study, so consider having three bedrooms plus a study. The latter can be a bedroom - it's just a name. I use one of my bedrooms as an office. This has unusable space in the master bedroom - the corridor. The width of this room is 3155 mm, enough for an en suite and WIR next to each other, albeit a bit skinny. The bedroom door can be a bit further to the right. All my IPs and PPORs have or had separate bathrooms and toilets. This allows two functions to be used at the same time. Different people, of course. I'm not sure that the pantry needs to be that big, or why it needs to be walk in. Where will the fridge go? To facilitate this the short wall west of the island bench could be removed subject to the roof staying in place. Option B Some option A comments apply to option B. The curved corners coming into the open plan area are bit more to build and have somewhat dead space. However, they will look very nice. I'm not keen on walking through the WIR to get to the en suite. This means that steam can get into the clothes. Consider side by side. The kitchen is too long for me, 7.5 metres including the WIP. I'm tending to removing the line press, making the kitchen about 4 metres including the WIP, and seeing if there's enough room for a dining area east of the kitchen. While this may be a bit small, the open flow of the lovely big room plus the al fresco will give a sense of space. I'm not at all enthused about open fireplaces. Warm air is sucked up the chimney. A pot belly stove in the middle of the room or with the flue exposed radiates heat much better. *** While option B appeals more, further modifications need to be considered.
I think this is a very functional option. Groups the kids bedrooms near the bathroom but not too far away from parents in the young years but also allows separation in the teenage years. If you want the minor bedrooms to be bigger just pull them inline with the lounge boundary wall for more space - they would have a bigger robe or study area in their rooms then. Though you might be using some of that area for off street parking?
Can you chop a bit off somewhere (pantry, laundry?) to add another toilet/powder room? Only toilet option apart from ensuite is in the combined bathroom. Or reconfigure to allow a separate toilet? Ok while kids are little to have toilet/bathroom combo, but once you get to the teen years they tend to take ages locked in the bathroom.
If the kitchen is made about a metre shorter there would be room on the kitchen-verandah region for an dining room. The north wall could open fully to give al fresco dining. The east wall of this room will give shelter on mild days when it's raining.
I think that sideway is just for north light capture, it's not wide enough for a driveway. I'm assuming OFP is at the back or none at all. OP hasn't replied yet but I also wonder if there is a reason the Master wasn't put at the front, like maybe if they live on a main road. Would be good to have clarity on that.
Thanks guys for this feedback. With regards to having the master at the front, perhaps we discounted this option too early. The reason was that we didn't want to lose one of the front rooms, which have the ornate ceilings. However, a good point on steam getting into the clothes (with WIR connecting to ensuite). Have had such a bad mould issue with the recent weather and a steamy ensuite probably wouldn't help in the future. We also aren't on a busy road so having the master at the front works as well. I think we will go back to the drawing board in this case, and ask to see a variation of B which includes: Master at the front, with side by side ensuite and WIR, followed by The two kids bedrooms near the main bath
Agree with others of option B with adjustments. Ideally may flip bedroom 3 / study to front by moving wall but fireplace and ornate ceilings may preclude this. Cavity slider and good exhaust fans should work for ensuite / WIR steam concerns. Also don’t forget to add a door into the master too! Could be handy. Unless of course you’re really keen to keep the kids out
