What do you think of this layout? Anything you would change/add?

[myhousebuild]

We are looking to build our home and I like this plan, just looking for other insights. Thank you.

@Ylvamoon

If your heart is set on the design, I would do as others have suggested in regards to swapping Office/ TV room. I would also ditch the larder and incomplete storage in the utility room. OR keep larder and split utility to make room for a downstairs WC...

I wouldn't want the kids TV room that close to the master bedroom - when the kids are teenagers, they might be up later than the parents want to be

@Bimblybomeyelash

I’d put the utility where the tv room is, the t room where the tracing room is , maybe with a door from the corridor rather than the living area, and then I’d have the utility room as the reading room /study.

I’d still ideally want a loo somewhere for guests, but agree that is not a massive issue them having to walk along to the family bathroom. But if I was building my own house from scratch I’d put a guest loo in somewhere!

I almost agree with this, but on balance is prefer to keep the TV room on the north facing side and the reading room on the south facing, for light reasons. TV room actually works better darker and will mainly be used in the afternoon/evening I'd assume? Plus I'd like the light when reading, and a view, assuming garden is on that side? But would definitely switch the TV and utility positions.

I also agree with a PP that a bigger opening onto the garden would be nicer.

The toilet thing doesn't personally bother me as it's all on one level - I do get why people like a downstairs loo when their other bathrooms are upstairs, but three toilets on the same level for four people (in the main) seems like overkill to me.

I have updated my plan.

The red line shows how I would take out my bins.
To be honest, it's more of a laundry room. I don't understand why it has to be linked to the kitchen? Am I missing something. 🤣 sorry

@Ylvamoon that is good for thought thank you.

Ylva's suggestion is very sensible - you are then also working at the front of the house so you can see what's going on/if deliveries arrive etc? Alternatively a straight swap of the TV room/utility would make more sense than the current layout.

Moving the current reading room door into the hall would feel sensible.

If you don't need all 4 bedooms (and presumably you could get a really good sofa bed for the TV room, or one of those wall beds for the study if you wanted?), then the idea of losing the wall between bedrooms one and 2, then presumably putting the ensuite on the right hand bottom corner, with a big wardrobe next to it, the family bathroom could then presumably move down a bit to give some more space for what would now be bedrooms 2 and 3?

I think I would also consider the room pitch, and if with a big house like that you could actually move the kid's TV room into the roof space where you could give them more room and they'd be able to have friends over etc? And maybe give some more room downstairs?

Things I would keep in my utility room:

1. Cleaning products that live under the sink
2. Mop, bucket, hoover etc.
3. Tea towels, cloths etc
4. Spares of food (though presumably not required if you have a larder)
5. Possibly a second fridge
6. Large, useful but irregularly used appliances/kitchenware. E.g. a massive stock pot, cake tins, all the stuff for icing cakes, probably the extra bits for stuff like a stand mixer depending how often you use it.

I also use it for the sink for dirty jobs like dealing with gardening stuff or filling a bucket with hot water to wash the car - so ideally I would want to be able to get to it easily from the outside world as well.

So I would definitely not want to have to walk round my house to get to the utility room.

If it's literally just laundry, then that's different.

Classicblunder the beauty with having the office & tv rooms where I suggested is that these rooms can be swapped over when kids are older or play video games until 2am. (Or kids have a TV in their room and adults have an office and a seperate library!!) While a utility room/ WC is pretty fixed in terms of water & waste pipe.

Will you need a spare bedroom for guests at all?

@Gladioli23 I don't want a house with stairs that is one think I know for sure.

I think changing the reading room and bedroom next to it as you said is a good idea 👍 I really want a walk in wardrobe too tbh. And definitely yes to a pull out bed!

I would be keen on have the reading room an office and spare room as if we have guests I don't want the dc to lose their tv room. Because then that means they will want to be in the main area and I would like to be able to sit with guests without expectations on the dc to retreat to their bedrooms etc iyswim

I would definitely put the utility where the TV room now is, and probably have a side door to the outside in there too.

@Gladioli23 thanks for that insight.

Here's how I think I would do it.

1. Cleaning products that live under the sink- these would be under/beside sink in kitchen
2. Mop, bucket, hoover etc.- yes in utility
3. Tea towels, cloths etc- In Kitchen
4. Spares of food (though presumably not required if you have a larder)- in larder yes
5. Possibly a second fridge- I intend on getting a v large double sided fridge freezer
6. Large, useful but irregularly used appliances/kitchenware. E.g. a massive stock pot, cake tins, all the stuff for icing cakes, probably the extra bits for stuff like a stand mixer depending how often you use it.- these would be in kitchen and larder.

For gardening jobs we would work from the garage and we would have an outside hot water tap.

I know it will create an internal corridor but I'd have a door between your living space and bedrooms (not one on plans?) esp with two children under 10 to help with noise (or get really solid bedroom doors). We've only got a bedroom door between some of our living space and our room and noise drifts in if one of us is having a sneaky line in

@SimonedeBeauvoirscat yes I think we would treat the office as a spare room too! My guess is that when we have guests my dh would more than likely be off work and/or could move his laptop to our bedroom temporarily.

I really like it - a good mix of open plan and separate living spaces. Would want an additional shower room. As long as the utility room has a solid door, having a place where “things” can be hidden away as you come into the house is a v practical idea to keep your open plan space clutter free.

If you utility room is purely for laundry I’d make it smaller and half it with a downstairs toilet.

New plan is good, change the storage next to coat cupboard as an w/c
Door to office/reading room/spare room from the hallway rather than the kitchen/lounge

@myhousebuild

I have updated my plan.

The red line shows how I would take out my bins.
To be honest, it's more of a laundry room. I don't understand why it has to be linked to the kitchen? Am I missing something. 🤣 sorry

Prefer this but I would make the walk in wardrobe an ensuite for bed 2 with access from the corridor so that it doubles as a guest toilet most of the time. Although bed 2 is surrounded by bathrooms that's not much of an issue if it is a guest room.

@Hathertonhariden sorry I didn't explain right. Bedroom 2 would be our bedroom with the ensuite and walk in wardrobe.

The guest room would also be the office which on the plan is called the reading room.

Is there a door on the kitchen? I can't see one but I would definitely want one, otherwise all the cooking smells go through the rest of the house.

You could also convert beds 3 & 4 into your dream master suite in the quietest part of the house. Then beds 1 & 2 plus the reading room become the remaining bedrooms. TV room as the utility and utility becomes the office. I quite like the big expanse of wall facing you as you come in the front door as you could have a big piece of artwork/huge mirror on it.

Do you have lots of space around the house? I’d be tempted to make it bigger, not necessarily more rooms but a bit more spacious. The bedrooms feel unnecessarily cramped and you’re kinda crowbarring bathrooms in.

@Huntswomanonthemove it will have an Mechanical heat and ventilation system which would have a constant extraction over the kitchen area

@SimonedeBeauvoirscat we have an acre but not endless amounts of money unfortunately. Then plan is over 2000 sqft which I think is ample.

I quite like it! I think the sw aspect of the kitchen is nice too.

The only thing I would change is the reading /spare room

I'd make that bigger and have a en-suite And also accessible from hallway for guests

Change the utility / tv room round, move larder to the end and access utility via larder, and tv room via hallway. Toilet accessed from hallway too. Door between living and sleeping areas - gives some soundproofing to bedrooms as well as privacy from visitors. Maybe a Jack and Jill bathroom between the two front bedrooms for the kids.