Residential planning

1. Residential planning Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 (Highlights)

2. Space Planning Two basic kinds of knowledge are needed: • Knowing what things need to be included (partitions, rooms, furnishings and accessories) • How to organize those things to achieve a functional and perceptually good solution.

3. Space Planning • Fixed architectural elements are typically given and cannot be changed, (structural columns) • Interior architectural elements (doors, partitions, etc.) • Furnishings (FF&E) (lighting, equipment, etc.)

4. Concepts of Accommodation Accommodating humans and their needs is a complex task. Seven universal concepts related to the arrangement of people and their environments • Insider / Outsider • Hierarchical Arrangement • Individuals vs. community • Invitation vs. rejection • Openness versus enclosure • Integration vs. segregation • Combination vs. dispersion

5. Individual / Community

6. Invitation / Rejection

7. Openness / Enclosure

8. Integration / Segregation

9. Combination / Dispersion

10. Anatomy of a Space Plan • Producing a good plan is not an easy task • Requires trial and error and may refinements • When asking someone “what do you see” they will state the obvious – kitchen, size. • Designers note more: such as Efficiency, flow, correct placement of rooms, shape of rooms, etc.

11. The Good Room To design a good project, you need to design good individual rooms that are functional, with adequate space to support the furniture and equipment. • Envelope • Contents • Connections • Flow • Scale

12. 5 Principles of Room Design • What size and shape should this room be? • What furnishings and accessories are needed? • How should these be arranged? • How should people enter and move through the room? • How should the room connect to the exterior?

13. Shape & Proportion • Not many shapes and proportions will produce a good room. • Rectangular rooms are the most common. • Avoid overly long and narrow rooms. • If the length of a room exceed its width, the proportion becomes uncomfortably narrow in relation to its length.

14. Windows • Always consider the windows when placing furniture • They provide views, natural lighting, but can also cause glare, too much heat or a bad view • Decide on a case by case basis

15. Circulation • Entry point • Main space • Clearances • Exit points Strive for efficient, fluid and discrete paths that allow multiple furniture configurations

16. Circulation Principles

17. Residential Zones • Social: public area and most used portion of the home. Comprised of the entry, family room, living room, media room, game room, etc. • Private: Areas such as the bedroom, bathrooms, etc. • Work: Kitchen, laundry, HVAC, storage, office, etc. Most of these areas should not be in direct view of guests (except the kitchen).

18. Evaluating the plan • Traffic patterns • How do you move from room to room? • Does traffic flow through the conversation areas? • Does traffic flow through meal preparation area? • Does guest traffic flow through private areas? • Is there a good flow from a service entrance? Note: when evaluating a plan or home, don’t let the beauty of the architecture, furnishings and accessories distract your judgment.

19. Evaluating the plan • Look for poorly located doors, windows and closets. • Are they conveniently located or do they interfere with good furniture arrangements and traffic patterns. • Is there adequate storage space inside and out? • Is the plan effectively oriented on the site? • Climate control • Privacy/views • Garage door openings (to side) • Look for adjacencies of rooms. • Do they function in relation to each other? • Is the space appropriately allocated?

20. Common traffic considerations • Kitchen, garage, mud room • Dining room to kitchen • Kitchen to service entrance • Laundry to bedrooms • Bedrooms to bathrooms

21. Considerations by area: Entry: Provides the first impression. • No direct views into the private zones or work zones from the entry. • Should have a coat closet • Should not open directly into living area • Approximately 35 sq. feet • Ability to view visitors • lighting

22. Considerations by area: Living areas, dining rooms, home offices can be viewable from entry. • Should have a focal point • Good traffic flow – not through conversation area • Access to a guest bath or powder room • Should have ample wall space for furniture placement • Should not have direct view into private zones - should have a corridor that leads to the private zone • Should not have direct view into work zones

23. Considerations by area: • Kitchen • No traffic through the work triangle (sink, cooktop and refrigerator) • Garage access is nearby • Appliance doors and cabinet doors do not collide • Panty is provided • Kitchen should not be viewable from entry • Storage: • Recommended 10% of total sq. footage • Location is convenient • Separate closets for men and women – walk-in ideal

24. Considerations by area: • Dining Rooms should be near the kitchen for ease of clean up • Surface, sideboard for utensils, food etc. • Consider how family eats • Formal sit down • Informal sit down • Buffet style • Meals on the run • Young children

25. Consideration by area Bedrooms (1/3 of our lives is spent in bed!) • 120 sq. feet desired, minimum of 70 sq. feet required by code 90 sq. ft. allows for a single bed, 120 allows for a double bed. 145 square feet • Must have an operable window • Closets can act as sound barriers – minimum closet size is 24” deep by 5’ wide • Locate remotely as possible from social areas for privacy • Sound insulation needed in walls if adjacent to social areas • Adequate wall space to plan furniture layout • Door swings against wall • Split plans are ideal

26. Considerations by area Bathrooms (ideally a 3 bedroom should have 2 full baths) • Located in private zone, close to bedrooms • Use back-to-back plumbing • Compartmentalize in family bathrooms • Consider privacy in regard to windows (not on front of house • Look at door swings – shouldn’t hit anyone standing at a vanity • View into the bathroom ideally should not be a direct view of a toilet • Nearby linen storage needed • Master suites often have separate tub and shower • Minimum size is 5’ x 7’ • FYI: Water closet is another name for a toilet

27. Considerations by area: Laundry room • Venting access (25’max) • Out of view • Acoustic insulation • Drain and tile floor recommended • Utility sink and clothes rod • Ironing station • Folding area • Can serve as a mud room • Freezer storage • Clothes drop in 2-story homes or second floor laundry room

28. Traffic pattern pitfalls • Rooms that act as hallways • Door locations that force circulation through conversation areas • Spaces that are too small to plan • Traffic pattern through work areas that tend to be messy • Hallways less than 3’ (ideally 3’-6”) • Doors should open against a wall.

29. Floor Plans • Open plans – concept developed by Frank Lloyd Wright. • Less expensive to build • Space seems larger • Flexible layouts • Ideal for accessibility • Lacks privacy • sound

30. Floor Plans • Closed Plans • Spaces walled off and have doors • Provides more privacy • Creates chopped up plans • Can control HVAC to areas not used often • Not easily accessible • Less flexible for furniture layouts

31. Types of Housing • Single family detached: represents a house with a yard – requires more maintenance and yard work. Examples: Ranch, 1 ½ story, two-story,, mobile home • Attached dwellings share walls with other residences and usually don’t have a yard. Row houses, town houses, garden homes, patio home, apartments. Usually windows and doors are placed on front and back only. • Multi-family such as high-rise apartments. Lacks privacy, limited on parking and usually no outdoor space

32. House sizes • Small: up to 1,500 sq. feet • Medium: 1,500 – 3,000 sq. feet • Large: Over 3,000 sq. feet

33. “Tiny House”

34. Ways to save money – through design • Smaller sq. footage • Two-story homes • Back-to-back plumbing • Stacked fireplaces • Reduce number of dormer windows • Use simpler foundations (less jogs, simple rectangle) • Use standard sizes and finishes • Plan long-term and easy maintenance • Reduce cubic feet (lower ceilings for heating/cooling)

35. New Construction vs. Remodeling New Construction: (advantages and disadvantages) • Location and orientation can be selected • Customized • New technology and building materials • Don’t have to live in the construction • More expensive • Takes longer • Travel time to oversee construction

36. New Construction vs. Remodeling Remodeling (advantages and disadvantages) • Relocation not required • Work can be completed in stages • Less expensive than new construction • Living in the mess • Subcontractors in your home • Finding surprises

37. Economic Considerations • Economy is an important consideration in planning space. • New construction and remodeling will have limitations (maximum that can be spent) dictated by financial institution or by homeowner • What is affordable? 2 times the annual family income although many people go up to 3 or 4 times the annual income. • Interest rate, length of loan (15 yr vs. 30yr) • $250,000 @ 4% = $78,000 for 15 years • $250,000 @ 4% = $168,000 for 30 years • Location • Building materials used • Labor rates

38. Square footage vs. Material and labor • Quick way to estimate is using the sq. footage method based on the average price in the neighborhood. Not as accurate as using a materials and labor quote. • Material and Labor quote is more accurate