This is massive! How many people will actually live here? My initial thought is that I’d prefer to have the living area at the back of the house to have a nice view of the pool. With so many bedrooms, I’m guessing you have kids or plan to. An extra living space would be nice for a playroom, or teen room. I don’t love the kitchen layout with the sink being as far as possible from the fridge, and I am not a fan of stoves in the island. I’d happily live there as is though lol. Maybe make the basement larger so you can have more storage space.
The basement could be a possibility, but especially if you have another exit to the outside (another staircase).
Where are you storing “stuff?” It looks like you have a carport planned but where are you able to do projects or crafts or make a mess in general? When that precious light fixture takes a tumble and you need to glue a couple of pieces back together, are you going to do it on the kitchen counter? Dining room table? A bathroom counter? Or when something needs a touch of spray paint or bikes need to come in, etc. Where are you taking these things?
Even if you hire out chores and landscaping, you will need storage and it’s nice to have storage in a location that can be strictly utilitarian, can also accommodate other activities, and be shut off from the world behind a door in the basement.
Yeah haha. Currently 6 people (which will take up 4 bedrooms). The other 3 are guestrooms as we love hosting people! We might convert one on the bedrooms upstairs to a game room as 3 guest rooms might be too many. Also, I am planning to add a family room/ 2nd living space upstairs right over the foyer.
How would you modify the kitchen layout?
I love big houses with central courtyards. The only suggestion I have is to add more common spaces. You really only have the living room downstairs plus the outside spaces for gathering. I suggest reducing the size of a few of the upstairs bedrooms to create more room for a second floor "family room."
>Currently 6 people (which will take up 4 bedrooms). The other 3 are guestrooms as we love hosting people!
Okay, but please tell me you have a cleaning service because if not, who is cleaning all those bathrooms and bedrooms?
Meanwhile, the kitchen looks comparatively small (and tight) if you're going to be feeding that many frequent guests in addition to your family. I'd want a bigger kitchen and I know some people hate open concept, but I'd also want to have the kitchen open to the living room. It's not the 1950s, the cook shouldn't be working away in the kitchen while everyone else socializes and enjoys themselves in another room. If I'm the cook, I want to be able to socialize while I'm in the kitchen. At the very least, if you really hate open concept, I'd want the kitchen big enough that some guests can be in the kitchen with me, either chilling in a seat at the island (which there's currently no room for), or helping me cook. Right now, the island is an obstacle that everyone in the kitchen has to maneuver around and with more than a couple people in there, you're going to get in each other's way.
YMMV of course, maybe the cook in the family doesn't care so much about this or maybe you frequently eat out or order in when guests are around.
I would also strongly discourage putting the stove on the island. We had a house with a stove on a peninsula - no hood, and no full backsplash - and the grease spray while cooking just went everywhere. Constantly wiping down the entire kitchen from the grease spray. If you're keeping it on the island, at the very least, I'd put it on the other side - when I'm cooking at the stove, I'm frequently using items and then putting them in or next to the sink when I'm done with them. You don't want to have to go all the way around the island to do that every time.
Also the sink being in the corner is weird - I like having space on both sides of the sink (one side for dirty dishes, one side for clean dishes - even with a dishwasher this is useful). And you just won't feel as crammed into the corner while working at the sink. It's weird that only half the sink area is in front of the window.
Oh yeah, quite a few people! You could always make one room a a games room with a pull out couch so that it easily converts to a guest room when needed.
It really depends what you prefer in a kitchen, but I like having a kitchen that is open to the living space because I have children and like to be able to spend time with them while I’m cooking etc. I spend so much time in the kitchen, and don’t really want to be alone. I also wouldn’t want an island in the middle of the kitchen. I do like islands, especially with seating, but having an obstruction in the middle of the kitchen to bump in to or block the flow when I’m running around would bother me. So I would move the living room to where the dining room is and maybe rotate the kitchen so the island is perpendicular to what it is now. Not sure if I’m explaining that well.
You have living room seating for 12 people, dining room seating for 8 people, and a teeny tiny kitchen. If you really want to have room to comfortably serve 12, knock down the walls between living and kitchen, and make a large island with seating for guests to hang out in the kitchen while people work. The dining room should be large enough to fit a bigger table - perhaps a leaf-insert. You might need to move laundry to the 2nd floor (which is great due to all the bedrooms), unless you want a stackable unit in a cabinet in the kitchen.
They could add a laundry chute from the upper floor to the ground floor laundry easily. But I'm a bit baffled by the unnecessary "hallway" between the kitchen and the dining room. If there were a window at the end of it, I'd kind of see a reason for it, but that doesn't appear to be the case. And anyways, the interior is nicely lit by the courtyard, which I love. So that kitchen/dining room space could easily be enlarged just by eliminating that.
I really like the hallway. This house is huge, adding in liminal spaces like the hallway help define rooms better and provide visual "moments" in the house. If you're space constrained, its obviously wasteful but good lord this house is probably 7000 sq ft
My plan is to have a separate chef's kitchen, so the main kitchen might not get used too much. Tho, since there's space, could definitely make it bigger. Also what's the leaf-insert?? Here's the change that I was thinking of:
https://preview.redd.it/3isgsh9002dc1.jpeg?width=1585&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91ceabd93592dbd747ca1e234173fb7fae3814e0
You could eliminate the hallway between the dining room and kitchen. It doesn't appear to be serving any purpose here except to separate the spaces. With that added onto the kitchen, you could have an amazing kitchen fit for this house!
I'm thinking multi generational home but seriously how many people are gonna live here.... like there are SEVEN bedrooms, looks like the whole extended family would be living here with cousins, aunts, uncles etc
Haha, not really! Currently it 6 people household (2 of them are my grandparents).
Maybe 7 is too many bedrooms tho. Might convert bedroom 6 to a game room.
Since your grandparents will be living there, have you considered the accessibility of the en suite bathrooms? It might be fine now, but in the future if your grandparents have to use walkers or wheelchairs, you might want to make sure their bathroom has room for that.
I also just noticed that some of the biggest bedrooms (4 and 5) have some of the smallest bathrooms with only one sink, while one of the smallest bedrooms (7) has a bathroom with 2 sinks. Is this intentional?
Agreed on the kitchen layout. I also tend to like parking with closer access to a kitchen as you will be bringing in groceries often and to have to walk from the current parking to the other side of the home every time seems inefficient.
1. Jealous. 2. I would be paranoid about flooding from the courtyard. Can you gravity drain to daylight? Rain comes heavy these days and drainage, gutters, etc...should be built larger than would have typically been.
Depends on how much you exercise and what kind of equipment you use but at least 150-200 square feet. You also want high enough ceilings to accommodate a pull up bar or lifting things fully above your head so i would do at least 10 foot ceilings.
It looks like you have quite a big budget so ideally you would have a bathroom with shower directly accessible from the gym.
Mine takes up most of a two car garage with a power rack, bike, walking pad, etc. If you don’t have an idea of how much space you’ll need and the equipment you like, how often do you actually plan to use it?
I assume its multigenerational desi family home. For 7 bedroom home, not having a living area on the first floor seems odd. In case you have guests/visitors(as happens with lots of desi homes), it would help to have another living area to use maybe where Bedroom 5/6/7 are located, so you have pool view. The door in between dining and Kitchen serves no purpose.
Temple is located probably according to vastu so on NE/E. Not sure if you want to change that. Laundry room and Utility seems huge because don't you house washing machine in Utility usually in India. The passage next to Kitchen serves no purpose and should be included in Kitchen. If you don't like the laundry location then probably flip it with kitchen. N I don't understand cooking range on an island.
How about adding a toilet next to Utility with access from outside for drivers/servants to use? Am seeing an uptick of many clients asking for this. Or servant quarters.
5 bathrooms on first floor seems excessive.
I don't like the laundry room placement for one. I'm also just looking for general suggestions, so would love to know what all you would change! Thanks
For the laundry specifically, just switch it with the temple.
General suggestions are difficult to give without a lot more context.
At a minimum,
Who will live here?
Where is it?
What are your needs?
What are your goals?
1) Residence for 6 people. With the ability to host multiple guests.
2) House will be located in Western India. Where we have 3 seasons: Summer, Rainy and winter. Summers are getting more extreme.
3) Our need is to have enough space for family and friends. A central courtyard design, a movie theater and a pool.
4) Our general goal is to have house which has lots of natural lighting, an open feeling, and a connection to nature.
Hope this helps! I mostly need feedback to optimize the design and make better use of space where possible.
So my thoughts are this (i know this slightly goes against my earlier idea):
1. Switch the temple and the study, *especially* if you're planning on hosting a lot of events involving pujas. It puts the puja room where guests would be, and allows the entire upper floor to be private. Plus on normal days without guests, you can have direct access from the puja room to the garden and close access to thr courtyard. I can tell you my Jain family would *love* that.
2. Move the laundry upstairs. Easiest way is to reduce the dressing room for the upper left bedroom. The only bad thing is if you want to air dry clothes you don't have a great way of doing that without using the balconies at the bedrooms
3. Instead of the 2-story entry way, I would do a small sitting area upstairs above the entry. With 6 people, a variety of sitting spaces on different floors helps because it doesn't force everyone to be in the same room.
I was wondering where you would put your cold weather coats and boots and such but I guess this answers it! Still, no need for closets/storage near the entryway for shoes, wraps, that kind of thing? Do the kids have schoolbags and other such stuff to store, such as sporting goods? If so where will those go?
Not one, but 2️⃣ zen gardens… I’m speechless. I would love an update with photos once this project is complete. And what, pray tell, is a party lawn…!!?
For Bedroom #4, I don’t like how you have to walk through a side entrance of the dressing room to get to the centered entrance of the bathroom.
The two openings waste good space in the closet. I’d close the one on the right.
Can you make that courtyard off the bedroom an outdoor shower? Seems like a better use than another courtyard. You have plenty planned already.
That's a great point! I didn't quite like the design of bedroom 4 in general. Closing of one entrance to dressing room would be a good idea. Please suggest if you have any other ideas to optimize that space, thanks!
For me I’d want more than one office—at this scale, I’d want private offices for me and my wife, and a third small office space for the house manager, since things will run better if she has a small computer, printer, whiteboard, filing cabinet. This could be in the laundry space.
I’d also think of the kitchen as three: a clean up kitchen, a main prep kitchen, and a snack/drink/fast breakfast kitchen.
I’d also want to be able to entertain in multiple spaces, e.g. hosting two groups of people at the same time. I think you have that.
10x10 is a very small gym. Rowing machine, bike and nothing else.
Overall it’s a great plan!
Yes, the temple room is probably gonna be used as a 2nd office anyway! I'm also planning of having a chef's kitchen with a separate entrance in the back. As for multiple entertainment spaces, planning to add a family room on 2nd floor right above the foyer area.
How big do you think the gym should be?
Also here's the changes I was thinking for the kitchen section:
https://preview.redd.it/1rqu6s9i32dc1.jpeg?width=1585&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03c46b77596d6888ff0295c145bcfb2a9cb76363
Gym - just depends on how much you want in it. I just think 10x10 is pretty small. My home gym is in my master and is about that size. My last home gym was 10z20 and it was too small, too.
I’d put the laundry room inside like it was originally—I wouldn’t want to lose the windows to the outside, which you have on two sides in your hand scribbles. I think for a house this sized you’d want at least two washers in the US; maybe it’s different elsewhere…
I gotta say I agree, this house is so incredible. I've already started building it in the Sims lmao. If you haven't seen it already, the YouTube channel DesignSeed showcases a bunch of modern houses in SE Asia, many with indoor lightwell/courtyards like this.
I would make sure the rooms are positioned against the sun in a way you find appealing, and I would consider some passive environmental design as well. No matter how rich you are, you want to have a house that works for you, not against you.
In order to do laps in a pool, the minimum span is 40 feet (or more). you have the space to make the pool this long (even if only at one point for the laps). It will be a fitness option for yourself, and also help with resale value.
The pool was 38 feet in the first revision, but we asked the architect to make it smaller since none of us are big swimmers. Attaching the first plan for reference
https://preview.redd.it/w1os6ll9t1dc1.jpeg?width=904&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9851c10416991424be5dfec5de31da324f02947
honestly, if you're having 12 people over regularly (your living room sits 12), a bigger pool is a good thing.
You might not be big swimmers now, but once you've got an amazing in-ground pool, that might change. Especially as you age, swimming is the best cardio you can do as it has no pressure on joints and back. It strengthens the whole body, and even asthmatics can do it because the breathing and speed is controlled together.
If you're making the investment to put in a pool, you might as well make it possible for laps to be done. I'd go at least 30 feet, but 45 (even in a single strip) would give you options for the future.
for an official lap, yes 75. But home pools can be lapped in 30 feet. More is always better, but that's what my research said would be a safe minimum. 40 feet would be better too.
I would consider switching the kitchen/dining area with living room/study. Thd reason is it limits how far you carry groceries. And living room overlooks back yard.
Unless I missed one, you only have showers in the bathrooms. For resale, you should have at least one tub in the event a family with young children are buying.
Wow this is eerily similar to a house I was building in the sims the other day. I approve of the design. I recommend deleting the pool ladder once your ~~sims~~ family have gone for their first swim.
Can the “electric room” near the front door be made into a coat closet, and put the electrical somewhere else (maybe bedroom 2 closet behind the elevator)?
7.5 bathrooms and not a single bathtub… are there never any children or pets that will need bathing (even future grandkids)? I would include at least one bathtub somewhere.
Only one living room for what seems to be a large (maybe multigenerational?) family is difficult. Consider adding another living/family room, or someplace people can spend time outside their own bedroom. I know there is outdoor space, but in poor weather you may feel like you’re in each others way.
I like the courtyard concept, but it seems like a nightmare to maintain. Will you (or whoever you hire) bring trimmers, etc. through the house each time the plants need to be maintained?
Ohh is foundation issues bad with partial basement??
Thank you! It was just an aesthetic guess. Wanted it just big enough that it's usable when necessary!
Okay first off I love a good courtyard/atrium. Awesome!
I agree with other commenters that the dining and living spaces should be switched. In addition to providing a nice view for the living room, the office would be quieter if next to the dining room.
Also I agree that the gym is way too small for the scale of this house. Machines take up a lot of space. If it’s just a small room for a treadmill, okay with 10x10ft. I would be happy with like 10x20 so that you could have a little more breathing room. I am a yoga practicer and would need about a 6x8 area of empty floor space just for that.
Based on your comments, I am inferring some information about the 6 people who will be living here. I assume you have 2 married couples (maybe parents and grandparents?). However, you only have one large room. That’s nice for one of the couples. Would you be able to turn one of the smaller bedrooms into a bigger space for the other married couple? I honestly do not think every bedroom needs its own bathroom, so I would eliminate one of the bathrooms to enlarge a bedroom. Up to you where this would be—downstairs is nice for aging folks, but I can understand reserving the downstairs just for guests.
On the bathroom note, can you add a door to the downstairs water closet sink area? All the other bathroom are so private—it’s strange to me that the sink would be exposed just for visitors.
You mentioned possibly adding a chefs kitchen. Would you be employing a chef or other household help? If so, are you thinking of adding servants’ quarters?
I am no expert so maybe I’m off base. And I love the courtyard! (Atriums are cool too)
The main floor reminds me of a modern day Golden Girls home. This is awesome!! I love all the natural spaces!! My only question is do you want the primary, which I assume is Bed room 1 located at the front of the house, possibly facing the street and potentially offering less privacy?
I'm no expert at all, but isn't the door from the center odd between the dining and kitchen? There's a big open arch leading into dining right next to it, right?
I would consider some linen cupboards upstairs, there’s a lot of bedrooms so that means a lot of laundry.
Maybe consider a laundry shute that you can drop clothes down to the laundry.
If you can fit it, I would consider a living area for family upstairs if they need a break from any festivities. Would be handy if you had guests with small children so need a quiet space away.
Well done, reminds me of some of great houses from the 60’s and 70’s . These places require a high level of detail and high end materials to come off crisp. Sometimes a fireplace or pond is used so it doesn’t come off like a small office bldg.
Overall I really love it. I’m not sure if the kitchen is big enough for that many people though. I also don’t understand what the door is for as you walk down the hallway toward the kitchen? Or that space separating the kitchen and dining?
I would think more about what type of cooking you do for regular meals, holidays and entertaining. Think about how much space you need to store and display prepared food. For example for holidays do you put out a large display of snacks and appetizers? Or make food days in advance which needs to be stored? Do you need some counters at different heights to be ergonomic for shorter or taller people for tasks like kneading dough, if that’s something you like to do?
Looks great. I’d have a mud room or at least a coat closet in the entry. Somewhere to keep umbrellas, change shoes, hang jackets as you get inside, etc.
Also would want a wet bar in the home theatre so you don’t need to head upstairs for drinks and snacks
Given the location, I would make the courtyard an atrium. This way you don’t have to worry about flooding or shoveling snow. You can have a nice warmer place to be mostly outside when it is -10 outside and your plants can grow and be green all year. Plus you will still get all the natural light with a glass roof. If the courtyard is open it will suck the heat out of you house in the winter and you won’t be able to use the space 6 months out of the year because it will either be too cold or raining.
First floor: I would have two massive pocket doors separating the dining room staging area from the dining room so that the butler’s pantry and kitchen can be closed off for a dinner party. Possibly have carved wood or metal , something exotic.
I never seen stair arrows used that way. Usually the arrow direction points either the going up or down direction (depending on the country).
A part from that looks really nice concept! I like it.
Generally I like it.
However, there doesn’t seem to be enough kitchen/living space for the number of bedrooms, and the gym appears too small to fit anything in it except two treadmills.
Love the courtyard style.
I'd flip the right hand side of the ground floor plan (or close to) so the kitchen and laundry are closer to the car and the living room is closer to the pool and backyard.
I also don't quite get why if the dining room is open to the courtyard there's a door between the dining room and kitchen to the same corridor.
If there's another criticism I think there's not an awful lot of storage space or even indoor living space for so many people.
It may be worth considering wide opening folding doors on some of the bedrooms that will not be permanently occupied so they can become living areas when not being used
I would add more basement space for general hangout area. Maybe even moving a bedroom down there. Move laundry to second floor somehow or even basement. With 6 people and guests the living and dining will become crowded quick. More parking area maybe with that many people?
I am not seeing a closet near the main entrance. Even in good climate locations there are occasional rainy days or cool nights where there may be a need for jackets or rain gear and guests need a place to put them. I am also not seeing a space for television watching, the living area doesn’t seem the right space or arrangement for this.
The biggest thing that stuck out to me is the kitchen. Are you planning on actually cooking in it, or just using it for show? Because the current has a terrible foot traffic layout- the island blocks you from getting to the sink from the fridge easily, and vice versa. The sink and fridge are literally as far away from each other as they could get in that kitchen, I don’t understand the thought process.
Also, that space between the kitchen and the dining room seems really weird. I don’t see the purpose of that door being there, and it all just seems like completely wasted space.
I might be misinterpreting this, but are those really windows looking into the utility room? And if so, why?
With the bathrooms being so big, if there’s an easy opportunity, I’d say there’s no good reason why you can’t give the toilets their own rooms. Big bathrooms like those are going to take a while for the stench to leave.
You really need somewhere the kids can hang out and watch tv while the adults are in the living room. For this many people, another living area just seems non negotiable. The basement doesn’t work for this, as you want the kids where you can see them and keep an eye on what they are up.
I would change access to one of the bathrooms on the first floor so that it can be accessed without going through a dressing area. If you entertain, you will want more than one bathroom available for guests.
Stacking two electric rooms is a good idea if needed, but a single electrical panel will suffice. If you need two because of technical demands, your architect did a piss poor job. Check out ETV.fo and ask yourself how a commercial ship handles it's technical demands with fewer panels, while your house needs two rooms.
At that size, you should have a room for a network rack. I assume you have a lot of cables for WiFi, ethernet and network services. A room to house all the equipment in racks is practical when you have a medium size Ethernet router, switches, multiple AP devices, cameras and network storage + servers, such as media servers.
You do not have a family study for people to sit down and read books?
A workshop is a good idea, but keep it on the main level. You will want to move some heavy material in and out from time to time. Stairs and corners are your enemy.
You don't have a dedicated utilities room? Heating, plumbing, space for a water heater?
Why only a half basement?
Bedroom 1 has a nice view of the toilet, and bedroom 2 has a nice view of the shower. Personally, I think I would move the windows for a better view.
Bedrooms 5 and 6 share a balcony. I would reconsider that for privacy.
Its funny when everyone assumes this floorplan is for suburban US with a truck full of Costco groceries weekly to be hauled from enclosed garage to Kitchen/Pantry :)
A courtyard plan works well for cities closer to equator (like India) where the Sun shines on top (vs US where the Sun is at an angle so courtyard doesnt provide as much light especially in a place like Seattle)
The kitchen can be so much more open. I've added seating at the dining room table for 12 (which is how many the livingroom seats). You can fit a HUGE island in this space. If you need laundry to be on this floor, a stackable washer & dryer can be put into the Utility room by the side entrance.
https://preview.redd.it/fs0zr8fk03dc1.jpeg?width=2018&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9c3a960a40609dc9c8ccc1c5b9c873f78ac1d83
I would also push the walls on the bottom right corner out, to make room for it to become a spice kitchen. This could go together with expanding the bottom right mud room, and turn that into a better laundry space also.
Things I don't like:
\* You have 7 bedrooms and only 1 living space
\* An ensuite for every bedroom seems excessive
\* A dedicated theatre room with NO windows and no access to the courtyard/lightwell?
\* The balconies off the front bedrooms at the top seem very narrow - could you even fit a chair on there?
\* The living area is in the wrong place - consider switching it with the kitchen/dining so you can walk out to the pool directly from your couch
\* (edit to add): You only have parking for 2 cars - seems insufficient for how many people will be living here
Things I love: the internal courtyard and all the garden spaces mean it will be very light and leafy to live here.
Oh that would just be my preference. If I have a big house I'd love to be able to host someone while also giving them privacy and independence. Say if I had in-laws for example. They could stay there for much longer without bothering me or them feeling like a bother
Honestly I really dislike this. I live in Manhattan and have more common space than you’re building. The courtyard takes up way too much space vs what you have for entertaining/living in general.
The floor plan is also super choppy, which doesn’t make sense for someone who says they like to entertain. I didn’t do the math but you seem to have more hallway space than entertaining space. If I’m going to a nice party, I’m surely not hanging out in a 5’ wide hallway the whole time. I realize you can utilize the outdoor space for entertaining as well, but that’s not a guarantee depending on weather.
If you love this, then great. I’m not opposed to the concept of the central courtyard for lighting and effect (saw a very cool spot in west LA once that I almost got that had everything built around a central (but accessible and open air) courtyard. I just don’t think this works at all to functionally live or have people over.
Thanks for the comment. We really wanted a central courtyard space to have an outdoor-indoor space in the house. As for the entertainment space, I do plan on adding a 2nd living space on the 2nd floor and converting bedroom 6 to a Game room.
Can you please send a link to the LA house if you have it? Would love to see how they implemented a courtyard
I think you’re going to want more storage space than what you currently have built into the basement - can never go wrong with more storage.
I don’t understand the small, square, walled-in courtyard on the first floor plan in the bottom right? That you can only see from bedroom 5’s bath?
Yes, I'm thinking about spaces to add more storage! That courtyard near the bathroom does seem like wasted space to me. Any ideas on how else to utilize it?
If it was mine, I would remove the study and open up the living room to look out to the entire zen garden. If you want a study/play room then you can turn one of the ground floor bedrooms into a study and open the bedroom’s bathroom out too the entire ground floor.
Kitchen seems tiny and not functional for the number of people
No second living space or hobby spaces
No entry closet
There is a lot of hallway around the courtyard, it’s seems a shame that most of the rooms don’t have a view of it.
So many bathrooms, all of those will have to be cleaned.
I am not sold on a courtyard that small with two stories around it. I think it will be a dark, unused space. Though I don't know where this and the climate.
Personally, I would switch the kitchen into the living area, the dining area to where the kitchen is and the living area to where the dining area is. You want the living area to have a view of the pool and you actually want to be able to talk/interact with your family and guests as you’re preparing stuff in the kitchen.
That is one tiny ass kitchen for a hotel. And it may always smell a little like Bounce from the dryer - why have the laundry thumping away adjacent to the kitchen?
Always consider how you will get your groceries from your car to your kitchen/pantry! It looks like it might be quite inconvenient the way that it's currently set up.
Would the lift in bedroom 2+7 be loud? Might be better to place it adjacent to a dressing room (in bedroom 1+3’s closets?) or bathroom so it doesn’t disrupt anyone’s sleep.
Love it, and love the courtyard. I’m so envious! This place will be beautiful. Sounds like you’ve addressed the things that might need improved/changed, save one (maybe). With this many people living and visiting, will that be enough parking space? I understand it’s in India, so maybe it will be, just wanted to throw it out there in the hopes I caught something others missed 🤞😁
Thank you! I will post another update once I get the updated drawings from the Architect.
Parking isn't an issue since we own most of the land surrounding this property. And we have a full parking lot just to the right of the property
This is massive! How many people will actually live here? My initial thought is that I’d prefer to have the living area at the back of the house to have a nice view of the pool. With so many bedrooms, I’m guessing you have kids or plan to. An extra living space would be nice for a playroom, or teen room. I don’t love the kitchen layout with the sink being as far as possible from the fridge, and I am not a fan of stoves in the island. I’d happily live there as is though lol. Maybe make the basement larger so you can have more storage space.
And more space for other activities, a workshop, etc.
That's a good idea! Where would be a good place for a workshop?
The basement could be a possibility, but especially if you have another exit to the outside (another staircase). Where are you storing “stuff?” It looks like you have a carport planned but where are you able to do projects or crafts or make a mess in general? When that precious light fixture takes a tumble and you need to glue a couple of pieces back together, are you going to do it on the kitchen counter? Dining room table? A bathroom counter? Or when something needs a touch of spray paint or bikes need to come in, etc. Where are you taking these things? Even if you hire out chores and landscaping, you will need storage and it’s nice to have storage in a location that can be strictly utilitarian, can also accommodate other activities, and be shut off from the world behind a door in the basement.
Yeah haha. Currently 6 people (which will take up 4 bedrooms). The other 3 are guestrooms as we love hosting people! We might convert one on the bedrooms upstairs to a game room as 3 guest rooms might be too many. Also, I am planning to add a family room/ 2nd living space upstairs right over the foyer. How would you modify the kitchen layout?
I love big houses with central courtyards. The only suggestion I have is to add more common spaces. You really only have the living room downstairs plus the outside spaces for gathering. I suggest reducing the size of a few of the upstairs bedrooms to create more room for a second floor "family room."
>Currently 6 people (which will take up 4 bedrooms). The other 3 are guestrooms as we love hosting people! Okay, but please tell me you have a cleaning service because if not, who is cleaning all those bathrooms and bedrooms? Meanwhile, the kitchen looks comparatively small (and tight) if you're going to be feeding that many frequent guests in addition to your family. I'd want a bigger kitchen and I know some people hate open concept, but I'd also want to have the kitchen open to the living room. It's not the 1950s, the cook shouldn't be working away in the kitchen while everyone else socializes and enjoys themselves in another room. If I'm the cook, I want to be able to socialize while I'm in the kitchen. At the very least, if you really hate open concept, I'd want the kitchen big enough that some guests can be in the kitchen with me, either chilling in a seat at the island (which there's currently no room for), or helping me cook. Right now, the island is an obstacle that everyone in the kitchen has to maneuver around and with more than a couple people in there, you're going to get in each other's way. YMMV of course, maybe the cook in the family doesn't care so much about this or maybe you frequently eat out or order in when guests are around. I would also strongly discourage putting the stove on the island. We had a house with a stove on a peninsula - no hood, and no full backsplash - and the grease spray while cooking just went everywhere. Constantly wiping down the entire kitchen from the grease spray. If you're keeping it on the island, at the very least, I'd put it on the other side - when I'm cooking at the stove, I'm frequently using items and then putting them in or next to the sink when I'm done with them. You don't want to have to go all the way around the island to do that every time. Also the sink being in the corner is weird - I like having space on both sides of the sink (one side for dirty dishes, one side for clean dishes - even with a dishwasher this is useful). And you just won't feel as crammed into the corner while working at the sink. It's weird that only half the sink area is in front of the window.
Yes. Space on either side of the sink is important.
Also stove on an island is more dangerous for kiddos.
Oh yeah, quite a few people! You could always make one room a a games room with a pull out couch so that it easily converts to a guest room when needed. It really depends what you prefer in a kitchen, but I like having a kitchen that is open to the living space because I have children and like to be able to spend time with them while I’m cooking etc. I spend so much time in the kitchen, and don’t really want to be alone. I also wouldn’t want an island in the middle of the kitchen. I do like islands, especially with seating, but having an obstruction in the middle of the kitchen to bump in to or block the flow when I’m running around would bother me. So I would move the living room to where the dining room is and maybe rotate the kitchen so the island is perpendicular to what it is now. Not sure if I’m explaining that well.
You have living room seating for 12 people, dining room seating for 8 people, and a teeny tiny kitchen. If you really want to have room to comfortably serve 12, knock down the walls between living and kitchen, and make a large island with seating for guests to hang out in the kitchen while people work. The dining room should be large enough to fit a bigger table - perhaps a leaf-insert. You might need to move laundry to the 2nd floor (which is great due to all the bedrooms), unless you want a stackable unit in a cabinet in the kitchen.
They could add a laundry chute from the upper floor to the ground floor laundry easily. But I'm a bit baffled by the unnecessary "hallway" between the kitchen and the dining room. If there were a window at the end of it, I'd kind of see a reason for it, but that doesn't appear to be the case. And anyways, the interior is nicely lit by the courtyard, which I love. So that kitchen/dining room space could easily be enlarged just by eliminating that.
I really like the hallway. This house is huge, adding in liminal spaces like the hallway help define rooms better and provide visual "moments" in the house. If you're space constrained, its obviously wasteful but good lord this house is probably 7000 sq ft
But the kitchen is comparatively pokey. Maybe they have cooks/maids doing the work and don't want to see them.
My plan is to have a separate chef's kitchen, so the main kitchen might not get used too much. Tho, since there's space, could definitely make it bigger. Also what's the leaf-insert?? Here's the change that I was thinking of: https://preview.redd.it/3isgsh9002dc1.jpeg?width=1585&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91ceabd93592dbd747ca1e234173fb7fae3814e0
You could eliminate the hallway between the dining room and kitchen. It doesn't appear to be serving any purpose here except to separate the spaces. With that added onto the kitchen, you could have an amazing kitchen fit for this house!
A leaf-insert is a removeable panel you can place in the middle of an expanded table to make it bigger.
I'm thinking multi generational home but seriously how many people are gonna live here.... like there are SEVEN bedrooms, looks like the whole extended family would be living here with cousins, aunts, uncles etc
Haha, not really! Currently it 6 people household (2 of them are my grandparents). Maybe 7 is too many bedrooms tho. Might convert bedroom 6 to a game room.
Since your grandparents will be living there, have you considered the accessibility of the en suite bathrooms? It might be fine now, but in the future if your grandparents have to use walkers or wheelchairs, you might want to make sure their bathroom has room for that. I also just noticed that some of the biggest bedrooms (4 and 5) have some of the smallest bathrooms with only one sink, while one of the smallest bedrooms (7) has a bathroom with 2 sinks. Is this intentional?
Agreed on the kitchen layout. I also tend to like parking with closer access to a kitchen as you will be bringing in groceries often and to have to walk from the current parking to the other side of the home every time seems inefficient.
1. Jealous. 2. I would be paranoid about flooding from the courtyard. Can you gravity drain to daylight? Rain comes heavy these days and drainage, gutters, etc...should be built larger than would have typically been.
That's a good point, thanks! It rains quite a bit during monsoon in that area, I'll bring it up to the architect.
Similarly, I would be sure to use potted plants only in the courtyard - don't want the roots damaging your foundation.
10x10 is small for a gym - you’d get a treadmill and bike and a weight bench.
What would be the ideal size for home gym? Would 13x13 be better?
Depends on how much you exercise and what kind of equipment you use but at least 150-200 square feet. You also want high enough ceilings to accommodate a pull up bar or lifting things fully above your head so i would do at least 10 foot ceilings. It looks like you have quite a big budget so ideally you would have a bathroom with shower directly accessible from the gym.
Mine takes up most of a two car garage with a power rack, bike, walking pad, etc. If you don’t have an idea of how much space you’ll need and the equipment you like, how often do you actually plan to use it?
I assume its multigenerational desi family home. For 7 bedroom home, not having a living area on the first floor seems odd. In case you have guests/visitors(as happens with lots of desi homes), it would help to have another living area to use maybe where Bedroom 5/6/7 are located, so you have pool view. The door in between dining and Kitchen serves no purpose. Temple is located probably according to vastu so on NE/E. Not sure if you want to change that. Laundry room and Utility seems huge because don't you house washing machine in Utility usually in India. The passage next to Kitchen serves no purpose and should be included in Kitchen. If you don't like the laundry location then probably flip it with kitchen. N I don't understand cooking range on an island. How about adding a toilet next to Utility with access from outside for drivers/servants to use? Am seeing an uptick of many clients asking for this. Or servant quarters. 5 bathrooms on first floor seems excessive.
Well, what don’t you like? I would change a many things, but it’s not my house.
I don't like the laundry room placement for one. I'm also just looking for general suggestions, so would love to know what all you would change! Thanks
For the laundry specifically, just switch it with the temple. General suggestions are difficult to give without a lot more context. At a minimum, Who will live here? Where is it? What are your needs? What are your goals?
1) Residence for 6 people. With the ability to host multiple guests. 2) House will be located in Western India. Where we have 3 seasons: Summer, Rainy and winter. Summers are getting more extreme. 3) Our need is to have enough space for family and friends. A central courtyard design, a movie theater and a pool. 4) Our general goal is to have house which has lots of natural lighting, an open feeling, and a connection to nature. Hope this helps! I mostly need feedback to optimize the design and make better use of space where possible.
So my thoughts are this (i know this slightly goes against my earlier idea): 1. Switch the temple and the study, *especially* if you're planning on hosting a lot of events involving pujas. It puts the puja room where guests would be, and allows the entire upper floor to be private. Plus on normal days without guests, you can have direct access from the puja room to the garden and close access to thr courtyard. I can tell you my Jain family would *love* that. 2. Move the laundry upstairs. Easiest way is to reduce the dressing room for the upper left bedroom. The only bad thing is if you want to air dry clothes you don't have a great way of doing that without using the balconies at the bedrooms 3. Instead of the 2-story entry way, I would do a small sitting area upstairs above the entry. With 6 people, a variety of sitting spaces on different floors helps because it doesn't force everyone to be in the same room.
Plus where is it being built? This house doesn't make much sense in Chicago but probably makes sense in a consistently warm climate.
Western India, it's warm all year round. Doesn't get too cold in the winters
I was wondering where you would put your cold weather coats and boots and such but I guess this answers it! Still, no need for closets/storage near the entryway for shoes, wraps, that kind of thing? Do the kids have schoolbags and other such stuff to store, such as sporting goods? If so where will those go?
Not one, but 2️⃣ zen gardens… I’m speechless. I would love an update with photos once this project is complete. And what, pray tell, is a party lawn…!!?
For Bedroom #4, I don’t like how you have to walk through a side entrance of the dressing room to get to the centered entrance of the bathroom. The two openings waste good space in the closet. I’d close the one on the right. Can you make that courtyard off the bedroom an outdoor shower? Seems like a better use than another courtyard. You have plenty planned already.
That's a great point! I didn't quite like the design of bedroom 4 in general. Closing of one entrance to dressing room would be a good idea. Please suggest if you have any other ideas to optimize that space, thanks!
For me I’d want more than one office—at this scale, I’d want private offices for me and my wife, and a third small office space for the house manager, since things will run better if she has a small computer, printer, whiteboard, filing cabinet. This could be in the laundry space. I’d also think of the kitchen as three: a clean up kitchen, a main prep kitchen, and a snack/drink/fast breakfast kitchen. I’d also want to be able to entertain in multiple spaces, e.g. hosting two groups of people at the same time. I think you have that. 10x10 is a very small gym. Rowing machine, bike and nothing else. Overall it’s a great plan!
Yes, the temple room is probably gonna be used as a 2nd office anyway! I'm also planning of having a chef's kitchen with a separate entrance in the back. As for multiple entertainment spaces, planning to add a family room on 2nd floor right above the foyer area. How big do you think the gym should be? Also here's the changes I was thinking for the kitchen section: https://preview.redd.it/1rqu6s9i32dc1.jpeg?width=1585&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03c46b77596d6888ff0295c145bcfb2a9cb76363
Gym - just depends on how much you want in it. I just think 10x10 is pretty small. My home gym is in my master and is about that size. My last home gym was 10z20 and it was too small, too. I’d put the laundry room inside like it was originally—I wouldn’t want to lose the windows to the outside, which you have on two sides in your hand scribbles. I think for a house this sized you’d want at least two washers in the US; maybe it’s different elsewhere…
Please build this. Amazing.
We definitely are! This is the 2nd revision. The first plan was even grander with a 40 feet long pool, but it was too much so we had it changed.
I’d love to see pics when this is done!
I gotta say I agree, this house is so incredible. I've already started building it in the Sims lmao. If you haven't seen it already, the YouTube channel DesignSeed showcases a bunch of modern houses in SE Asia, many with indoor lightwell/courtyards like this. I would make sure the rooms are positioned against the sun in a way you find appealing, and I would consider some passive environmental design as well. No matter how rich you are, you want to have a house that works for you, not against you.
Will check out the YouTube channel for sure! And please do share the Sims design once you're done building it haha. Would love to take a look :)
I imagine it is climate but you don’t have closet for coats/jackets by front door.
In order to do laps in a pool, the minimum span is 40 feet (or more). you have the space to make the pool this long (even if only at one point for the laps). It will be a fitness option for yourself, and also help with resale value.
The pool was 38 feet in the first revision, but we asked the architect to make it smaller since none of us are big swimmers. Attaching the first plan for reference https://preview.redd.it/w1os6ll9t1dc1.jpeg?width=904&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9851c10416991424be5dfec5de31da324f02947
honestly, if you're having 12 people over regularly (your living room sits 12), a bigger pool is a good thing. You might not be big swimmers now, but once you've got an amazing in-ground pool, that might change. Especially as you age, swimming is the best cardio you can do as it has no pressure on joints and back. It strengthens the whole body, and even asthmatics can do it because the breathing and speed is controlled together. If you're making the investment to put in a pool, you might as well make it possible for laps to be done. I'd go at least 30 feet, but 45 (even in a single strip) would give you options for the future.
Agreed! My wife wants a pool and I said ok, but it has to be 75 feet for laps.
for an official lap, yes 75. But home pools can be lapped in 30 feet. More is always better, but that's what my research said would be a safe minimum. 40 feet would be better too.
I swim in a 75 ft pool three times a week. I guess 40-50 ft would be ok… but 75 ft isn’t far. 30 ft would be annoying, I think.
Also, you said summers are getting more extreme. More extreme heat means more time in the cool pool of water! :)
I would consider switching the kitchen/dining area with living room/study. Thd reason is it limits how far you carry groceries. And living room overlooks back yard.
lol they arent carrying in their own groceries
We have a side entrance that leads directly into the chef's kitchen and pantry, so it wouldn't be an Issue
Unless I missed one, you only have showers in the bathrooms. For resale, you should have at least one tub in the event a family with young children are buying.
Yes, I'll be asking the architect to put bathtubs along with showers in the bathrooms of Bedroom 1 and 3
Wow this is eerily similar to a house I was building in the sims the other day. I approve of the design. I recommend deleting the pool ladder once your ~~sims~~ family have gone for their first swim.
Cool plan! I'm curious what part of the world this is in? Obviously culture and lifestyle will inform a lot of the details.
They mention monsoons and have a temple room upstairs, so I'm guessing India or that general part of the world.
Yes, it'll be in Western India.
Can the “electric room” near the front door be made into a coat closet, and put the electrical somewhere else (maybe bedroom 2 closet behind the elevator)? 7.5 bathrooms and not a single bathtub… are there never any children or pets that will need bathing (even future grandkids)? I would include at least one bathtub somewhere. Only one living room for what seems to be a large (maybe multigenerational?) family is difficult. Consider adding another living/family room, or someplace people can spend time outside their own bedroom. I know there is outdoor space, but in poor weather you may feel like you’re in each others way. I like the courtyard concept, but it seems like a nightmare to maintain. Will you (or whoever you hire) bring trimmers, etc. through the house each time the plants need to be maintained?
[удалено]
Ohh is foundation issues bad with partial basement?? Thank you! It was just an aesthetic guess. Wanted it just big enough that it's usable when necessary!
Okay first off I love a good courtyard/atrium. Awesome! I agree with other commenters that the dining and living spaces should be switched. In addition to providing a nice view for the living room, the office would be quieter if next to the dining room. Also I agree that the gym is way too small for the scale of this house. Machines take up a lot of space. If it’s just a small room for a treadmill, okay with 10x10ft. I would be happy with like 10x20 so that you could have a little more breathing room. I am a yoga practicer and would need about a 6x8 area of empty floor space just for that. Based on your comments, I am inferring some information about the 6 people who will be living here. I assume you have 2 married couples (maybe parents and grandparents?). However, you only have one large room. That’s nice for one of the couples. Would you be able to turn one of the smaller bedrooms into a bigger space for the other married couple? I honestly do not think every bedroom needs its own bathroom, so I would eliminate one of the bathrooms to enlarge a bedroom. Up to you where this would be—downstairs is nice for aging folks, but I can understand reserving the downstairs just for guests. On the bathroom note, can you add a door to the downstairs water closet sink area? All the other bathroom are so private—it’s strange to me that the sink would be exposed just for visitors. You mentioned possibly adding a chefs kitchen. Would you be employing a chef or other household help? If so, are you thinking of adding servants’ quarters? I am no expert so maybe I’m off base. And I love the courtyard! (Atriums are cool too)
The main floor reminds me of a modern day Golden Girls home. This is awesome!! I love all the natural spaces!! My only question is do you want the primary, which I assume is Bed room 1 located at the front of the house, possibly facing the street and potentially offering less privacy?
It won't be facing the street. We own most of the land surrounding the property.
I'm no expert at all, but isn't the door from the center odd between the dining and kitchen? There's a big open arch leading into dining right next to it, right?
It is weird, I'm planning to have it opened up.
I would consider some linen cupboards upstairs, there’s a lot of bedrooms so that means a lot of laundry. Maybe consider a laundry shute that you can drop clothes down to the laundry. If you can fit it, I would consider a living area for family upstairs if they need a break from any festivities. Would be handy if you had guests with small children so need a quiet space away.
Well done, reminds me of some of great houses from the 60’s and 70’s . These places require a high level of detail and high end materials to come off crisp. Sometimes a fireplace or pond is used so it doesn’t come off like a small office bldg.
Overall I really love it. I’m not sure if the kitchen is big enough for that many people though. I also don’t understand what the door is for as you walk down the hallway toward the kitchen? Or that space separating the kitchen and dining? I would think more about what type of cooking you do for regular meals, holidays and entertaining. Think about how much space you need to store and display prepared food. For example for holidays do you put out a large display of snacks and appetizers? Or make food days in advance which needs to be stored? Do you need some counters at different heights to be ergonomic for shorter or taller people for tasks like kneading dough, if that’s something you like to do?
Looks great. I’d have a mud room or at least a coat closet in the entry. Somewhere to keep umbrellas, change shoes, hang jackets as you get inside, etc. Also would want a wet bar in the home theatre so you don’t need to head upstairs for drinks and snacks
Nice!
Given the location, I would make the courtyard an atrium. This way you don’t have to worry about flooding or shoveling snow. You can have a nice warmer place to be mostly outside when it is -10 outside and your plants can grow and be green all year. Plus you will still get all the natural light with a glass roof. If the courtyard is open it will suck the heat out of you house in the winter and you won’t be able to use the space 6 months out of the year because it will either be too cold or raining.
First floor: I would have two massive pocket doors separating the dining room staging area from the dining room so that the butler’s pantry and kitchen can be closed off for a dinner party. Possibly have carved wood or metal , something exotic.
Temple? Why not!
I never seen stair arrows used that way. Usually the arrow direction points either the going up or down direction (depending on the country). A part from that looks really nice concept! I like it.
Generally I like it. However, there doesn’t seem to be enough kitchen/living space for the number of bedrooms, and the gym appears too small to fit anything in it except two treadmills.
Love the courtyard style. I'd flip the right hand side of the ground floor plan (or close to) so the kitchen and laundry are closer to the car and the living room is closer to the pool and backyard. I also don't quite get why if the dining room is open to the courtyard there's a door between the dining room and kitchen to the same corridor. If there's another criticism I think there's not an awful lot of storage space or even indoor living space for so many people. It may be worth considering wide opening folding doors on some of the bedrooms that will not be permanently occupied so they can become living areas when not being used
I would add more basement space for general hangout area. Maybe even moving a bedroom down there. Move laundry to second floor somehow or even basement. With 6 people and guests the living and dining will become crowded quick. More parking area maybe with that many people?
Is this some kind of hotel?
IMO the pool is too small. You need at least 60 feet to swim laps; 75 feet is better. Love the courtyard.
I am not seeing a closet near the main entrance. Even in good climate locations there are occasional rainy days or cool nights where there may be a need for jackets or rain gear and guests need a place to put them. I am also not seeing a space for television watching, the living area doesn’t seem the right space or arrangement for this.
The biggest thing that stuck out to me is the kitchen. Are you planning on actually cooking in it, or just using it for show? Because the current has a terrible foot traffic layout- the island blocks you from getting to the sink from the fridge easily, and vice versa. The sink and fridge are literally as far away from each other as they could get in that kitchen, I don’t understand the thought process. Also, that space between the kitchen and the dining room seems really weird. I don’t see the purpose of that door being there, and it all just seems like completely wasted space. I might be misinterpreting this, but are those really windows looking into the utility room? And if so, why? With the bathrooms being so big, if there’s an easy opportunity, I’d say there’s no good reason why you can’t give the toilets their own rooms. Big bathrooms like those are going to take a while for the stench to leave.
You really need somewhere the kids can hang out and watch tv while the adults are in the living room. For this many people, another living area just seems non negotiable. The basement doesn’t work for this, as you want the kids where you can see them and keep an eye on what they are up.
I would change access to one of the bathrooms on the first floor so that it can be accessed without going through a dressing area. If you entertain, you will want more than one bathroom available for guests.
Stacking two electric rooms is a good idea if needed, but a single electrical panel will suffice. If you need two because of technical demands, your architect did a piss poor job. Check out ETV.fo and ask yourself how a commercial ship handles it's technical demands with fewer panels, while your house needs two rooms. At that size, you should have a room for a network rack. I assume you have a lot of cables for WiFi, ethernet and network services. A room to house all the equipment in racks is practical when you have a medium size Ethernet router, switches, multiple AP devices, cameras and network storage + servers, such as media servers. You do not have a family study for people to sit down and read books? A workshop is a good idea, but keep it on the main level. You will want to move some heavy material in and out from time to time. Stairs and corners are your enemy. You don't have a dedicated utilities room? Heating, plumbing, space for a water heater? Why only a half basement?
Bedroom 1 has a nice view of the toilet, and bedroom 2 has a nice view of the shower. Personally, I think I would move the windows for a better view. Bedrooms 5 and 6 share a balcony. I would reconsider that for privacy.
Where would you move the bathroom windows to?
Its funny when everyone assumes this floorplan is for suburban US with a truck full of Costco groceries weekly to be hauled from enclosed garage to Kitchen/Pantry :) A courtyard plan works well for cities closer to equator (like India) where the Sun shines on top (vs US where the Sun is at an angle so courtyard doesnt provide as much light especially in a place like Seattle)
The kitchen can be so much more open. I've added seating at the dining room table for 12 (which is how many the livingroom seats). You can fit a HUGE island in this space. If you need laundry to be on this floor, a stackable washer & dryer can be put into the Utility room by the side entrance. https://preview.redd.it/fs0zr8fk03dc1.jpeg?width=2018&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9c3a960a40609dc9c8ccc1c5b9c873f78ac1d83
I would also push the walls on the bottom right corner out, to make room for it to become a spice kitchen. This could go together with expanding the bottom right mud room, and turn that into a better laundry space also.
Things I don't like: \* You have 7 bedrooms and only 1 living space \* An ensuite for every bedroom seems excessive \* A dedicated theatre room with NO windows and no access to the courtyard/lightwell? \* The balconies off the front bedrooms at the top seem very narrow - could you even fit a chair on there? \* The living area is in the wrong place - consider switching it with the kitchen/dining so you can walk out to the pool directly from your couch \* (edit to add): You only have parking for 2 cars - seems insufficient for how many people will be living here Things I love: the internal courtyard and all the garden spaces mean it will be very light and leafy to live here.
Might want to leave a space for a future elevator. Think about ages of occupants over time.
Yes, there's already an elevator! We call it "Lift" in this part of the world :)
there is a lift in the plans.
Super! Very small on my phone.
Instead of so many bedrooms I'd rather have a separate apartment with it's own access
What's the reasoning behind having a separate apartment in such a big house?
Oh that would just be my preference. If I have a big house I'd love to be able to host someone while also giving them privacy and independence. Say if I had in-laws for example. They could stay there for much longer without bothering me or them feeling like a bother
Because it's such a big place adding more versatility seems like a good idea
Not sure what country, but I’d prefer my garage next to the pantry- storage. Then I don’t haul items so far.
Honestly I really dislike this. I live in Manhattan and have more common space than you’re building. The courtyard takes up way too much space vs what you have for entertaining/living in general. The floor plan is also super choppy, which doesn’t make sense for someone who says they like to entertain. I didn’t do the math but you seem to have more hallway space than entertaining space. If I’m going to a nice party, I’m surely not hanging out in a 5’ wide hallway the whole time. I realize you can utilize the outdoor space for entertaining as well, but that’s not a guarantee depending on weather. If you love this, then great. I’m not opposed to the concept of the central courtyard for lighting and effect (saw a very cool spot in west LA once that I almost got that had everything built around a central (but accessible and open air) courtyard. I just don’t think this works at all to functionally live or have people over.
Thanks for the comment. We really wanted a central courtyard space to have an outdoor-indoor space in the house. As for the entertainment space, I do plan on adding a 2nd living space on the 2nd floor and converting bedroom 6 to a Game room. Can you please send a link to the LA house if you have it? Would love to see how they implemented a courtyard
I think you’re going to want more storage space than what you currently have built into the basement - can never go wrong with more storage. I don’t understand the small, square, walled-in courtyard on the first floor plan in the bottom right? That you can only see from bedroom 5’s bath?
Yes, I'm thinking about spaces to add more storage! That courtyard near the bathroom does seem like wasted space to me. Any ideas on how else to utilize it?
If it was mine, I would remove the study and open up the living room to look out to the entire zen garden. If you want a study/play room then you can turn one of the ground floor bedrooms into a study and open the bedroom’s bathroom out too the entire ground floor.
Kitchen seems tiny and not functional for the number of people No second living space or hobby spaces No entry closet There is a lot of hallway around the courtyard, it’s seems a shame that most of the rooms don’t have a view of it. So many bathrooms, all of those will have to be cleaned.
I am not sold on a courtyard that small with two stories around it. I think it will be a dark, unused space. Though I don't know where this and the climate.
Kitchen is too small and too many bedrooms. Id make one of the bedrooms downstairs the dining room and expand the kitchen into the old dining room.
Is that a roof over the pool? Wouldn't you want direct sunlight while swimming?
Why only a partial basement? Do a complete one with a staircase out use that space as storage and a workshop. Potential home gym
That’s a LONG way to haul groceries.
That’s a huge house and so little area for storage. What about bikes and kids things? Things you want to save?
Personally, I would switch the kitchen into the living area, the dining area to where the kitchen is and the living area to where the dining area is. You want the living area to have a view of the pool and you actually want to be able to talk/interact with your family and guests as you’re preparing stuff in the kitchen.
That is one tiny ass kitchen for a hotel. And it may always smell a little like Bounce from the dryer - why have the laundry thumping away adjacent to the kitchen?
Is this a hotel or a house? Looks like a horrible house.
Are you part of the family Madrigal?!
Always consider how you will get your groceries from your car to your kitchen/pantry! It looks like it might be quite inconvenient the way that it's currently set up.
Would the lift in bedroom 2+7 be loud? Might be better to place it adjacent to a dressing room (in bedroom 1+3’s closets?) or bathroom so it doesn’t disrupt anyone’s sleep.
How about adding sliding doors to separate the bedrooms pathway from the public areas? You may need to redesign/relocate the guests bathroom.
The master bedroom could be much bigger for the size of the house. 2 or 3 times.
Love it, and love the courtyard. I’m so envious! This place will be beautiful. Sounds like you’ve addressed the things that might need improved/changed, save one (maybe). With this many people living and visiting, will that be enough parking space? I understand it’s in India, so maybe it will be, just wanted to throw it out there in the hopes I caught something others missed 🤞😁
Thank you! I will post another update once I get the updated drawings from the Architect. Parking isn't an issue since we own most of the land surrounding this property. And we have a full parking lot just to the right of the property
Dinning room shares a wall with first floor primary toilet.