Under 500 sq feet Home Design Contest

[Dimitri]

Ok since its been a while I thought I'd start it, this competition is to design the most functional home for YOU.

List your situation (spouse, kids etc) along with the drawing of the floor plan so we can rate it on how we feel it works for that size of family.

All floor plans must be posted here by September 14th as Saturday the 15th I'll make a new thread with the submissions in order and we will vote for them.  

Voting will be on a scale of 1  to 10 for each plan and the avarage will be used to calculate the final scores.  8-)

The winner gets to be told "good job".  

Dimitri

[StinkerBell]

Do lofts count as square footage?

Can I submit more then one design?

[Dimitri]

Square footage is ALL floor footage, so if you can walk there its counted. Decking around the home doesn't count though.  8-)

And yes you may submit more then one design if you wish.  

Dimitri

[StinkerBell]

Walk or stand up and walk? cause I am thinking about a hunch back design.

[glenn kangiser]

I was just thinking about you a day or two ago, Dimitri.  Thought you may have gotten lost.  This may get interesting - tight rules - how do you beat that? :-?  I think there are some heights of loft spaces that may not be counted as floor space.  Hmmm. :-/

[Dimitri]

No I didn't get lost, just busy working 6 days a week (plenty of overtime  ).  

As for low ceilings only the attic and or crawlspace/basement can be counted as "storage space" which isn't included in the square feet of the home AS LONG as the plan isn't using it for living areas.

Dimitri

[paul s]

kind of short notice,  and i am bogged down with the design of a new home for the wife and kid
humm the kitchen,master bath and closed and utility room must be close to 5oo sq ft

[StinkerBell]

what about bump outs?

[John Raabe]

Interesting development!

Here are some suggestions...

In terms of counting SF I would suggest counting habitable space, generally defined as any area with 5' or more of headroom. Bump-outs should count if they are adding floorspace. "Architectural features" under 24" deep such as a garden window or window seat would not count (and would not have foundation support).

These rules are in general agreement with most building departments and Realtor calculations (though there can be lots of arguments about the specifics).

All measurements are to outside of framing.

I will be interested to see what folks will use for generation of their floorplans.

[Dimitri]

Not too sure what a bump out is, unless you mean something like the fallowing picture, if so then no they do not count as long as they are a seating area etc and not adding "useful floor space. Ok ??

In terms of counting SF I would suggest counting habitable space, generally defined as any area with 5' or more of headroom.

If I bought a home and they counted ceilings that low I'd be alittle ticked myself, since having to bend down over a foot isn't fun! Hense why no part of any of the plans I have have ceilings lower then 7 feet. As it leaves me with about a 10in of clearance.  

Remember folks I do not know much about building and the like, reason I took this on was because its been a little while since it was first talked about to have another contest with alittle bigger sq feet then just 200. So be kind if I do not know what you mean.  

Dimitri

[JRR]

Regarding how certain square footage is counted by munipalities:  How would an area be counted that had mostly windows for walls, roof (perhaps clear glass roof), controlled air, but with earth floors ... be counted?  Think earth-floored solarium or enclosed garden area?  Is that "habitable"?

Not that this has anything to do with the contest ... I've just always wanted to ask.

[glenn kangiser]

If you are a hobbit, it is habitable.  If you are a people, I don't know.

[Dimitri]

For the contest if you build yourself a attached ALL glass incased area ment to be used as a greenhouse (without it being built into the main structor of the house but more like a "add on" so to speak with like cement flooring even). I'll say it does not count in the square feet, as its something some want to attach to the home and others dont.

As for legal advice on it in your area not a clue sorry.

Dimitri

[mark_chenail]

Do porches, open, screened or latticed count in the floor space if they arent all weather and heated spaces like sun rooms?  I have a couple of 500 sq.ft plans that I would like to evaluate and submit for the contest but they all have porch spaces.

[MountainDon]

Sounds to me that porches, as long as unheated, would NOT count towards the 500 sq. ft. ??

[Dimitri]

Sounds to me that porches, as long as unheated, would NOT count towards the 500 sq. ft. ??

Correct, if the porches are not within the insulated outerwalls and are unheated/cooled even if you got screening around them they wont count.  

Myself I never considered a porch part of the sq ft of a home.

Dimitri

[glenn kangiser]

Myself I never considered a porch part of the sq ft of a home.  

Maybe not but it can really improve the quality of life - act as an overflow for parties, be a mud room - utility room or lots of other useful things, taking a lot of the load off of the regular living area.

[Dimitri]

I like wrap around porches myself, EXECPT it needs to be a real wrap around can walk all the way around the home without any obsticals (like garages).

Dimitri

[Ailsa C. Ek]

I'm working on one, but darn am I bad at designing wheelchair-friendly bathrooms!

[Dimitri]

I'm working on one, but darn am I bad at designing wheelchair-friendly bathrooms!

That would be difficult.

Dimitri

[John Raabe]

Just to clarify - any habitable room must have a minimum of 7'-6" head room. The 5' rule is for calculating the floor area of an attic, loft or 1 - 1/2 story design where it wouldn't be fair to count all the space of the floor as the roof dives down towards the plates.

Unconditioned spaces such as porches (screened or open), decks and patios are NOT counted. An unheated sunroom is trickier. Unless it is heated or cooled many places would not count it in the habitable area.

In such really small houses we all want to cheat to get more living room. An interesting option for seasonal use cabins is to have an "inside/out" house where the cooking, sleeping and such is done in screened porches or pop-out camping type rooms that blossom off the tiny core with the bathroom, kitchen equipment and other more mechanical equipment.

[bayview]

480 sq ft . . .
  HVAC over bath, closet.
  Designed for a northern climate . . . notice glass only on one side.

[Dimitri]

My 500sq ft home, it has a full basement you would reach by moving the sofa (the trap door and stairs are hidden that way), and the water heater etc are also hidden down there.

The Attic is big enough to be able to be used for storage with a trap door stair case.

But all the living area is on the main floor.

Not shown is the big wrap around porch, would be 6ft or so wide, execpt the area with the pool and hot tub (future additions) for a area with my BBQ and seating to host some good BBQ get togethers!  

Hope you all like it.  8-)

Dimitri

[ailsaek]

OK, here's mine:



The bathroom has a shower drain in the upper left corner of the floor, with shower fixtures nearby on the wall.  The heated living area measures 480 square feet, but the unheated dogtrot and wraparound porch add a lot of usable space.

[Dimitri]

You people in Southern hot climates that can actually use your open consept living areas most if not all of the year!  [smiley=angry.gif] Just kidding ofcouse!  

Dimitri