New Cabin plan. Please suggest refinements.

phalynx · January 04, 2009, 11:45:54 PM

I am planning a new little project and I am trying to make use of all the space as best as possible. I want to be about 700 sq ft. This one is 24x32 and is 768 sq ft. Plan being, cabin/home for family of 4. 2 girls can share a bedroom, we get the other. Need washer/dryer area and pantry. Trying to get rid of kitchen table to gain more living area but its not certain.

Everyone, please suggest anything that I can do to refine the floorplan. It seems there is a lot of wasted space here but my brain is fried at the moment.

MountainDon · January 05, 2009, 12:56:32 AM

Here are some of my first thoughts.

Wood Stove: It appears to be too close to the wall and windows

Bathroom: twin sinks seem to be a waste of space in a small cabin/house. If the toilet was beside one sink the bathroom could be narrower. Our old 832 sq ft house had the bathroom situated across the back wall like that.

Q?: What's the space to the left of the fridge? Pantry?

I'm not sure I understand the kitchen table? It looks like an extension of the counter, and yet not quite.

Q?: water heater? Furnace or electric baseboard heat or just the wood stove?

...that's it for now

January 05, 2009, 01:46:39 AM

One more thing. I'm a big fan of having at least one entry door a full 36" wide. It makes moving bulky objects like sofas in/out much easier. Easier on the movers and the furniture, IMO. For the same reason bedroom doors are often 30".

And maybe it's just the way the program printed the door sizes, but 68 inches tall is not standard. Even I would crack my noggin on that.

Is there a reason for 20x50 windows that I don't understand? Seems to me a 40x50 would cost less than two - 20x50.

When I selected my window sizes I knew what I more or less wanted then checked with the window guys to see what was a standard size, saving the cost of a specially ordered window size. Maybe you've already done that and have a lead on 20x50's.

glenn kangiser · January 05, 2009, 01:55:41 AM

That is standard notation for doors and windows - not inches but feet and inches - a 3068 is 3'0"x6'8"

a 2050 window should be 2'0"x5'0" first number being width - second being height so a 6046 should be 6'0" wide x4'6" high

MountainDon · January 05, 2009, 02:09:44 AM

I knew that once

... never mind...

January 05, 2009, 09:31:49 AM

I agree with above comments. The woodstove would be more effective near center of building, say on that short wall across from the dining table. I would prefer the bedroom doors swinging "outward" ... just my preference ... seems to save useful space. I would prefer the cookstove on an outside wall ... easier venting. If local codes allow, I prefer outside doors to swing outward ... usually not a problem if under a stoop or porch roof ... also more difficult for the bugler. Washer and dryer in a small house can be a real pain ... noise, moisture venting and such ... a connected garage or other side building would be my choice for such devices ... again, personal choices.

MountainDon · January 05, 2009, 10:19:28 AM

If the stove was moves as JRR suggested then there might be room for a coat closet near the front door.

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 10:29:10 AM

Quote from: MountainDon on January 05, 2009, 12:56:32 AM
Here are some of my first thoughts.

Wood Stove: It appears to be too close to the wall and windows

This is true. We would put it at the distance required. The other option was in the center on that little wall between the kitchen and bathroom.

Quote from: MountainDon on January 05, 2009, 12:56:32 AMBathroom: twin sinks seem to be a waste of space in a small cabin/house. If the toilet was beside one sink the bathroom could be narrower. Our old 832 sq ft house had the bathroom situated across the back wall like that.

This is also true. The reasoning behind the 2 sinks was,,,,,, 3 girls in the house... Also, if I did what you said, it would make the bathroom more narrow yes, but the gain could only come from the closet? That would be a gain of 6" and, in my thoughts, not a useful addition in depth when clothes must be hung across width wise...

Quote from: MountainDon on January 05, 2009, 12:56:32 AMQ?: What's the space to the left of the fridge? Pantry?

It is a full height cabinet for pantry use. Also a requirement for the wife.

Quote from: MountainDon on January 05, 2009, 12:56:32 AMQ?: I'm not sure I understand the kitchen table? It looks like an extension of the counter, and yet not quite. ?

Basically, its one of those pennisula breakfast bars. I put oversized counter tops on it so it would have a large overhang to put your feet under sitting there.

Quote from: MountainDon on January 05, 2009, 12:56:32 AMQ?: water heater? Furnace or electric baseboard heat or just the wood stove?

Water heater will be propane instant mounted externally like the one we have in our current home.

I am not poo-pooing any of the comments. They are exactly what I need. I am just answering as to why I thought it. I will certainly play with each of the comments to see the effects.

NM_Shooter · January 05, 2009, 10:29:59 AM

I'd delete the entry door for the kitchen. For a small cabin, I'd try to make do with only one door and use the extra space in the kitchen for counter and cabinet space.

January 05, 2009, 10:30:56 AM

Closet for the front bedroom is quite large. I would stagger the closets, so that they were right next to eachother, or put them back to back. If you put them back to back, you could have a linen closet in the hallway, and each closet would still be good sized. Bathroom could then be bigger, or moved over. here is one, squeezed down to 24x28. Isn't necessary, I just like to see how small they can squeeze!

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 10:33:40 AM

Quote from: NM_Shooter on January 05, 2009, 10:29:59 AM
I'd delete the entry door for the kitchen. For a small cabin, I'd try to make do with only one door and use the extra space in the kitchen for counter and cabinet space.

You know, cabin design 22b had the full kitchen.

Wife really liked the smaller kitchen with the door. Go figure. I do like multiple doors though. I hate looking out the back window at something I want and then running around the front and then to the back only to find out it's gone...

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 10:38:50 AM

Quote from: Jens on January 05, 2009, 10:30:56 AM
Closet for the front bedroom is quite large. I would stagger the closets, so that they were right next to eachother, or put them back to back. If you put them back to back, you could have a linen closet in the hallway, and each closet would still be good sized. Bathroom could then be bigger, or moved over. here is one, squeezed down to 24x28. Isn't necessary, I just like to see how small they can squeeze!

Jens,, that's not bad. We have the large front closet because it needs to hold a rather large safe (gun safe) + all the clothes for wife and I. I really like the kitchen design you came up with. It's very simple and fits. I had designed the closets staggered in one version but I ended up with space that I thought was wasted. The "new hall" that gets created. Your plan has that new hall that doesn't serve a purpose other than to hold doors. That's 20 sq ft that could be used elsewhere........ If we know where to put it.. Believe me, I worked for quite a while and sacraficed the 12-16 sq ft of hall that I have now... I hate hallways in small houses. But sometimes they are truly neccessary.

JRR · January 05, 2009, 12:36:49 PM

Quote from: phalynx on January 05, 2009, 10:29:10 AM.... The other option was in the center on that little wall between the kitchen and bathroom....

You described it better. That's the location I would chose for the wood stove.

CREATIVE1 · January 05, 2009, 04:22:11 PM

Going back to the original plan, I would maybe suggest a stacked washer/dryer and a linen closet next to the bathroom in the space you've freed up.

Also, it's might be nice if one of the bedrooms (preferably yours) had direct private access to the bathroom via a sliding door. Could be done with some finagling.

January 05, 2009, 04:26:50 PM

The units we have are stackable, but we hate them stacked. Yes they take up more room unstacked, but you gain a ton of storage above them when they are unstacked. That was one of the first things we wanted in the new design, destacked.

CREATIVE1 · January 05, 2009, 04:34:19 PM

Quote from: phalynx on January 05, 2009, 04:26:50 PM
The units we have are stackable, but we hate them stacked. Yes they take up more room unstacked, but you gain a ton of storage above them when they are unstacked. That was one of the first things we wanted in the new design, destacked.

Strong opinions, like me.

When I did my design, I wrote down all the things I really wanted (big bath)and all the stuff I despised, like hallways in a small home. It really helped with the design process. Finally, I looked at adding some pizazz. That's the fun part!

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 05:11:18 PM

Indeed it is!!! What's funny is you can get a lot of the things you want by making the home deeper. I guess I could go to 28' deep, it may help with some of it. I guess I am just scared to do so.... no real reason.

Jens · January 05, 2009, 05:38:38 PM

Why are you planning on building another house? Are you just sick in the head like me? I thought you just got moved into yours? Our house has the bedrooms along one half, bedroom, bedroom, then bath, other half is living room, dining room, kitchen. No halls, closets split between rooms. Decent sized rooms, 6x12 foot bath, all doors open to the living and dining rooms. 923 square feet it works out to (I thought it was smaller!), but would be 24x36 without the dining room, and moving the kitchen into its place. Kitchen would be bigger too! I could sketch it up for you if interested. I hate hallways too, but little vestibular spaces are sometimes nice to break the flow from common to private.

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 05:50:07 PM

Pretty much, I am sick in the head. Yes we have made tremendous progress on our place, but it's the location I don't care for. Originally, we intended to move to East TN. I am not sure why but we decided against buying there and ended up buy here in Austin. I basically settled for something rather than getting what we were looking for. I want 4 seasons, rain, snow, green, nice trees, hills, all that good stuff. I didn't much of that at all. Plus I really don't care for Austin. It's not my kind of town.

So yeah, I am sick in the head, sick to move back to TN. Sick sick sick...

I like looking at what others have done in their places. The more and more I see small homes, the more I want to downsize further.

Also,,,,, heheheh,,,, my wife isn't too successful with stairs lately..

or rather, this immoticon is more appropriate...

Jens · January 05, 2009, 07:49:31 PM

Where in east TN? We are in Knoxville.

January 05, 2009, 08:00:01 PM

The living area is quite large . . .

You may want to consider moving the bathroom to the front of the house. Leaving the bedrooms and laundry in the same area. An electric hot water heater could go in one of the cloosets. Or, if a 20 gal electric, it could go under one of the corner cabinets in the kitchen.

The deep closet in the one bedroom may be wasted space. Consider wall cabinets in the other bedroom. (Would be great for a tv or a fold-down desk top.)

There still would be enough room to locate a woodstove against the bath wall.

I prefer a dining table to a kitchen half-wall. The table is more convenient if you have children . . . (They can be doing homework without disturbing your working in the kitchen, etc . . . )

I think the two foot wide windows on your plan would not be large enough to exit in case of emergency.

Good Luck . . .

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 08:02:14 PM

We originally liked Sneedville area but we are thinking now about south of the Tri-Cities area. They get more snow. I used to live in middle TN.

MountainDon · January 05, 2009, 08:54:10 PM

Quote from: bayviewps on January 05, 2009, 08:00:01 PM

I think the two foot wide windows on your plan would not be large enough to exit in case of emergency.

Good point... IRC2003 has this to say about emergency exits...

minimum clear width 20"
minimum clear height 24"
minimum clear opening area 5.7 sq ft.

phalynx · January 05, 2009, 09:09:02 PM

I can do 4' wide windows. I just thought it looked nicer with 24" windows. Safety is important.

Bayview has some interesting ideas on the redesign too. Trying to play with them to see if I can make them work.

Ailsa C. Ek · January 06, 2009, 01:22:17 PM

Quote from: phalynx on January 05, 2009, 10:33:40 AM
Quote from: NM_Shooter on January 05, 2009, 10:29:59 AM
I'd delete the entry door for the kitchen. For a small cabin, I'd try to make do with only one door and use the extra space in the kitchen for counter and cabinet space.

You know, cabin design 22b had the full kitchen. Wife really liked the smaller kitchen with the door. Go figure. I do like multiple doors though. I hate looking out the back window at something I want and then running around the front and then to the back only to find out it's gone...

How old are the girls? Do you have cats or dogs? If the girls are young, or you have critters, I can definitely see wanting a door. Also, a kitchen table is living space, the most important living space! You prep meals at it, you eat at it, you play cards and do puzzles at it, the kids sit at it to do their homework. A table is necessary. I'd give up a couch before I'd give up a table, in fact, I did just that.