I need to reduce the size of this floor plan to cut my building costs to stay within our budget. All rooms and garage are fair game to find 200 sq ft. Only exception is the quilt room--it must stay the size it is. The quilt room is bribery for my wife to make the move :)
Are there any reductions you can recommend?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8bqKrxMh0_pbklsR1lfNUJFRUE/view?usp=sharing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8bqKrxMh0_pbklsR1lfNUJFRUE/view?usp=sharing)
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We went thorough a lot of ideas and floor plans trying to find one the right one. Then there was the problem of finding one we could afford. One problem I found was when I started deducting space. Roof lines moved - stuff started looking funky. Another issue for me everyone was saying you have to have this bonus room in the attic.... ??? The current in thing. Great I got it up there but foot print of the stairs is counter productive down stairs. So the bonus room left.... It is just hard redraw or change others plans. I do see a lot of wasted space to me. But might be what you real want and have plans for.
I sent you a PM of sort of how we came up with how we designed and built.
Get rid of the 6'-0" x 10'-0" walk-in closet and the 3'-6" x 28'-0" bump out in the living room and the 5'-0" x 8'-0" pantry... not quite 200 but close. If you're trying to save money it's gonna be hard to do by just making it smaller... usually it's what's in the home like appliances and finishes that cost the most, and i'm guessing your not getting rid of 2 out of those 3 mentioned.
I used to do estimating and ran into this pretty often and it was rarely the size of the house that put costs over the top. It's the custom cabinets, granite countertops, stainless appliances, heated tile floors, hardwood floors, wrapped windows and elaborate trim, fireplaces, custom showers, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, etc. that cost so much and is where the fat typically had to be trimmed from.
Getting rid of a few pieces of rebar, a yard or two of concrete, a few studs, a sheet or 3 of plywood, a bundle of siding and a square of roofing is maybe going to save you a couple of thousand dollars at best. If you want to save a lot of money start by cutting or downgrading some of those bigger ticket items mentioned above.
Not to point a finger... but usually it was all the wifes "must haves" that drove the costs beyond the budget and square footage was always the first thing to go. It's not the size, it's what's inside it that's expensive.
First drop the garage. It can be built later as money becomes available. Also your bath and walk in closet design will cost a lot as it is a bump out. Those two would save you lots.
Quote from: suburbancowboy on February 17, 2016, 11:58:14 AM
First drop the garage. It can be built later as money becomes available. Also your bath and walk in closet design will cost a lot as it is a bump out. Those two would save you lots.
Agree on the garage. Dropping it gives you 400 square feet at least and you can plan to add it later.
Reducing the number of corners and any crazy roof lines will save way more money than 200 sq. ft.
I've been researching home plans in the 1800 s.f. range - which is where you want to get to - and there are some that are very well designed and make the most use of space. A good plan will save you money in the long run and you have some open area which ultimately may not really be needed. I like the idea of a get-a-way room over the garage to escape from the spouse and the ability to finish space later, plus it's cheaper to do vs putting in a foundation for other s.f. on the first floor. Learned the hard way it's easier and less time consuming to get stuff built the first tiime and then come in and finish when $$ allows.