500 sq ft contest Judging!

[Dimitri]

Ok this is the first time I've done this so bare with me if you don't really agree with the methods.  

Judging will be as fallows:

Everyone will assign a point value from 1 to 4, 1 being bad and 4 being good.

They will be judged on 4 catagories:

• Effective use of space. (Is that bedroom too big while the living room is too small ??)
  
• Living Area. (Is there enough space you can still "get away" from another without leaving the home)
  
• Size of the homes "functional" locations. (Ie is the living room or kitchen too cluttered etc)
  
• Is the home comfortable for their situation in your opinion ??
  
• Over all Opinion of the home.
  

So the fallowing are the contestants in order of their postings on the other thread:

• bayviewps's 480sq ft plan.
  HVAC over bath, closet.
  Designed for a northern climate . . . notice glass only on one side.
  
  
• Dimitri's 500 sq ft plan.
  Useable Attic and Basement not counted (because they are unfinished & without easy access like a stair case), Water heater etc in basement.
  Ment for a Family of 4 to 6 (with bunk beds for the kids if nesseary)  
  
  
• Ailsa C. Ek's 480sq ft plan.
  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.
  
  
• Mark_Chenail's 499 sq ft Woodland Cabin
  The criteria were a simple house for a disabled 55 year old retired librarian/designer/author who lives alone most of the time, but occassionally has guests or a live in companion.
  This is the plan I developed for a wooded site in the country. It has two cabin bedrooms with built in beds and wardrobes.  They share an ensuite bath with a tub, but it could just as well be a shower.  Heat is from a wood stove in the central living room and the hot water heater is a point of service model installed in one of the blind corners under the kitchen counter, with an outdoor access door for maintenance.
  
  
• Mark_Chenail's 486sq ft Hot Weather Home
  This 500 sq ft house is meant for the same man but for a warm weather, tropical location.  It looks very spacious but it has less than 500 sq.ft of enclosed heated/cooled space.  It makes extensive use of open and  louvred verandas for added living space.  The guest room has been reduced to a built in bed with storage at the end of one of the more private verandas.
  The house could be heated with a small stove in the living room during cold weather.  Hot water is from a point of use heater in the kitchen.
  
  
• bayviewps's 120sq ft home.
  Editors Note: This must be one of the most extensive uses of the porches don't count rule!
  
  
• Whit_Spurzon's 496sq ft Home
  My Wife and me along with our two bed hogging Labradors.
  
  

Well all I got to say is get voting!  

Dimitri

[ailsaek]

Are we voting here or by email or what?

[Dimitri]

Right here, list the persons name and if more then one home the full bolded name I gave them and put the ratings. I'll talle the results as we go along.

Dimitri

[bayviewps]

Dimitri:  
  You may have to come up with another way of Judging. (?)  What are your opinion on the plans?

I like Whit_Spurzon's 496sq ft Home but the living (room) is small with just a couch.  Of course with such small homes, it is always take a little from here to go there.

[ailsaek]

I like Whit_Spurzon's 496sq ft Home but the living (room) is small with just a couch.  Of course with such small homes, it is always take a little from here to go there.

I think instead of looking at it as a living room, it would make more sense to divide the whole house into public/private space.  A person sitting on the couch would be able to converse easily with someone working in the kitchen or doing a puzzle at the table, or you could set up a row of coffee trays at the couch to make more room to feed people if you wanted to have the gang by for Thanksgiving.

[GW]

I like Whit_Spurzon's 496sq ft Home.

[bayviewps]

I think instead of looking at it as a living room, it would make more sense to divide the whole house into public/private space.

Ailsa C. Ek:

  I think its a great plan. . . He did an excellent job of fitting so much in less than 500 ft.

  I'm critiquing, not criticizing the plan for what would fit my personal needs.

  The seperate bedroom with a walk a round bed is a plus.

  Replaceing the Washer/Dryer with a furnace and removing the wood burner would allow more room in the living area.  Couch could convert to a hide-a-bed for guests.  Maybe a ladder to a loft !
 
  For my particular needs, I would need room for the BIG boy chair.  

[Ailsa C. Ek]

For my money, it's a tie between Whit's house and Mark's woodland cabin.

[Whit_Spurzon]

I enjoyed seeing the variations on the use of limited space.  It seems the limitations produced some excellent examples of creativity.  It would be difficult to judge as each plan was designed for a separate set of needs and/or priorities.  Each of the plans has merits and compromises that had to be balanced.  Getting them to work was a challenge.

My compliments to Dimitri for putting on this exercise and to those who submitted plans.  Well done to all.

I hope there will be more challenges like this one.

[John Raabe]

Nice work everyone!

It is clear from this exercise that 500sf can be enough for one or two (friendly) people. It is also clear that many want more space and will capture unheated porches to get it.

Whit_Spurzon's 496sf house feels more spacious because he has a very compact circulation path. When you enter and exit all rooms from a central point you cut down on floorspace that is needed to get from A to B.

It is also comprised of two simple modules that can be offset from each other.

Always interesting to see the way others carve up space.

[ergodesk]

I also pick Whit_Spurzon's 496sq ft Home and give it a 4. I like it so much that I designed
a SketchUp version of the plan that was first mirrored and given a loft look and feel. Good Job.

I uploaded the photos at the address below

https://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/ergodesk/StyroHome/?action=view&current=60c3d7bc.pbw