What do you think of this plan?

[JCL]

House for a couple without children (me and my wife), for a humid (80%), rainy place (60"/year), moderate climate that's similar to some places in the USA zone 9, temp 60-75, CDD 2600, HDD 1500.

The place has a gorgeous view (N/NW), preserved native Atlantic forest at the back (S), it is in a mountain close to the highway (W 120 feet below) and a bit noisy.

It is a semi-rural location about 40 minutes from a megalopole.

I would be very pleased if you could comment the plan.

Thank you in advance, from Brazil,

J Carlos

[ailsaek]

If the marvellous view is N/NE, how about flipping it so the patio faces the marvellous view?

[JCL]

Hi Alisa,

Thank you for very much for your sugestion.


Sorry, I made a gross mistake! The view is to N/NW...

After your answer I realized and corrected my original message.

That's a good idea to have a place to stay at N, desfruting the view.

The room at W will be a summer kitchen that can be used as car/bike port on rainy days, covered by wines on a pergola, under a translucid roof.

We have plans of a future area at N, with  2 garden benches and a flower sundial (similar to a smaller version of one in Berlin-Weißensee) with low maintenance local flowers.

J Carlos

[Daddymem]

May not work with your layout onsite but...if you can get your dining room on the east side right off a kitchen, and living room on the west you get to enjoy the sun in your living spaces all day and less used spaces such as the bedroom doesn't get the sun as much.  If the view is nice, the bedroom on the south west corner of the house might provide a nice inspirational view to get your day started.  Of course all of this is site dependent...(and shhh, don't tell the architects, but personal feelings and lifestyle too)

[tjm73]

I like it.  The first picture doesn't show up for some reason for me.

I don't see a shower or bathtub.  Am I just mising it?  :-?

[Jimmy_Cason]

The 3' 4"x6' area at the bottom would make a great full walk-in shower area.

[tjm73]

The 3' 4"x6' area at the bottom would make a great full walk-in shower area.

I thought the same thing.  Maybe that is the shower?

[Jimmy_Cason]

With 60 inches of rain per year they may not need to install a shower. Just step out on the deck with a bar of soap step back in and towel off!

[glenn-k]

Sounds like a nice setting, J Carlos.  Any chance of you posting some pictures?

[Guest(Guest)]

1.  Can't tell where front entrance is.  If at bottom of drawing near bathroom, then a bit awkward (privacy) to be walking through parts of bathroom (sink on one side, water closet on other).

2.  Toilet area/water closet seems large.   Presumably may also serve as wet room with shower???  Or add a sink in there and make a full separate bathroom.

3.  Middle of house is like a busy intersection--all rooms seem to lead to this area--makes for a lot of busy traffic.

4.  Access to patio off the kitchen/dining room is a bit restrictive--cuts down space of dining table and not very easy access for living room.  Consider moving more to middle of wall between living room and dining/kitchen area--and maybe a larger door.

5.  2nd bedroom has no views--windows are on either side of sofa so can't see anything.  

6.  If there is no front entrance (entrance to house is off patio), then consider this layout to reduce hallway space:

Living Room (on top)                      Main bedroom (on top right)

Entrance                                       Bathroom (middle right)

Kitchen/Dining Area (on bottom)     Second bedroom (on bottom right)

It'd be a bit unattractive to have entrance hallway ending in bathroom, but it'd give second bedroom a bit more rectangular space.   Plumbing would be a bit more work as not using the same plumbing wall.  Also consider a patio door in living room to patio--rearrange furniture.  

7.  If hot and humid--presumably that's the case in Brazil, probably want long overhanging eaves from sun and rain.  Also, need to figure where wind blows and how the windows/doors in house can be positioned so winds can cool down house.  

[Guest(Guest)]

1.  Think about widening kitchen/dining area for two reasons: (i) it seems a bit tight and (ii) it'd make the living room and kitchen/dining area more spacious in feel (currently, narrower kitchen/dinng area makes space a bit more constricted--even with bump-out bay window).

2.  Think about moving refrigerator closer to living room area--top right portion of kitchen.   Then put stove farthest away from living area (bottom portion of kitchen).  This way, your triangle would be fridge, sink, stove.  Advantages are: (i) fridge is easily accessible to living room for quick snacks/etc--don't have to traipse over cook/other folks in dining area), and (ii) stove is farthest away from living area for smells, less chance of people walking around cook using stove, less danger of hot stuff onto folks.

Disaadvantage is that fridge is a big appliance and would block some of the openness to living area (but not that big a deal if widen kitchen/dining area).

[jonsey/downunder]

I think J Carlos is in Brazil, South America. A hot humid climate, it would not be so important to have a solar aspect. More important would be cross flow ventilation and shade. The main entry I think is the bay window on the dinning room wall. There is an outdoor cooking and eating area on the patio by the look of the plan. The other door is in the laundry probably access to an outdoor drying area. French doors in the master bedroom. All in all a nice plan, I like it. Should work fine with a nice shade garden. Welcome aboard J Carlos.
jonesy

[JCL]

Hi people,

First I would like to thank you very much the meaningful input.

That's exactly what I was looking for, more smart heads and attentive eyes to bring to light what I may be missing.

I have followed the board now and them since I acquired the sun kit, a few years ago, and always liked the environment.

Now the objective part:

Daddymen,  actually the main bedroom with the N patio doors has access to the view, and it is shielded from the road noises by the armoires on two sides. That's a very good idea to better start the days enjoying the view.

This is a middle class tight budget project, and there is no architect involved, just an engineer that made the structural part of the project, and a "barefoot architect", myself.

TJM73 and Jimmy Cason, you are both right, the double shower is there (bathing is something that we usually do together, me and my wife), with a skylight on the roof and a Japanese style deck on the floor, so water and vapor go away quickly and the sun can make mold non existent.

Guest:

1 The entrance is at the bay window, from the summer kitchen, as Jonsey saw. The other entrance is a back entrance to a place where a future Ofuro with privacy and a view to the forest will be. This back entrance also doubles as a mudroom.
The sink at the passage (and sometimes at a dinner room or bedroom) was common here when we used to have outhouses or just one bathroom per house.

The divided bathroom design permits that one person take a shower as another go to the toilet, giving privacy and simultaneous use with just one bathroom.

2 Toilet area, and all the areas were calculated to be accessible by wheelchair.

3 You are right, that's something that I have to think about.

4 The bay window can actually be opened entirely, as the bay window of the living room, making the space  a visually united large social area and permiting complete air change in a few minutes.

5 There is a retention wall at E, so if you seat at the sofa and look both sides you will have close views of the forest and vegetable garden. You are right, the most attractive view is grabbed by the other bedroom.

6 That's a great suggestion, and I played with it sometime ago. It is also more practical too, specially if the back entrance could be moved to E.
There is a structural requirement that the corners of the house have 4 feet to each side. The walls will be very heavy, and should support a heavy roof. It was a choice between the better arrangement that you suggested and the special bathroom.

The living room entrance door could also be a good choice, but I prefer the music area be a bit out of the way.

7 2 You are right once more, 2 feet overhang from the roof and future small translucid roofs with vines over the N windows will be there. An air canal to take hot air/vapor away at the top of the roof and all external doors and windows pivoting with small gaps at the floor and sides, so there is constant cross ventilation, even with the house closed for security (main winds from E/NE).

#10

Guest:

1 I have to think about it.

2  Refrigerator has a cool spot there, and its noise will not interfere with the music area.

The stove is actually a conjugated masonry stove/fireplace/white oven with a provencial hood that is the main attraction of the kitchen, and the first thing that is viewed when we enter the house.

If the food is smelly, it will be cooked outside.

It should also be close to the wet wall, as will be used as back up to the solar water heating  system.

Jonsey...downunder,

You got it, but it is a bit cold in the winter (for Brazilian standard), and sun prevents mold.

Once more thank you very much.

I will take pictures this weekend.

J Carlos