Several ideas for a solution to my design project have been developed. The alternate solutions will be sorted through and the most viable idea will be continued for development.
Report
All three alternate solutions were designed under the guidelines of affordable living and encompass a family of six including an aging set of grandparents. Also all possible solutions are one story homes with a minimum of three bedrooms. They also feature a separate living area for the grandparents and a bathroom that is easily accessible by bedrooms. In order to choose a final solution a design matrix will show on a scale from one to ten, which areas and features of the house are most feasible.
Design Matrix
Each total percentage was based off of an individual area or feature of each alternate solution. Since there were ten areas of interest for scoring, the final score was obviously out of 100%. Alternate solution #3 came out with the highest percentage and is therefore going to be chosen as the final solution. To further solidify this choice pros and cons will be discussed for each alternate solution and the final solution will be elaborated on.The first solution is a four bedroom house featuring a covered porch. The foyer or entrance into the house is extremely large and the space is not utilized well. To the left of the foyer is the family room. This is poorly placed and also cannot be used well, especially since it has a small niche. Continuing through the family room is a small laundry room, bathroom, and three bedrooms. The two children’s bedrooms are symmetrical except for their closets. The entrance to these rooms is not very conducive if two people are entering or leaving their rooms at the same time. The grandparent’s room features a small living room and kitchen, but they are almost too small to be functional. The kitchen has enough space for cabinets, a dishwasher, and a refrigerator. It has also has a large pantry located in the back.
Straight through the foyer opens up into the gathering room and the dining room. The space is small, but feasible for this size house. The master bedroom is not a perfect rectangle so space can not be utilized to its full potential. The room also features a bathroom and a large walk-in closet. Overall the cons outweigh the pros for this alternate solution.
Straight through the foyer opens up into the gathering room and the dining room. The space is small, but feasible for this size house. The master bedroom is not a perfect rectangle so space can not be utilized to its full potential. The room also features a bathroom and a large walk-in closet. Overall the cons outweigh the pros for this alternate solution.
The second alternate solution also consists of four bedrooms. Again a large foyer is used as the entrance to the house, in which a lot of space is wasted money. The great room is a grand amount of space located in front of the entrance to the house and is not very convenient for a couch or a television set. A fire place is also located in the great room adding some uniqueness to this design. Directly behind the great room is the dining room which is easily accessible from the kitchen. The kitchen is built in an L shape with a very small pantry in the bottom corner to form two access ways into the room. The right side of the foyer and great room lead to the master bedroom. A lot of space is wasted in the entrance way to the room, where the walk-in closet should have been placed and the master bathroom has a very small walking space. The laundry room is placed strategically in the entry from back of the garage.
On the other side of the house are three other bedrooms and a bathroom. The two children’s bedrooms are a little bigger than needed and one room is missing a closet. The hallway leading to the grandparents’ room needs to be widened to three feet. Finally, the grandparents’ bedroom is evidently too small and needs to be pushed back farther. Unfortunately, this alternate solution’s cons also outweigh its pros.
The third and chosen solution features a three bedroom house. A covered porch opens up into a foyer that is also oversized, but is compensated by a convenient closet. The entry from the garage into the house is a mud room like the previous alternate solution. The kitchen features a small pantry and contains an opening in the wall to serve food and drinks to the gathering and dining room. The dining room is easily accessible from the kitchen. In the back of the house is the gathering room with an ample amount of space.
From the gathering room, a large hallway leads to the children’s bedroom and the master bedroom. The master bedroom’s main aspect is its large walk-in closet and bathroom. The best feature of this alternate solution is that the grandparent’s living quarters because they are located away from the rest of the family, giving them a feeling of living on their own. They can easily access the bathroom and have their own living room and miniature kitchen. The living room leads into a separate bedroom and overall gives the grandparents plenty of space. All in all, this alternate solution has proved to be the most viable because of the interconnection of similar rooms and how the layout flows.
From the gathering room, a large hallway leads to the children’s bedroom and the master bedroom. The master bedroom’s main aspect is its large walk-in closet and bathroom. The best feature of this alternate solution is that the grandparent’s living quarters because they are located away from the rest of the family, giving them a feeling of living on their own. They can easily access the bathroom and have their own living room and miniature kitchen. The living room leads into a separate bedroom and overall gives the grandparents plenty of space. All in all, this alternate solution has proved to be the most viable because of the interconnection of similar rooms and how the layout flows.
Since alternate solution three has been chosen, it has been further developed into an Auto-CAD drawing. The floor plan has several modifications in order to maximize the effective of the flow and use of space. The foyer has been made slightly smaller and a half bathroom has been added on the left side. A mechanical/storage room and a mud room have been placed directly behind the garage. Also, a small pantry has been added near the kitchen. The dining room and living room have been sized down keeping in mind affordable housing. The island in the kitchen is now more easily accessible to the dining room.
As for the living section of the house, one more bedroom has been added to allow the children to have separate rooms. A bathroom has been placed conveniently and has two doors so that both the children and grandparents can easily obtain entry. The master bedroom has been sized down slightly and now contains two smaller closets instead of one walk-in closet. The bathroom has also been rearranged in size and layout to allow more walking space. The shower and bathtub were combined to reduce space used as well. Finally the main feature of the house was left virtually the same. The grandparents’ room still features a living room, small kitchen, and a separate bedroom. Overall this design has proved to be very effective in making use of space and keeping related rooms near one another.
As for the living section of the house, one more bedroom has been added to allow the children to have separate rooms. A bathroom has been placed conveniently and has two doors so that both the children and grandparents can easily obtain entry. The master bedroom has been sized down slightly and now contains two smaller closets instead of one walk-in closet. The bathroom has also been rearranged in size and layout to allow more walking space. The shower and bathtub were combined to reduce space used as well. Finally the main feature of the house was left virtually the same. The grandparents’ room still features a living room, small kitchen, and a separate bedroom. Overall this design has proved to be very effective in making use of space and keeping related rooms near one another.
A preliminary model will be constructed and then the final solution will be developed even further. Several types of plans will be drawn consisting of a sectional detail drawing, foundation plan, roof plan, landscape plan, one or several exterior views, and three-dimensional drawings/renderings. (If time permits) After all plans have been drawn, the final model’s construction will commence.
