Inspiration

NOT TWO STOREY BUT THE WINDOWS ARE INSPIRATIONAL AND DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LAWN WAS A WISHED FOR IDEA.
THE BOOKS FOR ALL THE FAMILY NEEDED PLENTY OF SHELVING. 

THE SOLUTION:

An other room was needed: the addition of a 'real' family room, more storage and space for the much needed book shelves. The house was old enough that the kitchen was falling apart: doors and drawer fronts falling off, the plywood shelving dilapidated and appliances decrepit.
 
The solution was to add on to the north straight out into the garden as this made the additional roofing easier to build. By focusing the kitchen to the opposite direction, to face the new family room the view to the garden was assured. The study included storage cupboards, shelving and benches with large windows for great natural light ideal for WFH, kids school work, sewing, reading or any number of other activities. 

 AN ESTABLISHED TREE CAME INTO ITS OWN BY SHADING THE GARDEN AND THE STUDY CORNER WINDOWS IN SUMMER WHILE ALLOWING THE SUN THROUGH BARE BRANCHES IN WINTER. 

 
Laurel and John's
 
The plan on the bottom right shows some of the faults in this plan of this home for a family of five.

• The one and only linen cupboard by the front door was too small.
• The diminutive size of bedroom/study just inside the entry made more difficult with the robe door opening right behind the room door.
• Either side of the ensuite vanity, the second bedroom has two robes but with the small room door the other end of the room, there is minimal space for furniture placement.
• The forth bedroom adjacent to the kitchen had a good sized robe along from the room door which is ideal for furniture placement choices.
• The bathroom including the toilet which is not ideal for a young family, has direct view from the kitchen.
• The master wall of robes has a few large doors but is created with 300mm dead corners either end, making this space very awkward. It would be better to use smaller and more doors and have them set right to the ends of the opening. Then the doors are less invasive of the room area and the whole robe space is functional.
• The lounge is a walk through room. Dining area occupies a corner.
• Next to the kitchen is the 'family room'. It is NOT! It is a traffic hub that really requires a round-about or traffic lights. The hall terminates, the bathroom is very close by, the entry through living/dining has a wide sliding door, the kitchen bench requires access and the sliding door to the garden takes most of the external wall. This leaves about one square meter for the furniture of the room. Anticipating in a family room a couch, a few chairs, TV, coffee table and also maybe a study desk, book shelves, sewing table but no the couch itself is too large for the space!
• The kitchen, with the tiny laundry accessed off it, has two dead corners, a very large cook top and it is very worn and old and barely functioning.
• The wall oven tower and generous 3m long peninsula bench are noted with appreciation. It was not uncommon for the Mum to have a complicated knitting project one end, school work spread out and dinner preparations all happening along its length. Great hub of the home.
• The major problem of this home was the orientation. Not the fact that NORTH is to the back garden: that is ideal. But that the north wall of the house had only one small window in the laundry. Criminal!
• Plenty of garden but it could not easily be accessed except by the family room door to one side or laundry door the other side. The children could not be supervised playing in the garden. But worse was the opportunity for passive solar access totally missed.