Here are a few things to consider:
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Choosing your site well can make a huge difference to the success of your finished home. Marlborough has some magnificent sections, and sometimes you will just fall in love with a site. Even though it has difficulties, it may be worth working with them anyway. But there are things to consider when looking at sections. Here’s a few thoughts:
These are just some of the things you might like to think about. If you are considering a site, feel free to contact Max Architectural Design to discuss what you are thinking of doing and what sort of house might work for your section. Are you thinking of a new bedroom and ensuite addition? You are in good company. With a rise in building costs and interest rates, people are looking at renovating instead of building new. 2023 has turned out to be the year of the ensuite.
There are a few things to think about when considering adding an ensuite.
If you are on a rural section with a wastewater system, there may be restrictions as to what type of ensuite fixtures you should install. Of course, in any house, water saving units are a good idea. There are endless inspirational photos on the net – try Pinterest or Houzz. Many of the manufacturers also have ensuite ‘look-books’ to inspire you. If you find a photo of an ensuite you love, please pass it on to me, as it helps me understand what you like. Floods are increasingly in the news at the moment, and many people are considering how they can futureproof their buildings to cope with climate change.
If you are considering building in a flood prone area you have a couple of options: First, if at all possible, just don’t. Build somewhere else. If this is not possible you have a number of options to help make your building more flood resistant. But do ensure you can get insurance for your home, both now and in the future. Floor Level Floor level is a big one. Your Council will set minimum heights for building in potential flood zones. But these are just a minimum. With the climate becoming increasingly unpredictable, if you have the budget and the room to go higher with your floor level, you are buying extra insurance, even if it’s just going another 200mm higher than the minimum. Building on piles is a good option, as in an emergency, the water can go underneath. Building on a raised mound is another option, especially if you are looking at building with a waffle slab. However, this mound might need protection from water if it is fast moving. If you do build up high, consider how you will connect the indoors with the outdoors. Building a mound for a patio, or timber decks, or steps down to the lower areas will all help with connecting your building. If you are building on a slope, it might be easier to build a catwalk across to your entry or garage. If you really like cutting edge thinking, there are amphibious buildings, including one featured in Grand Designs UK and a whole subdivision in the Netherlands. The concept is building your house to float when it needs to, by anchoring it in what amounts to a large bathtub. But they are experimental, and eye-wateringly expensive to construct. Reconfiguring the Layout You may have the option of adding a storey. The lower floor could be used for a garage or shed (as long as you have a safe place to take your car if heavy rain is forecast) while the upper floors are used for living and bedroom spaces. Interior There is a thought that the interior can be made more waterproof or recoverable. This means instead of using Gib and MDF skirting, using a waterproof wall lining and perhaps vinyl up the sides of the walls like in a commercial building. However, I would suggest this is really a last resort option. If the flood has been through your house and destroyed all your contents, it’s only a small comfort that you don’t have to replace the wall lining. Landscaping Good drainage will make a huge difference. Also consider planting, and if you are near a river, perhaps how you could slow down a flood if it was moving through your property. Some new subdivisions (like Hobsonville Point) have put lots of thinking into successful flood protection. Giving water somewhere to go is important, whether it be green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavements or catch systems to hold rainwater until the stormwater system settles down. Queenslander Finally, consider the time-tested architecture of the Queenslander. This is a popular building style in Queensland, Australia (yes, I am half Australian) and has a number of climate-control features. Queenslanders are built high off the ground, which protects against floods, provides ventilation and protects against termites and creepy-crawlies. They have a single slope roof, protecting against high winds and cyclones. And a verandah that wraps around three sides, providing both indoor-outdoor flow at the higher floor level, and climate protection from rain and extreme heat. An old design, but there are many lessons to learn from the Queenslander. I’ve been a long-term fan of the Tiny House movement. They are fun, pretty economical and innovative. But over the years, I have become more keen on ‘Small Houses’. A little bit bigger (say 50m2 – 100m2), the Small House tends to be a better investment.
Tiny Houses can lose their value, especially if they are mobile and the owners are renting the land. While permanent houses usually increase in value over time, Tiny Homes can depreciate like a vehicle. They can be problematic with local Councils, and often fall through the cracks between being a caravan or a house. While they can be successful for the short to medium term, it seems they are seldom a long-term solution for a changing or growing family. And they can still cost quite a bit more than you would think to build. Small Houses on the other hand, can be a great investment. They are permanent instead of on wheels, so can increase in value as the land prices increase. If designed carefully, they can grow as a family grows. Per square metre, they are more economical to build than a Tiny House. They cost less than a large home to build and to maintain. A small house encourages people not to accumulate, and certainly saves a lot of vacuuming and window cleaning. It can free up a budget to allow for some beautiful extras, like a special cladding or heating system. Both Tiny Houses and Small Houses have their place. But if you are looking for a permanent housing solution which will increase in value and suit you and your family for the long-term, please consider carefully. whether a Tiny House will work for you. What makes the difference between a nice house and a beautiful house? Among many subtle reasons, one that is often overlooked by people when they think about their home is repetition. Repeating elements can help a house to look polished. A single patch of different cladding can look a bit odd, but if it repeats in a pattern it can be elegant. Windows that are the same width, height or both help a motif to develop. A range of window heights and widths with no repeating pattern can make a house look like a patchwork quilt. If you look at beautiful buildings from the past, you will notice a lot of repetition, symmetry and echoes. An archway over the entry might be echoed by a curve on the roof. Keep this in mind when thinking about the appearance of your house. On the flip side, try to keep a balance between form and function. A bedroom window may look fabulous full height to match the living room windows, but you might find it restricts where you place your furniture or creates privacy issues. Just a short rant about the seasons. When you are thinking about your house, unless you are planning a summer-only holiday home, be aware of what season you are in. It's very easy to slip in to designing a house that only works in one part of the year. It seems obvious, but I know it can be hard to think about insulation, winter sun, heat pumps and good sized fires in the middle of summer. Likewise, in the winter, I find people tend to want a lot bigger windows to let the sunshine in, and don't consider openings for through-breeze, eaves for shade or heat pumps for air conditioning. I know you are probably far too smart to fall into this trap ....
When thinking about new homes, I often hear people say “I just can’t make my house plan any smaller”. The average house size in New Zealand has increased by 50% since 1900. However, I have noticed recently a renewed interest in living simpler and smaller. If you are passionate about making your house both more affordable and more environmentally friendly, making it smaller is a great place to start.
Here are a few thoughts about what you may be able to do. The first thing I would suggest is not to compromise your plan by trying to squeeze too many rooms in to too smaller space. It’s much better to remove a room which would seldom be used, than to make each room too small for its purpose. One reason people often build houses bigger than is needed is a concern for resale. While this is something to think about, it pays to think hard about how long you would like to live in your house and what you really need. There will always be some demand for houses with 2 or 3 bedrooms, particularly with the average household size in decline in New Zealand. One of my personal pet peeves (and please excuse the ranting) is ‘Christmas bedrooms’ – a bedroom which is only used when the grown up children return for a few days or weeks a year. Often economically this makes little sense – unless you are also running a bed and breakfast. Once you add up the additional cost of the build, and the rates (and the extra vacuuming!) it might be worth looking at paying for a motel unit for that one week a year where you need five bedrooms. An easy option for reducing size is the second living area. While many families make good use of two living spaces, just as many find they seldom use that formal lounge that looked so pretty on the plans. Many people, particularly of an older generation, prefer a separate toilet. However, you can save a couple of square metres if you are able to incorporate the toilet in with your main bathroom, particularly if you are also planning an additional ensuite. Another space saver is considering a shower over bath in the main bathroom. Think about how you intend to use your master bedroom. If it will act as a living space, and a retreat from those rowdy teenagers, you might like a bit of space for comfy chairs and a little table. But if you only need a bed in this space, and have a walk-in robe to store all the clothes, it may be possible to trim the size of this room. Do think about the size of your bed though – obviously a super king needs more space than a queen sized bed, and most people also need space for bedside cabinets. Speaking of walk-in robes, this can be a wasted space. A large walk-in robe is a wonderful luxury, but a narrow space with barely room to hang a rail and walk down is not a great use of space. Consider 1, or even 2, standard robes for the master bedroom instead. I would say 1.6m is the minimum width for a useful walk-in robe. People often ask about minimum sizes of rooms. For bedrooms, excluding the wardrobes, I wouldn’t recommend going smaller than 3m x 3m. After this, the room is really only good for one single bed and a bit of furniture. Hallways less than 1m feel pokey, and are difficult for wheelchairs to navigate. I would say 810mm was the minimum width for a door (again it is also the minimum for a wheelchair). Bathrooms with a bath can be 1.8m x 3m, but I would recommend a minimum of 2m x 3m to give a bit of space to move. Also have a look at my blog about room sizes, from 2015. One area I would suggest you don’t compromise on is storage. Often the hallway cupboards are the first to be trimmed when people are trying to save space. No matter how much you declutter and minimalize your lifestyle, you will still need somewhere to store the vacuum cleaner and a linen cupboard. Attic stairs can be a useful way of using that empty roof space to store the suitcases and Christmas tree. And finally, cavity sliders can save considerable space in a house. While they cost about twice as much as a swing door, they can often save you a square metre or two, making them an economical choice. Where to from here? While I am enthusiastic about Tiny Homes (20m² or less), I realise this size is not for everyone. However, there are also great examples of smaller homes which are beautiful and functional. One New Zealand source of inspiration is a book called “Small House Living” by Catherine Foster. She has written a companion volume called “Apartment Living” which is also worth reading. When we first meet (preferably on site) some people are very well prepared and some have little more than a scribble on the back of a serviette. Either way, we can work together to design a home that will work for you.
A word of caution - Sometimes it can be a bit difficult if you have worked too hard on your plans, but are not experienced with designing homes. I have found that some people have invested so much time into dreaming about their house, that they are not prepared to make adjustments which will make their home flow that little bit better or cost a little bit less. Another danger is taking a floor plan from the internet, that was fabulous for the site it was built for, but won’t maximise the sun, space and views of your site. Wherever you are up to, we can work together to find the best home design for you. Some things to think about include:
Don’t panic. You don’t need the answers to all these questions at the beginning, and we can discuss things as we go along. This is just a few things you can have a think about if you have the time before we meet. An often forgotten item when people are designing their homes is storage space. When you are planning your spaces, finding a place for everything to go will make life simpler when you move in.
The most common space for cupboards is in the hallway, perhaps backing on to the kitchen or dining areas. A few medium sized cupboards are often more useful than one long one, as the cupboards can be designated for different items. These days, a hot water cylinder cupboard needs to be about 700mm deep to accommodate the bigger cylinders (bigger for some which are solar capable). This is bigger than standard wardrobe depth, which is normally 600mm. When houses and cylinders were poorly insulated, it was common practice to store the linen beside the cylinder. However, this is no longer essential and may not be the best use of space. Linen cupboards can be shallower (at say 400mm deep) and still comfortably accommodate towels and sheets. In the laundry area, remember to allow space for the vacuum cleaner, cleaning materials and an ironing board. There are clever solutions now for maximising laundry space, including fold-away benches and ironing boards and above bench storage. You may no longer need an office or study to be a full room either. With less paper and more mobile electronics, a study nook tucked in a corner can be all that is required – often off the end of a kitchen or dining area, or beside a living space. About 800mm deep will accommodate a simple desk and an office chair tucked underneath. Cavity sliders or folding doors can hide away any clutter. A charging dock can be useful here. Another place that is often over-looked is the garage. While a 6m x 6m garage will accommodate two medium sized cars, it leaves little space for storage or a workshop. Where do you plan to keep the bikes? The Christmas tree? Those boxes of files? By planning storage in advance, and the space for it, your garage can still function as a garage, instead of a cluttered and disorganised store-room. Attic stairs can also be useful in a garage, for storing occasional use items in the roof space. And finally, have a think about your special interests. Do you have need for a craft nook with the sewing machine set up? A place to work on the motorbike? A train set? Having a designated area, or a way of using the same area twice will keep things less stressful in the future. With a bit of thought, it may be possible to adapt an occasional use room (like a guest bedroom) for your other activities. |
AuthorBronwyn is a residential Architectural Designer based in Marlborough New Zealand. All comments should be treated merely as the rantings of an opinionated designer and verified elsewhere! Categories
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