any measurements please, it would be best to have more space in the master, you could consider widening the passage in the second part by reducing the width of the scullery.

Moving the fridge to where the sink is, the sink & cook top could then be on the same wall., measurements would help to confirm how this works The 4 meter island would be amazing, I have 2700 and would love more. The only problem you might have is getting a bench top that length.

Hi cc, I would keep the hallway as per plans. The 2000 wide entry, is a wonderful space to arrive at, then changing to 1200 would be a transition space into your lovely open area. I agree with Siriusky the space is better in master. I would also go with your idea, and install a small sink in island. This will be good for drinks of water, washing veggies, etc. It appears you do not have that much room either side of large sink, so you may find that you use the island for preparation, therefore the small sink would be beneficial. And if the large sink will be full of mess, (your words) then you will be using the island. I would also go for the biggest island that suits the space. Mine is 3600 x 950 and works wonderfully. I do have a join in the caesarstone, but this is where my sink is located, so the join is barely noticeable. I have another long bench 3200 with a join, again not noticeable. Comes down to the good tradesman on installation.

there needs to be enough space at either end of the island for circulation space and for groups of starving teenagers to line up to be fed...a 4 m island will make the space feel crowded but we need to see the dimensions and adjoining rooms for a considered opinion and a small sink in the island will be useful

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I have included a picture of the house plans with measurements. I love the idea of moving the fridge.

altering the direction of the front door and door into master suite makes the entry more spacious while allowing space for a sideboard in the entry, stealing some space from the ensuite would force the loss of the separate toilet but allows for a better shower and space for some bookshelves in the shallow alcove next to the scullery but, if you prefer a separate toilet, more space could be stolen off his wiw ... increasing the size of the island to 3.5m would be OK if the island is centred in the space to allow at least 1200mm at either end but i prefer the fridge, mini sink and stacked oven & microwave towards one end of the kitchen for the kids to make a snack or help themselves to a drink, i've kept the main sink and dw at the other end for the wash up crew, space in the middle for the cook and allowed space in the scullery for an extra fridge...my main concern with the floorplan is the blocked hallway that forces all traffic through the kitchen and suggest that sacrificing space off the scullery will allow for direct access from bedrooms to laundry and garage to kids bedrooms and pwdr room and reduce the traffic through the kitchen and make the drop zone muck less cramped

Wow oklouise, thank you for your time and input. I never expected so much detail. There are some really good points to consider there. You are absolutely right about traffic flow, something I didn't really think about. Your idea about changing the door direction is simple yet effective. Thanks so much.

Hi cc, I would keep the fridge and the main sink in the same position as your and oklouise plans. It offers a better view for visitors when entering home. The sink is tucked out of sight from entry. This is exciting, all the best. Ps: opt for the bigger island.

a few more ideas for you to consider, are you having a wall oven or under bench,

The Fridge is next to a coffee and drinks servery with access to that sink, and one in the island and one on the back wall.

Having the sink and cook top next to each other is really good for handling hot fluids and adding liquid into cooking, best not to have to transfer hot pots across a passage way etc to empty

I have changed the entrance into the master as I found that a waste of space and extended the bedroom wall out, with that extension you could still add a small nib wall next to the door. With the media room doors open this will give the appearance of a larger wider entrance.

Thank you Siriskey. I'm still undecided as to whether I will have a wall or underbench oven. I'm tending to lean towards and underbench. The entrance to the master is a bit of a waste but I liked that people could not see directly into the room, I'll certainly consider changing it. I like having more room. Thank you for your suggestions, I reallly appreciate them.

Beautiful house plan and i like oklouise comments/changes regarding traffic flow.

I do not think you would be disappointed with a larger island bench. Just one other thing to consider... the powder room at the back of the house is not close proximity to the back bathroom. Would you consider moving the bedrooms around the combine the bathroom and toilet.

I currently have a 3.7m bench and love it. We have a join near the sink, it’s hardly noticeable.

With 4 teenagers I think the additional length will allow for more stools for everyone.

Hi cc

We are just coming to the end of a major reno of a queenslander and I have agonised over house plans for nearly two years! You can drive yourself crazy with it! My two cents worth would to be to leave your entry as is - better to keep the space in the WIR and ensuite plus if you make the hall all the same width you will see into your bedroom as you come back through towards the front door! If anything, I would push the wall of the scullery over a bit and add some built-in open shelving which would visually open up the hallway space and add a bit of a feature.

Re the kitchen, personally I think an island bench looks better without a sink - especially as that will be one of the first things you see as you enter the space. 3m by 1.3m is a great size - plenty of room for the cook on one side and kids/guests on the other without interference. I often wonder when I see stools on the opposite side of the sink whether anyone would really want to sit amongst the dishes. I would swap the fridge and sink over (fridge is closer to pantry - handy when unpacking groceries) and sink is closer to dining room and alfresco (closer for dirty dishes drop off). This would put the sink and cooktop on the back wall with set-down space either side of each of them and bench space in the middle. Then I would centre your 3m bench with the 4m back wall which would give you approx 1.5m circulation space at either end and enough room to open the fridge door. If you intend using the scullery for tea/coffee making then I would add a small sink in there. The only other point I would make is that it seems you have to go through two doorways to enter the scullery - I would probably prefer to have it directly at the end of the galley. Hope all that make sense - just really think about how you use the space - I "walked it" through in my head over and over! Good luck! It will be amazing :-)

PS I've never commented on any of these posts but have read a million of them. Oklouise and siriuskey i love your work!

Thank you Wendy Gilmore for putting the time into your great suggestions. Everything you've suggested with the Kitchen I am going to do. I can't bring myself to put a sink in a beautiful big Island bench.
I get what you're saying about the entry and people being able to see into your room as you walk to the front door. However after seeing a few display homes my hubby insists he wants a grand double door entrance into the master bedroom. I am trying hard to convince him it is a bad idea. Heaven help me.
You must be looking forward to finishing your reno. Queenslander homes are just beautiful. I think renovating classic homes is often much more beautiful than new modern homes.

Great input from Wendy, but what works within one floor plan doesn't always transfer to another. Keep in mind distance between fridge and sink, and the 3000 x 1300 island pushes out into the living space, a longer narrower 3500 x 900 will function better in your space cheers

Hi siriuskey and cc, so true about one change of plan impacting another area. It all has to work together of course. I had a look back at the plan after your comment and realised the island bench was actually drawn in as 900mm - I could have sworn I read 1300mm somewhere?? Goes to show I shouldn't read and type without my glasses on! So yes, absolutely, you don't want to encroach on the living space. My island bench is 3m x 900mm and just about to be installed. It looks huge, especially compared to the 1.2m I had before! I have 1200mm between one end of it and the bifold doors leading to the deck - would liked to have had a bit more there for when the doors are closed as its a heavy traffic area but its all I could get. I guess just consider how much foot traffic will be coming through from the bedrooms between the end of the bench and the activity room and see if that's enough for you. If it is and you can get a 3.5 bench with no joins go for it.

We had french doors opening to the master bedroom from the entrance. Whilst I loved the wide entry I wasn't so keen on visitors looking into my room as they enter the house (especially as it never looked like a display home haha). I'm not one for closed doors either so the pressure was on to always have the bed made and the room kept tidy! As that room will now be the guest room it won't be an issue anymore yay! Our new main bedroom has a small "hallway" leading into it which will be great for privacy.

Also, definitely incorporate both siriuskey and oklouise's idea to " unblock" the hallway at the laundry end. Much better for flow.

cheers :-)

Hi CC, may I just say, I love you’re house plans! There is one thing (two really lol) I’d do if it’s was ours and that is... I’d move the WIL allowing folk to walk right around the whole kitchen. We love or cousins house and she has it that way. It feels airy, lighter and less warren like. The kids and adults use both ways around the kitchen all the time. Some people would be horrified at the idea of seeing right down the hallway from the garage. It wouldn’t matter to me, plus less of a walk to bring dirty washing to the laundry, and easier to bring clean linen to the linen cupboard/bedrooms/etc :) And the other thing is I would extent the the island to be the full length of the kitchen, no question. Fabulous house plan, hope it all goes well for you, love an update!

I have loved all the comments and suggestions. I am so glad I posted on here as I had never done it before. We are going to see the revised house plans next week which include most of the suggestions made here. I'll be sure to put the new and improved version up. Thank you everyone

I wouldn't change it too much aside from maybe flipping the master bedroom door around to be entered straight off entry.

The designer has probably done the entry hall for privacy. Could add coat storage to entry hall by reducing scullery perhaps.

3 metre island is pretty big, to go to 4 metre would block off fridge access. Probably the most used appliance. Also you'll have joins if you're going with stone. Small sink ok in the island but not really a necessity, almost an expensive folly if you added up costs vs usage.

Do you really want a glass sliding door in laundry.... lot of new homes are going for this.... a standard glazed swing door works equally as well and allows the opportunity to have a better fit out such as a bench top and cupboards all the way along.

I'd spent my money on a well designed laundry with drawers, cupboards, over head cupboards and with a good long bench top. Maybe even a stone bench top same as kitchen.

Looks like a project home plan so making any changes could be significantly extra, even what seems a minor tweak could have a few $$ in it..... it all just adds up so check pricing as you proceed with any changes.

Thanks MB, we are working with an architect at this stage and when we are happy with the design we'll be putting it out for tender.
I like your laundry swinging door and fit out ideas. Thank you

In regards to laundry door agree about not having a slider, we currently have a standard swing door with an internal Venetian blind. i love it!

Hi Cc,

Your plans look amazing! I have just been through this whole process myself and have a few comments to add. Firstly go with your gut. The hallway and sink in island bothers you so change it. I think the hallway should be wide all the way through, it would be much more spacious and grand which fits in with the rest of the house. I don’t understand why you are considering a second sink in the island bench when you already have a large one close by. I would put a second sink in the scullery if you want one. Sinks do attract mess. Your kitchen is roughly the same size as mine with a similar layout so I have attached pictures. I have also attached a picture of our 1.8mtr hallway which I made as wide as I could. Our island bench is 3mtr x 90cm and is fabulous. I think any bigger would detract from your space. Anyway good luck, looks like you’re on a winner.

Wow Marg2410, your house is amazing. You definitely have a lot of the features I want to have. We had a review of our house plans today and I have attached the plans. As you will see I have taken on board a lot of the suggestions and really appreciate all the time people have put into to helping us make our house a home. Suggestions and criticisms still welcome.

Hi CC

I see hubby got his double door main bedroom entry :-) Something I'd like to mention as I have just done this myself and I wish I hadn't. I have double doors for my office which opens off the entry like your room - one door opens inwards against a wall and the other swings all the way back in. It looks fine when the doors are closed but from the inside of the room, when they are open, it looks odd. Like I made a mistake!

Personally i liked the bedroom entry the way you had it before for privacy reasons (but it's not my house!), plus it looks like you've lost a fair bit of WIR space.

Also, re the separate toilet space in ensuite... the 1500mm toilet wall, which has an allowance for a 620mm door, doesn't leave a real lot of room for the bath if you set it out from the wall far enough for cleaning. Of course it all depends on the size of the bath you choose but just be mindful of this as you don't want it to be crammed up too close to that door.

Cheers

I should have posted earlier about the double doors into the bedroom, it's not a good idea especially being opposite the doors into the Media room, sorry

Wendy and Siruskey all I can say is, I agree! I'm trying to convince my hubby to forgo the double doors. Wish me luck. Good point about the toilet door.

Ow wide are the double doors into bedroom?

we have literally just moved into a rental (yesterday), while we build our new home.

Our rental is a brand new build, with double doors into master bedroom, already I hate it!

one door opened is not quite wide enough, so have to open both, then I have to work out what door needs to close first.

Not sure if your hubby thinks they look ‘grand’ but I’d be very careful with that decision.

Definitely no double doors in our bedroom....

Oops just saw two 820 doors. I think the symmetry is off, with your current plan, when you walk into the room, you’ll have a half wall (her WIR), and the other half opened to bedroom.

I am happy to announce we no longer have double doors into the master bedroom. Having more than my opinion helped my argument. Once again we have a single door with a privacy wall opposite. Thanks everyone.

Does that mean your WIR is larger again?? :)

No actually. I really want a separate toilet. We are going to move the door to the toilet around to the passageway. We measured the WIR's and feel they are big enough. Currently we share a WIR that is only marginally bigger than one of the WIR in the new plan.

My choice for a wide opening door way is one large or two single full height square formed pocket doors

yet another option to consider for the master suite is to enlarge both wiw and open the bedroom door in the opposite direction so when the door is open you don't see the bed or into her wiw....only 50cms subtracted from the bedroom makes both wiw much more spacious but i still prefer the toilet door opening into the bathroom for direct access to the handbasins with another cavity sliding door to close the bathroom off from the bedroom and isolate the smell, sounds and steam away from the bedroom

and i have to say that the shelves at the end of the pantry could be reduced in depth to allow more space for the mudroom to avoid the traffic jamb ...120mm (built into the wall cavity) is plenty of depth for storing cans, packets and bottles

This lovely wide gallery entrance with the lounge off to the right looking through

the house

That is beautiful Siriuskey