your plan seems to be sized to suit a flat narrow block when there is so much extra space and a steep grade...i would attempt a longer L (perhaps two story or split level?) shaped building but first we need to understand the available space?...what are the required setbacks from all five boundaries?..(ie north (plus easement), south, east, west and street access, do you need/want drive through access to the back yard and are there existing homes next door?.

Hi oklouise!
The block will be flat with only 40mm fall, the red RLs are existing surfaces before the developments cut to fill works. I'd love a stepped home but I don't think the cost on a flat block is money well spent unfortunately? What do you think?
Sunshine Coast Councils site says setbacks are 1.5-2m on the side & rear and 4.5m at the front. There will be a home on the right, the left will have a home but its a large block so our view / preferred focus is north / west. We will probably get a van at some point so a narrow access on one side might be needed (probably the right side to create a buffer)

your site plan shows contours before the site was levelled so without the slope it will much easier to build ..surprisingly your bigger block is as challenging as the very narrow ones but should make a great home site and i'll attempt some suggestions for you.

From my reading of the plan, and contours are not my jam, you’ll struggle with views from a single storey because it looks like there is a two metre retaining wall on the rear boundary to go with the 1.5-2.5m one on the side boundary. You’ll still see tree tops but when you’re sitting on the alfresco you’ll be looking at a wall so make sure you include that in your landscaping and house plans.

Bed 3/Yoga studio, does this mean you instruct Yoga from home

Hey bigreader! The retaining wall will drop away from our block as originally it was quite steep. Our view will look right towards the trees in this pic

The bed3 will double as an office as my wife is a naturopath. I don’t think she’ll teach yoga there.

So she will have clients coming to the house

Yep, we're thinking of a glass sliding door into that room down the front side of the house. that way our main entrance and house will be separate and private.

Ok. I was around the wrong way. You’ll be building on full rather than being dug down. Will make the view easier to see.

That’s a lot of fill Are you sure?

Oh gosh the red lines are the fill depth lines

hey Kate, yeah the retaining wall at the back is in two steps due to its height. It should help create a good view!

Your floorplan shows 2 steps down into the Den, what level have you planned for the courtyard,

i've not wokred that out yet, but one option was to potentially run the step through the house and into the living area. This will introduce a retaining wall / step in the slab so i'm starting to wonder if thats a good idea and worth the cost?

The main query i had originally was if anyone had any other floor plans so might suit the shaped block?! The metricon one i've put up is just an example of where we go to with one builder.

Are you able to give a name of the Metricon plan as some of the dimensions have been cut off My house is also built on an irregular block, yours is quite straight forward it just depends what you need, like the home office space that your wife needs, very exciting times

It was Chelsea 33 but we made quite a few changes to the standard plan. We’re open to any suggestions on other layouts, even an L shape or staggered layout

we can't use a commercial plan unless that builder agrees to build that variation but my suggestions are based on the shape of the block and orientation to the views with an alternate garage to make easier access from the narrow front boundary with reversing bay, caravan parking and off street parking...,there's less hallways, bigger bedrooms, studio with separate client entry, bigger kitchen, western dining room window that can be shaded with external screens and there's a gable for the northern roof to allow for taller windows and raked ceilings in family room and kitchen and about 8m to the western boundary and 20m to the rear if you want a pool but i haven't included any steps down as that uses up too much floor space and creates problems with doorways unless carefully planned and needed to save costs with foundations

Wow Louise! You’ve really listened some great ideas in there, very impressed! I’m struggling to see some as it’s a bit blury any chance you can re-send pls? 🙏🏼🙏🏼

louise! TY! its probably the best option i've seen so far! Is this a little hobby on the side for you or are you an architect/building designer? Did you see the early note about having a high raking ceiling in the living area which opens up and makes the view more expansive? Initially i was dreaming of a step down at the same point to really make it feel it open up. As much as i want steps and a sunken lounge, i'm not sure its a smart decision for our budget.

more like my lifetime obsession but when thinking of such a big investment may i suggest that the best money spent will be for a sympathetic designer and builder who can provide realistic costing for any extras before you commit to your final design.. you could always economise on internal decoration but good design will reward you for the life of the house...there are many extras like biw and other joinery that can be added later as funds allow....wanting a raked ceiling in one of our renovations, i discovered that scissor trusses in a very modest gable style roof combined with fixed triangle shaped panels of glass above standard doors and windows provided the feeling of height and space for minimum extra cost ...your high ceilings (in family, dining, kitchen and courtyard) would be aysymmetrical and even more exciting and the step down could be from inside to the courtyard and rear verandah which are more natural and cheaper locations for a change in floor level than inside the house eg the courtyard floor could also continue out and wrap around the western side of the house (with a long vine covered pergola added later to create a shady path to meet at the back verandah??)

Well I can think of much worse obsessions so good on you! I’ve tried a few project builders but none got to where we wanted hence my post originally so I’m thinking it’s time to engage someone and going the custom route. The block is going to be flat so introducing a step may be out of the question especially considering the retaining wall will be on the west side. Crazy idea but I could consider importing some more fill creating a gentle slope / step before we start?

after the house is finished if you want to add shape to the block consider a pile of builders' rubble that can be covered with top soil and plants to create interesting mounds but a fall of even as little as 40cms for the length of the block would allow for a low retaining wall and steps but that's talking about landscaping when i would be more focussed on researching suitable building materials ...check out the YourHome.gov.au website for advice about passive solar design for your area and maybe consider lightweight external walls and/or reverse brick veneer with a concrete slab and steel roof and thermal break double glazing and etc etc

The difficult part of this exercise was trying to get the boundaries correct, my floorplan could be too wide but I have been generous with room sizes which can all be reduced. As OKL says we are only offering you ideas and possible options that you can take back to your designer/builder

Hi SK! Thanks for sharing I really like the separate bed area! Loving the design process it’s so exciting! All these tips and ideas great

hey guys, i've found / modified another project builders base plan we really like, unfortunately GJs are a little more expensive but i thinkt the deisgn is great and how it wraps around the courtyard. We'll make that a dense rainforecast garden style so most spots in the house see green..

any thoughts comments is greatly appreciated! 1 thing i'm not sure on is having the butlers on the north side, this is a nice view and it will impeded it. Downside to moving it to the opposite side of the kitchen is you'd lose the flow of introducing a wall.

put the kitchen at the boundary wall, not in the middle. When entering the main living of the home, you don’t want to see the full kitchen on arrival, you want to see the views over the trees. If you place the kitchen on the west wall, if is visually private and it doesn’t matter where the pantry goes.

Hi there,

Can I throw a spanner into the works and propose something quite different but along the lines of your original plan?

From your plan, I would suggest a few tweaks. Try to get your bed facing the view, having the kitchen facing the view instead of sideways and trying to get some north view and light into several of the other bedrooms/office/yoga room.

That leads me to think that you don't need to offer as much north aspect to the garage and give that over to the other rooms.

I have an idea below for you to consider.

All bedrooms introduce some north facing windows. If you handle light well, it really makes a house.

You can make many tweaks to better suit you, like shunting over B3 & the Den to give a more spacious entry or making some rooms bigger or smaller. I'm not sure what your overall floor area is but this plan could be adjusted up or down to suit. I've shown the dining living space as 5m wide and the master bedroom is 4.5m wide x 4m. The court should bring enough light into the hallway but you could introduce solar tubes if you need more.

The kitchen does not have a scullery as your plan did but the part wall on the peninsular bench will screen the toaster and jug etc from the living area. A well organised kitchen does not need a scullery, they are currently in fashion but may not be by time you sell this house in the future!!! You could introduce a small window from the kitchen to the court for serving if you want but access via the door from the corridor is very close and convenient. You could open up the whole wall between the corridor and court if you want.

I like the den separated from the living especially if there are teenagers in the house so they can have their own space or play movies loud etc.

I think there is slightly less overall corridor space in this arrangement considering you have an effective corridor running both sides of the kitchen and scullery. While corridors are essential, they are 'unusable' space so I always try to minimise them.

There is no separate mud room but you could add more space for this near the entry. The yoga room on this plan is bigger than you had it so you could tweak that area to suit.

If you wanted some outside space for the yoga studio, you could switch it and the powder room with bedroom 3 and shunt the left side rooms further north but that would mean you have to go in through the front door for clients unless you make a long path around the garage and workshop. I think where it is retains privacy for the home from clients.

Also, being on the sunshine coast, I think it will really make the spaces feel great if you can have some higher sloping ceilings. There is some great tropical architecture in Australia that you could take inspiration from. See below. You might light to incorporate screens or shutters on the west windows for those hot summer afternoons. You could introduce some clerestorey windows down the corridor if you have different height sloping roofs. That will help with summer heat also. So many options......

Good luck,

C.

i think your new commercial plan is closer to a better option but my suggestions for changes include a direct line of sight from front door to the view, more useable activity space, less space wasted in the foyer with added storage, a more comfortable shape for the living room, kitchen and pantry with great views and a servery window, a more private powder room, small study or extra wiw for the master suite, ens with shower and loo with a view and generous wiw, drive through access to the eastern courtyard for a caravan or an out of sight clothesline, this house should be able to be placed further down the block to be closer to the views and leave more parking space at the front as well as the western courtyard with optional roof to screen harsh western sun and provide an alternate alfresco or cold weather outdoor play area

there is a very simple hip roof or include a gable wall on the western end of the family room to allow for a raked ceiling inside OR the whole northern roof could be angled upwards by also adding a a gable wall on the eastern side of the master suite and/or keep the northern covered outdoor area shallow to avoid excluding northern sun

and there should still be about 15m between the house and the rear boundary so plenty of space for a pool etc

That looks great okl.
Jonjon, remember you builders plans are subject to copyright. So great for ideas but must be modified a reasonable amount

Thankyou guys!

Christine - i really like the positioning of the garage & the separated workshed area. But one thing i prefer with the latest commercial plan is the kids area is quite separated and almost its own zone of the house. I have a 5 year old boy and i'm told as they get older, separate spaces are a help!

Louise - i agree, the latest option is definitely getting better! i quite like how you've squeezed the toilet in behind the bed which will give a view from the shower, we have this at the moment and i do enjoy it! I'm not sure It might steal some space from the living area though? What were your thoughts about having the butler on the north taking up the view, vs putting it south of the kitchen? If we put it on the south its creating a bit of a corridor which i'm trying to prevent. So view vs corridor in your option?

GJ james have the best option from a commerical perspective, but they're also more expensive than Stylemaster. I've no idea how expensive a smaller custom builder will be vs these guys? Does anyone have any insight into that?!

🙏everyone!

i prefer the pantry on the north so that when working in the pantry you have a view and also have a view from the kitchen across the dining area to the view and through the pantry to the view...why hide the pantry away from the view if you plan to actually use the pantry as working space and not just as a storage cupboard which is a completely different thing. .how do you plan to use the pantry and where would you want to locate all appliances including food processors etc and not being able to read the original sizes of the room i can't say if the new ens steals space off the living area but very much doubt that the original family living arae is bigger than the 8m i've allowed but always depends on how you will use all the spaces...the ens could be pushed out under the eaves to allow a little extra space if necessary

Hi Jonjon,

Separation for your son is something to ponder. The length of the house provides separation already and what is it you want him to be separated from? The front of the house contains the garage and yoga/office space and the den as well as the two bedrooms. This is all quite separate from the master and living room. Personally, if you can close a door, that is separation but perhaps inclusion should be more of a project???

C.

Hi Christine when my son becomes a teenager he’ll want his own space to hang out with his mates. Including him in our daily motions within our family home will be a priority but having the option for his own space is equally important.

Hi Jonjon,

My comment was a bit 'tongue in cheek' really but also highlighting that the layout I suggested provided more separation and privacy for two separate groups to be able to 'hang out' independantly of each other. This is acheived by having the den and courtyard screened from the main living area with the back wall of the kitchen. Your original plan and the second one still has the courtyard and the den with a visual connection to the living area, though a little less so in the second plan. With my layout, your boy and friends could happily hang out in his room, the den and courtyard without interupting what is going on in the north of the house.

Also, having the office/yoga room on the other side of the hallway from the den gives separation for that activity and clients.

If you needed extra separation, you could add a door in the hallway in line with the kitchen and laundry. This could be a cavity slider going into the bedroom/laundry wall or a simple hinged door, but I think it would function fine without a door.

Whatever plan you end up with, I would prioritise what you want to acheive with your design and list them in order of importance. The comments I initially made on my first post, based on your comments, would be what I would prioritise. That being north views from as many spaces as possible, which also prioritises light, which is important. I'd orientate your bed facing the view, I'd eliminate the less important spaces from the view and try to reduce wasted space in corridors and circulation where feasible.

Think about how you use, or plan to use your kitchen in relation to the dining and living and outdoor space. Kitchens have evolved from being a separate room to the open plan arrangement common now and onto needing a scullery or pantry room because the open plan arrangement does not allow for the mess to be hidden away. A scullery is effectively a pantry combined with the messy stuff. Not a space that really deserves the view. That should, IMO be reserved for the 'front' kitchen in the open plan area. You need to strike the balance between open and closed without sacrificing the functionality of the whole kitchen. Personally, in the scullery I would put the dishwasher and a big sink and the majority of the dry food storage and maybe the jug and toaster and other portable appliances with some usable bench space. In the front kitchen I would have a small sink, the oven and cooktop, fridge and freezer within easy access at the edge of the kitchen and all your crockery and cutlery storage and a nice island bench.

Good luck with everything.

C.

Can you confirm the proposed Lots 14,15,16 is there another lot next to the proposed new road?

Hi SK! He’s the developments key plan

Lot 14 is apparently having 2 houses but as it’s large you’d assume they’ll build further away from our western boundary. We’re therefore designing the house with the focus being the north west corner. This is also the view towards mountains so suits I think.

That changes access to my garage, I missed the access between 15 and 13 which means you driveway access is via the sloping boundary

Therefore it shows that access is only on the south east corner. Therefore as Christine Hall Architect’s has drawn, the garage would be better placed on the south west corner of the block.

Never assume anything, they will do what is best for their houses.

That's why I have asked for confirmation of the Lots as I have my garage in the same position but because access to lot 14 was not included, access for lot 15 is only available from the sloping boundary, which needs changes to my suggested floorplan.

Thank you guys, I’ve enjoyed and appreciate your comments!
We’re not quite their yet but hopefully a project builder will bend to our desires! I’m not sure if a smaller custom builder will be cheaper?