how many and what are the ages and special needs need of people who will live in the house full time...there seems to be generous accommodation for occasional guest or full time granny or bedsit accommodation but limited living area and lots of bedrooms...attempting to add suitable furniture to the living area will help identify limitations but please advise the width and length of the block, size and location of existing or proposed shed and can you post the original floor plan and advise what alterations are allowed by your builder as too many variations may be more expensive than a custom build

Anybody entering from the front door is going to be able to glance back and see your jocks and socks. The main wardrobe isn’t ideal

Can you read plan so text Is shown right way round

Thankyou for questions and feedback!

I will upload the requested plans with the writing easier to read and the further details tomorrow.

There are 5 fulltime residents and fairly regular occupation of guest room. I am happy if guest bedroom and bathroom are smaller aiming accessible and safe for elderly parent with mobility issue

The 'retreat' will be our second living space as well as the patio and pergola.

Would a door/bifold on the WIR in the main bedroom work? I hadn't thought about the view into the master!

Can you move the sink under the window? I would have it there closer to stove for emptying pots
With guest consider putting in wheelchair accessible bathroom I would also have the guest room accessed from main room rather than from retreat. Even if you decide on two doors. With so many bedrooms I would have 2 living rooms

Hi Kate I agree moving the sink to under the window is a good option, I just prefer that long view down the side of the house to backyard and pool from the sink. However imagining moving that full pot of hot water from stove to sink makes me think!

In our current kitchen the stove and sink are opposite each other 2 metres apart, its not terrible but could be better!

We are using elements from the Liveable Housing Australia guidelines and will likely end up with a wheelchair friendly guest ensuite.

We are using the retreat as a second living area and want guest bedroom to also have access to the retreat, thats where my thinking is with putting access through the retreat, only, otherwise the guest bedroom will have 4 doors plus wardrobe door.

I'll upload clearer plans in the morning also showing the original floor plan.

Thankyou!!

Site Plan:

Original Plan (Higher quality: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B55f8_O5VZz37hGb2NgcuN0BVki6TRhV/view?usp=sharing)

Plan with readable text (Higher quality: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GNiT9m9_8LLSXyE07imUVln4iDd6Zqin/view?usp=sharing)

I'll add answers to questions tonight

Some answers to questions!

We are a family of 5 a couple with 3 teenagers.

Aiming for no step entry into the house, ensuite main bedroom no step entry and a built in seat for the shower and we'll make provision for future grab rails.

Guest room is for guests including elderly parent with left side weakness can walk uses wheelchair for longer distance. We'll start the guest ensuite with step free shower and grab rails and use a shower chair when required.

The retreat is our second lounge room close to Bed 2 /3/4 but with ability to close off and be private to guest bed option to use as short term rental when children move out.

The block approx is 18 x 33.5 metres 607 square metres, thinking of shed 3x2 metres behind Bed 3 on fence line and pool in the remaining corner of backyard

Ensure you consider installing 850mm door opening or greater, on all doors. This will allow for wheelchair access, and future proof your new home.

using original external dimensions my suggestions include more space for the bathrooms, wiw and bigger bedrooms for your teenagers... furniture helps identify best locations for doorways but mindful of needing to keep the house (+ shed) size below 50% one option would be to omit the house roof over the patio/alfresco and use an enlarged pergola over the alfresco for shading ...total floor area of this plan (including garage and front porch) is about 245 sqm plus about 45sqm for pergola and alfresco but i think the front porch, all doorways and kids hallway need more space for potential wheelchair users, grab rails are best installed during construction (with walls over cavity sliding doors reinforced where necessary for location of grab or towel rails) and grab rails make excellent matching towel rails (check Con-serv and similar for a wide range of suitable rails) but there's limited space to locate the kitchen sink on the east wall (as shown on your plan) without sacrificing the length of the island and i expect the cost of the butt jointed corner glass window in the kitchen would not be appreciated for more than the few minutes while standing at the sink and access to the DW is awkward so the kitchen needs more thought

Ensure house complies with the NCC changes coming in later this year which include all the accessible design you are seeking.
If you want sink at window delete the cabinet along the outside wall

thankyou dreamer for the wheelchair and doorway info

thankyou oklouise for your comments and floor plan. How do you do it? Thankyou for thinking about solutions. I like the ensuite I strangely perhaps prefer the bed the other way, against the WIR and would like to have both ends of WIR open with big window / door on northern wall. Love to see extra space in Bed 2/3/4 thats great to see that is possible. Family bathroom layout so convenient for many users. Would it be possible to flip the bathroom so that the toilet is against retreat wall instead of bedroom wall? Or is that a bad idea/add sound barrier? Kids hallway can stay standard hallway size.

I don't mind if the island is smaller but I still thinking about the sink .

What do you think of the workflow in the kitchen?? I agree about the fancy window and more thought for the kitchen!!

I'll ask the builder rep about these changes.

Is it possible to push external rwall etreat/guest bedroom in a bit, this is an addition from the original standard plan, ideally we'd end up somewhere in the middle.I love that you have thought to put external access through the retreat, could the retreat flip so the TV is not against the guest bed head? Bad idea?

I checked out Con -Serv they have a great range, thankyou

Laundry/mudroom looks good

Hi Kate I like the desk addition! I don't think I can lose that kitchen bench - so many competing demands!!!

using the overall length and width of your plan ( ie 24000 x 13300) some adjustments have to be made in order to achieve your needs and the bed in the master can be anywhere you like but the room isn't big enough to have the wiw open at both ends as original bedroom has to be reduced to allow for more ens space but wiw is wider to allow for more storage and walking space and windows and external doors can usually be placed to suit the views but also depends on what style of house you like and how much space is between the house and the boundary..

.i actually flipped the family bathroom to keep the optional family bathroom door further away from the public rooms and biw in bed 3 provides soundproofing for the toilet ... it is possible to push the wall of the guest bed and retreat in a bit and place the TV on opposite walls but depends on how much space your furniture and elderly relative needs and any change in external walls adds extra valleys and complications and expense to the roof and the rooms are already as small as i would want, especially when you need space for three teenagers and i've attempted to provide enough furniture for the whole family to sit together BUT depending on maximum possible sqm size of the whole house (ie is it 303.5sqm -shed?) and available distance from the side boundaries, location of pool and shed it might be possible to make other changes if you want a wider space on the southern side by making the garage and beds 2/3/4 and bathroom stick out further rather than having retreat and guest smaller...and kitchen flow depends on how you like to work and will the rest of the family be in the kitchen at the same time but by making the pergola area deeper there is enough room for your 1500 sink with dw on the eastern kitchen wall without the small projecting counter that blocks traffic and keep the longer island for more work space for the rest of the family..

Okl. Why is the dimension of your bench where sink is and dimensions of island?

assume you mean the sink bench is 1500 x 600 (including the corner) and the island is 2500 x 900

another variation with the courtyard area on the southern side which creates a bigger alfresco area and more view to the backyard from family room, master bedroom with external doors (but western windows need to be decided) variations to the retreat and Kate's study nook but would still prefer the sink on northern wall where there's more standing space, easier access to the DW for teenage helpers, closer access between stove and sink, more counter for serving to outdoors through eastern window and more comfortable traffic paths without losing island length

Fi there are always competing demands and perfection does not exist, we always want more and more. The island at 2.5m is huge. Mine is 0.9 for my family of 5. You need to decide what you value.

Mine is 1200 x 2700 and could still be bigger as our family loves to cook. It's what works for the individual but with a family of 2 adults and 3 teenagers I would go bigger.. Kate 900 is very small, especially when you calculate 600 space per person to sit at.

The size of your space would have dictated 900, is it on wheels

Sorry it is 1200!! '

Hi and thank you to everyone who has responded and given your thoughts and suggestions

Apologies for delayed reply just a busy time, I so appreciate the input.

Today's version is an attempt to incorporate all of the above!

Its still very much a work in progress, trying to stay close to the original plan and staying within the size limitation of around 300 square metres for house/garage including the eaves and a 6metre shed and of course budget.

Changes I have adopted from the many wise suggestions are the increase in size in beds 2/3/4 to 3x4 metres- I would go to 3.5 x 4 m if size limits allow.

The family bathroom layout changes once again as per oklouise, not sure which way I prefer in the orientation, but love that layout.

Have pulled back the kitchen bump out and placed the sink on the north facing benchtop, would reinstate the bump out if size allows but probably would still keep sink on north side as I agree it feels too cramped otherwise.

Bed 1 still playing around there but still hoping to fit the bed in front of robe with 2 entries into the robe.

I don't think I'll achieve a gold standard for the ensuite bathrooms, will just make sure they are roomy enough for grab rails and a shower chair with step free entry( Bed 5 ensuite) and a built in sitting ledge in B1 ensuite with step free entry.

The diagonal cut in the activity room is to lessen the impact of the dogleg and will likely end up with the TV mounted on it.

Still playing around with where the external wall for B5 and activity will sit.

Think I prefer the garage entry through the laundry as suggested in feedback plan.

I'd like to acknowledge and thank oklouise, Kate, kbodman14, siriuskey, dreamer and bigreader for your time and feedback looking forward to your thoughts on this version!

(High Quality: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aJlthh7oa8owuqp33CvUU2uwv3G9s7Dn/view?usp=sharing)

Looks great. Check the guest bath room layout with your relatives OT. flipping it may be best if they need grab rails on their right side

For Bed 5, I suggest swapping the linen cupboard with the now the entrance to bed 5 and there could be a solid wall between the activity room and bedroom5, and the wall be soundproofed. That is if the activity room is going to be used by others. Also watch any step that my wanted by your local authority, especially from the garage.

This with your bedroom wish, a powder room, kitchen with samll pantry area and large Island.

Because you plan to have a pool I have moved the bathroom with external access plus adding the laundry to the area where most of the dirty linen will be. The Guest 5th bedroom ensuite is bigger to allow wheel chair access and parking. I can't draw a curved wall with my CAD program so I have angled it.

So much better layout as per above

thanks Kay, siriuskey and Kate still trying to get a final floor plan so all suggestions gratefully received!

siriuskey you have explored a different angle however we are modifying a standard floor plan (seems to be the cheaper way to go) and part of that I have been advised is conditional on the wet areas not moving I don't think i can make a change to that degree with bedroom/bathroom swap but I'll be checking, I like the relocation of the laundry and all the wet areas together!! Bed room 1 , I just prefer the bed facing the other way!

We'll probably keep the activity area closer to the Bed 2/3/4

I should have backed up my floorplan with more detail but ran out of time.

I was working with modifying your floorplan and after finding it difficult to read the dimensions I just improvised looking at squ M, etc.

The Master Bedroom has changed, I personally don't like walking into a bedroom from behind the bedhead, I like to see who's coming into the room and like your suggestion I have the ensuite in the new position..

I also felt that it might give your parents more privacy by swapping with the Media/living/retreat room, this room could also be used as a Study with kids doing home work on computers if and when not needed by your parents.. The 5th bedroom Ensuite needs to be bigger than the average or more open to accommodate someone needing support, quite often this means using a shower curtain instead of a partition.

The Kitchen Pantry space would have a full height window on the end wall.

The Powder room is an extension of the Master Ensuite.

The idea to swap the family bathroom is because you mentioned planning a pool at the rear of the Alfresco, so having easy access to a bathroom is important for families unless you were thinking of adding a WC to the shed..

All just ideas for you to consider, cheers

thanks siriuskey! re swapping placement of Bed 5 and activity/retreat room which way do you feel is more private?

Thinking a sliding door/large window on northern wall in Bed 1 so keeping the WIR/ensuite off that wall. Similarly was hoping to keep that northern end of the kitchen more open and thought sink there instead of island. I did like that tucked away feel your design gave the pantry however.

The family bathroom and laundry together looks pretty convenient and nice to have that external access but I don't think I'll be permitted to move wet areas. Thanks for your thoughts on this its great to have different ideas to consider and move away from my tunnel vision!!

Bed 5 and Retreat all depends on who you are targeting to use it, Parents, Kids or whole family, I would keep parents bed 5 away from kitchen family but it all depends on what you want. How often are parents visiting and others.

I couldn't read the dimensions on the plan but I can show you the difference between the size of my master and yours, I have used a temporary short wall to show your room width @ 4.5m which I think is too narrow for the bed and two doorways?, it can be adjusted. I have added two windows to the WIR, and suggest two options of either tall 600 windows that go to the floor and the other with draws and windows above.

The kitchen has full height window next to the Pantry space, lots of lovely Southern light The cabinets to be chosen ie: draws, doors etc.to suit.