Beyond the actual size of your bedrooms, bathrooms and closets, what are some ways you can maximize space in these areas of your home through design?

Bedrooms. Doors swinging into a bedroom may interfere with how you want to arrange your space. One solution, as seen in the Bonham plan, pulls the door forward into the hallway leading to the bedroom. In contrast to windows in the center, placing windows in the corners offer more placement options for your bed and furniture. And at 16-feet deep, this bedroom is large enough for a sitting area. Bedroom sitting areas maximize space, compared with trying to carve out a separate private personal space elsewhere.

Bathrooms. Maximize usability in bathroom layouts such as the Blue Hill Timbers that have a sink immediately upon entry by utilizing a sliding/pocket door rather than a hinged door that swings into the bathroom. Two separate vanities provide individual countertop space for both of you, and makeup ledges above the sinks provide further space for items you want to leave out. A private toilet area makes this bathroom more conducive to simultaneous use. With 78% of adults surveyed reporting they never use the bathtub, no bathtub in your suite bathroom provides added space for a larger shower.

Toilets behind a door are wonderful for privacy, but usually lack storage space.  As seen in the Rourke plan, a storage recess/shelf appears in the wall next to the toilet for extra rolls of toilet paper and hygiene products .

Closets. A study of Design Basics’ home plans reveals new designs today dedicate about 20% more square footage to storage than comparable-size designs introduced just 10 years ago! For hanging on opposite sides, a closet needs to be about 7-feet wide (or deep.) When you can’t get that 7-feet, is a tall ceiling possible? The Slater plan shown has a 13-feet by 6-feet closet with a ceiling that’s 12-feet high. When at least 11-feet high, there’s room for three hanging rods and shelves, providing more clothes storage, plus room for a space-saving, in-wall, fold-down ironing board.

You’ll also notice a pocket door accesses the Slater’s closet, eliminating having a hinged door swinging into clothes hanging along the side.  When a sliding door isn’t possible, can the door swing back into the bathroom or bedroom rather than into the closet?  Yet another option is 1-foot deep shelving, such as found in the Angel Haven plan, for the door to swing against, rather than rather than clothes hanging which takes more space.

Look for next week’s blog post which looks at maximizing space in your kitchen, dining and entertaining areas.  Additionally, in a couple weeks we’ll be looking at product choices which help maximize space!

The final chapter in our comparison of three top-selling one-story home plans around 1,600 square feet in size examines these designs in terms of Flexible Living, the fourth “lens” that home buyers tell us they use to evaluate a home’s livability.  Flex spaces in a home are golden, in that they are designed for you to tailor to how you want your home to live.  In addition, they may serve multiple purposes simultaneously, or routinely shift from one purpose to another to keep up with your needs.

As originally designed, all three of these homes have a front bedroom which could be re-purposed as a home office.  If that’s your intent, consider that the Jensen Falls and Shelton Farm offer easy access for client and colleague visits (red dashed lines), plus convenient, adjacent bathrooms.  In the Locklear, guests need to walk through the family room and down the bedroom hallway to your office.  How would you feel about having visitors walking through your home?  How might it make them feel?

With its Pocket Office, (concept illustrated below) the Shelton Farm presents the most flexibility of these three designs.  Don’t need a pocket office or planning center?  Add a half-bath, storage closet, wine room, pet center, or a second walk-in pantry!  

Claiming the top Spot for Flexible Living is…The Shelton Farm.  That plan’s Pocket Office flex space gives it a significant advantage, as well as the design of its unobstructed dining area which can temporarily encroach into the Family room for big dinner parties.

Another version of the Locklear, plan 42315 (Locklear Cottage) re-purposes Br. 3 as a Flex Room immediately accessed from the entry.  The dashed lines suggest there could also be a door for direct access from the stoop.

Part four of our comparison of three top-selling one-story home plans around 1,600 square feet in size, examines these designs through the Entertaining, lens, the third of the four “lenses” that home buyers tell us they use to evaluate a home’s livability.  Of course, different people have different entertaining preferences (formal/casual, indoor/outdoor, conversation-based/activity-based, etc.)  But whatever type you enjoy, they all center around places in the home we gather.

The Shelton Farm’s entertaining area is wonderfully open, bringing everyone together.  With room for a pull-out wastebasket next to the sink, its 7-foot island with snack bar is the most accommodating of these three home plans.  The family room’s ceiling increases from 9-foot to 10-foot high, and positioning the fireplace in the corner provides unobstructed views out the back.  With no walls or obstructions, this design’s dining area can temporarily expand into the Family room for big holiday meals.

At 80-inches wide, the Jensen Falls’ front entry is the roomiest of these three designs.  It also features a 10-foot high ceiling which extends through the kitchen, family and dining rooms, furthering this home’s feeling of spaciousness.  The Jensen Falls boasts the largest Family room of these three plans, and like the Shelton Farm, this layout features a corner fireplace alongside two tall windows. 

Jogging the dining room out the back provides room definition as well as space for a hinged door leading onto a 15’-8” x 12’-0” covered deck or patio – perfect for entertaining, grilling out, or taking in a remarkable sunset.  However, that door swing will impact your table and chair placement (unless you specify an “outswing” door.)  Both the Locklear and Shelton Farm utilize sliding doors onto the rear patio or deck.

Thoughtful touches are evidenced in the Locklear’s front entry, where sunshine streams through a sidelite, a closet accommodates your guests’ coats, and a high ceiling is carried through the family room, where tall windows flank the fireplace.  Importantly, only the Locklear provides a guest (powder) bathroom.

A recessed display (between the coat closet and staircase) frames your favorite artwork or photos.

Here in installment #3 of our comparison of three top-selling one-story home plans around 1,600 square feet in size, we turn to Storing, another of the four “lenses” that home buyers report using to evaluate a home’s livability.  At Design Basics, we have learned the three keys to storage are: sufficient square footage devoted to storage; locating storage right where it is needed; and maximizing storage with organizational amenities.

Bedroom Closets.  At 37 lineal feet, (based on double rods and shelves) the Shelton Farm’s Suite walk-in closet offers the most storage, compared to 32 lineal feet for the Locklear and a surprising 31 lineal feet for the Jensen Falls.  More than adequate closet space feels so good!  Having walk-in closets in bedrooms 2 and 3, the Shelton Farm also easily outscores the two other homes in terms of closet accommodations for secondary bedrooms.

Kitchen. All three homes offer walk-in pantries, but at 6’-2” x 4’-9”, the Locklear’s pantry provides the most storage potential.  Being 7-feet long, the Shelton Farm’s island has room for a pull-out wastebasket/recycling drawer next to the sink.  Unencumbered by a sink and dishwasher, the Locklear provides the most island storage.

GARAGE. The Locklear’s 3-car garage is the deepest of these homes, offering the most storage potential.  The Jensen Falls’ standard third garage stall often becomes added storage in many households.  The Shelton Farm’s basic 2-car garage has minimal storage space.

LAUNDRY.  The Locklear, with the most spacious laundry room of these three designs, also provides the greatest amount of laundry room storage.  The Shelton Farm places shelves or cabinets above the washer and dryer.  No storage in the laundry is shown for the Jensen Falls

With an 11-foot high ceiling, the Jensen Falls can have three rods and shelves, in its suite’s walk-in closet, combining for 31 lineal feet of storage.  Photo courtesy Tailored Living

Continuing with our last post, a comparison of three top-selling one-story home plans around 1,600 square feet in size, we now turn to each home’s livability and its four component “lenses” that home buyers report using to evaluate a home’s suitability when evaluating home plans.  For some, De-stressing is most important (take the Livability at A Glance quiz to identify which lens is most important for you.)  Many people, when they think of de-stressing at home, first picture their bedroom suite.  These three designs take slightly different approaches to creating a de-stressing suite.

The Shelton Farm utilizes a sliding pocket door between the bedroom and bathroom, eliminating the possibility of a hinged door swinging in to you if you were standing in front of the first sink.  A double-sink vanity helps ease time pressures when the two of you are getting ready at the same time.  The 3-foot x 5-foot shower feels luxurious in comparison to even 4-foot showers so common a few years ago, and having a linen closet ends the frustration of where to keep towels and sheets.

Though narrower, the Locklear’s bedroom has corner windows, providing additional opportunities for which wall the bed headboard rests against, as well as natural light from two directions.  That bathroom’s vanity is nearly a foot wider than the Shelton Farm’s vanity, allowing you to spread out a bit more.  And the oversized doorless shower means no door to clean, while glass block above the shower plus another window ease eyestrain and contribute to a cheery bathroom.

The Locklear also wins when it comes to stress-busting laundry room amenities, with lots of storage, a window, folding counter and sink.

At 16’-8” in depth, the Jensen Falls’ bedroom is large enough to provide you a relaxing sitting area at the back.  Notice that the door to the bathroom swings into the bedroom, smoothing transitions.  Even couples married for decades tell us there’s time when you just need privacy, and this bathroom has a private toilet area with a window.  And at 84” in length, the dual-sink vanity bestows “me” space for both of you.

Anything that saves time and steps is inherently de-stressing.  Such is the case for the Jensen Falls’ sliding pocket door connection between the walk-in closet and laundry area!

Many people also find covered front porches like the Jensen Farms’ to be relaxing – a place to enjoy nature, greet neighbors, and watch kids playing.