Room Layouts 101

Let me start by saying, the layout of your home is very subjective. The way you live should have a significant impact to your home layout.

Some people are very communal and prefer open plan living where they can entertain and engage with a group of friends or family (or both). Some people are introverts, who require separate spaces with nooks and retreats to allow for their preferred way of living.

There are some aspects of home design though that apply to all homes and tend to be the way most people go. Exempli Gratia (For example; in no particular order).

• Your main bathroom should have adjacency to the secondary bedrooms and the living space (if this is your only toilet).

• Your Laundry should be located acoustically separate from the main living space.

• Your Kitchen should be centrally located with view lines to the dining room and the living room\lounge.

• Your Master Bedroom should be the gatekeeper to the house. It stops adolescents sneaking out.

• Spaces have size hierachy.

  • Good lounge size is 5x4m,

  • Master Bed 4x4m,

  • Dining 5x3m or 4x4m,

  • Kitchen (depends on the shape) but similar to the dining room,

  • Garage 6x6m - yes, you can go smaller, but this allows for good storage around the perimeters.

  • Bedrooms - Bed 2\Guest room 3x4m, Bed 3 = 3.5x3.5m and Bed 4\study = 3x3m

  • Bathroom  (again, depends on the shape) but generally 4x2m or 3x3m

  • Ensuites - generally 2.8x1.8m (this allows for shower, vanity, toilet) or 2.4x2.4m

  • Laundry - 4x2m

  • WIR - Master 3x2m (my wife would argue that though) or 4x1.5m

  • Hallways (the bone of contention) but generally no less than 1.0m wide, but I tend to do 1.2m wide typically in the homes I design. The reason - it's a pain in the bum to get a queen size bed or a dresser into a bedroom if the hallway is small.

Now, I know this is subjective and I know there will be people out there who disagree. I welcome them to email someone, anyone, who cares (because I don't hehe) because my advice here is based on years of designing homes and seeing the problems that can occur when the home is too small, or too big. Yes, too big is a thing.

I think, in the interest of sustainability and efficiency, most families can now live quite comfortably in a 3 bed home with a living and separate lounge. I think smaller homes with fewer walls, better thermal efficiency and higher quality are the future.

Signing off,

Revell