tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post6834457388527525584..comments2023-09-29T18:37:14.377+10:00Comments on Eight Acres: Designing a homesteader's houseUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-80648221047829892372017-03-07T10:32:49.350+10:002017-03-07T10:32:49.350+10:00We built our home over a decade ago and I would ch...We built our home over a decade ago and I would change a few things but not too many. I love the verandah that runs along the front (shading from the afternoon sun), eastern side (lovely and cool for eating outside) and part of the back (shading kitchen, dining area). It really expands our living space and draws us outside. We also built a ramp, instead of back stairs, for the elderly dog in our life who finds that so much easier:) We do have an ensuite and bathroom and funnily enough it's the ensuite that we all use which suits me fine as it's less to clean!) I think my advice would be to consider the aspect of a new home really carefully so that you can work as much as possible with the sun for heating, cooling and with breezes. Meg:)Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11573371198907761962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-21727800325770741282017-03-06T16:05:25.836+10:002017-03-06T16:05:25.836+10:00All good advice there. I might have this wrong, bu...All good advice there. I might have this wrong, but shouldn't that be a north/west verandah, to avoid the heat? I find the setting sun (west) is the hottest, and I can't wait for it to go down. I'm wondering what the rationale for the north/east verandah, is. Curious, as I may have it wrong. Maybe it's for sitting in the shade of the afternoon? <br /><br />In relation to your friend, I would suggest they maximise storage space, bench space, pantry storage and whether they want 3 bedrooms or 4. You can get away with 3 larger sized rooms, if you have clever storage in the rest of the house. I found our 4th bedroom wasn't really large enough for a hobby room. It was really only good for sleeping in and storing clothes.<br /><br />Also, avoid dead spaces. A lot of modern homes, have a larger than necessary entry, to make it look big. But it's a lot of dead space, just for walking through the door. I've had several friends, and neighbours who went for the grandiose entries. Now it's the least used part of the house. Because everyone uses the side door, where the cars park. So select a house with the entry, where their driveway will be. It won't matter how pretty it is. People will take the closest entry, every time, lol. <br /><br />Other dead spaces in modern floor plans, is joining living spaces together. You only need a walkway, which is 2 people-spaces wide, between your living areas. I had a friend who spent hours mopping the floors of her house, with enormous dead zones of space. Even when they bought large furniture to put against the walls, it was more space than needed, just to walk between rooms.<br /><br />It looks impressive to be surrounded by so much space, but in reality, is a mammoth chore to clean. Even with our reduced space, it's a chore to mop the walkways. We have a little foyer between 2 bedrooms, the laundry and bathroom. But without that space, we wouldn't have been able to manoeuvre the beds or other long furniture in the rooms.<br /><br />So some dead space is absolutely practical. Just keep it practical. Chris https://www.blogger.com/profile/13715819899708384147noreply@blogger.com