Three Main Areas of a House

Interior Planning

Differentiate between the three main areas of a house

Connect prior use of tools to tool use in architectural drawing

Design 3 main areas of a house Analyze various kitchen types Critique basic floor plans Apply concepts of scale to everyday life Create part of a floor plan using

architectural tools

Objectives

It’s a scaled drawing of a horizontal section through a building at a given level (usually 5’-0”)

a diagram of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure

Shows: location and dimensions of exterior and interior walls, windows, doors, major appliances, cabinets, fireplaces

Floor Plans

Information in a floor plan includes: Exterior and interior walls Size and location of windows and doors Built in cabinets and appliances Permanent fixtures Stairs and fireplaces – direction, number of

risers and width of stairs Patios and decks Room names Material symbols Scale, usually drawn ¼” = 1’

Floor Plans

Open vs. Closed Plans:

Open Concept◦ Rooms on the main level

are not divided by walls. The line of sight leads from the front to the back of the house

◦ Good for families with kids, who want to see them at all times, when cooking, etc.

◦ This is currently a popular method of building

◦ Especially popular for smaller spaces

Floor Plans

Open vs. Closed Plans:

Closed Concept◦ Rooms on the main level

are mostly divided by walls into separate spaces.

◦ This is a more traditional method of building

◦ It allows for more privacy

◦ Better layout for larger homes than smaller homes

Floor Plans

It’s the movement of people from one area or room to another

You should plan for maximum efficiency of movement

Pathways should be short and not pass through other rooms too much

Traffic Circulation

http://hiconsumption.com/2013/03/famous-television-show-home-floor-plans/

Famous TV Show Floor Plans

Sleeping Area Living Area Service Area

Areas of a Residential Home

Where people go for privacy, to rest, go to the bathroom, etc.

Located away from the busy areas (entrance, kitchen, family room, garage)

Rooms Include:◦ Bedroom◦ Master Bedroom◦ Bathrooms◦ Dressing rooms◦ Nurseries

Sleeping Area

Bedrooms: Should each have

hallway access and a closet!

FHA (Federal Housing Administration) Recommended Sizes:◦ Minimum= 100 sq. feet

(10’X10’)◦ Average= 125-175 sq. ft. ◦ Large= over 175 sq. ft.

More bedrooms in a home = more sale potential

Sleeping Area

Bedrooms:

Sleeping Area

Bedroom planning considerations: How many people are sleeping in the room? What type of room is it? (a Master Suite

should also have a bathroom and large closet)

Leave at least 2’-0” on either side of a bed larger than a double size

Provide end table(s) for the bed Did you include a generously-sized closet? What other storage could be provided?

Sleeping Area

Bathrooms: Located near sleeping and living

areas An average residential house will

have at least1-1/2 baths Door should swing to avoid direct

view of the toilet Placed near or above each other or

kitchen◦ Save money to run more plumbing

pipes Avoid placing toilets under

windows and having doors open directly to them

Include an exhaust fan and GFCI outlets (ground fault circuit interrupter)

Sleeping Area

Bathrooms: 3 types

½ Bath contains toilet and lavatory (sink)

Sleeping Area

Bathrooms: 3 types

¾ Bath contains toilet / lav / shower or tub

Sleeping Area

Bathrooms: 3 types

Full (master) Bath contains toilet / lav / shower / tub◦ Minimum full size- 5’X8’◦Large full sizes- 10’X10’, 10’X12’

Sleeping Area

Bathroom planning considerations: Leave15” on either side of the toilet Leave 24” in front of the toilet There should be a mirror over the sink! Is there enough light in the mirror area? The fixtures should follow common

dimensions:◦ Common tub size 30”x 60”◦ Shower size 30” x 30” to 36” x 48”

Sleeping Area

Closets: Minimum Depth- 2’-0”

(Recommended- 30”) Location

◦ near an entranceway ◦ on interior walls (noise

insulation/does not reduce exterior wall space for windows)

Access door types◦ Bi-fold ◦ sliding ◦ Hinged

Sleeping Area

Interior Doors: Minimum bedroom door size = 2’6”

W x 6’-8” H Other interior door sizes- 2’-3’or

wider in 2” increments Door should be near a corner (6”

from the wall) They should swing into the room They should not hit any bathroom

fixtures Do not block closets in the

bedrooms Do not allow for direct viewing of a

toilet!

Sleeping Area

General Rules to Consider for Sleeping Area: Rooms should be grouped together whenever

possible Add switched lighting in every room (near

entrance) At least two windows are recommended

when there are two exterior walls Include plenty of furniture storage pieces

(side tables, bureaus, etc.) Consider a spot for a TV viewable from the

bed Each bedroom should have an accessible

bathroom

Sleeping Area

Where people relax, entertain guests, dine, read, watch the Phillies, play Rock Band…

Rooms include:◦ Formal Living Room◦ Family Room◦ Den or Study◦ Dining Room◦ Foyer◦ Patio, Deck,

Porch, Terrace◦ Game Room

Living Area

Formal Living Room: Usually has a formal

nature (reading, studying, relaxing, playing piano)

Room Sizes (FHA- Federal Housing Administration)-Minimum = 150 sq. feet-Average = 250 sq. feet-Large = around 400+ sq. ft.

Living Area

Formal Living Room:

Living Area

Family Room: Less formal then the

living room (TV-watching, playing video games)

Where the family spends most of its time together

Living Area

Family Room:

Living Area

Living Room & Family room planning considerations:

What is the space used for? What is the focal point of the space? How many people will it hold? What kind of furniture will be needed? Open plan or Closed plan? What kind of activities will it be used for? Special Lighting? Placement of windows is important

Living Area

Dining Room: Location

◦ Near Kitchen and Living Room

Room Size (FHA)◦ Minimum= 120 sq. feet◦ Average= 160 sq. feet◦ Large= around 200 or

more sq. feet

Living Area

Dining Room:

Living Area

Dining Room planning considerations: How many people will be dining? You’ll need

to fit the correct-sized table. Leave at least 2’-0” behind the back of a

chair to the wall Open or closed plan? What works best?

Living Area

Foyer (Entrance Way): Should not enter into a

room, if possible Extension of entry to

protect house from weather◦ Minimum size- 6’ X 6’◦ Average size- 8’ X 10’

Should have a closet (min 2’ X 3’)

Door size should be at least 3’-0” x 6’-8”

Living Area

Foyer (Entrance Way):

Living Area

Other Entrance Ways:

Service Entrance◦ Entrance to mudroom

or utility room◦ Near kitchen

Special Purpose◦ Provides access to

patio or deck

Living Area

General Rules to Consider for Living Area:◦ Leave a minimum of 3’-0” between walls for

circulation◦ TV should be a minimum of 6’-0” away from sofa,

and centered in the seating area◦ Leave a space of 1’-6” between the sofa(s) and

coffee table in the middle◦ Side tables can be placed right next to furniture

with no extra space left over◦ Try not to create a traffic circulation route through

the seating area. Rather, it’s better if you can walk around the seating area to get to the next room.

Living Area

Where people perform jobs such as cooking, laundry, working with tools, etc.

Rooms Include:◦ Kitchen◦ Clothes care center◦ Garage◦ Carport◦ Storage

Service Area

Kitchen: Food preparation

◦ Can be extended for dining, storage, or laundry

Most expensive area of the house per square foot

Most active use of any room

Eat-in kitchen usually includes a small table (in addition to a separate dining room)

Service Area

Kitchen: Work Triangle

◦ Consists of the distance between the refrigerator, sink, and range (stove)

◦ Perimeter of triangle should be less than 22’-0”

Service Area

Kitchen: 6 types

Straight-line Kitchen◦ For small cottages and

apartments◦ Little cabinet space◦ Not very interesting◦ Not ideal for working

triangle

Service Area

Kitchen: 6 types

L-Shaped Kitchen◦ Located on 2 adjacent

walls◦ Efficient and usually

more attractive than a straight line

◦ 2 work centers on one wall and the other on an adjacent wall

◦ Not for largekitchens

Service Area

Kitchen: 6 types

Corridor (Galley) Kitchen◦ Uses two opposite walls◦ Small to medium size (ideal

for long narrow rooms)◦ Not ideal if there is too

much traffic through kitchen

◦ Leave at least 4’-0” of open space between cabinets

Service Area

Kitchen: 6 types

U-Shaped Kitchen◦ Popular, highly effective

and attractive◦ No traffic passes

through the kitchen to other areas of house

◦ Compact work triangle◦ Leave at least 5’-6” of

space between both sides of the “U”

Service Area

Kitchen: 6 types

Peninsula (G-Shape) Kitchen◦ Peninsula is a piece of

cabinetry projecting into empty space that’s often used as cooking center, eating area, or food prep center

◦ Plenty of work space◦ Traffic is reduced and work

triangle is compact

Service Area

Kitchen: 6 types

Island Kitchen◦ Modification of straight, L

or U shaped design◦ Island is stand-alone

cabinetry accessible from all sides that may house sink, cooking center, food prep area, or counter top/snack bar

◦ 4’-0” of clearance foreasy access

Service Area

Kitchen planning considerations: Should be located near a service entrance

and provide easy access to trash containers Usually next to the dining room Cabinets/Appliances

◦ Most 34 ½” high, 24” deep◦ Widths in 3 in increments (15”, 18”, 21”)

Wall cabinets◦ 12-13” deep◦ 12”-30” high (3” increments)◦ 12”-36” wide (3” increments)

Service Area

Laundry Room: Washing, drying, pressing,

folding, storing and mending clothes

Floors = water resistant Often located in the

basement b/c of noise and lack of space. Many newer houses build laundry closets on the 2nd floor

Washer and Dryer◦ 29” wide◦ 26” deep ◦ 43.5” high

Service Area

Laundry Room:

Service Area

Garage / Carport: Provides shelter for

automobiles Plan with storage in

mind, and a connection to the house

Attached (garage) or free standing (carport)

Sizes:◦ 1 car = 11’ x 19’ to

16’ x 25’◦ 2 cars = 20’ x 20’ to 25’ x

25’

Service Area

Garage / Carport:

Service Area