Comparing Apt/Lofts In Atlanta

Posted on: July 27th, 2010 | 24 Comments

This is Day 189 of the Slow Home Project and we need you to join us in our quest to evaluate the design quality of houses in nine North American cities in nine months.

For today’s “Which House Should I Buy?” episode, we need you to decide which apartment/ loft unit would be the better real estate choice for our client, Ruth. Ruth is a single professional who is relocating to Atlanta from New York and would like to purchase a modestly sized, one bedroom apartment/ loft unit that allows her to entertain with dinner parties for her friends.

Ruth wants to buy in the “Castleberry Point” development because she loves the location and the fact that it is an adaptive re-use project. She has narrowed her choices down to 2 units in the development.

Option 1 is “Unit A” and it is 876 sq feet.

Option 2 is “Unit O” and it is 839 sq feet.

We need you to review the floor plans for these units, score them using the “Slow Home Test” and post your comments to the site as to which unit you think Ruth should purchase and why.

When you are ready, click on the player below to watch which unit John and Matthew have chosen for Ruth!


Also, we are posting another video from the “Atlanta Regional Commission” with some interesting information about this city and its planning initiatives.

See you tomorrow for our Design Project where we will be transforming a poorly designed apartment/ loft unit into a Slow Home!

  • BradW

    Despite the angled back wall, Unit O offers a much better living/dining/kitchen arrangement for entertaining and day-to-day living.

  • Franco

    I have to agree with John and Matthew this morning. I too prefer Unit O, mainly on the grounds of the large window frontage. To me it seems that this plan has better circulation and entertainment space. Perhaps it is due to being a wider, and shorter unit, compared to Unit A, which is long and narrow.
    There is a trade-off though by going with Unit O, that it does not have the well organized laundry, main bath/ensuite, closest space we have in Unit A.

  • Daniela M

    Although both properties offer their advantages, I would recommend Unit A for Ruth, based on her emphasis on entertaining and the bathroom. Considering that her favourite hobbies are cooking and entertaining, this property gives her the ability to entertain. The dining area offers a great setting to entertain and the floor plan offers great circulation and access to the outdoor living space. Additionally, the bathroom has a great configuration with the two doors which was an important aspect for Ruth.

    Although the entry way in Unit O is superior with the addition of a closet, I feel that the awkward arrangement between the living space and the outdoor living area compromises the circulation of the house.

  • nicole

    Unit A
    This washroom layout has more counter space (client request)
    The kitchen has the ability to lengthen the island to touch the wall and allow for more counter space (Something the client may enjoy while cooking).
    Possibility of proving a stacked washer/ dryer combo that would allow for a small entry closet.

    Unit B, even though all of the I feel that there is a bit of wasted space near the dining and the living area.

  • Joshua

    At first I also score unit “A” at a 19, point off for the bad entry, but upon further review I also took and extra point off for outdoor living, due to the lack of an access to the outdoor living from the living/dining area. Having said that, the unit is wonderful. Plenty of space for every room and feature.

    Unit “O” on the other hand while it received marks for the entry, has to lose a mark for the bathroom, which has a extra awkward door, (which cuts on space in the bathroom) and is also directly in the line of sight from the dining room table. I’m not sure if I would take a mark away for indoor living or laundry but in my opinion they are not as good as unit “A’s”.

    Unit A – 18/20
    Unit O – 19/20

    I’m going to have to say though, even with the score being lower I would recommend unit “A”. I feel as the unit is compared on a room to room basis, Kitchen, Living, Laundry, Bath, are superior in “A” while Outdoor living, and dining, are the only superior in “O”. I worry about the bath room especially in “O”.

    So I recommend Unit “A” because of quality throughout rather than “O” which has a few large upsides (Outdoor living/Dining).

  • Ashley P

    I would likely suggest Unit A. Unit O has a lot of odd angles that create a lot of wasted, ‘awkward’ space. This is evident around the living area. The space seems fairly cramped and yet there is all this dead area around it. The laundry in Unit A is a good size and very hidden where in Unit O the laundry is right in the kitchen. Although Unit O does have amazing natural light Unit A has more storage and counter space in the bathroom. Both units have their advantages but I feel as though Unit A has better organization and will be less ‘frustrating’ to live in in the long term.

  • Amanda

    Unit A-Location:Y, Enviro:Y, Siting:Y, Organization:Y, Entry:N, Indoor:Y, Outdoor:Y, Kitchen:Y, Dining:Y,Bed:Y, Bath:Y, Study:Y, Laundry:Y, Parking:Y.
    Total: 19
    My biggest problem with this complex is that for the guests to get to the bathroom they must walk through the laundry area. Also the entry opens into the kitchen with no closet. It should be separated from the kitchen and if no closet, then the laundry area should at least contain the closet but is doesn’t. Also, out of preference, the kitchen island should extend to the wall; I feel like it is floating.
    Unit O-Location:Y, Enviro:Y, Siting:Y, Organization:N, Entry:N, Indoor:Y, Outdoor:Y, Kitchen:Y, Dining:Y, Bed:N, Bath:Y, Study:Y, Laundry:N, Parking:Y.
    Total: 15
    I did not like this plan. The overall shape of the condo is odd so it makes the rooms awkward. The entrance has a closet for once, but it still opens directly into the kitchen. The laundry door opens into the kitchen. The bedroom is an odd shape creating wasted space. The bathroom door opens into the dining area. There is also wasted space between the living area and the deck.
    Overall, I would choose unit A, not only because it is a slower home, but also because it has more counter space in the bathroom which is what the client wants. And the living and dining area seem to flow into each other which is good for the client to entertain her guests. The bathroom, being through the laundry, is the only real limitation here.

  • Tara

    I would recommend Unit A for Ruth. I like that the dining room has enough space for a large table where Ruth would be able to accommodate a dinner party of friends. I also like the relationship between the kitchen and dining room in Unit A – because of their close proximity, Ruth would still be able to converse with her friends while finishing her preperations for dinner.
    The bathroom in Unit A also has more storage and the bathroom cannot be viewed from the dining area as it can in Unit O. This is an issue, especially when one is entertaining, as the bathroom will be exposed to the remainder of the dinner party when one of the guests uses the washroom.

  • JPod

    I would recommend unit A for Ruth. There is more counter space in the bathroom, and the kitchen seems a bit bigger, and considering she likes to cook, this would be a bonus.

    I don’t like how the dining space is tucked into the corner by the bedroom door in Unit O. Because she will be entertaining, I think that unit A would provide more space for her guests to sit down and relax at the dining table or living room, while still being able to have a comfortable conversation between someone in the kitchen.

  • Kyle B

    My slow home test scores were:
    Unit A = 19 (lost point for entry)
    Unit O = 18 (lost points for organization)

    My choice for Ruth would be unit O. The balcony access from the living room makes all the difference when considering entertaining guests. The only problems with this unit are the door swings from the bedroom and bathroom conflicting and the organization is a bit awkward due to the angle of the exterior wall. However despite this, I feel the design is done quite well.

  • Jamie L

    I would recommend unit O for Ruth. Because it allows her to entertain with dinner parties for her friends way better than unit A does. Although it unit A’s organization is better configuration is good. Unit o is perfect for entertaining and it provides abundant natural lighting, location of the dining room is great.

  • Terri

    I originally thought that I’d recommend A because of the nicely laid out bathroom/laundry; but then I analyzed the spaces and decided that despite the smaller bathroom and laundry in O, it had other advantages.

    Aside from the openness, which is the most important feature in O, the little details add up too. Both units have kitchens upon entry, but one also offers a closet to one side–better not just for greeting guests but also just for Ruth herself. She could put a hallstand or table along that wall for mail, keys, etc. and keep the kitchen free of that junk. A closet in the laundry area isn’t great.

    The laundry won’t be used so much that she’d find access cumbersome and she could keep that door closed without a guest ever having to walk through it.

    The smaller bathroom doesn’t offer much storage so I’d suggest an over-the-toilet storage unit. They still sell these. I don’t feel the bathroom is that close to the dining area, and at least it’s not the toilet one sees if the door is left ajar.

    The wasted space in the bedroom near the closet might seem excessive, but there’s a wasted hall space next to the closet in Unit A. A more spacious bedroom (bright window space) than an extra hall space, which isn’t so bright, makes more sense to me.

    It’s too bad that both of these units didn’t place the balcony access doors along the living wall at one end. Both units suffer from an awkward (and in A–limited) access.

  • Mid America Mom

    After looking at this more than once.

    If slowhome could put together a file of stock SLOW floorplans – a version of “A” would be one of them. We have seen this one over and over again. 95% of the time the entry is poor. The closet,bath, and laundry space can differ. The vanity has space and the dining can fit a table for 6.

    O has some issues. There is some wasted space near the door with the angle. The dining area I rate as NO in the test. That wall, to the bedroom, is Almost but not quite, 6 feet. We need at least 10 to fit most tables with chairs. Sure she could shift things down but that end would feel tight still. If she wants a table with chairs for 6 I cannot see a table fitting in this space. The vanity is not as large here.

    I would say go for the A due to the vanity and ability to seat 6 in comfort for a meal.

    Mid America Mom

  • Mid America Mom

    Terri…
    hum.

    Improvements.

    In A Front door would swing the other way. Place art and maybe a shelf or table on that wall opposite. I would change the entry to the bedroom to be right in front of the closet. The living room doors would change to a slider or one of those folding window walls (Frances and I have posted them in redesign exercises. The front laundry space would change to a stack and placed on the other side of the wall from the vanity. The present laundry would be a closet.

    In O I would flip the entry closet to be on the wall on the left and a little bigger. Either I would eliminate the patio which resolves issues I have with dining space and the living room flow. OR move the patio to the living room side, make the present one an extension on the now living room, and access to the new patio would be from the corner inbetween the dining and living. The bedroom would have a standard closet and the bath would be bigger with access to that laundry room in it.

    :)

  • ReneP

    Even though Unit O has awkward angles, and there is some wasted space because of them, the windows, the double access to the outdoor space (which is also larger than Unit A), entry and nice dining area (in front of the terrace with nice view) make this unit the better choice for Ruth. Obviously the laundry is less than ideal, and the door conflicts with the bathroom are also not too good, Yet when entertaining is her thing, having the ability to let guest visit the terrace without the trek through her bedroom is way more appealing. More imagination needed for the living area, but it is possible. 16/20
    Unit A is just too long, narrow and wouldn’t get the same light as Unit O (even worse if she picked the north facing Unit A). Yes the laundry is really good, and the bathroom works more with its additionaly storage, but the simple kitchen way at the back, undefined and underlit dining area, and lack of entrance closet make it the lesser of the two. 15/20

  • Grace Coulter

    While clearly both units have some great qualities, I am going to agree with KyleB, JamieL, ReneP and others and say based on the additional entertaining space Unit O has, it is the better choice for Ruth. Normally I think angles in the units are pretty tricky to deal with. Ruth is a New Yorker and thus probably used to compact, unusual spaces. There is a lot of floor area for entertaining and the additional outdoor space is great. I personally would not want my guests who wanted to smoke and look at a view to cut through my private space.

  • Andrew

    It is really great to see a the reuse of such an old building here as well as the multi-use aspect of this condominium development. Both units have some really nice features – in UnitA I like how in such a small floor area the designers still managed to include a private laundry space and I like how the bedroom has access to the balcony, closet, bathroom and laundry without having to traverse through the living and dining spaces. These features are not easily achieved in such a small condo. But ultimately I would have to choose UnitO for Ruth because I think the “triangular” relationship between the kitchen, living and dining spaces is a little more accommodating to a social gathering or dinner party. This also makes this section of the condo a little more open as opposed to a longer and narrower kitchen/living/dining space in UnitA. I’m not clear if UnitA has access to the balcony from the living room through sliding doors, but there is no question that the living room and balcony are connected in UnitO, which is another plus for UnitO. Both condos are very functional and livable, but I think UnitO meets Ruth’s needs just slightly more than UnitA.

  • sdokter

    My choice would be option A. I prefer this layout to option 2 because it is better laid out and structured. The entrance to the balcony from the bedroom is an excellent addition to the apartment/loft. I find the kitchen design to be excellent and utilizes the triangle method.

  • Dan M

    unit O offers the best floorplan for Ruth in my opinion. The entry is better and while it does have the angle, the space lends itself to entertaining more. There is nice light access and there is also a nice public/private separation going on, the space makes sense and works, especially for a single person who entertains. The balcony access from the bedroom and living is nice as well

  • ReneP

    Watching today’s video on Atlanta made me think of this article I recently read. In particular, the author, Michael Knox Beran, discusses the function and importance of the ‘town square/piazza/agora’ – and reclaiming that space (and in North America, creating that space – I live in Killarney – no square for me to visit or interact with others at).

    For those interested:

    http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_4_urb-public-space.html

  • Tiffany

    I have to vote for O. I realize that the geometry makes it a bit harder to furnish, but there is a lot of space there and I think it could be arranges many different ways depending on the tip of dinner party she is hosting.

  • frazer

    Some of my intial reactions to the units….

    Unit A

    No entry closet and a very small outdoor patio.

    Unit O
    Oddly placed entry closet, conflicting door swings in the master bedroom, wasted space in the living room, laundry in the kitchen, and a double swinging door on the patio leaves little usable space. Overall very poor circulation planning. The unit feels unorganized.

    My suggestion would be to go with Unit A since its organization and layout are much better. The bathroom is also nicer and this was one of the client’s requests.

  • bstone52

    Unit O’s got my pick – I think that the long angled back wall offers something different than the standard right angle box design. I also agree that the frontage is excellent for entertaining, making use of natural light and offering multiple entrances to the balcony.

  • Nathan1027

    yes kitchen arranging is quite fine thank you for posting” thanks for the memories” living undernieth the rugTweet