1361 sqft Townhouse, New Mexico

Posted on: June 29th, 2009 | 7 Comments

1361 sqft Townhouse, New Mexico (PDF)
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  • Erin

    Homes like this are so unfortunate…what I find most interesting about this house is the 2 distinct floor plans, with the first being the worst. It would have been, in my opinion, better to come up with one decent layout and flip it. Here is my list of the worst parts of this town home, all from floor plan 1:
    1. awkward front entry – no closet, enters into master bedroom
    2. oversized m. bath/closet
    3. angled stair

    Another other observation is that the only usable outdoor space is the small front patio connected to the neighbor, which I think it unfortunate. In a climate that warm, I would trade the short walk from the garage in favor of a backyard.

    Finally, I’m wondering where the stairs lead (with the garage hinting at an upper unit, perhaps a small loft?). Is the 1361 square feet per side, or for this level total? These spaces feel extremely awkward for 1361 square feet, which is a decent size. If I were purchasing in this size range, I would expect a better flow on the main floor and probably bedrooms upstairs.

  • Paul C

    I think this approach to a triplex is a bit clever and understanding the overall context would be helpful. I suspect this building is one part of a larger multiple dwelling development. Presumably the upper floor layout plays a large part in determining the position of the stairs for where they are on the main floor is maybe not the best for the main floor. Consider what possibilities there would be if for instance the stairs were at the rear of the unit rather than the middle? The connected outdoor spaces provide little privacy. Single worst thing in my view is more macro than micro and that is, that the internal layouts fail to take full advantage of the two exterior walls afforded them.

  • Doug Roberts

    Not knowing what may or may not be on the upper floors of these units, and in addition to the issues already raised by John, Erin and Paul, my issues with the floorplans of these units would include:
    1) the left unit has no guest access to a bathroom except for the master ensuite, which is only accessible through the master bedroom, and would have very constricted and awkward traffic flow through both the kitchen and dining area; and
    2) the right unit does not have a bathtub (unless there is another bathroom upstairs that has one) and would have a very dark kitchen, given that it only has indirect access to light from 2 distant NE facing windows.

    Overall I would agree that the right unit has far fewer issues than the left unit and that the worst thing wrong with:
    1) the left unit is the disproportionate allocation of space to the master bedroom and ensuite; and
    2) the right unit is the dark, windowless kitchen.

  • Terri

    As many have already discussed the various layout problems, I think I’ll focus on the two units as a whole and say that their major flaw is the lack of access to the outdoors except through the garage or onto a very non-private front porch.

    The left unit’s master bedroom basically connects not only to that unit’s internal living space but also to the very public front porch space, adjoining its neighbour’s dining room access to the porch. What exactly is separating those two porches? The plan doesn’t indicate a solid, full-height wall, so I’m assuming it’s a screening type of separation. Who is going to feel comfortable relaxing there? Only someone who wants to know the neighbour’s business.

  • Jim Argeropoulos

    The Eastern unit especially feels like I’d be living in a tunnel.
    As Doug pointed out, the East unit’s lack of a guest bath is an egregious oversight.
    The West unit would probably be livable, but the lack of storage when entering from the garage is going to be frustraiting.

  • Doug in Stampede city

    My biggest botheration with this house is the conspicuous consumption of it. It is a big lumbering unimaginative house that is built to impress rather than use. I choose its gangly stinky carbon footprint as its worst feature not only because it used a lot of perfectly good 2X4′s and other materials, but also the user is committed to heating and cooling a bunch of wasted space. Also on the last Slow Home report dealt with sustainability, a homes eco footprint ought be a factor in home selection and design.
    (was that too rough?)

  • Gwyn

    In terms of the use of space, the garages appear to be almost half the size of the houses, if the homes are organized around primary activities I would conclude that the owners of these homes spend their lives on the go, away from home. There are a lot of small rooms and walls in the middle part of the homes around the kitchens and bedrooms and very few windows, I am left with the impression of a weak visual connection to the out of doors and probably poor natural ventilation. Also, I see no laundry rooms, where do they do their laundry?