Part 1 – 3015 sqft 3 Bedroom House, Georgia

3015 sqft 3 Bedroom House, Georgia (PDF)
3015 sqft 3 Bedroom House, Georgia (JPEG)

  • James Scott

    Why is it after watching the WWWTH video I stare at the screen for a few moments. I am dumbfounded, stunned, amazed or in disbelief? Usually a shake a sip of my coffee and I snap out of it.

    I’m really going to focus on one thing, and that is the proximity of the two garages to the bedrooms. As well as they say they make houses today we all know very well there is very poor insulation between the bedrooms and the fumes and VOC’s that come from the garages and the contents.

  • John Y

    This may be the worst house we’ve seen on WWWTH.

    James covered the bedroom/garage situation, I think. That “teen/bedroom 4″ area is a joke, it’s worthless space. And the two extra bedrooms that actually exist look pretty small to me, although I may be having a hard time getting the sense of scale for such a large place.

    The formal dining room is, I suspect, never or almost never going to be used. It’s just too far from the kitchen (and too close to the entry that has no closet) so it’ll just fill up with junk instead.

    The powder room seems stupidly small and cramped for such a big house. And while we’re in that area, what’s with the pretentious rotunda in the middle of the house? Do they think this is a seat of government?

    The master suite’s OK for what it is, I guess, although the crooked walls are strange and the ensuite has some wasted floor space.

    Now, having gotten through all of that, the kitchen/breakfast/family area could actually be kind of nice. I’d like to see the family room open up to that deck more, instead of just having windows (and the small door in the breakfast area), but I suppose that’s picking nits a bit.

    The “breakfast” area, realistically, is going to be the dining space. And I think that’s fine.

    There is a missed opportunity to open the kitchen up into that courtyard. Instead of the pointless nook in the kitchen, straighten that wall out, put in french doors, and let the kitchen open up to what could potentially be a pretty nice garden space.

  • Terri

    I feel just as stunned as James. What does this house say about its owners when there’s more space allotted for the cars than kids’ rooms (three cars and two and 1/2 kids) and the family bathroom is half the size of the master closet? If it means that kids are not expected to live here, then this house has way too much space for a couple. All that living space should be used by a family. It might possibly work as a bed & breakfast establishment if only the garage entries weren’t next to the bedrooms.

    I feel that this is the main problem: the placement of the garages in relation to the kitchen/living areas. Obviously the occupants are arriving in cars or why else offer so much space for vehicles? So why are they walking past the bedrooms upon entering? And, wow, what a haul for the grocery shopper!

    And groceries must be important, because there’s an overabundance of eating areas. What’s wrong with one good dining space and possibly a few chairs at an eating bar for the rush-rush crowd? The showroom dining room, which is what this house offers at its core, is not a friendly or comforting greeting place.

    I’d go on, but I’ll leave it to others.

  • Michelle G.

    The worst part of this plan, I think, is the arrangement of the Bedroom 3/One-Car Garage/Bedroom 2 area. Not only does Bedroom 2 share a wall with the one-car garage, but it also shares a wall with the Master Bath’s toilet. The poor child in Bedroom 2 will be treated to the whoosh of the toilet flushing (and possibly other sounds as well!) every time someone uses the Master Bath. And that tiny little window isn’t helping, either – what a miserable little room.

    If the owners of this house really, truly needed a 3-car garage, why not eliminate the Teen/Bedroom 4 space and add a third stall to the 2-car garage? Then Bedrooms 2 and 3 could have more space (as could the family bathroom) and more windows along the front of the house.

  • jim baer

    [img]091409wwwth.jpg[/img]

    some thoughts

  • Louis Pereira

    Ahh the City of Atlanta, the recurrent contributor and provider of fodder to our WWWTH series, and the “gigantic hairball” of contemporary cities according to author/critic, James Howard Kunstler (The City in Mind)

    The centric and ubiquitous front 2-3 car garage seems perpetual in all of these featured houses, yet always a perfect example of what’s wrong not only with our houses, but our streets, our neighbourhoods and our cities.

    3. Footprint way too large
    2. Bedrooms by the Garage (one of the bedrooms is even flanked by a garage on either side – just plain wrong. But that’s ok, little Jimmy will get used the fumes and exhaust)
    1. 3 car garage.

  • Louis Pereira

    Jim – Good synopsis!

  • Paul C

    [img]agenda.jpg[/img]

    Wow, a rather rambunctious group today and some Kunstler for good measure. :-)
    All valid points.

    This next item is a little off topic and ever so slightly premature (happening on Tuesday) but I just wanted to share with the group and pass along my well wishes to John and his team for the professional recognition they well be receiving at tomorrow’s conference luncheon. Well done and congratulations John!

  • Kelly

    I don’t find the teen bedroom offensive, since it’s not a bedroom at all but rather an office. It might be nice to bring people over and not have to lead them through the house. Even the three car garage is acceptable since this home must be geared towards a family, and if they can afford this hosue, they can probably buy the kid it’s own car.

    What is offensive is the nook AND the breakfast area AND the dining room. Nobody eats three meals a day at home so they certainly don’t need this many places to eat. Two is bad enough, esp. when the guest bedrooms and bath really get shorted in space compared with the rest of the house.

    Like most of these homes we see, more consideration is to grandeur than functionality, and it doesn’t seem like this is going to change very quickly.

  • leo

    I will play Devil’s advocate and say that this is NOT the worst WWWTH house.

    If we set aside the philisophical issues ie people shouldn’t have footprints this big and we should all be living in under 1000 sq ft, then this house isn’t all bad.

    Yes the garages are silly, especially the ones flanking a bedroom. Yes, there is an issue of scale that Terri brings up regarding the size of the master closet/ensuite versus the size and location of the other bedrooms. Yes, the three eating areas is a bit of a curiosity (although I suspect you could stick your media area in the dining area and the space would be well used), and yes the space usage is not at its maximum.

    However, I do have to say that the main living areas are nice and light and open. There are nice overhangs to shield the main living areas from the harsh sun. There is a nice option of having outdoor living spaces both to the north and the south. I agree with Kelly, and the third bedroom really is an office, and a reasonably nice one at that; why else would there be so much glazing and no closet?

    My guess is that that extra garage is for a boat or rv or something that is seldom used. That garage will end up being used for storage.

    So yes, there are serious issues with this house. However, apart from the philisophical issues, the bulk of the house is reasonable, and the house is not irredeemable. It could be modified without massive intervention to be quite livable.

  • kgreer

    My first reaction: my god, how many clothes would this couple own? If they’ve got the money for this size house, they’ve got the money to organize that closet, and then they could cut it in half — and maybe have some more room to play for the kids’ bathroom and the hall closet and the guest bath.

    Impression, in general: this house would appeal to people who are obsessed with cars, clothes, and food. Not cooking, mind you, b/c that kitchen layout is cruel and unusual punishment, but just plain eating. Why else would you need that many places — dining room, breakfast room, nook, and even a counter-bar if we count the peninsula.

    What really gets me is the lack of doors — if we presume kids are part of the picture, it’s not always feasible to shut their bedroom doors on them. There’s stereo-listening, and television-watching, and you just don’t always want to have to hear that. The house has plenty of space for a family room, but the best kind would be one where the doors shut, to muffle the sounds.

    I’d turn the one-car garage into a bedroom, the teen-bedroom (wth is up with that? it’s not a bedroom, it’s an over-sized alcove on the way to the garage) into a family/media room with sliding doors, and the formal dining room into a study/library that could also be used as a semi-private adult no-kids-allowed-quiet-space. Turn the breakfast room into the dining room, and turn the nook into someone’s light-filled office — for those who like to work with morning sun and/or garden view right there.

  • James Scott

    For the record, yes Atlanta does seem to bring us the pick of the crop for the WWWTH series. But it’s hopefully not all bad.

    While in Atlanta for a woodworking trade show a few years ago I had some great curry & chips with a Guinness chaser. It was also a beautiful night for a stroll back to my hotel.

  • Amy

    #1 Problem: a teen bedroom or teen space of whatever name that has its own entrance. Obviously the designer has never had a teenager! (Hint: you don’t want to make it easy for them to come and go. You want to make them walk by you, the parents, coming and going.)

    #2 Problem: three eating areas. I just can’t imagine why.

    #3 Problem: very poor circulation. Of course there is the already mentioned garage to kitchen route and then there’s the front door to guest closet obstacle course. But what about the route from the kitchen to the bedrooms? Do you walk through the dining room or the family room? It seems the columns are located exactly where you should be walking. If you have to leave walk space in the family room, then doesn’t that make the family room very long and skinny which in turn makes the furniture placement challenging?

    #4 Maybe not a problem but more of a peeve: I don’t like the strange angles in the master bedroom. They serve no purpose.

  • Frances Grant-Feriancek

    [img]wwwth301.jpg[/img]

    Three eating areas! The large dining area near the entry will be nothing but a showpiece, it is meant to impress with it’s view to the foyer. Family meals will not be eaten here.

    Teen Bedroom? I would argue that a room is not a bedroom if it has no closet or door!

    I do not see how you could prevent fumes from the single bay garage from entering the two childern’s bedrooms, the gaarage door is located between the two bedroom doors. This space would be better utilized as a third child’s bedroom.

    The southern light and heat would be overwelming in the master bedroom.

    Finally, why the angled walls in the master bedroom? Also with a house this size conflicting door swings seem so unnecessary.