Remodelling Single Family Homes In Vancouver

Posted on: July 21st, 2010 | 37 Comments

This is Day 183 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.

Today is Wednesday, July 21, 2010 and its time for a Design Project! We need everyone’s help to re-work the floor plan of the “Garibaldi” which is a 2,170 sq ft, two storey home located in the “Stoneleigh at Silver Ridge” development in Maple Ridge, British Columbia – which is about 48 miles from downtown Vancouver.

The plan has a marginally acceptable open concept layout, but there is definitely some room for improvement. We need you to improve the following things:

1. The entry from the garage to the house is too small and there is not enough storage.
2. The dining space has too much left over space around it and looks directly into the garage.
3. The kitchen layout and location in plan could be greatly improved.
4. There is a lot of excess circulation space around the stairwell.
5. The side yard study condition is not ideal.

We think that the front entry is good and the general location of the living room is good so we are suggesting you leave them as they are and focus your design skills on the other areas. However, feel free to re-locate the fireplace if you want.

In your re-design, please note the column location in the living room. You will get bonus points if you are able to leave it intact as it is. However, you have the ability to move it, but you must put some sort of solid structural element in this general area.

We look forward to seeing your designs! We will review the projects that you submit on our Friday edition of Slow Home.

Day 183 – PDF
Day 183 – Existing
Day 183 – Demo
Day 183 – Full Symbol Library

When you are ready, you can click on the player below and watch John’s tutorial on how he has transformed this space into a Slow Home.

See John's completed design

See you tomorrow for our “In Detail” episode where we will be reviewing dining spaces in single family houses.

  • MollyK

    John & Matthew,
    I just want to say I like your choice of shirts on today’s segment. It’s nice to see some color on you, John. ;)

  • Terri

    LOL–MollyK, I was going to say the exact same thing! Great minds think alike? I especially thought the blue in those shirts coordinate nicely with that Slow Home sign in the background.

  • MollyK

    [img]shvansfr1jpage002.jpg[/img]

    My redesign attempt…
    Starting at the new garage entry, I combined the mudroom and powder room. After last week’s discussion questionning the necessity of the powder room I thought I would down-play it by putting it in a more functional location. It is not visible from any principle living space (ode to BradW), but it is still useful. I kept the side window which provides excellent light.

    The study is adjacent to the mudroom…I used a pocket door to stream line the wall facing the dining area. The study also utilizes a window into the back yard.

    The kitchen connects with the dining area; both have a view of the backyard through the sliding doors. The floor-to-ceiling millwork connected to the kitchen island replaces the column in the original plan. Shelves face both the foyer side (towards the basement door) and the area between the living & dining rooms.

    In the living area, there is millwork housing the fireplace and tv. I put in minimal furniture to show that the space is large enough to accomodate numerous arrangements.

    TERRI,
    Yes, I think we concluded in the past that we do have great minds.;)

  • MollyK

    John,
    I love your design. I had the fireplace in the same location in my original plan but felt the living space was cramped so I changed it. I especially like your back entrance in which you utilized the space in such a nice way.

  • Mid America Mom

    [img]vansingle1.jpg[/img]

    Starting at the front I changed the front door swing. Not a necessary thing but it felt odd to be able to open the door 180. The first glimpse into the home would be a closet door so I switched so they can see the half open stair. (I am a big advocate for hiding part of the closet behind the entry door).

    The wasted space up the steps is now dual purpose – circulation and space for kitchen stools. In the living I decided to flip the fireplace to the opposite side and I would like to make it a 3 way (how would we properly show that?). The living room now boasts its own slider.

    The dining room is in the same location and the kitchen moved to the back. The structural column now has a twin making a natural opening into the kitchen. The kitchen is about 5 in the middle. The stove is on a peninsula with its own half wall and range hood above. Upper cabinets would be next to the refrigerator and over to the wall.

    Moving from the dining room I added a door to a back hall. The bath is at the end. As this is a three bedroom home I felt they would appreciate a flex room. This room with its own closet and access to the bath could be a fourth bedroom. I envision a frosted glass french door for both the flex room door and the access door to the hall from the bathroom.

    The back entry has its own closet and space for a stool/ chair to take off boots.

    Mid America Mom

  • Amanda

    [img]dailydesign3demo.jpg[/img]

    I had a hard time figuring this one out. I think that with John and Mathews design there is still wasted space by the entry and stairs. I tried to solve this problem but could not figure out a solution; however my design offers an alternative to the kitchen position/living layout. I was also thinking of somehow having the bathroom near the front entrance to take up some of that wasted space and then the dining and living area could be bigger or even the den could be larger. Actually now that I think about it, that is what I would do.

  • Amanda

    [img]dailydesign3demodraft2.jpg[/img]

    Ok so I decided to try my other idea here it is. The laundry/storage area still need some adjusting.

  • Grace Coulter

    [img]designprojectsinglefamilyvancouvergraceforjohn.jpg[/img]

    Hello everyone,

    So my plan doesn’t follow the directions exactly lol but I think it still works well. I actually kept the study where it was because I personally think it has a window and good lighting while the primary spaces need a connection to the outdoors much more. I did take into consideration what Matthew and John discussed and I put a two sided fireplace from the dining to the study. This would increase light and connection to both rooms as well as maintain privacy since there is still division. The back door has a closet but I did not increase its size. In fact I think I decreased it and perhaps made it into a hall (knowing this is not ideal I am going to stick with it because I like the remainder of the plan alot) I think the rest is self explanatory. As per usual my design is perhaps a bit rebellious but I like trying things to see if they could possible work rather than playing it safe. Cheers,

  • nicole

    [img]7_pp1.jpg[/img]

    I think that there is still some massaging to be done on this plan, but here is an option. Quite different from the others.

    Molly, I like your design! Good work.
    Might I suggest to move the fridge towards the corner. A door could also be added to the mudroom from the outdoors?

  • Franco

    [img]franco3.jpg[/img]

    So here is my attempt. I really liked the kitchen, dining and living across the back of the house, the flow worked for me. Thus I played around with the location of the den and cleaned up the entry off the garage.

    For the most part this plan is fairly self-explanatory. There is an option in the kitchen for a conventional stove/oven combination (in place of the wall ovens and cook top shown here) and a phone desk to the left of the fridge (will be subsequently posted).

  • Franco

    [img]franco3a.jpg[/img]

    Here is the plan with the modified kitchen.

  • Paul C

    John,
    I very much like how you managed to place the ancillary uses (mudroom, bathroom etc.) in the darkest corner of the plan making it possible to place the other spaces adjacent to or looking through a space to the outside.

  • Terri

    [img]maplerhouse.jpg[/img]

    Well, I drove myself nuts with this one, spending WAY too many hours, and I’m still not happy. :(
    I really thought the kitchen could go in the middle, but somehow I couldn’t make it work to my satisfaction (too much wasted space).
    So, in the end, I bumped out the entire back of the house. No more jogs–keeping it simple.

    I fixed that staircase for the upstairs so that people don’t have to enter the entry area in order to go upstairs. The step for the front entry area extends into the garage entry. We once looked at a cool house in Australia that used the long bottom step, so the idea is not mine. The powder room is around the corner from the kitchen and dining. I’ve put the door as far away as possible, given this set up. I didn’t want to close off that dining room wall from the back entry, though it could be; I thought it was more open this way, especially since the den is still at the side.
    *sigh*

    Looking forward to seeing the brilliant ideas that everyone else produced.

  • Mid America Mom

    [img]vansingle.jpg[/img]

    Reworked the back entry/bath. More footage to the dining room and eliminated the twin column.

    I may do one more plan and see what John came up with.

    Mid America Mom

  • MollyK

    Nicole,
    I contemplated the frig location. I felt putting it in the corner made the work triangle to large so I opted not to. I’m not sure my concern is justified. However, the corner would work for a floor-to-ceiling cabinet. Thanks for you comment.

  • Terri

    John,
    Your approach to this plan, deciding how to divvy up the space for the den and back entry along the side as you did, showed me how I got myself going perpendicular to this direction, and therein lay my problems. Without your tutorial, I wouldn’t have seen how this difference “played out”, so thanks!

  • MollyK

    [img]shvansfr2jpage002.jpg[/img]

    Nicole,
    The frig is moved. It seems ok to me, but I didn’t measure the distance between the appliances…you be the judge.

  • Tayler

    [img]taylercaseyplan.jpg[/img]

    Here is my plan.
    I really am not very good at this, just not creative enough…

    Anyways, I wanted a mudroom with a built-in storage bench and a storage area near the garage. The bathroom will have those sliding wall doors. I’m not sure of the specific name.

    I think the kitchen is a little cramped but I just wasnt sure where to put everything….

  • Tayler

    Just realized my window at the back is supposed to be a door to the outside! Sorry!

  • BradW

    [img]shdp741.jpg[/img]

    Goodbye two car garage…hello study and front porch!

  • Jamie L

    [img]proj.jpg[/img]

    Here’s my try, I leave the entry as it is since I like big/wide entry.

  • Paul C

    Brad W,
    I really like the proposition; trade-off the ubiquitous double car garage for a single and get a home that relates much better to the front and rear yards.

  • Joshua

    Alright the way I saw the circled area is a couple of ways, either completely open with a desk by the column or it could be open but with cupboards over top leaving a see through space to pen this up. The back entry is also open to slight changes, depending on whether or not there is a need for a laundry space. If not then the entire area could be used for storage. In the kitchen the dishwasher could be placed in either the island or on either side of the sink. The corner are would be a good food storage area, and the closet on the other side could act as an extra food storage or for cleaning supplies…ext.

    One of my favorite part about this plan is the openness between the kitchen, diving, and living.I would like to see the staircase opened up slightly as well, maybe with a small desk in on the entry side.

    As a critique I am not sure if the powder room is accessible enough. The room could be switch, with the door on the right rather than the left, moving the closet to the other side. (I really like this idea as well) Other than that there are a lot of good designs, kudos.

    Joshua

  • Joshua

    [img]4_floorplan.jpg[/img]

    Sorry it didn’t upload properly the first time.

  • JPod

    [img]jensfloorplan.jpg[/img]

    I tried to minimize the use of doors, for an easier flow throughout the area. I live in a house with five bedrooms and a tiny kitchen, so I know what its like being crammed into a small kitchen. I find the work triangle to be very effective and by placing the dishwasher right next to the sink it is easier to wash the dishes. The study area is large and provides enough space for a large desk, bookshelves, and potentially a reading chair. By placing the pantry where the support beam is it provides a useful kitchen storage area, and effectively hides the support beam.

  • Mid America Mom

    [img]vansing1.jpg[/img]

    Decided to try a dual front entry. Front door is changed. The bath is basically flipped and the closet and one stair moved.

    The fireplace is a three way view gas/propane model. Here are specs on one. http://www.woodbridgefp.com/REGENCY/R-P121-P131.pdf

    The kitchen is a U.

    Again a Den/ bedroom. Here is a full bath. It is about 11 by 7 and I played with it some. I thought I could get a bath and shower in. The bathtub is a soaker or jetted.

    :)
    Mid America Mom

  • Mid America Mom

    [img]vansing2.jpg[/img]

    Addictive exercise! That is a slider in the living room.

    Oh I forgot the window in the bathroom. Tried to hide the toilet view. While I was at it moved the fireplace (now a two way) and added a pantry.

    Mid America Mom

  • ReneP

    [img]sglfamredesigncopy.jpg[/img]

    This was tough (aren’t they all?)…the problems I had was what to do with the great room – seeing as it is open to the above floor, and there has to a structural support in the left-bottom corner, I could not see anything but the living room going in there again. So here is what I did: move the powder room entrance to face the foyer (and make it smaller with pocket door); study/den to the back overlooking backyard and with french double doors; opened up the garage entrance with a larger closet and a seating bench against the wall; kitchen moved to the centre backing onto the garage wall – and a breakfast nook; dining room stayed in the same place essentially, but is more defined now, and shares the double sided fireplace with the living room; the only thing I could come up with in the living room was to put a sectional in the top-left to better define the open space to the downstairs door. That is pretty much it…I look forward to seeing what everyone else came up with.

  • Dan M

    [img]dansinglefamilyvancouveforjohn.jpg[/img]

    I noticed mine was similar to john’s. moved the garage access down and through a mud room, powder room off the mud room, moved kitchen to the middle, added a den.

  • Ashley P

    [img]week3.jpg[/img]

    This was very challenging. I really wanted to keep the kitchen and living room where they were which probably made the task a lot harder. Also for any of you wondering what that is separating the dining room and living room it is one of those three way fireplaces (paint is extremely hard to get creative in). I think there are several ways this floor plan could be done and I am probably going to make another one after I take a look at all of yours!

  • frazer

    [img]vanroekeldesign.jpg[/img]

    As you can see, several elements of the original plan I thought worked well so I decided to keep them. I kept the kitchen in the original place since it functions well in that corner relative to the garage entrance. An open concept and clear organization was what I was shooting for. I also really wanted to keep the den open and connected to other spaces since I feel this type of space would be used more that way. Maybe it isn’t really a den anymore but its a workspace by a window, near the kitchen but still somewhat separated by a large pantry unit.

  • bstone52

    So I moved the kitchen to the front, put a study in the back with good outdoor exposure and natural lighting, and expanded/moved the mudroom-washroom. I think that the living room was in a good place originally, but needed a circulation adjustment via kitchen placement.

  • bstone52

    [img]1_finishedplan.jpg[/img]

    Whoops – Here’s the upload.

  • Tara

    [img]cancouversinglefam.jpg[/img]

    Here’s my redesign for the week.
    I managed to create a band of more closed in rooms on the bottom of the plan while keeping the main living areas quite open. I did use a stone millwork feature wall with double sided fireplace to define the spaces a bit. The back entry is now larger and more closed off, while the study has a window to the back yard.

  • nicole

    Molly,
    I think the fridge placement is better in your last design.
    If you think that the work triangle is too large, the fridge could be located to the other end. (the end wall just made longer to hide the end of the fridge). Once again, good job on your plan!

    -nic

  • Kyle B

    [img]draft1.jpg[/img]

    I tried including specifications on the flooring in this design to distinguish different spaces. In my mind it works well but I’m not sure if it’s that good of an idea. Oppinions?

  • Andrew

    [img]designprojectsinglefamilyvancouvermcconnell.jpg[/img]

    I doubt anyone will see this, but I was out of town all last week so here is my very-late entry for the week’s design project. I starting by moving the fire place closer to the center of the plan and turing it into a structural element as well as a kind of focal point for this floor. It’s a see-through fireplace which can be experienced from both the dining space as well as the living space and a ledge here also provides a stand for a television. In addition, a pantry is adjacent to the fireplace and can be accessed from the kitchen. At the bottom of the plan I created a study/den space as well as a smaller room for storage.