RenovationsThe Buffalo Bungalow Plan – update May 4, 2015I know it’s been radio silence around here the last week. As we started renovations on The Buffalo Bungalow, we came across a lot of obstacles that made us re-think and re-think the floor plan. I’ve probably drawn out thirty different floor plans in the last week trying to solve our issues. As a reminder, here’s the current floor plan: And here’s the floor plan we were going with before: We knew we couldn’t build within five feet of the property line and were sure we’d cleared it. But when the survey came back, we had one foot less than we thought on the right side. That doesn’t seem like it would make a huge difference, but it did. We couldn’t go beyond the current depth of the house (25 feet) because it would drastically change the roof line. Our plan is to continue the current roof line over the master addition. So, we had to really re-work that area to figure out how to make it fit. We actually move the master along the back, to the left, and then finally back again. We also discovered a lot more asbestos in the current house materials and realized it could be super expensive to remove and alter certain parts. We played with all kinds of different plans trying to address these issues and in the meantime, really evaluated our future ideas for this house if we were to stay long-term. We realized that it might be smart to have some basement space, as many of you suggested. Yes, it’s more expensive, but not significantly, especially considering the added square footage. So after much debate, we settled on a plan very similar to that original plan, but with a few key changes. Our New Plan for The Buffalo Bungalow: Here’s a plan with the changes highlighted so you can easily see it: As you can see, the existing part of the house stayed pretty much the same. We’re keeping the master on the right side, but changed it up some. To make it fit, the “Office Nook” from our original plan is gone and we’re taking in that area as my closet! I am so in love with this master bath and my closet already. That view from the bathroom door is killing my imagination: Claw foot tub centered under window with his and hers vanities mirrored on either side. The other big change is the addition area across the back. Instead of having the living room to the right of the kitchen and behind the master, we moved it to the left. With the slope and some grading that is surprisingly cheaper than we thought, we’re going to have a walk-out basement that runs the entire back addition! You can see the basement stairs that are on the left right as you enter the addition area. We’ve talked to a contractor and realized that adding that basement space is more, but not nearly as expensive as we thought! You have to have foundation either way, it’s just a bit more foundation…not near the cost of adding this much square footage somewhere else. The basement will be left unfinished initially and we’ll save up and finish it a little later. There will be an office/studio/playroom for me that I am super excited about! A big space to work with room for babes to play alongside will make life much easier. We’ve decided that having this basement space here would be all the space we’d ever need and it made more sense to add it now as basement than spending a lot more to add it on elsewhere later. Adding these basement stairs also fixes another issue: that tiny bedroom! We need eight feet of clearance for the stairs, which leaves eight feet behind those stairs before the exterior wall. That allows us to add on 8 x 3.5′ to the bedroom, making it 13.5 x 11 (except for the little two foot jut-out). It’ll be perfect to sink a crib or bed back in that space and it’ll make it feel much bigger! Now that we have the plans completely figured out and permits submitted, we’re so excited to move forward. I’m moving full-steam ahead with designing the space and have already bought a few things. I’ve decided I’m going to share this journey a bit different on the blog than I’ve done in the past. I usually do so much design brainstorming and sourcing before I ever share anything. I’ve gotten so many questions about how I design a room from start to finish, so I’m going to show you! I’m going to show my initial sketches (which I always do for rooms and have never shared), items that I find as I find them, issues I encounter, how I overcome them, etc. leading up to the final reveal! I’m working now on a full-house design plan that I’ll share soon so you can see where we’re headed with the feel and color. Happy Monday, friends!
Baileywife @ IrishmanAcres says May 4, 2015 at 7:52 am I think this obstacle was a good thing! I did like your original plan, but this new one I love! So excited to see your process and thanks for letting us go along for the ride!! ~Kim Reply
Lara says May 4, 2015 at 8:45 am I didn’t think the last plan could be improved, yet your obstacles have stretched you to new heights!– It’s amazing!! The flow seems even better than before—-yet how can that be? SO excited to witness this transformation !!! Reply
Kristin @ Bliss at Home says May 4, 2015 at 10:27 am Love the flow. I think this is going to be a perfect home for your fam 🙂 xo Reply
Jenny Bright says May 4, 2015 at 10:36 am just an idea but have y’all considered changing the entrance of your husbands closet to be in the bathroom? We did that & it was fantastic for days one or the other of us had to be up & out before the other as you didn’t have to go in & out. Reply
Lindsay says May 5, 2015 at 1:22 pm Hi Jenny! I would definitely prefer that, but for some reason, my husband is super against it 🙁 Love the suggestion though! Reply
Meagan says May 9, 2015 at 10:25 pm I like this plan better, especially in regards to the bedrooms and the layout of the master bath, but… I agree with Jenny. By having the closet door open into the bedroom, you are sacrificing having your bed / windows centered in the bedroom as well as greatly restricting the width of your nightstands. If you have a king size bed – you will only be able to have 24″ wide nightstands which is tiny. Put the door inside the bath and make it a pocket door. Reply
amandaH says May 4, 2015 at 11:25 am I love this new plan better! The master seems WAY more luxurious! I’m totally jealous! And everything seems more efficient with no wasted space. Great idea with the basement too! Reply
Jessica says May 4, 2015 at 11:22 pm EXCITED! I cannot wait to see the progress on your home. I love your style an what you have currently going. Reply
Corinna - For My Love Of says May 6, 2015 at 9:26 pm Your house is so realistic in terms of size. I love how real you are! Thanks for taking us on the journey with you (ps, my home is still smaller but it’s nice to see someone I admire working with a space closer in size to mine!) Reply