Compromises

Trying to fit a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom floor plan with a full kitchen, living room and a place for a laundry center within the constraints of 749 square feet was tricky, so I am a bit proud of how I made it work. However some compromises had to be made.

COMPROMISE #1: PATIO

The original plan had a small patio by the front door, but I decided that the interior space was more important than exterior.

COMPROMISE #2: BATHTUB

I'm a shower boy, but I realize that a lot of people love bathtubs, so a full bathtub would probably be a better long-term option (that's what the original floor plan called for). In my first draft of the plan, I only had one bathroom (what is now a half bath was originally planned as a walk-in closet), but I wanted to allow one person to use the toilet while another person uses a sink or takes a shower. Meaning the toilet had to be enclosed, with a door. Meaning no room for a full bathtub. I tried to find a small (soaking) bathtub, but did not have any luck: they were either prohibitively expensive ($4K for a bathtub? seriously?) or would not fit. So I said: forget it, let there be a shower.

When I decided to convert the walk-in closet into a half bath, I could've switched the main bathroom back to the original design, but I only thought about it after the plumbing was done and concrete set. I do not regret it, but I hope that whoever will live there (if it's not me) loves showers. :-)

COMPROMISE #3: WALK-IN CLOSET

There's simply no space for it. To better utilize standard closets, I planned for the wall-to-ceiling sliding doors. And I am going to install the closet systems with adjustable shelves and rods for more efficient space use.

COMPROMISE #4: PANTRY

I first planned the kitchen with a walk-in pantry, but decided that tall cabinets would better serve the purpose.

COMPROMISE #5: ENTRANCE

Had I made an outside entrance niche any bigger it would've been at the expense of the interior space and I did not want to sacrifice a square inch of the interior space.

COMPROMISE #6: WINDOWS

It would be nice to have a window in the kitchen, but because I planned to buy standard IKEA cabinets, I was afraid that the window may mess up the kitchen layout. So I chose a sun tunnel skylight instead. Which is amazing (I want one for my primary house! wait, make that two!!!).

I also chose not to have a window in the half bath because it would face the backyard. 

And I only allocated one window per bedroom to maximize room efficiency (more windows would mean less options to move furniture around).

NEXT: TUFF SHED OR NOT

PREVIOUS: "I AM ALSO AN ARCHITECT"

FIRST: INTRODUCTION