A competent layout of rooms in a private house should allow all family members to do their own thing and not interfere with each other. Some want to watch TV, others do their homework, others need to sleep. Even if there is no separate room for everyone, a properly planned space allows everyone to have their own corner. When planning a living room in a private house, the interests and guests should be taken into account. It is optimal that they easily get into "their" room and do not wander for a long time in search of a bathroom.
For reasons of comfort and economic feasibility of a house under construction, you should know the standard rules by which it is planned. And in our article we will talk about them, not forgetting about examples of successful planning of a private house with a photo.
About the delimitation of space
Inside the space of the house should be conditionally divided into two main zones -business and residential. Residential is divided, in turn, into day and evening. Each of them consists of rooms for adult family members, children, as well as for guests. According to the typical layout of a private house, the daily area consists of: a vestibule, an entrance hall, a hall, a veranda, a dining room, a living room, a toilet. Night rest rooms mean bedrooms with dressing rooms and additional bathrooms. The utility area includes a kitchen with a pantry, a laundry room, a boiler room, a garage, and a workshop (if any). When planning the location of the rooms, consider the sides of the horizon (the position of the sun in the morning and evening), as well as the view from the windows.
The fewer corridors and halls in the house, the lower the cost of the housing being built. This indicator is reduced by combining the purpose of individual rooms. You can design some of the rooms as walk-throughs or allocate a work area in the bedroom or living room. The layout of the living room and dining room in a private house should be given special attention - after all, these rooms actually serve as its center. It is important to think about the optimal placement of the kitchen. A winning option is when it (utility room) is adjacent to the common room and dining room (living area). The layout of the kitchen and living room in a private home requires a particularly thoughtful attitude compared to bedrooms and other rooms.
If the house is quite small, then it is more convenient to combine part of the premises of the daily zone - the living room (or dining room) together with the kitchen occupy a common open space without separation by partitions. Sometimes a hall or hallway adjoins here.
How to plan everything
It is desirable for every adult family member, not to mention a married couple, to have their own separate room in the house. Under the common room - the living room - they appoint the largest of the rooms where everyone rests. Those who come are also invited there. It is convenient when the layout of a private house provides for a spare room in the form of an office or a guest bedroom.
If you plan to live in a house of a large family of several generations - two or three (for example, elderly parents, adult children and young grandchildren), then the territories for them should be as autonomous as possible. The minimum requirement is your own bedrooms and bathrooms, ideally separate entrances. Elderly relatives are best accommodated on the ground floor.
It is better if there are two entrance doors to the house, from opposite sides. The door from the street or terrace will serve for household needs. Another option is to place the front door on the side facade. Such a layout of a private house makes it possible to get by with a single door for entry both from the street side and from the side of the garden plot.
If there is a staircase, safety considerations dictate the need to illuminate it with natural light. Its location and orientation are not fundamental, but the staircase space must necessarily have windows. If the staircase is meant as an active element of the interior, it can be located in the living room or in the dining room, otherwise its place is in the corridor or in the hallway.
Below in the photo is the layout of a private house (example).
Remember the prospects
The ideal project is one that provides for the possibility of further expansion of the area, taking into account the growth of children and the expansion of the family. You can increase the living space by adding additional rooms to the house or equipping the attic. But in any case, you need to take care of this in advance. For example, when designing the premises of the upper floor, they reserve a place for a staircase. The roof is made with a large angle of inclination. The design of the roof is such that it will be possible to insert windows, etc. in the future. Building a large house right away may not be economically feasible.
Determine the fireplace - do you need it (and where exactly). Most often they have it in one of the common rooms - in the living room or dining room. If you are going to install a fireplace in an already finished house, you will be faced with the need to lay a chimney and a chimney, which will not always be possible.
It is most economical to build a house that has a rectangular simple shape, the number of corners of which is minimal, with no bay windows, ledges of complex shape and balconies. Among other things, heat loss through external fences in such a house is much less. Solar heat is used to the fullest in a rectangular building with an aspect ratio of 1:1.5 (and the long side is oriented to the south). This is useful to consider when planning the courtyard of a private house.
In the same way, you can reduce the cost of construction by choosing a simple roof shape.
How to avoid extra expenses
Costs for air conditioning and heating can be reducedthe correct orientation of the house relative to the wind rose and the sides of the horizon. Usually living rooms are oriented to the south. On the opposite (northern) side, it is best to locate utility rooms.
The simpler and shorter the engineering communications, the higher their reliability and the lower the laying costs. To this end, if there are two floors, the bathrooms on each are located one above the other.
If you are building an economy class house, choose a built-in garage. Unlike a stand-alone one, it requires less heating costs, saves space and allows you to partially place engineering communications there. And getting into the garage directly from home is much more convenient.
It is better to abandon the idea of building a basement: building it and laying high-quality waterproofing is quite expensive. It will cost you about one and a half to two times more than building an entire floor. The basement can be replaced by a spacious storage room planned on the ground floor on the north side. Another part of the auxiliary premises can be moved to the attic.
About soundproofing and saving resources
Do not forget that those rooms that are part of the night zone require good sound insulation. This should be taken into account when choosing design and planning solutions. The penetration of extraneous sounds into any of the premises is possible through all fencing structures - ceilings and walls, windows, doors and technical openings, for example, ventilation. The bedroom will be the quieter, the thicker and more massive everythingitems listed.
Proper level of insulation is ensured by the installation of a double line of doors and at least a small corridor between the bedroom and the living area. When arranging bedrooms on the top floor, you should pay attention to the overlap device.
The layout of a private house implies its energy efficiency. When choosing a project, try to estimate, on average, the amount of energy that will be needed during the year for heating and water heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Don't forget that gas prices are rising from year to year.
The heating system must be equipped with thermostats, then in each room you can set your own desired temperature. Remember that by lowering the temperature in the room by just one degree, you will save 5% of the energy spent on heating.
Between the front door from the street and the premises of the house, it is imperative to arrange a heat lock - a vestibule - to prevent cold air from entering the house. It can be in the form of a hallway. In addition, it is a good idea to design an insulated covered veranda at the entrance.
Balconies and glazing
When planning a balcony, remember that it should be based on an independent structure in the form of pillars or columns, or on the first floor fence.
Larger glass area leads to higher heating and air conditioning costs. The minimum ratio of the areas of glazed window surfaces and floor area is 1:8.
On hot summer days, the presence of sprawling deciduous trees with large crowns near the house will help save on air conditioning,creating a deep shadow. In the fall and winter, when the trees are out of leaves, the sunlight heats up the walls, providing additional heat energy. If coniferous trees grow on the site, this also prevents cooling and protects the house from the cold winter wind.
Your home should be environmentally friendly. To do this, you should choose only proven building materials. Over half of what is sold on the domestic market cannot be called safe for he alth. Many building materials do not pass elementary ecological examination. When making a choice, do not listen to the sellers. Carefully study the label for the presence of phenol or formaldehyde, as well as other harmful impurities. Remember that the harmful gas formaldehyde is contained in chipboard, plywood sheets. Because of this, the air in most dwellings is of extremely poor quality. Environmentalists estimate the degree of its pollution to be on average 5 times greater (and the degree of toxicity - 8-10 times) compared to street air.
Layout of a private house - second floor and above
There are some nuances here. Unlike the layout of a private one-story house, two- or three-story buildings always have a staircase, which can serve as a natural boundary separating the day and evening zones. Usually, the premises included in the daily zone are located within the ground floor. The bedrooms, along with dressing rooms and additional bathrooms, are brought upstairs. Sometimes one of the bedrooms is located below - in case of lack of space on the second floor. Most often it accommodates the elderlyparents or guests.
If the house has more than one floor, each of them must have its own bathroom. The location of the toilet on the first floor should be provided in terms of the convenience of guests. It is recommended to equip it with a shower. If, in the presence of a bedroom on the first floor, the bathroom is located in an adjacent room, there is no need to go into it through the living room. The other bathroom (the one in the upper sleeping area) can be fully equipped with a hot tub or a steam sauna cabin.
About the layout of the kitchen and other utility rooms in a private house
The boiler room is most often designed on the ground floor. Sometimes the boiler is placed in a separate dedicated room or in a garage attached to the house. If solid fuel is used, a warehouse for it will be required. In this case, the entrance to the boiler room is made from the outside, next to such a warehouse.
When planning a kitchen in a private house, do not forget to place a pantry next to it for food storage. Dressing rooms are optimal to have two - one near the entrance, the other in the sleeping area. Where it will be decided to store daily clothes and linen, it is convenient to put a small laundry room, consisting of a washing machine and dryer with an ironing board. It should not be placed in the garage, as some owners practice. Constant trips with linen to the laundry, especially up and down the stairs, seriously tire the mistress of the house.
Once again about windows
Windows in a house are an important design element. Choosing large (fromfloor to ceiling) modern windows, you will achieve a visual absence of a border between the house and the garden. The room will look spacious and you will be able to enjoy beautiful views of nature. Unfortunately, the larger the area of the glazing used, the higher the cost of building a house. Building a glass block is more expensive than building a wall of the same area.
Additional costs will require winter heating and summer air conditioning. But for many people, the economic viability does not outweigh the pleasure of having a cozy living room bathed in sunlight and a magnificent view of the garden through the huge windows. By the way, similar glass doors and windows overlooking the terrace, balcony or garden are arranged not only there. According to the chosen layout, in a private house, the kitchen, dining room and even the bedroom can be equipped with this magnificent interior element. But still, this must be done taking into account the climate and the available view from the window.
Classic windows of a private house on the outside require the installation of roller shutters. Being closed, they will protect against the penetration of unwanted guests, in severe frost they will reduce heat loss, in the summer heat they will reduce overheating from sunlight. They should be designed in advance, at the planning stage of the house.
Which rooms can be made walk-through?
This planning solution is recommended by architects to visually expand the space of the house. In spacious rooms, people feel more free. The idea of arranging walk-through rooms canface the prejudice that is firmly planted in the minds of many. In fact, if you have a small apartment and many residents, such a walk-through room can be called rather a fat minus of the layout. But a private house is a completely different matter. The number and area of premises per individual living there is usually much larger than in a cramped city apartment.
The arrangement of an enfilade or the combination of separate spaces serves to increase the comfort of the whole family and allows you to develop original interior solutions.
Nowadays it has become fashionable in a private house when planning a kitchen, dining room and living room to combine. This is practiced more often in economy class houses. Such a solution makes it possible for the house to acquire a spacious daily area, and for those living in it to communicate in comfortable conditions. A modern kitchen, equipped with a large number of appliances, allows you to cook food with minimal inconvenience (the release of harmful gas, unpleasant odors, etc.). Therefore, when planning a dining room and a kitchen in a private house, they no longer need to be separated.
A person who cooks (hostess or owner) during his work may not interrupt contact with other household members and guests. It is most convenient if in a private house the layout of the kitchen and living room allows you to place a dining room between them. But it should be noted that the open type of kitchen places high demands on order and cleanliness.
Below in the photo is the layout of the kitchen and dining room in a private house.
What else can be combined
Sometimes the living room and the study (library) are adjacent. Separate planning options provide for the adjoining of this enfilade also a dining room - usually in large houses with frequent receptions of a large number of guests. The center of the enfilade, as a rule, is the living room itself, and the entire set of rooms forms an official, very presentable area. Guests, together with the hosts, have the opportunity to have lunch there in the dining room, then relax by the fireplace in the living room or retire in the office for negotiations.
Family couples can arrange a small cozy area in the bedroom, consisting of a bathroom and a dressing room. The latter can be a checkpoint.
If we talk about utility rooms, then you can line up a dressing room, a laundry room and then a boiler room. These three rooms are functionally connected to each other, and arranging them as adjacent spaces will be more appropriate than designing separate doors to each of them from a common corridor.
Let's "in numbers" talk about the indicators that characterize a comfortable private home. The main ones are the set and size of rooms for common use, as well as the amount of space for each of the residents. When designing a house, as already mentioned, one should take into account the possibility of changing the composition of the family in the future. Another thing to consider is the potential changing circumstances in which the use of premises with changing functions is possible. The third important point is the possibility, if necessary, to reconstructat home.
What are the main technical and economic indicators of an individual house?
There are three levels of comfort, each of which is characterized by its own, quite specific numbers. If we talk about the number of rooms, then at the first level of comfort, their number is 3-4 (including 2-3 bedrooms). For the second level, this number is already 4-6 (including 2-5 bedrooms). The third, highest level of comfort is characterized by the number of rooms from 5 to 8, of which 3-5 bedrooms.
Let's move on to such an indicator as the size of living space. It is equal to the first, second and third levels of comfort, respectively, 45-60 square meters. m, 65-100 sq. m and 100-130 sq. m.
Indicators of the total area for each of the mentioned levels of comfort are 80-120 square meters. m, 124-170 sq. m and 180-280 sq. m.
If we talk about the height of the ceilings, the minimum figure is 2.5 m, for a residential attic it is allowed to arrange them with a height of 2.3 m, and in areas of dry and hot climates - 3 m. The basement should not be lower than 1, 8 m.
The figures that determine the minimum area are for living rooms - 12 square meters. m, kitchens - 6 sq. m, bathrooms - 1.8 sq. m and toilets - 0.96 sq. m. The average area per person is 30-40 sq. m. m.
Other features of the location of the premises
As already mentioned, hygiene rules require the separation of household and residential areas. When planning a bathroom in a private house, refuse to design a toilet and shower (bathroom) overliving quarters, otherwise, in the event of a leak, water will enter the rooms. The premises of the night zone, as a rule, are equipped with balconies, where evening rest is possible. The living area of the first floor is very often extended by a veranda or terrace, where it is good to relax in the warm season.
If your house has a basement, it is possible to install rooms related to the recreation area, for example, a billiard room, a studio or a gym. Most of the utility rooms (sauna, small pool, pantry, furnace) or garage are most conveniently moved to an extension or (if available) to the basement space.
Stairs leading to the second floor and located in the hall or in the corridor, most often installed in the corner. In this case, it would be advisable to choose a structure that has turns along the outer walls with intermediate platforms.
Which areas for residential and common areas should be targeted?
Common rooms must be at least 16 sq. m, bedrooms - at least 12 sq. m, the kitchen is desirable to make the size of 8 square meters. m and more, corridor - 4-8 sq. m. Ancillary facilities such as a pantry, bathroom, toilet or dressing room will take from 2 to 6 square meters. m each. Utility rooms should not be too cramped - at least 3 square meters. m, a library, an office, a playroom or a work room require a space of at least 10 sq. m. The same area will need to be allocated for a garage.
The dimensions of each of the rooms should be calculated between the internal walls and partitions. At the same time, the width of the corridors is taken in no way less than 0.9 meters. The samethe indicator in relation to the front is 1.8 m. When calculating the area of \u200b\u200bthe attic room, only the part whose height to the sloping ceiling is 1.6 meters or more is taken into account. Other zones are calculated with a coefficient of 0, 7.
What numbers should be followed when designing stairs? Their parameters are calculated based on the convenience of moving residents from one floor to another, which should not require excessive effort. The recommendations here are:
- The step must have a width that allows placing a full foot on it. The space between steps should not exceed 17-19 cm.
- The slope of the stairs (which means the ratio of the height of the march to its horizontal projection) is always within 30 degrees. In practice, this means the ratio of height to size in plan in the proportion of 1:2
- Any step with its upper plane must be at least 2 m from the ceiling. If necessary, the slope of the stairs can be increased to 45 degrees.
- The flight of stairs must not be narrower than the minimum width of 90 cm.
