Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Design - Bedrooms

With the emphasis on big open spaces, I have seen many homes in which the owner who wants to go from the bedroom, has to pass through open entertainment area to get to the kitchen.

If the children or spouse are entertaining and someone is sick and thirsty, they have to dress or be embarrassed as they interrupt the group on their way to the kitchen.

This problem can be solved in a two-story house with a feature affectionately known as
"pajama stairs".
It is a second set of stairs that come down near the kitchen or the back of the house to allow for such situations.

Questions:
1-Is there adequate room in the master closet for all of the items the couple may have?
2-can you get a shower and get dressed without having to lock off the entire bedroom?
3-Can you get to the kitchen from the bedroom without passing through public areas?
4-I personally recommend that you put all bedrooms, but especially the master in the back of the house, which hopefully is facing south. This is even more true if you are in a garden home or "walking neighborhood".
5-Do you have adequate duct work and insulation in the bedrooms to prevent unpleasant temperatures. People may have a tendency to ware less clothes in the bedroom and the duct work should accommodate for that.
6-If you are building or buying look at the view or even worse, who may be able to see you!
I remember a million dollar mansion where the neighbors had a clear view of the interior of the house.
If you are building, consider this situation and often a slight modification in the design can solve the problem.

A lady once told me that she had covered her second story master bath windows with plantation blinds and it took several months before a neighbor told her that she should angle her blinds in the other direction. When she angled the blinds down toward the street , it exposed the bath area to the street !

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