I’ve devoted today to completing the final revisions of the perfect floor plan to my client’s home renovation design. The scope of this very exciting project has been known to shift, change and grow over the past few months as we continued to dig deeper into the “true needs” of their busy family life.  Over time we explored various combination’s and permutations of space, scale and volume as it related to their lifestyle– and I can now say with confidence I will be presenting them with (what I feel to be) the ideal new floor plan for their charming (yet dated and spatially challenged) Cape Cod styled home.

Main Floor – Revisions will include additional square footage off the rear of the home – resulting in the ideal floor plan!

Spatial relationships are extremely important when planning a successful home renovation.  The perfect plan must maintain consistency, uniformity, proportion and flow seamlessly from one space to another – at all times respecting the original architecture of the home.

Creating that perfect floor plan is as unique as each client’s design profile – no two clients’ needs are exactly alike – and no two home renovation projects are alike.

So it comes down to a simple mathematical equation involving both addition and subtraction:

Adding Square Footage + Subtracting Existing Walls = Spacious Floor Plan

The truth is – older homes tend to be more compartmentalized where one room is isolated from the next and in my client’s case, removing existing walls and adding some new space at the front and rear of the home instantly opens up the floor plan and layout – ultimately creating a visual connection from space to space and making the flow of the home more feel more open, accessible and spacious.

Mission accomplished!

Next step – elevations and details!

Stay Inspired!

I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2011 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

I’m participating in an interesting “blog off” hosted by elocal USA – the Nation’s #1 Online Directories. It is a series intended to bring bloggers and professionals together to discuss the hot trends and topics in the world of home improvement and design while providing useful information and engaging conversation to you (the homeowner).

Here is the first question in the series.

Q:  “When in the design process should plumbing and electrical decisions be made”?

A:  Should the homeowner create a concept for the space first, saving all plumbing and electrical decisions for later, so as not to influence the creative vision?

Or

A:  Should the homeowner make plumbing and electrical decisions first, designing a concept around the appropriate plumbing and electrical capabilities first?

Here’s a more detailed version of my answer:

A: I’ve lost count but I’ve probably designed close to one hundred bathrooms over the years.  They’ve come in all shapes, sizes and budgets, yet at the end of the day each of my clients share one common goal: To re-design their tired, dingy and dated master bathroom by improving its overall function and bring it into the 21st century.

Whether it’s a partial remodel or a full bathroom renovation – you’ll be required to re-think the space from top to bottom, and in order to get exactly what you want – you’ll need to ask yourself questions like these:

• What is our creative vision?
• How do we make this space more user-friendly and elegant at the same time?
• Do we need to remove walls, add space, add new or relocate windows, plumbing and electrical to get what we want?
• Where is the best location for the spa tub and steam shower for two?
• Do we have space for a private WC?

We live very differently today than in years past and many times the dysfunctional bathroom layouts of 20+ years ago, require some re-working of the floor plan in order to provide you (the homeowner) with a more user-friendly design.  An efficient floor plan, layout and flow are everything!  If your original bathroom footprint works for you – fabulous!   But often times the perfect design solution means re-orienting and relocating plumbing and electrical to accommodate the changing needs of the homeowner.  In this case function and concept come first and the mechanics follow.

The smart approach to creating your spa retreat is to develop the concept for your master bathroom space first – saving all plumbing and electrical decisions for later, so as not to compromise the creative vision and the mission at hand.

The reality is, when conceptualizing your new master bath plans, plumbing and electrical considerations are made in conjunction with the overall design concept – as they are integral to the ideal design solution.

Remember, If your master bath’s original footprint continues to meet your needs and functions perfectly well, then maintaining the original plumbing walls, stacks and other mechanics will save you money in the long run.  If however you’re borrowing some existing space from within the home or even adding extra square footage to create a larger master bath, then it’s more than likely that the plumbing and electrical will need to be relocated and supplemented for your new master bath work more efficiently.

Join in on the discussion.  Would love to hear your input and comments. http://www.elocal.plumbers.com/blog/blogoff-when-to-make-plumbing-electrical-decisions-4259

Stay Inspired!

I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2011 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

Planning and designing is the most creative part of any home renovation, remodel or addition project, as it allows you to express yourself truly and honestly.

If you’ve hired a design professional it then becomes their job to make sense of all your wants and needs – and to program and develop a detailed client profile in order to begin the planning and design phase of your project.

Keep in mind that spatial relationships are extremely important when planning a successful layout. As you see your floor plan evolve, you want to aim for consistency, uniformity, and proportion from one space to another.

For example: Don’t triple the size of your kitchen and expect that by leaving the adjacent family room the same quaint size, it will work in seamlessly with the new.  That old space will undoubtedly be incongruent with the scale and proportion of the new space.

If you face design dilemmas with confidence and implement strong planning and design strategies, you’ll achieve the greatest results. Always remember to balance good design with practicality and follow solid theories and principles to get you through.

Here are 10 valuable tips to consider when developing a good solid floor plan:

1. Consider how your home is situated on its lot, particularly the orientation and view – and maximize the assets.
2. Plan traffic flow to increase convenience from room to room.
3. Notice the current circulation patterns in your home. You should be able to move about from space to space without obstacles blocking you.
4. Older homes tend to be more compartmentalized where one room is isolated from the next—open that up in the renovation.
5. Look for visual connection from space to space.
6. Make sure the foyer is centrally situated and is easily accessible from all areas of the house.
7. A closet near the entry is a great convenience.
8. The path from the garage and/or laundry room to the kitchen should be short and direct, especially for unloading groceries.
9. Having relationships between spaces creates a more inviting and workable environment.
10. Keep traffic and circulation off to one side of the room and not through the space.

I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2010 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

Brown Residence, Week 9

The perfect design concept – whether developing an extensive floor plan for your remodel, developing the exterior elevations of your home renovation or designing fine cabinetry details – all require the same process to get started.

When it comes to putting pencil to paper, I love the idea of free hand sketching.  For me it’s the most creative and fluid way to fit the puzzle pieces together.  With my roll of tracing paper in hand, I can feel a concept flow from my fingers right onto the page.

Developing a solid floor plan is not an exact science – yet requires experimenting with multiple concepts until you get it right.

In the Brown’s case the process starts with laying tracing paper over the

“as-builts” – and sketching some preliminary ideas, concepts and room layouts over the existing plans.  I begin with bubble diagrams, sketches and scribbles (it’s very scientific). I assess, evaluate and revise the layout over and over, until I feel it’s good enough to present to Liz and Mark for round one.

During this meeting, we review the layout together dissecting every nuance possible – walking through the space virtually in our mind’ eye and laying sheets of tracing paper over one another. I call this the “Mr. Potato Head” theory.  I did mention that this phase is not an exact science, and since the floor plan evolves in a variety of ways, this is the best time to experiment with certain elements that may be re-sized, shifted or relocated entirely.

At the conclusion of that meeting with notes in hand I head back to the drawing board and the process begins all over again refining and revising – until a solid design concept and floor plan is established.

I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “How to Avoid the 15 Most Common Decorating Mistakes”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca.
© 2010 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc

Brown Residence, Week 6

After submitting the Typographic Land Survey and the site plan – complete with the locations of the proposed additions – the Geologists were able to analyze the Brown’s canyon property and determine the number of drill sites, test pits and drill depths required to collect sufficient soils for sampling.

The Geologist’s assessed that only one major drill site was necessary in Liz and Mark’s driveway – boring down 50’ for soil sampling rather than a more typical 30’ – and an additional 4 hand tool excavated test pits are required throughout the front and rear yards, relative to the proposed additions.

What To Expect:

• A truck mounted drill rig and other equipment showed up in their driveway for 3-4 hours on that schedule morning to collect the samples at varying levels on the site.  It was an invasive, arduous and time – consuming process yet fascinating at the same time.
• The test drilling created an 8” diameter hole in the driveway, which was filled with concrete to even out the surface.  Unfortunately the repair to that hole wasn’t as smooth as Liz had expected and it needed to be corrected.  Since the Brown’s will be living here for some time before the construction begins, we expect all repair work to be as done as neatly as possible.
• Days later, several laborers showed up with the soils engineer to dig 4 hand tool test pits.  These pits disturbed, 2’x3’ areas of sod that were cut, soil removed for testing and were finally re-filled and sod replaced.  It should take the sod just a couple of weeks to recover.

I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “How to Avoid the 15 Most Common Decorating Mistakes”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca.
© 2009 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc