MS Paint: Brainstorming on a Floorplan

Before Jane and Van got serious with the renovation plans and hired a designer, I played around on Microsoft Paint to try to try to dream up a layout for the remodel.  I never imagined that it would be feasible (or not prohibitively costly) for all of the load bearing walls between the kitchen and sunroom to come down, so my designs all keep a significant amount of those wall in tact.

Current Layout - As discussed previously, the layout prior to renovation had some shortcomings.  Notably, the kitchen was tiny, interior, isolated, and dark, and there was no powder room on the first floor for guests.

Proposal 1:  I was trying to cram a lot into this first attempt:  I wanted to enlarge the closet to the first floor master bedroom, add a powder room, add a new primary back entrance, and create a large kitchen with an island.  To do this, I proposed taking space away from the sunroom to create the new back entrance, a mud room pass through area, and a laundry room (currently, the laundry room is in the basement).  I combined the kitchen and breakfast areas into one large room, and called for a long kitchen island with breakfast bar in the middle of the room.  I closed off the old hallway connecting the den to the front of the house and combined it with the existing bedroom closet to create a bigger, walk-in closet.

This plan would not work for several reasons.  The kitchen space is not wide enough for the island I proposed (a focal point of the plan in my mind).  Cutting off the den from the front of the house created an awkward flow.  Losing space in the sunroom would have taken away a special place in the house while also disturbing the flow. But props to me for thinking outside the box. :-)

Proposal 2:  My second proposal is significantly scaled back from my first proposal.  It calls for combining the kitchen and breakfast areas into one room and opening up the back wall to create a breakfast bar peninsula overlooking the sun porch.  It also calls for sealing over the existing windows between the kitchen and sun room to allow for more overhead cabinet space along that wall.

This proposal is fine, but certainly does not have much "wow" factor.  The kitchen would have limited natural light and limited interaction with the adjoining living areas. 

Proposal 3:  My third proposal refined the prior one a bit by creating more flow into the kitchen from the sun-room with a true island.  In this proposal, I also began to explore how the sunroom windows would be replaced.   I envisioned a set of side French doors leading out to a patio/outdoor living area.

In the end, none of the above proposals hold a match to the ultimate design.  Removing the wall completely between the sunroom and the kitchen will really create a total "wow" factor, flood the kitchen with natural light, create interaction between the kitchen and the living area, and so forth. 

Before: Floor Plan

Prior to renovation, the floor plan of the house had remained unchanged for decades.  For the most part, it was a very functional and fluid layout that lended well to entertaining.  One could enter the front of the house and do a complete loop of the first floor without ever seeing the kitchen, so it lended well to staging formal parties.  Also, it contained ample storage space.

The layout had its problems, however.  Notably, the kitchen was tiny, with very little counter space.  It was also dark:  the sunroom -- which was added after the home was constructed -- limited the kitchen's natural light.  Also, the kitchen was essentially sealed off from the rest of the first floor, preventing the cook from any social interaction with others while preparing meals.   Families today do not desire kitchens that are so separated from living spaces.

The breakfast room adjoining the kitchen was well used (most meals were consumed at the breakfast room table on a daily basis), but not very functional.  It was a small space, and maneuvering around the table was difficult.  It also benefited from little natural light because of the sunroom.

Another problem with the floor plan was that there was no powder room on the first floor.  If ever the bedroom was in use -- as either a master bedroom or as a guest bedroom -- guests would have to infringe on the privacy of the person/persons using that bedroom or walk upstairs to use the restroom.