Square Two

When I first started drawing plans for the Momplex, we were really invisioning something along these lines 

Image from The Petersen Group

One level.  No stairs.  Senior housing.  You know what I'm talking about.

But then things just worked out where we bought this lot that the Moms love.

But when we were clearing the lot, I climbed up in the loader and noticed something.  Let's see if you see it too . . .

View from ground level

View from the loader.

Did you see it?

Imagine those trees in ten or twenty years . . .

So we made Mom climb up on the loader and make the call, and I started a brand new sketch up file.  Back to square one.  Well, actually, this one is square number two.  You'll see what I'm talking about in a second.

We decided (and mom agreed) that the main living level needed to be four feet above grade.  This would mean the garage and bonus area would need to be four feet below grade, with the garage a drive under, on the back slope of the lot.  

Unable to find a plan that met all of these requirements (and my requirements of things like windows and doors lining up and the Ram's requirements of no snow or water dripping over any entrances) I did what I know best . . . and started drawing.

You can click these images for a larger view.

Being that we live in Alaska where temperatures can dip (and stay) in the forty degrees below zero range for a month, we put the "family" entrance through the garage.  We felt that a well organized garage with adequate shelving could work well as an arctic entryway, minimizing heat loss and keeping piles of outdoor gear out of your main living space.  Of course, the garages are huge, giving lots of room for storing other things, like gardening equipment and oversized pantry items.

On the lower level, there will also be a large bedroom with en suite bath and large closet, and a spacious laundry room with lots of storage for towels and lines.  

Did I say the S-word?

You can click for a larger view.

I . . . did.

After much thinking, consultation with the Moms, we decided that yes, the Momplex is going to have stairs.  Not only will stairs give Mom a better view, they might just add years to her life, and more life to her years.  And we figured, if and when Mom might need wheelchair access to the upstairs, we could easily add a ramp to the front deck, giving Mom full access to the main level without the use of stairs.

However, the main entrance to each unit in the Momplex is a split entry, from the sides.  Going up, the great room features a full size kitchen, large dining table with french doors, and a living space suitable for a full sofa set, 8x10 rug and a media center as large as ours.

Next up on the list, lots of closets and at least two bedrooms on the main floor.  One of course is the main bedroom, and the other meant for an office/craft space.  The main bathroom features a wide doorway, plenty of space in the walkway, and Mom's choice of shower or bath layouts.  All hallways and doorways are extra wide.

But there are some other things that I think only the readers of this site will "get".  Some design decisions made now will impact how easy the Momplex is to build.  For one, if we could keep all of the plumbing localized and on interior walls, when it comes time to actually do the plumbing, we'll save that much more time and stress (notice lower level plumbing is all in same area on interior walls).

And probably the biggest time/money saver - and also energy efficiency saver - is to build the Momplex as a perfect square.  At 44x44 feet in dimension, the Momplex will run about 3872 square feet for the two stories and contain 352 linear feet of walls.  That's 352' of walls to build, and 352' of walls that will be loosing heat.

But let's say we went with a foundation of 80x24, coming in at 3840 square feet total for two stories.  Now we are up to 416 feet of walls to pay for, build, and heat.

Now imagine if you take that rectangle shape and make it interesting, with lots of corners and cantilevers and such . . .

Image from Associated Designs

I actually loved this plan and thought it perfect . . . for a crew of contractors to build.  Knowing it's our backs and our budget building the Momplex, we simplified as much as possible.

Guess the only thing left to do now is start building!