1. Three Main Areas of a House
3 Main Areas of a House - Unit 2
Three Main Areas of a House
Interior Planning

2. Objectives Differentiate between the three main areas of a house
Connect prior use of tools to tool use in architectural drawing
Design 3 main areas of a house
Analyze various kitchen types
Critique basic floor plans
Apply concepts of scale to everyday life
Create part of a floor plan using architectural tools

3. Floor Plans
It’s a scaled drawing of a horizontal section through a building at a given level (usually 5’-0”)
a diagram of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure
Shows: location and dimensions of exterior and interior walls, windows, doors, major appliances, cabinets, fireplaces

4. Floor Plans Information in a floor plan includes:
Exterior and interior walls
Size and location of windows and doors
Built in cabinets and appliances
Permanent fixtures
Stairs and fireplaces – direction, number of risers and width of stairs
Patios and decks
Room names
Material symbols
Scale, usually drawn ¼” = 1’

5. Floor Plans Open vs. Closed Plans: Open Concept
Rooms on the main level are not divided by walls. The line of sight leads from the front to the back of the house
Good for families with kids, who want to see them at all times, when cooking, etc.
This is currently a popular method of building
Especially popular for smaller spaces

6. Floor Plans Open vs. Closed Plans: Closed Concept
Rooms on the main level are mostly divided by walls into separate spaces.
This is a more traditional method of building
It allows for more privacy
Better layout for larger homes than smaller homes

7. Traffic Circulation
It’s the movement of people from one area or room to another
You should plan for maximum efficiency of movement
Pathways should be short and not pass through other rooms too much

8. Famous TV Show Floor Plans
television-show-home-floor-plans/

9. Areas of a Residential Home
Sleeping Area
Living Area
Service Area

10. Sleeping Area
Where people go for privacy, to rest, go to the bathroom, etc.
Located away from the busy areas (entrance, kitchen, family room, garage)
Rooms Include:
Bedroom
Master Bedroom
Bathrooms
Dressing rooms
Nurseries

11. Sleeping Area Bedrooms: Should each have hallway access and a closet!
FHA (Federal Housing Administration) Recommended Sizes:
Minimum= 100 sq. feet (10’X10’)
Average= sq. ft.
Large= over 175 sq. ft.
More bedrooms in a home = more sale potential

12. Sleeping Area
Bedrooms:

13. Sleeping Area Bedroom planning considerations:
How many people are sleeping in the room?
What type of room is it? (a Master Suite should also have a bathroom and large closet)
Leave at least 2’-0” on either side of a bed larger than a double size
Provide end table(s) for the bed
Did you include a generously-sized closet?
What other storage could be provided?

14. Sleeping Area
Bathrooms:
Located near sleeping and living areas
An average residential house will have at least1-1/2 baths
Door should swing to avoid direct view of the toilet
Placed near or above each other or kitchen
Save money to run more plumbing pipes
Avoid placing toilets under windows and having doors open directly to them
Include an exhaust fan and GFCI outlets (ground fault circuit interrupter)

15. Sleeping Area Bathrooms: 3 types
½ Bath contains toilet and lavatory (sink)

16. Sleeping Area Bathrooms: 3 types
¾ Bath contains toilet / lav / shower or tub

17. Sleeping Area Bathrooms: 3 types
Full (master) Bath contains toilet / lav / shower / tub
Minimum full size- 5’X8’
Large full sizes- 10’X10’, 10’X12’

18. Sleeping Area Bathroom planning considerations:
Leave15” on either side of the toilet
Leave 24” in front of the toilet
There should be a mirror over the sink!
Is there enough light in the mirror area?
The fixtures should follow common dimensions:
Common tub size 30”x 60”
Shower size 30” x 30” to 36” x 48”

19. Sleeping Area Closets: Minimum Depth- 2’-0” (Recommended- 30”)
Location
near an entranceway
on interior walls (noise insulation/does not reduce exterior wall space for windows)
Access door types
Bi-fold
sliding
Hinged

20. Sleeping Area Interior Doors:
Minimum bedroom door size = 2’6” W x 6’-8” H
Other interior door sizes- 2’-3’or wider in 2” increments
Door should be near a corner (6” from the wall)
They should swing into the room
They should not hit any bathroom fixtures
Do not block closets in the bedrooms
Do not allow for direct viewing of a toilet!

21. Sleeping Area General Rules to Consider for Sleeping Area:
Rooms should be grouped together whenever possible
Add switched lighting in every room (near entrance)
At least two windows are recommended when there are two exterior walls
Include plenty of furniture storage pieces (side tables, bureaus, etc.)
Consider a spot for a TV viewable from the bed
Each bedroom should have an accessible bathroom

22. Living Area
Where people relax, entertain guests, dine, read, watch the Phillies, play Rock Band…
Rooms include:
Formal Living Room
Family Room
Den or Study
Dining Room
Foyer
Patio, Deck,
Porch, Terrace
Game Room

23. Living Area Formal Living Room:
Usually has a formal nature (reading, studying, relaxing, playing piano)
Room Sizes (FHA- Federal Housing Administration) -Minimum = 150 sq. feet -Average = 250 sq. feet -Large = around 400+ sq. ft.

24. Living Area
Formal Living Room:

25. Living Area Family Room:
Less formal then the living room (TV- watching, playing video games)
Where the family spends most of its time together

26. Living Area
Family Room:

27. Living Area Living Room & Family room planning considerations:
What is the space used for?
What is the focal point of the space?
How many people will it hold?
What kind of furniture will be needed?
Open plan or Closed plan?
What kind of activities will it be used for?
Special Lighting?
Placement of windows is important

28. Living Area Dining Room: Location Room Size (FHA)
Near Kitchen and Living Room
Room Size (FHA)
Minimum= 120 sq. feet
Average= 160 sq. feet
Large= around 200 or more sq. feet

29. Living Area
Dining Room:

30. Living Area Dining Room planning considerations:
How many people will be dining? You’ll need to fit the correct-sized table.
Leave at least 2’-0” behind the back of a chair to the wall
Open or closed plan? What works best?

31. Living Area Foyer (Entrance Way):
Should not enter into a room, if possible
Extension of entry to protect house from weather
Minimum size- 6’ X 6’
Average size- 8’ X 10’
Should have a closet (min 2’ X 3’)
Door size should be at least 3’-0” x 6’-8”

32. Living Area
Foyer (Entrance Way):

33. Living Area Other Entrance Ways: Service Entrance Special Purpose
Entrance to mudroom or utility room
Near kitchen
Special Purpose
Provides access to patio or deck

34. Living Area General Rules to Consider for Living Area:
Leave a minimum of 3’-0” between walls for circulation
TV should be a minimum of 6’-0” away from sofa, and centered in the seating area
Leave a space of 1’-6” between the sofa(s) and coffee table in the middle
Side tables can be placed right next to furniture with no extra space left over
Try not to create a traffic circulation route through the seating area. Rather, it’s better if you can walk around the seating area to get to the next room.

35. Service Area
Where people perform jobs such as cooking, laundry, working with tools, etc.
Rooms Include:
Kitchen
Clothes care center
Garage
Carport
Storage

36. Service Area Kitchen: Food preparation
Can be extended for dining, storage, or laundry
Most expensive area of the house per square foot
Most active use of any room
Eat-in kitchen usually includes a small table (in addition to a separate dining room)

37. Service Area Kitchen: Work Triangle
Consists of the distance between the refrigerator, sink, and range (stove)
Perimeter of triangle should be less than 22’-0”

38. Service Area Kitchen: 6 types Straight-line Kitchen
For small cottages and apartments
Little cabinet space
Not very interesting
Not ideal for working triangle

39. Service Area Kitchen: 6 types L-Shaped Kitchen
Located on 2 adjacent walls
Efficient and usually more attractive than a straight line
2 work centers on one wall and the other on an adjacent wall
Not for large
kitchens

40. Service Area Kitchen: 6 types Corridor (Galley) Kitchen
Uses two opposite walls
Small to medium size (ideal for long narrow rooms)
Not ideal if there is too much traffic through kitchen
Leave at least 4’-0” of open space between cabinets

41. Service Area Kitchen: 6 types U-Shaped Kitchen
Popular, highly effective and attractive
No traffic passes through the kitchen to other areas of house
Compact work triangle
Leave at least 5’-6” of space between both sides of the “U”

42. Service Area Kitchen: 6 types Peninsula (G-Shape) Kitchen
Peninsula is a piece of cabinetry projecting into empty space that’s often used as cooking center, eating area, or food prep center
Plenty of work space
Traffic is reduced and work triangle is compact

43. Service Area Kitchen: 6 types Island Kitchen
Modification of straight, L or U shaped design
Island is stand-alone cabinetry accessible from all sides that may house sink, cooking center, food prep area, or
counter top/snack bar
4’-0” of clearance for
easy access

44. Service Area Kitchen planning considerations:
Should be located near a service entrance and provide easy access to trash containers
Usually next to the dining room
Cabinets/Appliances
Most 34 ½” high, 24” deep
Widths in 3 in increments (15”, 18”, 21”)
Wall cabinets
12-13” deep
12”-30” high (3” increments)
12”-36” wide (3” increments)

45. Service Area Laundry Room:
Washing, drying, pressing, folding, storing and mending clothes
Floors = water resistant
Often located in the basement b/c of noise and lack of space. Many newer houses build laundry closets on the 2nd floor
Washer and Dryer
29” wide
26” deep
43.5” high

46. Service Area
Laundry Room:

47. Service Area Garage / Carport: Provides shelter for automobiles
Plan with storage in mind, and a connection to the house
Attached (garage) or free standing (carport)
Sizes:
1 car = 11’ x 19’ to
16’ x 25’
2 cars = 20’ x 20’ to 25’ x 25’

48. Service Area
Garage / Carport: