Room Design
At this point you now know where the rooms are all going to go, now it is time to size and shape each of the rooms. Note that here, size is the minimum size to accommodate the activity. Because the rooms have to fit together in one package and is constrained by structural considerations, there is a lot of give and take as to what the actual size of a room will be. This stage often involves much compromise, and a lot of drawing trying to get everything to fit and work together, and is an area where an experienced architect or designer is much better at this than anyone else.
22) The Size of
Rooms
The critical size of a room isn’t its exact dimensions, but its perceived
size, which is related to our own size. There is a daylighting constraint on
rooms in that light will only penetrate 12-15 feet, so rooms should never been
deeper from a window than that. The feel of a room varies from cramped
to cozy to comfortable to spacious and on to voluminous. Breaking up the
surface treatment of a floor or walls into segments tends to make a room seem
smaller, while views from a room across to other rooms, or views open up to the
outside tend to make them look bigger. Raising the ceiling height can make a
room look bigger, but only if the dimensions of the room are greater than the
ceiling height, in which case the room will look smaller.
There are multiple systems for sizing rooms proportionally, both in terms of the ratio of length to width and of floor area to ceiling height. A couple of these ideas are the golden section, which is a ratio of 5 to 8, and in terms of bamboo mats (which are themselves human scale). For many people, its good enough to just avoid making one dimension particularly larger than another.
A room's minimum size can be determined by laying out furniture in it and then allocating space for passage around it. This is a good place to start and then let rooms expand as they joint together. In this process all rooms will tend to get big, and significant work must be done to keep the building from growing too much.
23)
Ceiling Height
The height of the ceiling affects the feeling of intimacy: a very tall
ceiling will make people feel like they're further apart, while a low ceiling
will make them feel like they are closer together. Public building usually
have ceilings that are ten feet or so tall because the people in them are
strangers. The eight foot ceiling was adopted for residences because its a good
compromise. The common areas could benefit from a slightly higher ceiling
(maybe 8'6" or 9, but probably not more than 10) while bedrooms, bathrooms and
home offices could easily have a slightly lower ceiling (by probably not less
than 7'6"). When a taller ceiling is used in the common areas, many people
will keep the kitchen ceiling lower.
Vaulted ceilings under a roof can be nice, but you need to keep in mind that warm air will rise, so if the ceiling gets too tall, the warm air will all go up there. There is few practical reason for a ceiling much more than ten feet, except around stairways, when there is a good reason to vault the ceiling, or to specifically capture hot air1. Ceilings two stories tall not only cause a problem with heat, but they're a colossal waste of space. Cathedral ceilings are best left for churches, where they belong.
24) Placement and
Amount of Windows
Windows serve a multitude of purposes- they provide daylight, they
provide passive solar heat, the provide ventilation and they provide a connection between inside and
outside. On the down side, they are poor insulators and do not provide any
privacy. Compared to insulated walls, even the best windows
available lose anywhere from three to ten times as much heat through them,
depending on how you do the comparison, and so windows need to be used very
wisely. The shape of the house must be designed with windows in mind
so that each room can have sufficient daylight, and so that passive solar
heat is taken advantage of without incurring excessive heat loss.
Every house is a passive solar house to some degree, only if its not designed that way the result is some combination of not capturing the available winter heat, and capturing too much of the summer heat. While fully passive solar heating is a challenge, getting a sizeable chunk (25-50%) of your winter heat is quite easy (assuming it is available at the site). Details on this are in the solar section.
Most people find daylight preferable to any kind of electric light, and like solar heat gain, it’s a free resource that should be taken advantage of it whenever it is available. Even on a cloudy winter day, there is significantly more light outside than there is in a room lit with electric light, and on a sunny day there is many times more light yet. Our eyes are amazingly adaptable to a wide range of lighting conditions, but for tasks like reading, they operate best in the mid ranges. Where an overhead electric light is often too dim, direct sun, or even a bright cloudy day is too bright for reading.
Issues of daylighting are normally only dealt with superficially in residential construction, and unlike other aspects of design, there are no available formulas to calculate window size based on daylight requirements. As a result, the only alternative is to rely on experience or build a model and measure how it performs. Either way, the amount of window area in a room should be sized to provide a reasonable amount of light. The general rule is that never build any space that is more than 12-15 feet from a window, since that's as far as light penetrates, and always try to put windows in a room so that there is a window facing in two or more directions, so as to prevent dark shadows and create a more even, diffuse light. Of particular concern to anyone trying to maximize passive solar gain is the problem of excessive amounts of light due to large glazing areas.
Windows create a connection from inside to outside, and the degree of that connection is determined by both the size of the window and the height off the floor of the windowsill. A sill height of 4’6” will create nearly total privacy, but very little connection with outside, while a sill height of 12” will make the outside feel part of the room, but provide no privacy. Bringing the window sill all the way down to the floor does create a greater a connection with outside, but also decreases the sense of being protected.
Views are wonderful, but by making a view broadly visible from many places in the house by using lots of glass reduces its specialness. Instead pick an area or two, make the view a centerpiece of those areas, and let all the other windows be the size they need to be, ignoring the view.
As with daylighting, public spaces tend to want a greater connection to the outdoors, while private spaces want a lesser one. People like to be able to watch the weather, see who is walking by, and enjoy the landscaping, and so having some windows with a low enough sill allows this. Keep in mind that a very low sill can make you feel exposed, so there is a tradeoff there in determining sill height. When the outdoor landscaping creates a natural privacy barrier, the windows in private spaces can be opened up to it, creating delightful spaces, but few urban lots allow for this luxury.
25) Places on the edge
Places on the edge are the places away from the flow that are made for sitting
or congregating. Most people will prefer to sit near an edge than in the
center because it gives a feeling of protection, while still allowing a feeling
of connection. If the place on the edge
is near a window, it allows a connection to both inside and outside at once.
Almost every room can incorporate a place on the edge, although not every one
needs one. Some of these places should be sunny places, and others should
have only indirect light. If you find yourself sitting at the dining table
or in bed reading because there is no place else to go, then its likely that you
don't have enough places on the edge. This pattern applies to outdoor
space as well.
These places could be created just by placing furniture along a wall, or a special alcove could be built for them. Sunny places are often the most cherished spots in a house during all but the hottest days of the year.
Here are some examples of places on the edge:
Window seat - most everyone loves a well made window seat. A window seat needs to be wide enough to sit on it comfortably and long enough to be able to put your legs up on it. If the intent is to ever actually sit on it like a chair, then it can be no more than 18" off the floor, but in our experience few people sit on them that way. The back needs to be sloped, but you can do that with large pillows if you don't want to build a sloped back. If the window seat is the size of a single bed, you can put a futon mattress or the equivalent on it so it can double as such. While window seats are often in living rooms, you can put one in a reading room, and office or even a hallway.
Breakfast nook - these are also well loved spaces, especially when the face east to catch the morning sun. They should be big enough to fit 2-4 people, but not so big as to lose their cozy feel. Its after all a nook, not a room.
Heat source - people like to sit around the fire, and preferably look at the flames or at least be able to feel the heat radiation. While tight houses necessitates closed combustion devices, there are still stoves that you can see the flame thru a sheet of glass.
View - people will gather around a view the way they gather around a fire, so view places make great places on the edge.
Sitting circle - people engaged in conversation like to be arranged in a circle or semi-circle, so arrange a living room around that.
26) Bedroom Design
A bedroom is for sleeping, and using it for any other purpose often leads to
conflict, unless of course you live alone. Because of this, a bedroom
should be no bigger than is necessary to hold the bed, night tables, dresser
(although the dresser if often best in the
closet/dressing room) and room to get around them all. A single bed can be in an
alcove, big enough only for the bed, so that you can only get out of the bed on
one side. Kids love bunk beds, and that makes even better use of space.
Larger beds can also be in alcoves, but then at least one person has an awkward
escape from bed, so they are not so practical for couples.
Most people like their bedroom to have windows facing east so they can wake up to the morning light, although a bright southern exposure is nearly as effective.
The bedroom should be the most isolated room in the house. One easy way to add extra sound insulation is to located closets or bookcases on the bedroom walls to thicken up the wall between it an other rooms.
27) Bathroom Design
Bathing need not be just a mechanical exercise; it can be therapeutic and
enjoyable as well. A small cramped bathroom doesn't feel right, but
then neither does an excessively spacious one. There needs to be enough
room for both people to move around freely and places to put your clothes while
your bathing without having to step on them. Bathrooms are often lacking in
storage: make sure there is plenty of room for towels, extra TP, toiletries, and
cleaning products.
Bathroom need a lot of light, yet they are often shoved to the north side and given only one window so that you have to turn on the lights, even on a sunny day to see in the mirror. Put them facing east to get good morning light, or on the south, or even the west, and don't worry so much about them getting warm: the bathroom can be the warmest room in the house, because its the one your guaranteed to be spending time naked in. If you can't find a way to get windows on two sides, look to put in a skylight. Indoor plants love bathrooms.
Few people use a tub, and they're not the most convenient shower because you have to step over the edge, but for therapeutic uses, a tub is wonderful. An alternative it to only put in a shower, and use the extra space for a sauna instead. Energy wise, all the escaped heat from the sauna ends up in the house, while a good chunk of the heat from a tub ends up down the drain. Those huge jet tubs sell houses, but mostly end up collecting dust.
Most couple prefer having their own sink, but many also have no problem sharing. Under-counter mount sinks make it much easier to keep the counter clean, and especially help prevent mold problems around the faucets. Tile counters are pretty, but the grout around the sink is very prone to mold. Epoxy grout helps this a lot, but doesn't eliminate totally. Tile showers have the same problem: if you use tile, you need to squeegee it regularly. Even epoxy grout will grow a little mold.
Bath fans need to be quiet and go off on their own or they don't get used. In a tight house, it is critical they get used. If the windows fog up or have condensation, you've got too much moisture in the air.
The entry to a bathroom should never be too visible, especially for the one that services the common areas. People not only don't want to be seen when their going in or out of a bathroom, they don't want to be heard when their in it, so it is best if the room is either isolated or sound insulated from other room, particularly the common areas.
28) Kitchen/Great Room
Formal dining and living rooms are a holdover from times when
life was conducted in a more formal fashion, guests were not allowed in the
kitchen, servants often did much of the work, and families themselves were more
formal. Because our lifestyle is much more informal, those rooms are
rarely used in homes. Kitchens have become the hub of activity in the
house, both during everyday life and when guests are present. In
fact it is rare to find guests anywhere other than the kitchen since few people
host formal parties anymore. Since cooking is now done by family members, most
cooks don't want to be isolated in the kitchen, so homes are now often organized
around a "great room" as the central common area, containing a kitchen, dining
area and typically a living room or family room. In the typical
organization, a low counter (which often doubles as an eating counter), provides
a physical barrier to keep people from getting under foot in the kitchen, but
still allowing conversation.
In homes without a great room, or not enough kitchen barrier there is often conflicts between the cook, who needs freedom to move, and everyone else who is mulling about in the way. While some may lament this lack of formality, it has become the norm, and so most houses are better off with a "great room", and omitting any formal rooms, saving both materials and cost. The exact form of the great room may vary, especially since in many cases it is desirable to partition of sections of the common area to create quiet areas (see Away Room/Television).
The exact format of the great room varies depending on whether children are involved and a particular family's preferences. A family room in a great room allows children to be watched while cooking, but doesn't isolate their noise (see Children's Place).
29) Kitchen work area
If there is one room that needs to be just the right size, it's
the kitchen, although its not the size of the overall room that is of concern
but the size of the work area. A too small work area never has enough
counter space, and a too large one forces the cook to walk too much. You
need a couple of feet on either side of the stove, a similar amount around the
sink for use as a staging area during food prep and cooking, and around ten
linear feet of counter in order to avoid constantly running out of counter
space. Keep in mind that some counter space inevitably ends up as storage
space: for fruit, for cooking utensils, for dish drying racks etc. If you
don't want counter space to be used this way, you need to provide other waist
high storage space for those tasks.
Although our custom is to hide everything in the kitchen behind doors, it clearly is not the most convenient way to store pots and dishes that are used frequently. If, instead you have many open shelves, things are not only more accessible, but kept in much less costly storage. If uniformity and quality of dishes is an issue, it is often cheaper to buy higher end pots and dishes than it is to build cabinets to hold them.
Of all the rooms in the house, the kitchen has the greatest need for brightness. Task lighting can help with this, but bright daylight is the most appealing to most people. Kitchen sinks are often located near a window, because being able to look outside somehow seems to make the tedious job of washing dishes just a bit more pleasant.
30) Office
A home office can be used for work, or it might be for doing the
families finances, or it might be for reading/hobbies/volunteer work. A
home office that is visited by clients needs to have a separate entrance so
there is a clear line between work and home, not only for your sanity, but it
helps with the taxman. A home office that you use alone still needs to be very
separate, but obviously doesn't need it's own entrance. In fact if the
work doesn't involve clients, the ideal workspace isn't completely isolated from
the rest of the home, but rather is isolated enough so that one can concentrate,
but not so isolated that one feels all alone. If the office is for "work"
the major issue for most people is creating a sense in your office that you are
"at work", especially for those who are prone to procrastination and find
themselves doing everything except the task they need to do.
Partial isolation can be achieve by half open walls, or by interior windows. In both cases you are creating a physical and psychological barrier, while still allowing visual contact between the two areas.
31) Television/Away Room
The minute a television is turned on, it dominates the room more effectively
than the most annoying person who won’t shut up. We are preprogrammed to
focus on movement in our field of vision, and television takes advantage of this
by presenting a constantly changing view. Because of this, there is no
really good place for a TV as it prevents the room from being used for anything
else. Putting it in the living room makes it convenient to have people
over to watch it, while putting in a separate, isolated room contains its effect
to that room. Many people put televisions in their bedroom, but few people
would say that doing so has any positive effect on your relationship2, and in all
too many cases, it has a negative effect.
An alternate solution is to create a special quiet space or "away room" that is part of the common area, but sound isolated from it.
32) Interior doors
The best place for a door is usually in the corner so it leaves most of the wall
space available for furniture. Beware of positioning doors so they collide
with other doors or prevent drawers from opening etc. Avoid putting doors at the
end of hallways if the room is to be private. Privacy is gained by making
it so you can't see into a room from another room.
Notes
1: this isn't to say there aren't some other reasons, just that I've yet to find them. From the green building perspective, cathedral ceilings are a huge waste of space: the ceiling height doesn't scale with the room, and there is a lot of materials going into building space that holds only unused air.
2: people being as variable as they are, this isn't to say TVs in bedrooms aren't sometimes a cherished thing for some couples. The point is more to be aware of who you are.