Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

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OscarMike
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Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by OscarMike »

I have been doing a lot of research for layout and design and have found a very good website that lets you build-your-own so to speak. I thought I would share it (dont think it is against the forum linking rules) - http://www.floorplanner.com

If anyone has any more resources or tips for layout and design please post them.
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chrisdaejeon
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by chrisdaejeon »

Very useful had a quick look and would be great for someone planning to build.
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by splitlid »

programs like these are great, theres plenty around for free or minimal cost.
they allow anyone with a little computer knowledge to start designing.
they can produce a 2d and 3d perspective of the design so the user can really visualise what they have made.

the only thing they cannot do is think.
that is down to the user.
and that really is the downfall of all the free design programs.

many people will do their designs, take them to a draughtsman and then get it built. The draughtsman is not there to think, only draw(thats what you are paying for) and therefore will not put in any input and if they do then oftern it will be because thats the way they want it done.

quiet oftern no real design basics have been taken into account, no fault of the user really because thats not their job
by design basics i mean-

orientation
room sizes
good flowing layout
passive design
zoning
budget
materials
etc etc

these are the job of a designer/architect
and without their services then the client is not getting the full potential that they can achieve on their plot of land.
A home is, probably for most, the biggest purchase that they will make.
They will be living, using, sleeping, eating in the house for some period of time, getting a good design should ensure the user enjoys all of these throughout its use.
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by Jaime »

You've put that better (more politely) than I could have SL!

Mind you, there are some good guides to keyhole surgery online as well. I think I'll download one and sort my creaking knees out....
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by TypicallyTropical »

:agree: with both of the previous posts! I have seen way too many people here in Hawaii to come here and "design" their own houses without taking into consideration exactly the same things as posted above. They all ended up with less than desirable homes. I am a strong believer of hiring experts for the jobs, and designing a house requires an expert.
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by Homer »

A Pattern Language

35 year old classic. Presents 'patterns' extracted from the world's architecture. Patterns range in scope from the layout of cities down to doornobs. The book has many intents, the one most interesting to me is that it's about designing to facilitate social interaction.

My favorite element is one I see over and over again. Consider a set of outdoor steps on a public building. Want people to hang out there? Flare out the last few steps so they're wider than the rest of the stairway. People will sit and congerate on both sides of the staircase.

Warning: Many who pick up this book for the first time disappear into it for 2 or 3 weeks.

Description
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language

The book is online
http://vasarhelyi.eu/books/A_pattern_la ... ok/apl.htm
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crazy88
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by crazy88 »

Nails on heads SL & TT :cheers:

Also I will add that most people building here are either married to a Thai national and/or need to consider that they may later want to sell the house to a Thai national. More considerations include-

Door postions to stop money flying out

Where on the land the spirit house goes

Where in the house the buddha area is

Making the house higher than those surrounding it

Bedrooms designed so your head doesn't point towards a bathroom

Number of steps to the house (must be lucky number)

Which way the toilet points (affects personal relationships)

Anything else the fortune teller/ seer/ wise man says will be far more important than what is practical, sensible, doable etc. Going through it now :banghead:

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crazy88
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by crazy88 »

OP have a look through globalhouseplans.com

Don't bother buying plans as you will have to have them adapted and drawn here in any case but you will pick up some ideas of layouts done by professionals.

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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by OscarMike »

Thanks for the replies, of course I realize that a professional needs to create the plans and verify the integrity of the design before it goes to build. I was just suggesting that the website was good for those that want to experiment with their own ideas first - not everyone wants to buy off a preset plan with an identical house to those next door!

Thanks for the other pointers, will check them out.
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by Arcadian »

When I was last in HH I bumped into a Brit in HomePro buying stuff for his new house which was under construction, his Thai wife was in the UK at the time. He was struggling to cope with his Thai builders, their latest trick, because they had some spare time, was to build an outside staircase to nowhere in particular which didn`t appear on the plans. They thought it would look nice!
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by BaaBaa. »

:laugh:

Good of them to show a bit of initiative.

Can't have been Thai though, must have been Burmese. :wink:
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by deepee »

Great to see yet another who has come across "A Pattern Language'' Homer. I often fall back on this bible for designers when planning even simple tasks like positioning a garden seat right up to new home plans.For anybody who has to face the task of getting involved in a design or build I strongly recommend it.
Complexity is so simply overrated
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by splitlid »

OscarMike wrote:
If anyone has any more resources or tips for layout and design please post them.
a pencil and paper are the best tools for starting any design, sketches,ideas, thoughts can easily be laid down or erased as necessary.

draw the site and pencil in any trees to be kept,features,views, etc, also draw any setbacks, from there you will have a building envelope.
you can then start to place your ideas and thoughts into that envelope.the envelope may determine room sizes, and layout.

graph paper is great once your ideas are developed. scale the design to 1:100 this will make it easier to position rooms/furniture etc.

finally, use existing buildings as a reference,
"how big should my bathroom be?" should be followed up with a visit to the toilet with tape measure in hand. 8) 8)

once you have these complete then move onto the computer.
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crazy88
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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by crazy88 »

"should be followed up with a visit to the toilet with tape measure in hand"

Too much information Splitlid :D

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Re: Designing a layout and floorplan for your property

Post by pitsch »

I enjoyed to design the house myself, based on experience with two Thai houses which I had rent, each for 6 months. I made a floorplan with Microsoft Visio (because I have it on the computer, not because it is the best) and gave it to the Thai builder:
Hausplan.JPG
He calculated the price in 5 minutes, came next day with a contract (in Thai), which I signed and paid one third of the price. Next day he started to work with his 20 male and female workers from Isaan. Plans and paperwork came later. Exactly after 4 months we could move into this house:
SP_A1411.jpg
I am still very satisfied with the layout of the house. The living room is quite dark, which you would not do in Europe, but here we live during daytime on the covered terrace, which is really our living room. As I am not used to A/C I could not stay in the house during daytime with A/C.
Only the wife would like to have a larger kitchen. Thats the problem, that she never learned to read a floorplan and could not imagine it. I asked her, if she wanted the kitchen same same as in the last house and she said yes.
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