We’ve decided that we want to do the entire top floor as private family space. On this floor we are going to need to find space for;
the master bed-bath, enough closet space for two adults, a kids bedroom-bath and a laundry room…plus as much random storage as we can pack in.<!—-><!—-> <!—->
Here’s what the top floor looks like now-its gutted to the studs.
<!—-> <!—-> View Image
Here’s our best attempt at designing it all out.<!—-> <!—->
View Image <!—-><!—->
We’ve added a dormer opposite the existing dormer and put our closets in it.
We kinda like the idea of having windows in the closets. Not sure about the sizes though.
Putting the bath were we did in the ‘kids room’ squeezes the size down but it still seems like a pretty good sized room. <!—-><!—->
We are giving a local arch. a try. He’s a retired prof of arch from some university in OR which I can’t remember right now.
Here’s his two first shots at designing out the space.<!—-> <!—->
View Image <!—-><!—->
The closet in the middle of the room is kinda interesting
and he’s done different things with the bath than what occured to us. The closet on either side of the kids bath is different also.View Image <!—-><!—->
Both his designs kinda squeeze the size of the MB down..not sure what I think about that.
I’d really appreciate any advice y’all can give.<!—-> <!—->
thanks,<!—-> <!—->
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Edited 12/22/2008 12:57 pm by madmadscientist
Replies
where are the stairs? or helipad? (edited to add "oops - now I see it!")
(when you edit, you can delete all the previous "edited ...by..." notes at the bottom - so they don't accumulate into an annoying and repetitive list)
"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
bakersfieldremodel.com
Edited 12/22/2008 8:56 am by Huck
I didn't know you could edit out the 'edited' inputs!
The helipad is formed by the two roofs of the dormers.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
I'd go with idea 1 but with king and queen closets 4 foot deep and twin vanity's. Get rid of the door at the top of the stairs, if you can. No TV in the bedroom, if you can live with out it.
Or professor ideas seem crowded, might look better drawn to scale.
Why 4' deep closets instead of the 5'?
yes I agree the archs. ideas turn the MBed into a series of winding paths which we are not super happy with.
The double vanity thing....EVERYONE says you need one be we're not sure. We don't use the bathroom at the same time really so we don't see the need for one.
Ya no TV in bedroom wifey-poo won't allow it.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
4' deep to give better walk way to the bathroom is what I'm thinking.
Twin sinks cause in my house I'm always moving "her" junk to get to a sink. We do tend to go to bed around the same time.
No Tv cause I like to get away from it at times.
Make sure the steam shower is built correctly. Lots of details for long life.
Neighbor of mine is an aspiring arch. and she did up a couple of ideas.
Version 1
View Image
Version 2
View Image
Version 3
View Image
Can you spot the differences?
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Edited 12/23/2008 2:05 pm by madmadscientist
My first question is: Are you really going to use a master bedroom "sitting room"? People love to see these things in drawings, but in practical use, they are rarely used, unless there is no other place in your house to quietly read a book, then maybe. Chances are it will get ignored if it's open to the bed area, and full of junk if it's separated from the bed area.My first reaction after finding the stairs was "why is this important element of any house choked off?" I would flip the laundry area to the opposite side of the landing and remove the walls that block off the stairs. Open up that space to whatever is below. Put a comfy bench or chair where the laundry was and now you have that quiet place to read a book. Plus the whole laundry situation is now less cramped. I like his&hers w/i closets, but make hers bigger than yours and omit the hers #2 closet. Closets are nice as long as they don't become invitations to accumulate junk. My opinion on closets is to make enough space to store the things you need and then throw the other stuff away. No matter how big a closet is every cubic inch will get filled. So it's really not a question of how big the closet needs to be as much as it is a question of how much junk can you stomach. The same goes for the kid's closet/s.
We do like the idea of having a quiet place to read so I think we would use the sitting room area.
The stairs are original and do not conform to modern codes. I'm not sure that if we made those changes if it would force us to bring them up to modern stairs which would probabably be impossible given space constraints.
Wife wants to use her closet with the window as more of a dressing room so I think shes going to need the second closet for her stuff. I like the idea of all of our clothes being in the closets so I don't have to see any of it strewn about the room.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
I think plan #2 is really good. I like the "T" shape of the master bedroom. The master bath is nice and simple. Like nannyg I would rather see the laundry flipped to the other side of the hallway but it's ok as is.
Instead of one big closet and two small ones in the master, I might look at a center doorway to the sitting room with his and hers walk in closets on either side, but the fung shui is better the way its drawn.
Why flip the laundry to the other side of the hallway?
If we do that we lose the kids close and the queens closet #2?
The alcove for the laundry already exists so...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
When you come up the stairs now, with the laundry there it feels a little tunnel like, correct? If instead of the laundry there was a "promontory" with a balustrade, the entire area including the stairway would feel like an open landing, almost room-like. With some bookshelves on the walls it could be a mini-study.
I can see where it makes sense to keep it as is, to control costs and maximize utility. It's just nice to enter your private sanctuary with some breathing room.
Edit: I just realized you thought I meant I liked YOUR plan#2. No offense, I don't. There is no space on either side of your bed for nightstands. The corner of the closet jutting out opposite the bed in an awkward way, and the assymmetry of the room would bother me. I'm usually a fan of assymmetry but most people want a bedroom to feel restful and ordered, and the misalignment of the closet end vs. the window end would not feel right. We just built a similar condition on a client's insistence so maybe I'm sensitive about it right now, but I was not happy with how it came out.
The plan I really liked was your neighbor architect's Version 2. I think it looks messy because of its sketchy quality. It does seem like a warren of rooms but if it was done up in 3-D (where's Joe?) I think you would see how there are really just a few major spaces with alcoves off the major spaces. It's really pretty clever, IMO. I just would prefer more of an open feeling at the top of the stairs. I also try to avoid laundries opening directly onto hallways. If you have front-loaders you could tuck them under the eaves in the "storage closet" and have a proper laundry room.
Edited 12/24/2008 8:54 am ET by Mike_Maines
I agree with Mike that the bed area is too crowded with doors on either side. The 11'3" dimension is also too small to have a table at the seating area and be able to move around.In general all the plans seem too complicated with too many walls for a relatively small space. Opening up the top of the stairs is a great idea as some have said. The master bath area seems proportionally over sized compared to the master bedroom. Do you really need a tub along with that big shower? Make the tub in the kids bath big enough for an adult {six feet} and use that. Not as glamorous but a space saver. If the vanity is under six feet, two sinks are too crowded. Try and combine some of these closets. It just seems like too many doors. And on a carpentry note, throw away those bifolds. It would also be good to verify that you can get plumbing down to grade in the areas where you want it. You may need to put in soffits or chases where you don't want them to get it down two more floors.The great advantage you have is that the space is empty and you can layout all the different plans full scale. We spent a great deal of time measuring the actual size our furniture and the space needed around them to move comfortably. The most important being the distance from the couch to the TV. You might be surprised.JohnEdited 12/24/2008 2:12 pm ET by JohnCujie
Edited 12/24/2008 3:02 pm ET by JohnCujie
Try and combine some of these closets. It just seems like too many doors. And on a carpentry note, throw away those bifolds. It would also be good to verify that you can get plumbing down to grade in the areas where you want it. You may need to put in soffits or chases where you don't want them to get it down two more floors.
Why don't you like the bi-folds? The window and door shop at the local lumber yard has some pretty nice looking solid wood raised panel masonite doors?
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Glad to see you are getting your design on track. Concept wise I don't have anything against bifolds. I think they need to be done with some really good, almost commercial, hardware and heavy doors. The residential ones' I've seen, and got stuck doing in the 70's, seemed so insubstantial. A rattly motion, easily out of alignment, and the kids will never be able to operate them.They never had that well functioning solid feel of something I would want in my house. They also seem odd in a Victorian to me. But they're kids, what will they know?Does the display you saw operate? If not, try and find one that does. I'm guessing that you are going to Truitt & White. They might be able to provide a better hardware.Those are just my prejudices, others may differ.John
Okay here's the newest version of how we are going with the top floor.
View Image
We're pretty settled on the kids room and the closet being the way it is. The kids bath size is pretty settled but not the exact lay-out of the bath.
Opened up some space in the master-bed by getting rid of the couch and table and putting in a big window seat with big pull-out drawers underneath. We both really like the idea of having somewhere comfy to read that's not in bed. The closets on either side of the window seat are kinda optional but we like how they frame in the window seat.
We got rid of the door at the top of the stairs and turned the queens closet #2 into a shallower linen closet. Hopefully this will make this area less cramped feeling?
Still have the closets in the dormer. THere is 4' between the bed and the wall on the tight side that gives me 2' for a nightstand and 2' for a pocket door. This does not sound ridiculous to us?
Didn't really screw anymore with the master bath.
Now that the 'pro' has the real dimensions of the space we'll see what he can come up with...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Edited 12/27/2008 9:03 pm by madmadscientist
I tend to agree with Mike Maines on the configuration of the hallway - more open might be better. How about this?
View Image
Or maybe you could have base cabinets and countertop along the length of the half wall, which would allow for linen storage and a folding space.
Edited 12/29/2008 7:49 pm ET by draftingguy
That's interesting. Put a stacked washer-dryer in the closet.
The half wall could even be a railing to maximize the 'open-ness'...
But then that little nook area seems like wasted space a bit... Wife says-where's the detergent going to go and where do we fold the clothes?
thanks for the input we appreciate it.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
But then that little nook area seems like wasted space a bit... Wife says-where's the detergent going to go and where do we fold the clothes?
I added a quick thought below the picture in my last post that would cover both of those bases. Instead of having a tall linen cabinet like I sketched, you could add base cabinets and countertop along the length of the half wall. You'd get linen and detergent storage, plus a folding surface.
"you could add base cabinets and countertop along the length of the half wall. You'd get linen and detergent storage, plus a folding surface."Or leave out the base cabinets and put in front loading machines under the countertop. Lots of possible variations, but I think you and Mike are right: opening up the stairs would make a big difference to how the upper floor relates to the rest of the house.
Okay so here's our latest design for the top of the house.
View Image
We got rid of the wall where the washer and dryer are and the doorway at the top of the stairs and we've moved around the sink-toilet in the kids bath. Yea the dormers are still a little wacky with the bed not centered but this is the best we've got so far.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Edited 1/26/2009 10:34 pm by madmadscientist
What program are you using to draw this?
I have some ideas that might help or mess with your head! lol
I use two programs unfortunately Floor Plan 3d then I import it into TurboCad to make the scaled drawings for permits.
Ya please blow my mind I can send you a dwg or dxf version of the file if that'd help you?
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
DWG version will work, thanks.
Edit: I just realized you thought I meant I liked YOUR plan#2. No offense, I don't. There is no space on either side of your bed for nightstands. The corner of the closet jutting out opposite the bed in an awkward way, and the assymmetry of the room would bother me. I'm usually a fan of assymmetry but most people want a bedroom to feel restful and ordered, and the misalignment of the closet end vs. the window end would not feel right. We just built a similar condition on a client's insistence so maybe I'm sensitive about it right now, but I was not happy with how it came out.
Waaaa you hate me....
We just met with the arch and guess what? He misread the scale of all the floor plans I sent him!!!! None of those sketches will work! Hurray!!!!! He had the space as being bigger than it is....
Actually he managed to do it twice once on this floor and once on the kitchen...
We had a nice meeting where I brought up y'alls ideas and we'll see what he comes back with now that he knows the correct scale...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
bump whadaya think?
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Where is the kids tub?
The kids tub is across from the kids toilet. Its in an unfortunately light ink color.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
ahha!
I have no comment over interior design except , nice size master!
Thumbs up--looking good!
You might put a 1/2 wall next to the master toilet--it might feel out in the open otherwise.
You have a lot of pocket doors. They can be a great space saver, but they also mean that you can't have a wall switch there, they're harder and more expensive to install, they are more awkward to use than a swinging door, and they transmit more sound than a regular door. I'm not saying don't use them, but you might not want so many.
Other than that, no complaints here. Are you and your wife happy with it?
Other than that, no complaints here. Are you and your wife happy with it?
Yep i do believe we are. SWMBO is afflicted with this condition where she won't be a happy about a decision unless shes sure shes looked at ALL the possible permutations.....but she seems to be happy with it.
On the pocket doors...I'm hoping the johnson hardware pocket door kits will help with some of those issues...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Regardless of the hardware, I still think at least for the MBR door a swinger is far prefferable.
Very nice size and layout on the kid's room. Standard in mid to late last century ranchers is 10x10. One of our two is a whopping 10x11 - wahoo!.
Very nice size and layout on the kid's room. Standard in mid to late last century ranchers is 10x10. One of our two is a whopping 10x11 - wahoo!.
Yea all the ranchers we lived in had tiny bedrooms and one bathroom!! One bathroom for 6 kids plus two adults was just crazy.
The wife and I grew up in teeny-tiny bedrooms so we wanted to be double sure our kid had a good space plus since we are having a girl having a seperate kids bath makes sense. We want our kid to have the 'coolest' bedroom amoungst her friends...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Okay so we've given up on the idea of doing the top floor work ourselves...
I checked around for local reccomendations for design-build firms and have had 3 so far come over and check out the space.
For the design we've been posting about I'm getting a crazy range in the estimates.....from $125,000 to $300,000!!! all off the same floorplan schematic, all off the same speil from me....geez....
Its roughly 800 sq feet, 2 baths, laundry room and a dormer....
These are the first draft estimates but wow what a range. 2 of the 3 are working on getting me a 'real' estimate next week.
Going into this I didn't really have any idea of what it 'should' cost but that range seems a bit extreme to me.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
So the range is $150 to $375/sf? Without seeing it in person, based on similar jobs we've done here on the other coast, I would start guessing at about $200/sf. I would guess your costs might be 10-30% higher than here.
It's REALLY difficult to accurately bid even a moderately complex job like yours without plans and specs.
$150/sf might be possible if things are really set up well and finishes are simple.
$250-375/sf would mean major structural changes, new systems, over-the-top finishes.
Knowing a little bit about your taste and having a general idea of the project, the middle of the range of prices you got seems reasonable.
Ya I know its impossible to give a decent estimate without plans and what-not but we are interviewing design-build firms who will also be responsible for the plans....so shouldn't they be better at giving a rough estimate from the get-go?
Basically what its coming down to is that the good design build places won't give me a real estimate they want me to pay for the design portion first which at the end of they will have an exact price. I understand their thinking but I'd hate to put everyone thru the entire design process up to working permit submittable plans and then have they come back with a firm number thats waaaaaay outta our means.
Our taste in finishes is middle of the road no tumbled italian marble tiles for us. What we will spec 'hi-end' is the systems, the radiant heating, the closed cell spray foam insulation, the roofing materials.
One place said that they would be happy with letting us do the finish work-the trim, tilework in the bath so maybe we'll have to go that way.....
geez though, 300,000 for 800sq ft... I can buy a decent sized house for that much in Oakland...if that's truely what it costs I don't see how these people can stay in business.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Dang heard back from another design-build place today...
Their price works out to $400/sq ft!!!! What the heck, I must be talking to people who are used to working on mansions...I can buy a pretty decent house for the money these guys want to charge me just for remodeling 800 sq ft....gah
They said, 'Well you have two bathrooms that need remodeling and those go for $40,000-$60,000'....dang guess I just have no clue what this is going to cost.
Now we're looking at just using the design-build places to do the design and permit drawings and then have them do the outter shell. That would be building the new dormers and rebuilding the roof, reroofing, installing the windows-basically finishing the exterior of the top floor.
Then we would do the interior.
Maybe this is the curse of the competent DIY'er...we priced out all the materials for one small bath and it ran like $5,000 I don't know if we can ever swallow a $35,000 dollar upcharge to have someone else do it for us....
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
You seem to be spinning your wheels.
CAll them all back and ask them what you can get for YOUR BUDGET.
Ya I am spinning my wheels a bit. I need to wait and see what everyone comes in at before I figure out my next step. If everyone I've talked to says yep, it'll be $300,000 then we'll have to seriously rethink the entire thing...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Tons O' Professional Design Ideas
Or, The One With All The Pictures...Here is a huge compilation of design ideas that the design professionals at Winnans construction came up with. Starting from their first ideas to what we think we've basically settled on.View ImageFirst stab at our kitchen from them. Checked floor very 50's.Ugh white trim...
View ImageTop floor, floor plan not so very different than our idea.Don't like the tub where it is. Tasha's bath is a bit smaller and now we can get to the storage area.
View ImageSome renders-the dressers in front of the built-in bench didn't make sense to us. We want as much built-ins as possible.
View ImageFirst stab at the 2nd bed and bath. Still with the white painted wood...
View ImageAnother try at the kitchen...and the deck not having stair down.. Didn't like the table here cause its not in the good view area.
View ImageHere's a very different idea for the top floor. With only one bathroom..which we expressly said we did not want...
View ImageSome renders of the alternate universe plan where we want to share a bathroom with a teenage girl.
View ImageFirst stab at the laundry area.
View ImageThis is getting better with wood cabinets and paperstone countertops. Not sure about the deck stair thing. Or the beveled counter near the spiral stair.
View ImageIn this one the booths were flipped so that the back of one will act as a back splash for the new sink location.
View ImageHere's a another different idea for the top floor. Irene didn't like how the bathroom was so big and the weird mini-hallway to the closet. I also didn't like how the toilet is damn near the bed...
View ImageAnother kitchen iteration. We're not sure about the placement of the prep sink. The designer does not want it on the stove wall cause she thinks it will be in the way of the flow...we haven't decided yet.
View ImageSlightly different master bath setup with different closets in the laundry area.
View ImageLike the great big reading nook with built-in storage on either side. Not sure about the new smaller steam shower not big enough for two to sit and take a steam.
View ImageTasha's room and the laundry area with venting skylights. We're hoping that we can use big enough skylights that we can pop them open at the end of a hot day and whoooosh all the hot air will fly out of the house.
View ImageThis is the final kitchen idea. The deck is not settled and the placement of the prep sink is not either. Now how different is this than what we started with?...answer...not much...
View ImageFinal top floor idea with the king and queen closets, the secret door to the storage area. How different is this from what our original idea was??? How many differences can you find kids?
View ImageSome renders of the final design for the top floor.
View ImageRenders of Tasha's room. Notice the built-in bookcases and dressers.
View Image Final exterior plan. Don't we have a weird shaped house? That's why we like it. I think that with the swoops on the new dormers they're going to look pretty original to the untrained eye.
So we went thru a lot of time and a lot of iterations to end up with final designs that are barely different from what we started with.... I guess that's the way it works. The designer did add a couple of things to each design that we didn't think of and those touches made the design better.
Next up the trade walk thru and the 'presenting of the budget'....
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
did ya see this?
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Yea, intere$ting journey! Not too surprising that you pretty much ended up where you started - a good designer really listens, without ego, then turns what they hear into something that will actually work - for you. Still sucks the number of iterations & cost to get there. To say nothing of the fact that in the end it is essentially unaffordable - argh!
I really like how the top floor turned out - sometimes one or two tweeks and it all clicks. Less excited about the kitchen, but it's pretty much a shoehorn job given your constraints so I'd say it's about as good as you could hope for.
As someone who seeks quality, efficiency and durability to say nothing of aesthetics - on a Blitz Beer budget - all I can say is patience is a virtue! Hang in there, and give that baby another hug.
We do like the idea of having a quiet place to read so I think we would use the sitting room area.
We went through this recently. Our new bedroom had a similar space to what you are calling the sitting room area. I built in a window seat in front of the windows, with drawers underneath. The seat is flanked by two narrow built in cabinets with drawers below and open bookshelves above. The result is a cozy seating area and quite a bit of storage space.
If you just put a sofa in the space, you don't get any storage. In addition, the window seat, etc. is pretty easy to do yourself and considerably cheaper than a decent sofa would have been.
edit: I just noticed that the design incorporates the window seat. As to cost, can you have the builder do most of the work and just do the cabinets, window seat, etc. yourselves?
Edited 2/26/2009 9:35 am ET by smslaw
I like it the way it is now more than any of the drawings. They are too busy and closed down. If you sold the house, the buyer would tear out all the new walls and open up the space.
You have an 8' high knee wall, why not put a wall of doors on it so you don't have to walk in? I don't like standing around in closets.
What direction is east? A little morning sun will make me rotate a floorplan. Closets on the north if possible.
OB
I like it the way it is now more than any of the drawings. They are too busy and closed down. If you sold the house, the buyer would tear out all the new walls and open up the space.
The way it is now is gutted and unusable? Do you mean the second floorplan with the bath in the kids room? We also like this idea the best because it is more open.
East is the 'top' of the diagrams so the windows in the closets would be getting the morning sun and the big window in the sitting area would be getting the evening sun. To tel the truth we are not big fans of mornings so having 'extra' morning light is not a high prioity for us...
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer