5 Zones To Add Functionality And Comfort To Your Home Layout
The layout of your house plays a huge role in how functional, efficient, and comfortable it is. And creating zones within the floor plan is the best way to accomplish all three of these goals. What zones should you incorporate into your layout? Here are five that provide the biggest impact on family life.
1. Public Space Zone. Homes are generally divided into two categories: public and private. Public areas are where visitors are greeted and entertained. Visitors generally shouldn't have to enter private spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms, and adjacent hallways. Cluster your public rooms in a zone near the front of the house to retain privacy.
2. Master Suite. Your home should be your haven. This means that every layout should attempt to form an enclosed master suite, even if it's small. Most master suites include a bedroom, a private bathroom, and a walk-in closet. Yours may even include more spaces — such as a home office, workout area, or sitting area — if you have more room and budget.
3. Indoor/Outdoor Cooking Zone. Want to add an outdoor cooking and/or eating area? Cluster it into a zone that includes the corresponding interior room. Link the outdoor and indoor kitchen in a zone or the outdoor dining area and indoor dining room in a zone. This makes them efficient and comfortable, and it increases the use an outdoor space will receive.
4. Guest Suite. Your guests will feel the most comfortable and welcome if they have their own space away from family activities. Ideally, this includes a dedicated bedroom and an accompanying en suite bathroom. It should be visually if not physically separated from the family bedrooms. And if the guest room shares a bathroom, try to install its own entrance for an en suite feel.
5. Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (ADU). A good ADU provides as much independent living as possible within the confines of your home or property. ADUs should generally operate as a self-sufficient zone — usually with a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room, and small kitchen. If you can install an exterior entrance, you'll have the most flexibility about how the ADU may be used in the future.
Where to Start
Incorporating zone-based planning into your layout can be difficult. Each house faces its own unique challenges, strengths, and weaknesses. The best place to begin is by consulting with a skilled home remodeling contractor in your area. Make an appointment today to start designing great zones that everyone will appreciate.
For more info about home remodeling, contact a local company.