Revising the Floor Plan

In order to get estimates so that I could move forward with my building loan I needed to have working floor plans. Since the current floor plan was outdated I had to develop a new one that would meet the needs of today’s family. Over the past few days that is what I was working on (next weekend I will upload some images). Several things to keep in mind when developing an ideal floor plan:
1) Minimize hallways--hallway are the equivalent to wasted space.
2) Keep mechanicals in mind--you should have access panels behind bath tubs so it’s nice to have a closet behind the tub to hid such panels. It’s also nice to keep things that require plumbing close together (helps reduce plumbing costs).
3) Be sure rooms are usable--long narrow rooms are difficult to furnish. Is the room big enough to fit furniture without feeling cramped?
4) The kitchen triangle (http://www.merillat.com/space/work-smarter/index.aspx) and work stations (http://design.hgtv.com/kitchen/Video_detail.aspx?id=228).
5) Traffic flow--you won’t want to have to walk though the study in order get to the kitchen or 1st floor bath. http://ezinearticles.com/?Efficient-Floor-Plans-Provide-Smooth-Traffic-Flow&id=537153

1st step: Buy the House

I am currently in the process of submitting a bid to buy the house pictured above. This would be a whole lot simpler were it not for the fact that I plan to get a building loan to finance the renovations. In order to acquire such a loan I must list what I am going to do to the house and get estimates for the work. Though I plan to do most of the work myself, the bank wants to know that, in the event that I get injured prior to the projects completion, I have sufficient funds to complete the project. One thing I must keep in mind as I put together my estimates, any work that I say I am going to do will have to be done before the bank considers the project complete. Example: If I say I am going to install crown molding throughout the house but decide later that that is overkill, I’m still going to have to put it up. I can add things that add value but can’t remove such things. Needless to say I still have a great deal of work to complete before I am able to even put an offer on the table.