Inexpensive Home Building

Cut through the jargon and nonsense of home building and house construction by starting from zero dollars and trying to figure best-value bang-for-your-buck when choosing construction methods or construction materials. My research might answer some of your questions and at other times perhaps you have the knowledge or experience to post the answers to my questions and thereby help others too. The goal is an affordable and sustainable home for all.


Friday, November 30, 2007

Maximize Living Space without Hallways: Inexpensive Floor Plans Part 2

Previous: Maximize Home Space Cheapest Cubic Space: Inexpensive Floor Plans Part 1

Hallways: The Living Space Thief

Hallways rank among the worst design features:
  • Create narrow, claustrophobic feel.
  • Create traffic blockages with open closet doors, etc.
  • Can (transversely) impair flows of light, heat, ventilation, view, etc.
  • Can rob you of at least a closet and possibly a small room when compared to an alternate allocation of the total floor's square footage.
  • Make whole house "feel" smaller.
Designing a floor plan so that common rooms (living room, kitchen) are at a nexus of private rooms (non-through-traffic rooms such as bedrooms or bathrooms):
  • Allows the common rooms to do double-duty as a hallway function.
  • Allows larger living areas (living rooms, bedrooms) with the same floor square-footage and wall perimeter.
  • Makes the whole house "feel" larger.