Flatland

This is the floor plan for the house. It should have featured in an earlier post, but until today I couldn't work out how to get it from a giant pdf plan file into here. Today I had the old genius screen grab idea. Voila.

This house is designed especially for us. Two bookish home-bodies who like to throw dinner parties. And our dog. I'd call it very practical and slightly quirky, just like us. It's also designed to make the most of natural energy -- sun and the heat in the earth under the house.

The original plan was the work of our friend Thom, who was stuck at our place in Wellington for a few weeks back in 2011, and used the time to observe our habits and design us a house for the way we really live. We've worked with Josh the designer at Denim Homes to simplify and tweak things a bit since that first drawing, but all the elements are still there. In no particular order:

The utilidor
In the practical department, I'd say my favourite feature is the utilidor (utility corridor) running between the garage and the greenhouse, with loads of storage space, a laundry, a loo and wash-up area, and a giant freezer. I judge a room design by my ability to imagine using it, and from the first time I saw it drawn, I was striding through it from the garage with a wheelbarrow full of groceries, hopping in from the garden to dump off a crop of carrots, popping out to the cool storage area to grab a jar of fermented veges, or just hiding out there for the fun of it. I love that it lets us do all the messy things without trapsing through the house. It's a mud room on steroids.

The greenhouse
This was a must-have to extend the growing season (and to allow at least a chance for me to grow lemons and figs in Nova Scotia, which I fully intend to do). We deliberately had the house foundation with its frost wall extended out to the greenhouse. In theory this means plants will never freeze in here, even if it is -20 outside (and it well could be). It's 20 ft x 10 ft. Sorry metric readers. We've had to switch back to imperial measures -- I can't believe how easy it was to regress.

The first shoots of the greenhouse -- the footing for the frost wall.

The media room (aka man cave)
Finally, the chance to banish the TV to its own room. Now you can watch the game or a movie with flaming guns and explosions, and the rest of the house can remain a quiet sanctuary. It will also allow for private viewings of mock-worthy home reno and other reality shows. There are no windows, a lovely dark cork floor, nice subtle lighting. Yum.

Sitting room
This wee spot off the main living room should be cosy or cool, depending on the season. I imagine curling up with a book in there after dark in the winter. Or having a nap there on a really hot day in summer. There's a fireplace in there, small and mostly for ambiance and a backup for the electricity.

Living room
The dining table will be in here, and some other seating which isn't clear in our minds yet, but this will be a serious garden viewing and bird watching spot, with big windows and glass doors. It looks down the length of the back yard, and will get the morning sun.

Flex room
Lots of flex here. A guest room and bathroom, with its own outside door, and enough room for a reading chair and table. I'm hoping to get a Murphy bed in here, so we're not using all the floor space up when we don't have guests... because this is also a tiny yoga studio where I will practice and maybe even teach tiny classes. It's also a sewing room. And those are just my plans for it; who knows what ideas dc might have up his sleeve.

Master closet
The bedroom is pretty standard, but I'm stoked about this walk-through closet (an idea we picked up from our dear friends in Arrowtown). This will be all the storage we need for clothes and linen, we won't need any furniture in the bedroom aside from the bed.

We're also going to pinch this hotel room idea for the shelf over the bed and simple side tables.

Kitchen
All nice and standard, and based roughly on the look and functionality of our kitchen now, which we love. A new build was a chance to get a built-in bookshelf for our cook books, which will be on the end of the pantry cabinets.

Airlock
I have to mention the airlock, just for its novelty factor. Obviously we don't need things like this in New Zealand, but in eastern Canada, we do. It's to stop the frozen air flooding into your house when you open the front door. So you come into the air lock, shut the door, brush all the snow off, kick off your boots... and then open the next door into the house. Weird, I know, but there you go! I'm actually really looking forward to trying it out. I know it's not a toy, but hey...

So that's the run-down of the flat plan. I've imagined walking through this place so many times... waking up early and going outside to the garden, cooking, feeding just us, feeding a crowd, reading, writing... it's all in the imagination, but it's so clear. Not quite in 3D technicolour, but almost.

The great outdoors (aka outdoor dining area)
There's one more 'room' that warrants mention, and sk has handed me the pen to tell this particular tale. The cosy space outside the living/dining area and in front of the greenhouse will - I suspect - become a go-to spot for eating and relaxing for at least three seasons of the year. It won't look like much when we first arrive, but it will eventually grow into an outdoor kitchen and dining area. maybe a fire pit and cosy chairs just out of the frame. A resting spot while pulling weeds and harvesting crops, or simply relaxing with a coffee and the Globe and Mail. We will have propane feeding the house (no natural gas in this part of NS), and have included a line to this space - ready and waiting for when and where we plant the outdoor kitchen.