Interior Planning
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Differentiate between the three main areas of a
house
Connect prior use of tools to tool use in
architectural drawing
Design 3 main areas of a house
Analyze various kitchen types
Critique basic floor plans
Apply concepts of scale to everyday life
Create part of a floor plan using architectural tools
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It’s a scaled drawing of a
horizontal section through a
building at a given level (usually
5’-0”)
a diagram of the relationships
between rooms, spaces and
other physical features at one
level of a structure
Shows: location and
dimensions of exterior and
interior walls, windows, doors,
major appliances, cabinets,
fireplaces
Information in a floor plan includes:
 Exterior and interior walls
 Size and location of windows and doors
 Built in cabinets and appliances
 Permanent fixtures
 Stairs and fireplaces – direction, number of risers
and width of stairs
 Patios and decks
 Room names
 Material symbols
 Scale, usually drawn ¼” = 1’
Open vs. Closed Plans:
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Open Concept
◦ Rooms on the main level
are not divided by walls.
The line of sight leads from
the front to the back of the
house
◦ Good for families with kids,
who want to see them at all
times, when cooking, etc.
◦ This is currently a popular
method of building
◦ Especially popular for
smaller spaces
Open vs. Closed Plans:
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Closed Concept
◦ Rooms on the main level
are mostly divided by walls
into separate spaces.
◦ This is a more traditional
method of building
◦ It allows for more privacy
◦ Better layout for larger
homes than smaller homes
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It’s the movement of people from one area or room to
another
You should plan for maximum efficiency of movement
Pathways should be short and not pass through other
rooms too much
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http://hiconsumption.com/2013/03/famoustelevision-show-home-floor-plans/
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Sleeping Area
Living Area
Service Area
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Where people go for privacy, to rest, go to the
bathroom, etc.
Located away from the busy areas (entrance,
kitchen, family room, garage)
Rooms Include:
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Bedroom
Master Bedroom
Bathrooms
Dressing rooms
Nurseries
Bedrooms:
 Should each have
hallway access and a
closet!
 FHA (Federal Housing
Administration)
Recommended Sizes:
◦ Minimum= 100 sq. feet
(10’X10’)
◦ Average= 125-175 sq. ft.
◦ Large= over 175 sq. ft.
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More bedrooms in a
home = more sale
potential
Bedrooms:
Bedroom planning considerations:
 How many people are sleeping in the room?
 What type of room is it? (a Master Suite should
also have a bathroom and large closet)
 Leave at least 2’-0” on either side of a bed
larger than a double size
 Provide end table(s) for the bed
 Did you include a generously-sized closet?
 What other storage could be provided?
Bathrooms:
 Located near sleeping and living
areas
 An average residential house will
have at least1-1/2 baths
 Door should swing to avoid direct
view of the toilet
 Placed near or above each other or
kitchen
◦ Save money to run more plumbing pipes
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Avoid placing toilets under
windows and having doors open
directly to them
Include an exhaust fan and GFCI
outlets (ground fault circuit
interrupter)
Bathrooms: 3 types
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½ Bath contains toilet and lavatory (sink)
Bathrooms: 3 types
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¾ Bath contains toilet / lav / shower or tub
Bathrooms: 3 types
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Full (master) Bath contains toilet / lav / shower /
tub
◦ Minimum full size- 5’X8’
◦ Large full sizes- 10’X10’, 10’X12’
Bathroom planning considerations:
 Leave15” on either side of the toilet
 Leave 24” in front of the toilet
 There should be a mirror over the sink!
 Is there enough light in the mirror area?
 The fixtures should follow common
dimensions:
◦ Common tub size 30”x 60”
◦ Shower size 30” x 30” to 36” x 48”
Closets:
 Minimum Depth- 2’-0”
(Recommended- 30”)
 Location
◦ near an entranceway
◦ on interior walls (noise
insulation/does not reduce
exterior wall space for
windows)
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Access door types
◦ Bi-fold
◦ sliding
◦ Hinged
Interior Doors:
 Minimum bedroom door size =
2’6” W x 6’-8” H
 Other interior door sizes- 2’-3’or
wider in 2” increments
 Door should be near a corner (6”
from the wall)
 They should swing into the room
 They should not hit any bathroom
fixtures
 Do not block closets in the
bedrooms
 Do not allow for direct viewing of a
toilet!
General Rules to Consider for Sleeping Area:
 Rooms should be grouped together whenever
possible
 Add switched lighting in every room (near entrance)
 At least two windows are recommended when there
are two exterior walls
 Include plenty of furniture storage pieces (side
tables, bureaus, etc.)
 Consider a spot for a TV viewable from the bed
 Each bedroom should have an accessible bathroom
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Where people relax, entertain guests, dine, read,
watch the Phillies, play Rock Band…
Rooms include:
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Formal Living Room
Family Room
Den or Study
Dining Room
Foyer
Patio, Deck,
Porch, Terrace
◦ Game Room
Formal Living Room:
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Usually has a formal nature
(reading, studying, relaxing,
playing piano)
Room Sizes (FHA- Federal
Housing Administration)
-Minimum = 150 sq. feet
-Average = 250 sq. feet
-Large = around 400+ sq. ft.
Formal Living Room:
Family Room:
 Less formal then the
living room (TVwatching, playing video
games)
 Where the family
spends most of its time
together
Family Room:
Living Room & Family room planning
considerations:
 What is the space used for?
 What is the focal point of the space?
 How many people will it hold?
 What kind of furniture will be needed?
 Open plan or Closed plan?
 What kind of activities will it be used for?
 Special Lighting?
 Placement of windows is important
Dining Room:
 Location
◦ Near Kitchen and Living
Room
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Room Size (FHA)
◦ Minimum= 120 sq. feet
◦ Average= 160 sq. feet
◦ Large= around 200 or
more sq. feet
Dining Room:
Dining Room planning considerations:
 How many people will be dining? You’ll need to fit
the correct-sized table.
 Leave at least 2’-0” behind the back of a chair to
the wall
 Open or closed plan? What works best?
Foyer (Entrance Way):
 Should not enter into a
room, if possible
 Extension of entry to
protect house from weather
◦ Minimum size- 6’ X 6’
◦ Average size- 8’ X 10’
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Should have a closet (min
2’ X 3’)
Door size should be at least
3’-0” x 6’-8”
Foyer (Entrance Way):
Other Entrance Ways:
 Service Entrance
◦ Entrance to mudroom or
utility room
◦ Near kitchen
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Special Purpose
◦ Provides access to patio
or deck
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General Rules to Consider for Living Area:
◦ Leave a minimum of 3’-0” between walls for circulation
◦ TV should be a minimum of 6’-0” away from sofa, and
centered in the seating area
◦ Leave a space of 1’-6” between the sofa(s) and coffee
table in the middle
◦ Side tables can be placed right next to furniture with no
extra space left over
◦ Try not to create a traffic circulation route through the
seating area. Rather, it’s better if you can walk around
the seating area to get to the next room.
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Where people perform jobs such as cooking,
laundry, working with tools, etc.
Rooms Include:
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Kitchen
Clothes care center
Garage
Carport
Storage
Kitchen:
 Food preparation
◦ Can be extended for dining,
storage, or laundry
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Most expensive area of
the house per square foot
Most active use of any
room
Eat-in kitchen usually
includes a small table (in
addition to a separate
dining room)
Kitchen:
 Work Triangle
◦ Consists of the distance
between the refrigerator,
sink, and range (stove)
◦ Perimeter of triangle
should be less than 22’-0”
Kitchen: 6 types
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Straight-line Kitchen
◦ For small cottages and
apartments
◦ Little cabinet space
◦ Not very interesting
◦ Not ideal for working
triangle
Kitchen: 6 types
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L-Shaped Kitchen
◦ Located on 2 adjacent
walls
◦ Efficient and usually more
attractive than a straight
line
◦ 2 work centers on one
wall and the other on an
adjacent wall
◦ Not for large
kitchens
Kitchen: 6 types
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Corridor (Galley)
Kitchen
◦ Uses two opposite walls
◦ Small to medium size
(ideal for long narrow
rooms)
◦ Not ideal if there is too
much traffic through
kitchen
◦ Leave at least 4’-0” of open
space between cabinets
Kitchen: 6 types
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U-Shaped Kitchen
◦ Popular, highly effective
and attractive
◦ No traffic passes through
the kitchen to other areas
of house
◦ Compact work triangle
◦ Leave at least 5’-6” of
space between both sides
of the “U”
Kitchen: 6 types
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Peninsula (G-Shape)
Kitchen
◦ Peninsula is a piece of
cabinetry projecting into empty
space that’s often used as
cooking center, eating area, or
food prep center
◦ Plenty of work space
◦ Traffic is reduced and work
triangle is compact
Kitchen: 6 types
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Island Kitchen
◦ Modification of straight, L
or U shaped design
◦ Island is stand-alone
cabinetry accessible from
all sides that may house
sink, cooking center, food
prep area, or
counter top/snack bar
◦ 4’-0” of clearance for
easy access
Kitchen planning considerations:
 Should be located near a service entrance and
provide easy access to trash containers
 Usually next to the dining room
 Cabinets/Appliances
◦ Most 34 ½” high, 24” deep
◦ Widths in 3 in increments (15”, 18”, 21”)
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Wall cabinets
◦ 12-13” deep
◦ 12”-30” high (3” increments)
◦ 12”-36” wide (3” increments)
Laundry Room:
 Washing, drying, pressing,
folding, storing and mending
clothes
 Floors = water resistant
 Often located in the basement
b/c of noise and lack of space.
Many newer houses build
laundry closets on the 2nd floor
 Washer and Dryer
◦ 29” wide
◦ 26” deep
◦ 43.5” high
Laundry Room:
Garage / Carport:
 Provides shelter for
automobiles
 Plan with storage in mind,
and a connection to the
house
 Attached (garage) or free
standing (carport)
 Sizes:
◦ 1 car = 11’ x 19’ to
16’ x 25’
◦ 2 cars = 20’ x 20’ to 25’ x 25’
Garage / Carport: