Need help with very odd home layout

il y a 3 ans

Hi all. The front door entrance to our home opens up and when you walk in you are immediately facing the door leading to the stairway downstairs to the basement. You need to then walk through the kitchen to get to the living room.

Any ideas on how to fix how bad this layout is? It’s a very tight entrance also and it just seems very odd.

I attached a picture of the floor plan with the front door entrance circled in blue. Thanks !

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Commentaires (32)

Sarah
il y a 3 ans
That is indeed very strange! One thing you could do is relocate the front door to be in the dining room, but you might have other constraints outside that wouldn't allow that. And then it would eat into your dining room space, but it might feel a bit less strange. Are you looking to do a major renovation?
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
il y a 3 ans
Excuse me, but anyone would consider that door you have circled to be the back door.

You may use it more often than the other door. The driveway or garage may be located near that door. But it's the other door that is your front door.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506 a remercié BeverlyFLADeziner
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Little Bug
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
I agree with Beverly. 99% would consider the blue door to be the back door. This is a very common ranch style home layout and we lived in a home with this EXACT floor plan.

Is the home built on the lot in a strange way so that you think the back door is the front?
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Beverly you are correct we actually use that door as the front entrance most of the time Instead of the door I circled.

Technically though the door I circled blue is the front entrance, it’s where our mailbox is and house number and is facing the street we live on. I can‘t figure out why they built it this way.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Also the house is on a corner on a hill. The “back” door we use as front entrance mostly even though it’s technically not. The driveway leads up to that door which is really the back door. It’s just a strange lay out.

and to Sarah, we don’t want to really do major work just curious if there is something we can do
PRO
adalisa frazzini
il y a 3 ans
Short of moving kitchen to along the front wall of the house (see pic) which obviously involves construction, I don’t see any options.
felizlady
il y a 3 ans
I, too, would bet that the original front door is the one which opens into the living room. The blue circled door is more likely the original back door. No alterations to the house would be required to return those doors to their original purposes except new locks and handles. The bigger expense may be outside with an entry porch to connect to the sidewalk with a walkway. Is there a driveway and garage? You would normally carry groceries in thru the door closest to the kitchen, so I would expect a garage or carport would lead to the kitchen-side door. Guests would normally come into the living room.
The dining area is quite narrow and you may find that a rectangular table or long narrow oval table would work better than any other shape.
I see that others have come to the same conclusions. It’s not an odd layout at all.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
See these two photos. The front entrance and then the “back” entrance which is up the driveway. It seems like the Builder made the front entrance the way he did because it’s technically facing the street and the back entrance is facing the neighbors house
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
Guests park in your driveway and enter your home through the door at the driveway

I'll bet that if the address for the home is that side street you could likely petition your municipality to have the address corrected.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
Yes Beverly that is correct. That is a great idea I will call the town and see how to go about having the address corrected. Wonder why they set it up that way, maybe because the entrance By the driveway is facing the neighbors house and the other entrance is facing the street? I guess it’s kind of a weird plot of land since it’s on a bit of a hill on a corner lot.
functionthenlook
il y a 3 ans
Our neighbor's home front door faces their back yard. It was the original house on the road and when they started to sell off the acreage the road was moved to the other side of the house. They have a door inbetween the kitchen table and livingroom now that they use as the front door.
djb10
il y a 3 ans
You might want to consider a little landscaping on the driveway side to increase your curb appeal and to signal to guests that it’s your driveway and walkway- especially if you are able to get the address changed. Another thought is to use arborvitae or other privacy bushes to block the door going to your mailbox. If guests can’t see that door, they won’t be confused. Just a thought...
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
il y a 3 ans
IMO the easiest way to lead people to the front door you want them to use is a walkway to the front door and I agree having the address changed is an option but think about how much hassle that is to readdress all your mail , bills everyone you know IMO not a simple answer.
Suzanne Peacock
il y a 3 ans
To open up the space and allow more light in could you install a sliding patio or French doors along the exterior wall- from the window to the existing door? (I highlighted the area in yellow.)Your entrance way floor area would blend in to the kitchen and give you the senses of more space and light. We did this in our last renovation with great results.
PRO
User
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
It's a very bizarre set-up, but a cute home overall. I think rearranging your kitchen will help the situation the most.

With these edits, I would also consider upgrading your "entry door" to a door + full-sidelight.
3onthetree
il y a 3 ans
No need for remodeling the house. If that's where guests park, just install a sidewalk from the main street that leads them to the driveway and then the proper front door. Install a mailbox on a post by the street, no need for address change.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Here are updated photos, I used google earth before they were old pictures. Thanks again for all the help this has been super helpful. I think these pictures will give everyone a clear picture.
User
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
the problem with trying to change your address is that it might take forever for it to show up in every map app. there are a few different apps that lead people to the back of our house, causing all kinds of confusion. no matter how many times we complain to those companies, it has not been resolved in over three years.

google "split level entryway". many of these home styles have entryways where you're looking down a flight of stairs. you might find some inspiration.

for your home, are there any walls around the staircase that can be opened up and replaced with something more see through, such as shelving cubicles, railings, etc? anything to at least add interest or visually make it feel bigger?

I realize that in your home, there's a bathroom on one side, but maybe the kitchen can be reconfigured so you can knock down the walls to your left when you're walking in. you could widen your front door and add side windows.

also consider any improvements you may need to make to the basement stairs. note how in this photo, there is not a solid wall between the stairs and the rest of the basement, which looks really open and interesting.

of course I realize these are all major renovations. just some ideas.

notice how the wall has built in cubbies, adding some visual interest w/o taking up space. I also like the windows around the door. more windows will help a space feel bigger.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506 a remercié User
3onthetree
il y a 3 ans
Was this originally a "coach house" for the house next to you?
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
I don’t think it was a coach house, the house next door was built 50 years earlier. It’s a great neighborhood, we just bought the house. It’s just a little odd of a layout.
User
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
it's hard to visualize w/o seeing a photo of the space, but just an idea.

or something like this with the kitchen layout adalisa frazzini proposed.
3onthetree
il y a 3 ans
It's not odd, just the lack of a front door sidewalk and no connection from the driveway to the utility door. Did the name of the other street force a previous owner to change the house face?
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Thanks Glo windows and Ilovemod, posted some more pictures
Pugga70
il y a 3 ans
You have a cute little home!! In my opinion, the best and most economical suggestion is in the landscaping suggestions; if you don't want to change the layout of your home.
User
il y a 3 ans
Dernière modification :il y a 3 ans
oh my, I totally didn't see you added more photos (facepalm). now that I see it, I took down my last post since it doesn't add to this conversation.

honestly, you don't have a ton of options. you could majorly reconfigure the layout of the great room. if you knocked down the two half-walls that close off the kitchen, (and then moved the kitchen itself), it will visually open it up and add more "wow" factor when you first step in. but of course that would be insanely expensive.

but if you can't (or don't want to) do that, then really, just try to make some small visual improvements to the area. nice artwork off to the right, prettier porch area, that kind of thing. it's always going to feel like you're walking into the back door, but so be it. I honestly don't think it's the end of the world.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Thanks ILoveMod! That’s what we are thinking as well, maybe to knock down the two walls that close off the kitchen, and vault the ceilings to give it a more open feel.
3onthetree
il y a 3 ans
That’s what we are thinking as well, maybe to knock down the two walls that close off the kitchen, and vault the ceilings to give it a more open feel.

That won't change guests walking in the back door. Measure your doors, the front is 36" and the back is probably 32"?
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506
Auteur d'origine
il y a 3 ans
Yes the door that is considered the “front” of the house that opens from the side street is 32” and the back door that opens to the living room is 36”
PRO
RT Studio
il y a 3 ans
Another idea would be to build a vestibule outside the existing boundaries of the house. We have used this idea in several projects before.
Dreda Young
il y a 3 ans
I agree with the suggestions that use outside landscaping to direct visitors to the door which opens into the living room. The paved walkway that goes to the kitchen door directs people to that door. Perhaps it could be removed.
PRO
RT Studio
il y a 3 ans
Yes, I think that moving the entrance to the side is a better idea even if it's not extremely logical. Another option of course is to move the kitchen, but that would be more expensive.
3onthetree
il y a 3 ans
Yes the door that is considered the “front” of the house that opens from the side street is 32” and the back door that opens to the living room is 36”

There's your physical answer if you needed more support for all the commenters' call on which is the real front. A guest's sense of arrival and adjustment is satisfied better by entering the larger, quieter living room than shimmying into the back of the kitchen.
Utilisateur Houzz - 288336506 a remercié 3onthetree

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Need help with very odd home layout

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Sarah

BeverlyFLADeziner

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