The frame is already up and as I type this the roof is going on (yep!) though before I get to sharing the build progress, I thought I should divulge the plan.

As mentioned in my last post, this will be a second story addition to my parent’s 1960’s house. They currently have a triple-split-level home (that makes it sound huge though it’s a regular family-sized home) and the addition will be going over the middle section.

Before

In conjunction with the extension, they’ll also be making-over the exterior and doing some landscaping.

Of course, this means the size of the suite is dictated by the existing underlying level which is around 7 meters/22′ square.

We played around with a few different layout ideas though here’s the basic plan my parents settled on…

House Floor Plan Rendering

Rendering Overhead

House Rendering

Overhead Rendering

Rendering

View Suite Extension in Chief Architect’s 3D Viewer.

CLICK THE ABOVE PLAN TO LOAD A NAVIGABLE MODEL
If needed, refer to my instructions at the end of this post for viewing instructions.

Although these plans are to scale for the most part, they are just rough (we had official drawings created by a qualified draftsman), and the inclusion of most fixtures, furnishings and materials is merely suggestive at this stage. As much as I’d love for mum to go for an emerald green vanity, I’m not sure that’s on the cards (we’ll see!).

Along with the overall size being governed by the underlying level, for budget reasons as too is the position of the bathroom and powder room which sit directly above the main bathroom below. Fortunately, this works out well anyway as they are on the ‘blind’ side of the house, which leaves the living quarters open to the glorious view and little balcony.

There won’t be anything overly “designery” or extravagant about this build. Far from some additions where a charming old home is juxtaposed with a striking contemporary extension with all the bells and whistles, my parents want to keep things simple and consistent, which I think makes sense. They will retain the same basic architecture as already in place throughout their existing home, and in many ways this decision to remain homogeneous is actually a blessing, in that it eliminates the need to agonise over every…single…detail!

The stairs will go up at the far end of my parent’s entry hall, where there is currently an external door (which basically leads to nowhere), and a secondary passageway to the lower level (there is another access point to the lower level which you can’t see in this pic – hidden behind the open front door).

Entry Before

The staircase aesthetic hasn’t been locked-down yet, however it will just be relatively simple in-keeping with the existing style of the house.

As mentioned earlier, the build is already underway and this is the current state of things…

Obviously at this stage you need to use your imagination, so to help give my parents a visual idea, I created this rough rendering (not fully to scale)…

Exterior 3D Rendering

The completely different colour palette might surprise you, and whilst this is just a vague preliminary concept, my parents really want a light house with dark accents. I’m not entirely sure how it’s going to evolve yet, but the possibilities are exciting!

 

Signature

 

HOW TO VIEW 3D MODELS

The 3D model viewer offers lots of different functions, so be sure to have a good play with all of the options. I highly recommend trying the mobile app for its rendering quality and dynamic interface. Please note that navigable 3D models don’t display in full detail which can result in some aspects of certain plans appearing a little flat and dull.

DESKTOP
Simply click ‘Load Model’ and the plan should load and open (it may take a little while). To expand the size, click the ‘Full Screen’ icon in the lower right of the viewer. To enhance the texture quality, select ‘Standard’ from the ‘Rendering Techniques’ menu.

MOBILE
You can view the model in the Chief Architect 3D Viewer app. If you haven’t already, you can download the free 3D Viewer app to your mobile device here:

iTunes App Store
Google Play Store

If you have any issues, please let me know.