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Posted on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 10:22 a.m.

Hallway is not adequate as family entry

By Marcia Lyon

Some builders build big, showy suburban homes paying attention to huge open spaces and leaving areas for home functions frequently ignored.

The cathedral ceiling and expansive foyers don’t make up for a house that doesn’t work. If they would just ask me first, everyone would have a great family entry, laundry room and kitchen!

PROBLEM

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This impressive home had one area that the family of four just couldn’t stand — the dark, crowded hallway (A) that served as the family entry. The minimal sized two-car garage (B) had no room for storage. When the family would enter into the house, they had to negotiate the door to the closet (C), with no place to set things down.

A minimal-sized laundry room (D) left no room for laundry baskets. The homeowners were eyeing a narrow hallway (E) and an unused porch (F) to gain space but couldn’t quite solve the problem.

A walk-in pantry (G) off the kitchen (H) was actually more generous than needed.

This house and the homeowners needed much better circulation space at the entry from the garage, more storage space in general and a comfortable flow. They also had an enlarged garage on their priority list, big enough for three cars with storage room. They asked for a way into the house without going through the garage, for people who park in the driveway,

SOLUTION

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The secret was to completely rebuild the garage since a whole new roof would be required anyway. We enlarged the garage in two directions (I). The additional room we gained in the depth (J) allowed room for an outside door (K) and circulation space in a new, generous family entry (L).

We did enclose the unused porch (F), which helped keep the bedroom above, and give us space for a great laundry room (M). Two windows keep this space bright. There is room for a sink, hanging space, and a long folding counter with baskets beneath.

In the family entry (L), we have a bench, large coat closet and a “To Go” shelf.

Something radical I did was to create a new hall (N) out of what was the coat closet and the pantry (G). The depth of the closets extend out about 16 inches into what was the house wall of the garage. This gives us a nice, wide hallway.

There are three closets in this hall, and I gave the homeowners the option of determining which closets would be pantries and either having another coat closet or vacuum/cleaning closet. These functions can change as their needs change.

A full glass door (O) at the end of the hall not only brings in natural light, but serves as access to a new grill deck (P) which is an extension to the deck.

Marcia Lyon is a professional remodeling designer and freelance writer, producing projects locally and several other areas across the U.S. and Canada. Her new book on remodeling design, “The Essential Planner for Home Remodeling,” is available at www.creatingspaces.net. You may contact her at Marcia@creatingspaces.net or at 515-991-8880.