When looking over floor plans for your new house you will want to make sure they fit the lifestyle of your family, while providing a smooth traffic flow. Having to go through one room to get into another one may be necessary in some instances, but proper planning of the floor plan will eliminate that need.
Most floor plans will involve a means of entering the home from at least two directions, the front and rear, with a third means added through an attached garage. In some case, an entryway through the basement, if applicable, can add a fourth means of entry. In many cases the location of entries will help determine the flow of traffic.
Entering through a door leading into the kitchen area, will make life easier when coming home from the store, as most trips result in food and other items that will be stored in the kitchen. Typically, entries from attached garages lead directly into the kitchen and if they don't, they should.
The front door typically leads into a living room or into a foyer and it is used to receive guests, providing a closet in which to store coats or other items carried in. Usually, the front door has restricted use with the family using the garage or back door on the rear of the house. This may include an adjacent means of getting into the basement. A person working outdoors may be covered with dirt and will want to go directly to a basement to clean up before tracking dirt throughout the rest of the house.
An outside entry leading directly to the basement may be available on floor plans for a house on a sloping lot. The door may be a sliding patio door or a regular entry door, leading into either a family room or a mud room. |
