Hi @solver,
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at the plan and record the video - it's incredibly helpful and, as a new user to the forum, I'm genuinely shocked to get that level of help from a forum!
To address the points you raise:
Context
We are indeed planning a 2 storey side extension and had some hand-drawn plans created by a local builder in 2014 for our planning application to the local council. These were approved and are available on the local government website.
However, when we received quotes for the work, we were only able to afford the internal refurb and single storey rear extension (Phase 1). We then paid a local architect to develop the working drawings for Phase 1, which (a different) builder worked from.
Phase 2 will be to build the side extension and we're hoping to do that in 2023. We only have the original planning drawings so have been using Home Designer Studio 2018 (which we upgraded from previously Home Designer Essentials 2014) to try out different ideas prior to engaging an architect again.
Roof design
To help explain the hand-drawn roofing plan, the areas shown with the lines are all new. These are:
A roof over a porch at the front left of the property (this is the main entrance to the house)
A roof over a 1 storey extension which runs along the rear of the property (built) and then joins the new 2 storey side extension (not yet built)
A roof over the 2 storey side extension (I assume the diamond section is how the original builder wanted to show where the new roof would need to join the old roof, although I agree one does appear to run behind the other which is not intended)
Until I saw your video, we were intending to go with two gable walls at the front of the property, and use the gulley between them to make a feature of the chimney stack (as you show in the video). However, I can now see the risks over water not draining properly so will look into removing the chimney and changing the front gable to a hip.
I'm tempted to retain the rear gable as I'd like to make sure we have some "wow" features in the extension and am considering a vaulted ceiling in the bedroom at the back right. Whilst that's still possible with a hip, my wife would prefer to keep the internal ceiling structure as simple and symmetrical as possible so I'll need to model it to see if a hip also works. That vaulted ceiling is a big part of why we've had so many designs as it complicates where we place internal walls and therefore where the dressing room / en-suite can go!
If we go for the hip, is that odd-shaped peak required or could we simply extend the main roof ridge line from left to right and then adjust the pitch and height of the roof in the extension to match?
Alignment of external walls
Thank you for highlighting this issue. We've been through many different designs over many months and I hadn't realised the floors had become misaligned. We'll definitely get that corrected as there aren't intended to be any overhangs.
Location
We're based in the UK (I've now added that to my profile - another useful tip!). I've tried to use the materials to reflect the local building style which is typically brick walls on the ground floor and then tile-hung on the 1st floor.
I'm having a few challenges with other aspects of the design, particularly the stairs and a porch roof at the front of the house but will raise those in a separate thread if necessary as I understand that's good practice.
Thanks again for all your help, it really is incredibly helpful.
Kind regards,
Mark.
