Busting Out

Dividing a bungalow of roughly 390 sq.m. (4000 sq ft) into 2 family homes requires a fair bit of demolition.

We began with side A. To make two large bedrooms; we knocked out walls in the laundry room and maid’s room. Since the laundry room was a dark, closed in space, we smashed out a large window facing the front courtyard.

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Opposite the laundry room was a maid's room and by combing 2 tiny bathrooms we will have a large one with a separate sink in each room. Between these two rooms, there is hallway with space for a washer, dryer and linen closet.

Originally, the maid’s room was the size of a postage stamp. Pushing the wall back, allowed for an enormous bedroom with two windows and a door to the backyard.

On the opposite side of this house, we are repurposing the enormous foyer into a smaller vestibule with a half bathroom and master bedroom. This bedroom opens onto the large, covered veranda in the backyard.

Originally, a small closet and a half bathroom sat next to this foyer, but this will be part of the master bathroom, which also steals space from the master bathroom of house B. A wide hallway leads from the original foyer to a tv room. It made a great walk-in closet. There is one door from the bedroom that leads to the closet on the left and the bathroom to the right

To ensure privacy between the two homes, we will need a double wall, including the space between the walls and some sound barrier material. This takes up about 30cm. (1 ft.)along each wall.

Renovating with cement and rebar, you cannot always know the position of supports. While it is possible to remove and brace them, this is complicated and more expensive. I planned on the bed facing the patio doors, but a major support forced us to cut the wall too short for a king bed and 2-night stands. Now it faces face the entrance.

While House A this is officially a three-bedroom home, I see 2 master bedrooms; 24 and 20 sq.m. (260 and 214 sq. ft) plus a den.