Typical Garden Level Floorplan?
My fiancee and I are about to close on a Bed-Stuy brownstone who was agressed in the 1970’s big time. Especially the parlor and garden levels. In terms of restoring back to “original” layouts, I don’t think the parlor will be a challenge. But I am really curious to know what a typical garden level…
My fiancee and I are about to close on a Bed-Stuy brownstone who was agressed in the 1970’s big time. Especially the parlor and garden levels. In terms of restoring back to “original” layouts, I don’t think the parlor will be a challenge. But I am really curious to know what a typical garden level floorplan looked like when these houses were first built.(Concerning your fairly standard, 3-story, 1899 brownstone)
Would anyone be able to post something like this?
My brownstone has the two large rooms described by others and a 1/2 bath that opened to the hallway. the back of the half back formed one of the walls of the butlers pantry.
The front room used to be an informal dining room/servants area and the back room was the hearth and kitchen area and leads into the garden
C’mon Drew, don’t you remember the water cascading down the stairs of Nellie’s house on Little House after they had a toilet installed? That must’ve been the mid-to-late 1870s. And if it happened on TV, it must’ve been true.
Just bedrooms and bathroom on the garden floor but thinking of bathroom in the middle and trying to get at least one window in each bedroom. Might just have to sacrifice window idea. Thanks
Wow they had plumbing in homes in the 1870’s? Shows what I know. As for the 3 bedrooms, it would be easy to make 3 bedroom-sized rooms off of a hallway with a bathroom at the end of the hall. But the middle room is not really considered a bedroom w/out a window.
3 bedrooms, plus living room, kitchen, and bath? Even combining living room/kitchen, and a really small bathroom, I still think it would stretch the definition of “decent sized”.
If only bedrooms, with other rooms upstair, yes. Wherever you put the bathroom, the bedroom nearest it will obviously be much smaller. Sizes will also depend on other given configurations of the house. The room in the middle would not have any windows. If you are also planning to keep any original details, that would also put limitations on what you can do. But a good architect could figure something out.
Is it possible to get 3 decent size bedrooms and a bath on the garden flr of a brownstone? Dimensions are 21 x 46. I hae looked for examples of floorplans and can’t find any.
Besides, the servants needed a toilet and sink down near the kitchen. Makes no sense for them to have to go all the way to the top floor (waste time)or to have less than sanitary facilities whilst preparing food.
My house, which has the typical layout, as described by Drew, also had an original water closet next to the kitchen, consisting of a toilet and sink. I have the original blueprints from the DOB for all 4 houses in my group of limestones, and all 4 had the same features, including the one (not mine) with an extension. The house with the extension had a large laundry room in the extension.
When my house was renovated into floor throughs years and years ago, the watercloset was expanded into a full bathroom with tub. My plans are dated 1899. Indoor plumbing dates back to at least the 1870’s in wealthier homes.
As far as bathrooms go, there weren’t any. But then someone invented them. Where they were put within each home probably varied a bit.