I just figured it out: This person is from India (hence no bathtubs - these are wetrooms w/ shower only and a floor drain) and since this is a corner lot hemmed in by neighboring houses, OTS = Open To Sky... ...and that massive staircase probably goes up to the roof where they have their only outdoor space as well as space for hanging laundry, etc. IMO, putting the car on the exposed corner is the worst use of space and light - I'd stash the car on another side against the neighbor's house where there's no light - locating the public rooms and the kitchen along the front of the house and the bedrooms in the back where they don't necessarily need daylight - perhaps through the use of clerestory windows into the public rooms, the light can be borrowed for the center bedroom... Either way, Inkwitch is right (if a bit abrupt) I'd get a new architect who has some talent for efficient small space design to do your home.

Hi Abdul, the first thing NOT to do is panic! Collect your thoughts and analyze the problem. A huge component to architecture is learning how to problem-solve. Try doing some bubble diagrams to get a feel for what types of spaces you need to design. You don't necessarily have to know what they are going to look like yet. Just get a feel for what needs to be accounted for and programmed (i.e. number of rooms, lobby space, laundry room, housekeeping space, front of house, back of house, etc.) Next, I'm not sure what your concepts are or what year you're in, but try keeping the form simple if you're having trouble with it physically. If you have problems sketching ideas out, take what you think is your strongest concept and build some sketch models out of chipboard or something cheap and that you can work with quickly. This helped me out tremendously when I was in school. Remember that the site and context of the project should always be in the back of your mind when thinking about the concept for your design. Is it located in a city or the country? Does it overlook a lake or body of water? Does it sit on a hill or is the site flat? These are some of the questions to think about that could impact your design. Finally, nobody is going to really be able to tell you exactly what to do. Many architects have differing opinions, philosophies, and styles when it comes to design; so there isn't going to be a "right" answer. Whatever you decide to come up with, make sure you believe in it, and pursue it with passion! Hope this helps you out a little bit and best of luck!

I am so happy to see you here! I will have to go back and see if i can retrieve my posts... thought I would make them into a little book for my daughter, with photos. Quick run-down on the bathroom (not travels, no time) - The kitchen has a rather elegant sliding door with beveled glass panels. Painted white, since this was the original colour. GD's new bathroom has the doors I had picked earlier; i thought of polishing them but decided sprayed automobile paint (on a resin primer) would wear better. Especially since it is such a small bathroom, and she is so splashy. I have this finish in my kitchen and it has lasted 15 years now. A tad chipped here and there, but only needs a wipe down once a week. Same finish for the balcony doors, also split like the bathroom. We have a new wardrobe, a study table with built-in shelves, and a small chest of drawers for her odds and ends. I want to re-tile the tiny balcony, more as a little statement. Currently we are looking at Portuguese tiles, though I did think a mosaic with a funky cat might be nice. Let me see the costing. The room will be painted a neutral adobe, with bright white woodwork and an off-white ceiling. This means she can go wild with cushions and covers. Other changes in the flat; We have changed the glass in the master bedroom and living room from small cramped panes to a single pane for each section with a 1" bevel all round. Doubles the cost of the glass, but looks so elegant! The air-conditioning is being re-located. The compressors were all mounted in the bedroom and living room balconies, which looked terrible and meant the balconies (very narrow, only 30" deep) couldn't be used for anything. Not even plants. So they are being moved so that the compressors can be mounted at the rear of the building. two down, one to go. Now we can put in some nice plants, fishtail palms etc. The kitchen counter on one side came out intact and will be reused elsewhere. I am planning overhead storage, cupboards, and a draining cupboard for plates and glasses. Right now there is no dish washer, though a place is earmarked, but for now I will put in a cupboard with steel racks for cups, glasses and plates, all hidden behind pressed glass doors. This is all in the planning stage.... Pictures in a little while, they are mostly on my ipad and don't transfer well to the mac. They come without numbers... so I have to rename the or something. Somebody tell me how to do this!

If you want to use it all the time it will need to be coverd I am not sure if you have actual winter where you are but normally the top portion of the deck would be enclosed to use all year and the lower portions just left open and use when the weather is good. Sort of like this.