Compound Layout and Guest Area Plans

Okay, I figured out a way to get what I wanted from technology. 

Just in case you were wondering how I did it, this is how. Since I couldn't upload excel documents (I know, frustrating!) I took a picture of it with my IPhone then sent it to myself as a private message on FaceBook. Then I saved the picture to my computer's files where I was able to upload to this post. Whew! Yes, a convoluted way to get the pictures, but I won!!

Ok, enough bragging, here's the layout of the compound:

Currently, because the yard slopes downward and has a 5' drop everyone parks their vehicles between the two houses on the one flat surface that's easy to get to. 

The 5' foot drop is shown on the layout by the green line that goes from the Rubbish Pit (where we'll have to burn our trash, no trash collection here) to the cemented half(ish) basketball court. 

The three green blotches are representative of trees. The two on the left are mango trees at the bottom of the sloped area. The mango tree in the middle is twisted (hence the name of the blog). The tree on the right is a guava on the top of the slope  which makes a quaint shaded sitting area by the guest house.

We wanted to find another place for parking to make the area between the two houses as more of a garden path between the two houses. So we had to get creative. Since the only other flat surface in the yard that was somewhat easy to get to was at the drop off area at the back, (field for kids to run and play at recess) we decided to make a gentle slope to access it. (I wanted to use the court since it was already paved, but hubby wanted to preserve this area where kids could play, draw with chalk and the guys could toss a few basketballs.) 

We will park our cars next to the house for ease of everyday living, but will ask guests to park below (after unloading their luggage first, of course). We will be also be adding in steps for the 5' climb between the two levels. 

We currently have an engineer working and living in Mbale (along with his wife, 1 yr old and 3 yr old). He graciously came to our compound to help us figure out if what we plan to do is feasible and to give us heads up on costs since pricing is very different in Africa than in America. (Labor which costs an arm and a leg in America is cheap here. Products which are cheap in America are expensive here.) 

He told us to use concrete from gate, to create slope and for parking area would cost $9000. After I put my eyes back in my head, we asked if there were alternatives. He said that to use murram (dirt) and aggregate (gravel) would cost around $900. 

Whew! Now that's more like it. Plus it goes with the quaint country feel we're going for. Can't you hear the gentle crunch of small rocks as you drive onto the compound? 


Here's the layout for 'The Old Schoolhouse'/Future Guest House

The next blow was the bathroom situation. We had planned to put them in the hallway which was currently the entrance into that area of the building, but what we were going to make into the back.

Even though the bathrooms were going to be tiny 45" wide by 9' long we thought it wouldn't feel cramped because of the soaring ceilings. 

These are open privacy clay tiles used all over the place here in Uganda. They are put up to serve as a 'wall' to an area, but to allow the air (and critters) to pass through unless a screen is put over it, which these did not have. Since this was just giving privacy to a hallway full of doors, it really didn't matter. 

However, Matt the engineer, said it would cost thousands of $$ to create a new waste line for these bathrooms because you can't make water go uphill to tie into the current line. Feeling defeated, we asked if they could be put anywhere else. He said if we put them on the wall we wanted to make as the entry area into the rooms that it would cost hundred of $$. 

So...we will now be knocking out these walls (foot thick brick walls) and filling in this step down to the same level of the rest of the two end rooms (again, probably with brick). Both brick and labor are cheap. A fact we are very pleased about!

When I was feeling discouraged about having to start over with new plans my husband, Daryl said, "All these setbacks may make us rethink our plans and give us an even better room." And I think he was right. What was an architectural throwaway before, I want to try to incorporate into a feature wall.

Now that this is where the head of the bed will most likely be, we want to find a way to cap off the back, but leave all the architecture as a sort of 'headboard'. (I will definitely be posting what we do when we figure it out.)

These are the other rooms in the Old Schoolhouse:

starting from Guest Room #1 and working our way around to the future living room area. (We'll come up with cuter room names later ; D)

The new shared bathroom will probably stretch across the entire width of this room which is only 9' wide. We will take out this huge window since it won't be needed in the bathroom and reuse it in the old hallway or new back wall of bedroom. Since this is the 'end' room, we can make a door on the side wall which faces the guava tree. Near where that cardboard box is sitting.

This would have been the entrance into the bathroom. Now we will have the wall taken out. Ordinarily, you would have stepped down into the hall. This is the area we will probably raise so floor will be same level throughout.

Guest Room #2:

Same situation as other room...wall knocked out, hallway raised. 

But it will have door to the right of the window you are seeing, which will face the main or 'big' house and will open onto a shared porch or verandah.

Guest Room # 3:

This is currently the Resource Room for the school so it is full of a mixture of books to be discarded and bookcases and other supplies to keep. This room is all one level, but guests will need to step up into the shared shower area. 

Since this room is more spacious we had planned to put the guest laundry room in the hallway. But since that is out, too we will put in a laundry area in another area in the future. This allows this room to be more of a family room with bunk beds. (Another plus ; D)

Shared Bathroom in corner of L of the bldg.:

When you step up by the sink

and turn left, you see these 3 doors. That yellow one you can catch a glimpse of on the bottom right of the photo is the doorway into the bathroom. The green door on the right is also a toilet room, but will be turned into a shower room.  The other green door on the left will probably be hot water closet and cleaning supplies for rooms. Blue door straight ahead is the last guest room in the school house.

Guest Room #4:

So far, this is the ONLY room in both buildings that has water damage and 

we think it's from an overflow pipe in ceiling. Yeah!! No major roof/ceiling repairs.

Future Kitchen:

Oops, I just realized that I didn't get a picture of this room. When you step out of Guest Room #4 you see a door on your right which is the room where the kitchen will be. It's a tiny room that's about 7 x 11. To open it up we will probably knock out the center of this wall where that light switch is and take that blue door off at the end of the hallway which leads to the Living/ Dining Room area. Where the picture ends on the left side is the entrance into this area and where the verandah will be added.

Living Room/ Dining Room Area for Guests:

The door that is standing open is to a closet that will be for guests to store luggage or whatever if they need to leave the city but don't want to keep paying for a room. The other room is the door we would like to remove to open things up a bit.

We're planning on opening up our Living Room and Dining Room to our guests, but also wanted to give them a place of their own if they wanted to make foods for themselves or to have a place to hang out other than our place. Especially if it's late at night and they can't sleep. 

And there you have it. This is the mock up of the 

same building with added in areas and furnishings.

We would value your feedback on things we may have forgotten 

or things that would make a nicer experience for our guests.

We hope you will come and experience it  for yourself some day!!