Abstract:
A basic floor plan includes basic components of an apartment home and provides the foundation for adding additional living space and more components without changing the basic components of the apartment or re-engineering the apartment building&#39;s structure or architectural lines.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to apartment construction and more particularly to an improved method of apartment design.  
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Apartment buildings typically offer numerous floor plans having differing amounts of living space. Once the architectural plans for a particular apartment building are established, the number of available floor plans comprising the apartment building is fixed. If apartments having more overall living space are required, or if apartments having less overall living space are required, or if the number of apartments comprising the apartment building is changed, the architectural plans for the apartment building must be redrawn to accommodate the new or alternative apartment designs. As a result, significant time delays and cost overruns are incurred.  
         [0003]     The present invention comprises a novel method of apartment design which overcomes the foregoing and other difficulties which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, there is provided a set of predetermined apartment design components. The various apartment designs comprising the apartment building differ from one another in terms of overall living space; however, each of the floor plans comprising the apartment building includes an identical set of predetermined apartment design components. In this manner changes in the design of the apartment building to accommodate apartment designs comprising more overall living space, or less overall living space, or to accommodate a change in the total number of apartments can be accomplished in minimal time and at minimal expense.  
         [0004]     In accordance with more specific aspects of the invention, the set of predetermined apartment design components includes a kitchen component, a bathroom component, a laundry room component, a living room component, and a dining room component. In the case of apartment designs having larger amounts of overall living space, the bathroom component comprising the set may be duplicated. The orientation of the apartment design components relative to one another within a particular apartment design is variable to accommodate the requirements of each apartment design.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]     A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a basic one bedroom floor plan incorporating the method of the present invention;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a two bedroom floor plan incorporating the method of the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of a larger two bedroom floor plan incorporating the method of the present invention; and  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of a three bedroom-floor plan incorporating the method of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]     Referring now to the Drawings, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a basic one bedroom floor plan  10  incorporating the design method present invention. The one bedroom floor plan  10  provides 706 square feet of living space and comprises a plurality of basic apartment home components including a first bedroom  12 , a closet  14 , a bathroom component  16 , a dining room component  18 , a laundry room component  20 , a kitchen component  22 , and a living room component  24 . Two side walls  26 , a back wall  27 , front walls  28 , and interior walls  30  comprise the primary structural walls of the one bedroom floor plan  10 . The side walls  26  do not have windows or entryways thereby allowing the side walls  26  to function either as common walls between an adjacent unit or the exterior walls of the building. The front walls  28  comprise windows  32 , an entry  34 , and a porch  36 . The floor plan  10  utilized in conjunction with a second level apartment will further comprise a ground level entry  38  into a stairway  39  in place of the entry  34  and a closet  40  located above the ground level entry  38  and porch  36 . Although the floor plan  10  shown provides 706 square feet of living space, the dimensions may be altered to adjust square footage.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a two bedroom floor plan  44  incorporating the design method of the present invention. The two bedroom floor plan  44  has the same basic layout of the one bedroom floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1 , but provides 841 square feet of living space and has additional components added thereto. A second bedroom  46  and a closet  48  are added with minimal changes to the basic components or primary structural walls of the floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1 . The only changes required to be made to the floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1  is to cut two doorways  50  into the side wall  26  adjacent to the first bedroom  12  and reconfiguring the location and orientation of the bathroom component  16  and laundry room component  20 . Otherwise, the bathroom component  16 , the laundry room component  20 , the kitchen component  22 , the living room component  24  are identical and the dining room component  18  is substantially identical to the like-numbered components of the apartment design shown in  FIG. 1  and described hereinabove and in conjunction therewith. Although the floor plan  44  shown provides 841 square feet of living space, the dimensions may be altered to adjust square footage.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a larger two bedroom floor plan  54  incorporating the design method of the present invention. The larger two bedroom floor plan  54  has the same basic layout of the one bedroom floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1 , but provides 944 square feet of living space and comprises a second bedroom  56 , a closet  58 , and a second bathroom component  16 A. The additional bedroom  56 , the closet  58 , and the bathroom component  16 A are added with minimal changes to the basic components or primary structural walls of the floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1 . The only change required to be made to the floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1  is cutting a doorway  62  into the side wall  26  adjacent to the living room component  24 . The second bathroom component  16 A is a reverse orientation of the first bathroom component  16 . Otherwise, the bathroom component  16 , the laundry room component  20 , the kitchen component  22 , the living room component  24 , and the dining room component  18  is identical to the like-numbered components of the apartment design shown in  FIG. 1  and described hereinabove and in conjunction therewith. Although the floor plan  54  shown provides 944 square feet of living space, the dimensions may be altered to adjust square footage.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a three bedroom floor plan  66  incorporating the design method of the present invention. The three bedroom floor plan  66  incorporates the larger two bedroom floor plan  54  having the same basic layout of the one bedroom floor plan  10  of  FIG. 1  and provides a third bedroom  68  and a closet  70 , resulting in 1146 square feet of living space. Some change to the side wall  26  adjacent to the first bedroom  12  is required and the location and orientation of the first bathroom component  16  must be reconfigured to make way for access into the third bedroom  68 , but no other changes to the larger two bedroom floor plan  54  are required. Otherwise, the bathroom component  16 , the laundry room component  20 , the kitchen component  22 , the living room component  24 , and the dining room component  18  is identical to the like-numbered components of the apartment design shown in  FIG. 1  and described hereinabove and in conjunction therewith. Although the floor plan  66  shown provides 1146 square feet of living space, the dimensions may be altered to adjust square footage.  
         [0014]     Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.