How a duplex works
In a duplex, the spaces used during the day (living room, kitchen, guest WC) are on the ground floor, and the bedrooms and bathroom are upstairs. The stairs connecting the two floors are the heart of the plan: they stand in the same place on both floors and must sit within the hall on both floors.
Example: a two story duplex
- The stairs start on the right of the ground-floor hall and arrive inside the hall on the upper floor too.
- The front door opens into the hall; the stairs stay outside the area where the door leaf swings.
- WC and study on the ground floor; guests use the WC without going up to the bedrooms.
- The upstairs bathroom is a short walk from all three bedrooms.
Drawing a two story plan
- Line up the external walls. The upper floor usually sits on top of the lower one; the external dimensions should stay the same.
- Stack the wet areas. If a WC or kitchen sits below the upstairs bathroom, the plumbing runs are shorter.
- Don't forget the stairwell. On the upper floor, the space above the stairs is open; you can't put a room there.
- Floor height. Under the Turkish regulation, the clear height of habitable floors in homes is at least 2.60 m; in bathrooms, WCs and passages it can go down to 2.20 m (article 28).
In Nodaform each floor is drawn separately; you can show the lower floor as a faint trace and draw the upper floor over it. In 3D view, the Free plan shows a single floor, while Plus shows all floors stacked.
The plans and dimensions in this post are layout ideas. A building permit, structural design or construction project requires a design by, and approval from, a licensed architect and engineer; ask your municipality about the details of the regulations.