Thanks for the great information ...patches I'll take a look at your plans...mightyanvil..thanks for taking the time to provide such great advice. This will be our "vacation" home..but it will really be a weekend get away place, that is if we can pull it off. The home will oriented so that the front of the home is north, the back south. We want views to the south and west. I was avoiding a second level because of cost, although considering a loft, but it sounds as though the rule of "cheaper to build up rather than out" applies. It's just DH, myself, and our chocolate lab. Originally we thought everything on one level but are now considering living room, kitchen, mudroom/bath on main level and bed and bath on above. We also considered a basement, as my DH wants the extra storage, but costs vs. it and just a slab foundation..not sure of the differences although there are those that say "might as well put in a basement while you're at it" We're not worried about excavation as we have a friend who'll do the job for us. We love open floor plan because we anticipate small footprint, we want back deck (but plan to build it on later) so outdoor spaces are important. We definitely want a mudroom...area to keep coats, boots, and area to rinse off dog after a run in the mud! We don't really need a garage..again, something we can add later... We live in Western Pa and do want a weather tight home, as we get more cold rainy weather than hot sunny...but want overhangs to keep direct sun out in summer, but still allow sun in winter (passive solar?)... Views to south (back) include woods and stream..views to west include woods and field. Weather hits us from north west...lots of wind from time to time. Why not a screened in porch? I love to sit out but hate the bugs! Ideally, we'd like to contract to get a "shell" built and finish the home ourselves as time/$ allow. Not sure what our options are there... I had to laugh about the home you'd described above with the various levels ..we currently have that set up...and have 5 levels and 4 sets of stairs and it drives me crazy! I can handle one set, but am a bit tired of 4. ;-)

I know you are all going to think I have totally lost my mind... I took a ton of advise off of this website and from some of my friends and made some changes to the plans. Please look again and let me know. I have added a door in the garage, and I am in the process of moving out the master bedroom and deck another 2'. This will give my covered deck a total of 8.5' x 12'. We will use the open portion of the deck way more than the covered... Thanks again for all the input. I think I am liking the idea of the closet in the bathroom more and more. My wife likes to turn on the light so she can trapse around the bedroom to bath to closet to bedroom to closet to bath to bedroom... (she shares a closet with my daughter right now so my daughter is going to be happy to get her out of her room) The link is below, as usual I don't know how you are able to post pictures... someone please inform me. http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/saftgeek/plans_2-29_Page_2.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/saftgeek/house_2-29-2008_Page_1.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/saftgeek/house_2-29-2008_Page_2.jpg Saftgeek

That type of home is often referred to as a Cape Cod. There are a few Tudor influences in it--the door area primarily. Just as bungalows differ a bit from one part of the country to another, the Cape Cod does also. This particular form is "Chicago." As far floorplans, you would likely need to ask an owner of one or do some research. This link might help. And this is another link that might help. http://bigshouldersrealty.com/things/styles/chicago-cape-cod.php Here is a link that might be useful: Chicago style houses This post was edited by rrah on Sun, Jun 15, 14 at 8:20

@Em I think that your current plan is much better. If you think that you want a single-story, then you need to ask your builder and architect about the additional costs, if any, to build relative to a two story. It may make sense given your legitimate concern about achy joints. A 1-story home, of course, has more roof and foundation, but I think that you should at least explore the that option so that you can make an informed decision. Again, I'm not a pro...just guy with an opinion going through the process just like you. Perhaps you do a larger lower level and a partial second story. For me, single-story living is significantly better than other options. You're not wasting space on stairs and they feel less cramped and if, heaven forbid, you become disabled and need to be in a wheelchair, then you retain use of your entire house instead of one floor. I think that if you have the right architect, then they can make spaces work harder you and your future.