I'm interested in how things turned out for you and your house. Are you done building? Back in 2002, I started looking for plans for our present home. Thousands of views later, nothing met our wants list. I mean nothing. So, I, too, liked the looks of Tee's and Poole's designs the best. Where they fail, imho, is their room sizes and not enough closets; which seem to be typical mistakes from most designers. It took a year and a half for my dh and I to settle on a plan; two months to draw it up; 14 mos. to build. The finishing techniques can always be added to a home after a home is constructed, if it must happen that way. What's important is that you get good bones: great framing, radiant barrier & foam insulation, good windows, ample room sizes, wider halls and doorways, smooth ceilings, and great flow in a kitchen with a terrific size island... and lots of lower drawers in kitchens instead of cabinets. What can't fit in a drawer, use a pantry or upper cabinet. I bought a few home designer CAD 3D programs and went at it. I built exactly what I imagined our home to be and more. I am self taught and very good using the programs. My bro suggested a local draftsman who could never get the roof like we wanted. He wasn't as good as I was! Truly. My design is smarter than what we have seen anywhere. Features in my home are usually found in $1M+ dollar properties. I know: I am a REALTOR®. I'm going to find out how much smarter this design is real soon because I am going to sell this home. So, we shall see what happens. We recently bought a waterfront lot in a small gated community here in NE Florida; and are going to build another 'retirement' home ... not quite as big as this one. I am going to draw up plans myself. We love the layout in this home, but it's two story. Going to *try* to keep it on one level... I really like the idea of having a couple of rooms 'upstairs'. DH said we'll have to put in an elevator if I did a second storey. We need to think of re-sell, too. ;) Last time, I found a local drafts-woman in Virginia, where we were living before we built in Florida. The draftswoman was terrific. She found out local Florida specs and incorporated to met building guidelines. Once in Florida, we hired an engineer to do 'the engineering' calcs, electrical, etc. There was very little tweaking or changes in our plans... and this is a complicated home with a cut-up roof. DH and I acted as GC because we had the money to build this home ourselves. There's over 6,000sf under roof and we built 4 blocks high, so it took a bit to build. We also did a lot of the grunt work while building. I don't know if we saved a whole lot of money, but we go it done. This time.... I *want* to hire someone to build... in theory. Yet, since I'm a control freak... we might end up doing it ourselves again. We'll just have to 'see' if we'll have the money to build -Vs- getting a CP loan. My brother's a builder and lives next door. He built a Donald Gardner plan about the same time we were building. Our homes compliment each others. A few years ago, someone built across the street from us because they like our homes; and built a similar style. We don't live in a neighborhood per se... but we've started something. Later on, three other similar styled homes have gone in on our road and all complimenting what we built: a quality home on about 1 1/2 acres. It looks terrific. Theirs look terrific. I just hate to sell this house... but we think we want waterfront property and lifestyle. (We got tired of hauling our boat to a ramp.) Another person built a 'Florida' style home and it just doesn't have the character that ours have... or the other new similar homes. I think people around here are wanting traditional, yet updated styles. I hate stucco and it's just everywhere in 'NE Florida' neighborhoods. Ours is a standout. Looking for a good draftsman in NE Florida if you know of someone. I will be extremely specific in my specs. Again, would love to see your house.

I would post the plan and ask for comments. I have not built the plan, but looking at it would have these questions/comments: - I really like the exterior style of the house. - How would you lay out the furniture in the family room? There are so many doors and a need to create an aisle as a hallway on left and front side. - That powder room on the first floor seems too small. How do you get the door closed when stepping in? - Many of the door swings seem awkward. In some cases two doors would actually keep bumping into each other (you would need to fully shut one before opening another - The small covered porch with a door to the office seems interesting. I would think that is where guests would enter off of the driveway. It seems strange to have them travel through an office area. - There does not seem to be much counter/cabinet space in the kitchen. - There is lots of space in the dining room, but the formal dining room is isolated from other parts of the house (only could be used for dining, less for a flow for socializing). A quick Google search and here is one that someone built: http://www.atlantacustombuilthomes.com/sand_mountain1.htm At that price, it must be in a prime area.

This plan has an upstairs, so would you eliminate it? If so, and if you still need the basement, I'd change the stairs on the right to the basement stairs, and where the basement stairs are currently, move that half-bath into that space, and move the cased opening in the bedroom hall to the left of that bathroom. Re the dining room, I was just at a friend's for dinner and their kitchen and DR and foyer are somewhat similar to this. I have to say, looking at it on the plan I don't like it, but for a gathering it was kind of nice. Like being in a private room at a restaurant. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about: if you're at the dinner table, don't you see the kitchen and feel a compunction to help clear and start loading the DW? Why end the fun conversation to work?

Took a quick look at it while sitting in my recliner watching US Open golf this afternoon. Did this little exercise more for the lurkers out there as an illustration of the value of taking “internet plans” as a starting point towards something that might really work. This example moves away from a garage crudely slapped on the back, as well as bedrooms looking at a scenic 10’ side yard. We may end up meeting with an architect but I feel like I need to start with an existing... plan to help me “see” it better since I’m so visual. Not a thing in the world wrong with that as long as it’s not code for being unwilling to trust your designer and incapable of taking the leap of faith necessary for a true collaborative effort required for a successful project I described in my posts above. The first drawing is the “big idea” as it came out of my head. In architect speak it’s called the “Parti”. That drawing took 20 minutes. Just to get a framework, I assumed a 30’ clearance around the tree. That number is pulled totally out of thin air and may prove to be completely out in left field once an arborist is on the scene but for this exercise I needed a starting pointing point to give me the “build box”, the box defined by setbacks, easements and any special considerations, like your tree, so I arbitrarily chose 30’. The second drawing is the cleaned up version so someone besides myself could understand it. This one took an hour. Still very rough and parts of it doesn't really work well yet, but it shows all the relationships which all DO work well. Note, even in the first, “big idea” drawing, I’m thinking elevations simultaneously with the plan so a couple elevation ideas are developed here. At this point they don’t work 100% with the plan but at least we’re out of the starting gate with everything being designed simultaneously. My area calcs are equally as rough and likely on the skimpy side. I’m figuring the final house will be in the 1800-1850SF range. Good luck in your project…..and to all the lurkers, your projects too! The "big idea"... The "cleaned up" version...