More floor plan advice for my ever changing plans!

12 years ago

Hello Everyone,

Just when we think we are getting close on finalizing the initial sketches of our plan, we have an idea that creates so much more change in the house. The latest: shifting the garage back so that we can maximize our backyard and take advantage of the fact that we have a wide property (~190 feet). We like this idea and really want to make it work.

So, having said that, of course it required really re-working the 2nd floor with some minor changes on the 1st floor. Unfortunately this change has added square footage to our home. We are closer to 4k versus the targeted 3500. Do you have any ideas on how we may better utilize the space on the 2nd floor with the end goal of decreasing square footage and possibly limiting bedroom space over garage? We have a bonus space above the garage that I was thinking about using as the master closet and hoping the square footage would not count.

Would appreciate overall feedback on the 1st floor and any advice/feedback you may have for the 2nd floor.

Many, many thanks!

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Comments (4)

jimandanne_mi
12 years ago
I don't have time to write out the specific changes I'd suggest, but I'm sure others will be able to give more detail.

You have a lot of wasted space on both floors, IMO. Most rooms seem larger than they really need to be. Do you already have most of your furniture? I found it very helpful when designing our house to take the exact dimensions of our furniture and arrange everything on my floor plan. I moved furniture and measurements around a lot, until I got the right distances between pieces of furniture, walls, etc. After we moved in, everything was perfect--except for a couple of places where I went back and forth trying to decide, and in the end came up with the wrong choice. But not a big deal, since most everything else was just as I thought it would be. It REALLY helps if you can get a program that will let you see everything in 3D.

You have a nice overall plan, and a few tweaks should reduce your square footage.

Anne
chicagoans
12 years ago
Are you wedded to the idea of a 2 story great room? That's alot of unused space on the 2nd floor right there. 2 story rooms like that can be hard to heat/cool, and can also make the 2nd floor noisy. (Think about watching a movie after the kids, if you have them, are in bed. And if you plan to add a surround sound system, think about where the speakers will go and how close to the 2nd floor bedrooms they'll be.) OTOH, the laundry room and closet by BR 2 and the closet and bathroom by BR4 will help block noise from the great room.

I really like the size of your secondary bedrooms. My DS's room is only about 12x13 or 12 x 14. He just turned 13 and is already 6' tall, so we got him a full size bed to replace his old twin size. It's kind of tight in the room now with the bed and his other furniture. The point of telling you this is that if you have young kids now, before you know it they could be outgrowing their current furniture!

Sorry I don't have other suggestions. There's alot I like about your plan.
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lynn
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Anne and chicagoans! I forgot to mention that 2 story will more than likely become 12 feet and we don't want to have 3 feet of steps leading into bedroom upstairs so this area will remain attic upstairs.

What do you think of my kitchen entrry?. I was debating moving it down further so that fridge and pantry next to each other. Only con would be that I don't think I would me maximizing mudroom space as much as the current entry. Also possible switch between double oven and fridge.
bethohio3
12 years ago
Upstairs, I think the master is huge--and the bathroom is bordering on too small. I think that for a house the size this one is, a separate enclosure for the master toilet makes sense. There isn't any room in the master bath for towels. Where are you going to store your sheets? Your extra toiletries? Your extra toilet paper?

When we were looking at houses, we walked into some MBRs the size of what you're planning--and they seemed overbig to us.

For the kitchen, I'd definitely not want people to walk in through the kitchen. I like for kitchens to be "come in only if you need to" space, rather than necessary walkways.

As is always advised, consider taking your kitchen plans (along with the surrounding area) to the Kitchen forum. (They'll want exact measurements)

More floor plan advice for my ever changing plans!

Comments (4)

jimandanne_mi

chicagoans

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bethohio3

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More floor plan advice for my ever changing plans!

Comments (4)

jimandanne_mi

chicagoans

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lynnOriginal Author

bethohio3

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lynn
Original Author