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Oh...if i had a boat load of money

13 years ago

but i don't... need to down size this plan!!! big time...

no harm in dreaming... going to show this and a few others to a builder to see if we can piece together one house plan. WE hate the thought of that....but I think you guys are right...it is the only way to get everything we want

http://www.eplans.com/new_american_house-plans/HWEPL11853.hwx

if 2 story want it down to 3200 sq ft

1.5 2900

1 story 2600

Here is a link that might be useful: eplans hwepl11853 house plan

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Comments (14)

joyce_6333
13 years ago
Oh, Jean, that is a nice plan. But it better come with a maid. Our current home is over 6500 sq ft, and I can't wait to downsize!! I'm so tired of cleaning this place. And the entire city block of yard work.. yuk! I just want to sit in my little ranch house in the woods!! :-)
athensmomof3
13 years ago
How many people will be living there? I do remember VERY fondly my first house, 1100 square feet - me and a dog. So easy to take care of!

I would say a lot of the cost of that house goes not only to size but to roof lines and angles in the foundation. The cheapest house to build is generally a rectangle - think a center hall colonial or georgian (which I happen to love - sucker for timeless architecture!).

We are building a much bigger house than we wanted . . . The rooms are not huge, and I do think it will feel "cozy" , but we have used a lot of square footage in the "utility" area - back stairs, coat closet, laundry, mud bath, mud room, etc. Part of me wonders if it is too big - my oldest is 10 - but I guess we will build it as is, hope we can fill it with teenagers for the next 15 years (we have little ones too!) and then hope for loads of grandkids!
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I've been following your threads and I feel for you. The whole renovation process can get overwhelming at times. I like your original design a lot - it has many beautiful features. I agree with what nancyjwb said about its functionality being not terrible, but not ideal. You could just move the sink off center and go with it if that's what you want to do (and you'd have a gorgeous kitchen.) But, if you want to make it function significantly better, I think you could make a few relatively minor changes. It would not require that you scrap the current design and start over. Here are 3 things you might think about tweaking, in order of importance (the last one being mostly aesthetic.) (Also, I think the recommendations you got in the other thread about the stacked cab heights and lining up doors were great - I'm assuming you're going ahead with those.) 1. Make sure all your aisles are wide enough. This probably means at least 48" on the two working sides of the island. It may mean you need to shrink the length of your island to about 9'. If your island is 9'x5', to get your 5 seats, it looks like you can put 3 facing the back wall and 2 facing the dining room. Check the distance to the angled window wall to make sure you have enough clearance there, though. 2. Move your cleanup sink to the pass-thru counter and put a prep sink in the island (to one side, probably toward the back window wall.) I think raising the back half of the pass thru to block the sink from the dining room is a good idea. If you are worried about only having 15" of space on each side of the sink with the current pass-thru design, I think you have 2 options: (a) move the sink off center to one side or the other so you have more continuous space on one end for putting dishes during cleanup (b) make the pass thru wider by turning the tall cabs on either side of the opening into glass cabs. These would be the ones in red, below:You would still have the tall cabinet at the left end of the pass-thru. In a big kitchen like yours, this would be a huge improvement in function and let multiple people work in the kitchen at the same time. (I am actually thinking of a similar design with the sink on a pass thru wall for my kitchen. More than anything else in my redesign, I want to be able to separate the cleanup zone from the prep/cooking zones.) With those 2 changes, I think your kitchen would function really well. 3. Like I said before, this one is more aesthetic than functional. There were a lot of comments in both threads about the weight of cabinetry on the back wall. I know you don't like the view out that side of the house and don't like the position of the current window, but you might want to think about putting in a pair of narrower windows on either side of the range like this: As others have suggested, you could use leaded or reeded glass to obscure the view while letting in light. You probably don't really need the storage of those uppers. This would address the 'heaviness' issue and brighten up your kitchen (see pic below.) But if you don't want to do it, then don't. Ultimately, it's your kitchen, and you should do what you want to. Based on the drawings, it is going to be beautiful!
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worthy
13 years ago
Rather than trying to piece something together, I suggest: 1) starting from scratch; or 2) finding a plan that is close in size and using that as a base. And use a qualified designer or an architect, not a builder. Design is not the place to cut corners.

**********
For those who do have a boatful of money (and then some) here's one nice example from the most extravagant spec builder in Toronto (and then some).

18,000 square feet on two acres on The Bridle Path, Toronto. Sold for $11.8 million in 2009.

This is aÃÂ ridiculous bargain compared to, say co-ops on NYC's West Side or homes in Dubai or London. The builder is finishing a 30,000 sq footer across the street and has two similarly sized ones underway on the same Golden kilometre. "Recession. What recession?" say the superwealthy.
newhome4us
Original Author
13 years ago
That is one crazy A-- Place!!!! I can not even imagine having that much money!
thisishishouse
13 years ago
That's a Garrell Associates plan. It's called "Lansdowne Place" on their site:

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/lansdowne-place

A signature design feature of theirs is a room or two cocked off at an odd angle. I guess wherever Garrell builds homes there must be large lots and cheap foundation prices. ;)

You may be able to search his site for a similar layout in a smaller size.
lavender_lass
13 years ago
Jean- Have you seen this plan? I think it might be more what you're looking for (according to some of your other posts) especially in the kitchen, laundry, mudroom areas. Also has a huge master bath and closet. Just an idea :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Home plan
mydreamhome
13 years ago
I feel your pain in finding a plan Jean. I too love that Landsdowne Place plan, but too much square footage. Fortunately, Garrell has a few that are very similar at lower sq footage. If you still need to shrink the plan, I personally think there is alot of space to be saved in the 2nd staircase (in the plans that have it), the kitchen & hearthroom areas. Here are some links to some of his similar houses that may help.

You would have to modify these plans to angle the garage but they are all just under, at or within ~100sqft of your specs:
http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/spring-mill-cottage

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/pleasantdale-cottage-04098

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/spring-glen-cottage-04155

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/arbor-crest-manor-04080

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/merlot

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/pleasantcrest-cottage

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/emerson-cottage

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/rosemoore-cottage-05375

This one is basically a scaled down version of the Landsdowne plan--the front porch is a little different, but the garage is on an angle & it comes in at 3451 sq ft that can pretty easily be reduced:

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/ashland-manor-0712

Here's a larger version of the Ashland plan:

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/ashland-manor-ii-10088

And 2 more similar ones but over 3700 sq ft:

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/lansdale-manor-04193

http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/avalon-manor

It seems like you really like those angled garages. The House Designer plan you had in your original post had that too. I really like alot of that architect's plans--he seems to make very good use of space not to mention that he does the 3D images so you can really see what the house will look like. His name is David E. Wiggins and he's out of TX. The link below should take you to all his plans on TheHouseDesigner website. You can google his contact info and see what else he has that's not posted here or on his personal site. I called him one morning about his Santo L'Agnello plan & he seemed very nice & willing to work through any changes you may have & in a timely fashion.

http://www.thehousedesigners.com/searchresults.asp?designer=exb&type=%20&homesearch=yes

Good Luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: David E. Wiggins, Architect PLLC
aa62579
13 years ago
This one might be a little large, but I thought about you when I saw the closets, pantry, and laundry area!

http://www.houseplans.com/3359-square-feet-4-bedroom-3.5-bathroom-Southern-House-Plans-2-garage-(21770)

Maybe it can give you some additional ideas!

Here is a link that might be useful: House Plan
newhome4us
Original Author
13 years ago
OMG.... the www.garrellassociates website...was where I saw the first home I fell in LOVE with...we drove 5 hours to see the home. A lady from this site (i think) was building it and was kind enough to let me come and see if. it's called the nanthala... http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/nantahala-06383

but after learning that all those angles and curves ...cost big time money.

I will have to take a picture of our lot and the few houses that are within the 10 ac subdivision. That home would NOT fit well there

But I will the others you listed. Thanks for all y'alls suggestions...I love it!
motherof3sons
13 years ago
My Dream Home - the Wiggins house in the link is under construction in our neighborhood. I look forward to seeing the exterior finishes.
Outrageousq_aol_com
12 years ago
Does anyone know where the Landsdowne Place home plan from garrell associates is being built? Perferably in SC, NC, or GA. My wife and I are considering having this home built and would love to tour the home.
renovator8
12 years ago
I think the house plan referenced could be greatly reduced in cost and greatly increased in style and comfort by a good architect. That's just my opinion from a quick look.
renovator8
12 years ago
For instance, I suggest avoiding the use of a gabled portico with paired classical columns (characteristic of the Colonial Revival style) on an American Tudor house and also avoid so many large front facing gables so close together of different kinds of stone. Simplifying the house and using elements characteristic of the chosen style will make a stronger statement in the finished house and save a lot of money.
ilmbg
12 years ago
Not to hurt your feeling!- but I'm past that age of 'wanting'. My dream home is the ultimate simplicity/very small (1000sf), rural. Right now I feel my 2000sf is too big!! Age.....

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