Hollysprings, DH and I are in our late 50's early 60's with no kids and no grandkids. However, we designed our home with a breakfast nook that will seat 8, a kitchen "bar" that easily accommodates 5 barstools, plus a large section of our great room that we refer to as the "dining area" even though we have yet to purchase a dining table for it. ALL of that space gets used regularly because we throw lots of parties for friends AND I have a large family (Dad & stepmother, 3 brothers & 2 stepbrothers and their families, plus assorted aunts, uncles and cousins) that tends to gather at my home for holidays. At Christmas, I wound up putting a 4x8 sheet across the top of two card tables in the dining room so that I could seat 10 adults and two infants in high chairs at that table. The rest of the adults and kids were seated at the breakfast nook, at the bar, and at a third card table in the dining room. I am delighted that I have room in my home for almost 30 people to gather for a sit down dinner and all eat at the same time. Thank you very much. And, in addition to those 3 spaces dedicated to eating, DH and I also have a picnic table on our screened porch where the two of us sometimes take our dinner in the spring and fall so we can enjoy the breeze and listen to the birds. So I guess that means the two of us actually have FOUR spaces dedicated to dining. No wait, I also have TV trays upstairs in the TV where we sometime eat while watching a movie. Does that make it 5??? Does the front porch swing where I sometimes sit and have my lunch count as a 6th eating space? The truth is, none of us NEED 90% of the stuff we have and enjoy. When I was a kid, Mom, Dad, and my 3 brothers and I lived for over a year in a 12x32ft 2bedroom 1bath single-wide trailer and we survived quite nicely. So clearly, when my folks built their first home (1600 sq ft, with 3 bedrooms, and 1 and 3/4baths and a den and separate living room, they must have been building more than we NEEDED. When my Dad was growing up, he and 4 brothers and sisters lived with their parents in a two room home that had neither electricity nor plumbing and they all survived. And then there are folks in third world countries that squeeze 2 and 3 families into a single room. So obviously, even my grandparent's 2 room home was more than they really NEEDED. For most of us Americans - and certainly for everyone posting on this forum on Gardenweb, it long ago stopped being about NEED and started being about what we want most and can afford to purchase. Hollysprings, I respect your opinions and understand that you are attempting to be helpful. However, if you think people may not be making wise choices, perhaps you might try bringing up the issues by asking something like, "given that there are just the 2 of you, do you really want to spend the money to have 3 spaces dedicated to eating?" That way, perhaps no one will wind up feeling that you're being insulting or setting yourself up as an expert on what other people "need" and how they should live their lives and spend their money. Just a suggestion.

If you move the dining room to what's now the Hearth Room, you can still have the wall of windows. Okay, you like hallways because they can be made to look formal with molding and chair rails -- but you're not going to hang out in the hallways, and they're massive space eaters. I suggest that you install the formal look you like in the entryway, which will be visible from the great room -- you'll see it on a regular basis, whereas you will just be passing through the hallways. Since this is a modern design, you don't have much wall space in the great room, but you could use the moldings, etc. there too. And you could install that look in the bedrooms, though the furniture will cover it in those rooms, making it something of a wasted expense. - I suggest you google Houzz master baths and when you find some you like, look at the questions/comments section -- often they give the dimensions. We are planning a no-barrier, no-door shower, and the drying area isn't a need -- not for that purpose. The problem with your toilet closet is that it's 7' deep -- 7' is a long, narrow, deep space, and it will not be comfortable to enter that tiny room. Mark it off with tape in your house, and you'll see that it'll be a room with odd dimensions. - ADA bathrooms are easy to google too. I'll draw up the bathroom we're planning and post it tomorrow -- I'm not in the right place to use the scanner today. - I've been measuring closets in model homes, and 7' wide is a nice, comfortable width; thus, you can lose a whole foot here and be in the nice, comfortable range. Once you have the width covered, the length can be whatever length your space allows. 11' on each side = 22' of hanging space. That's roughly one entire side of a garage. - I personally wouldn't mind a five year old being downstairs. However, since you do, I'd build his current room with the intention that in a couple years he'd move downstairs and you'd get the office you need.

It's really not my style of home, I guess. I say that because I hate to sound negative about someone else's choice, and know that we all like different things. The first thing I notice is the lack of sizable windows. Maybe you're in a hotter area than we are, but I like big or plentiful windows facing the east and south for wonderful, natural light. Things in the floorplan that would bother me are the lack of an entry...The ability for anyone coming to the front door to see all of the main living areas in one glance. I like some separation of rooms, even if it's just some offsetting or beams or columns, that don't really wall things off, but let you know where different space begin and end. I like a hallway or a bit of a vestibule to separate bedrooms from the main living area. Although I really like how all the back, presumably family entrances open near the mud room, I like a laundry room separated without traffic walking through. It sounds like you might have a busy, active family? Will you need a bathroom nearer the back entrances so muddy boots from 4-wheeling, etc. don't go through most of the house in order to use the bathroom? As I said, though, those are all my own preferences and may or may not hit any of yours. I do wish you the best with your build and hope you'll have a house that's just what you love. One technical thing...I notice you plan corner windows in the master bedroom. In our area, at least, windows have to be 32" from the corner, unless specially engineered by a structural engineer. Again, best wishes.

Thanks for all the comments. I really enjoy examining and dissecting this house, and I really do want to take everything into consideration; so, all the comments really help. So, we're going to be building in WI, and yes, we'll have a foutain in the courtyard. As for the kitchen, well, I had this sudden moment of panic last night and am now wondering if I should rearrange that entire layout. I just don't know how. I think I'll cross post on the Kitchen forum... Any help though would be appreciated! I'm kind of stuck with the lack of wall space and my desire to have lots of windows. Yes, it is about 15 feet or so from the refrigerator to the main sink, but I don't see this as a huge problem bc there is a prep sink right by the refrigartor. With the prep sink right there, I can't really think of a reason I'd need the main sink closer. I would, however, like to try to rearrange things bc I'm not sure if this layout is quite right. I actually want to add french doors from the kitchen to the courtyard bc I think it would make the courtyard more accessible from the main house, and therefore, be used more. I can't say for sure right now, but I don't think the courtyard has the best accessibility. So, tell me what you think about this. I was thinking of getting rid of the wall between the kitchen and dining room and instead putting in a 10 foot island that is one cabeinet depth between the 2 rooms. Those cabinets might even be a slightly raised height. Then I'd put a set of french doors on the exterior kitchen wall, adjacent to the french door leading to the screened in porch. I'd then move the wall of cabinets with the sink, etc. down a foot or 2. I could probably squeeze in about a 1 foot cabinet next the refrigerator by making the WIC in the mud room a foot narrower and moving the pantry and refrig. down 1 foot. What do you all think? The problem is that there are hardly any uppers now. Do you think I'll be lacking in storage? Do you think it's worthwhile to get access to the courtyard from the kitchen? Thanks!