When the grands come to visit, don't you think you'd like the master bath to have a little more private access from the bedroom? You might want to add an actual door, maybe a pocket door, to the entrance to that whole area. Is the laundry in the top left corner of the Family room? Where will the laundry chute in the closet go? Or is it a built in hamper? What is the space between the master closet and the family room?

It sounds like you'll spend most of your time in the family room, so why not have easier access to it from the kitchen?

Hello Bpathome, I made a change based on your suggestion about access to the Bonus room I will save me a lot of money not to have the corner cabinet and just have and arched opening to the hall. Thanks your very much. Renee

I'd move your master bedroom door to the wall adjacent to the "entry".

Do you think you will ever need to use a walker or wheelchair in this space?

And, is that toilet enclosed in the master bath? (If so, I think the space appears too small for that toilet room).

As well, the tub too large compared to the shower.

Hi I like the plans but I think the great room is small. It seems like every space is big except for the place you will be spending most of your time. I dont see a way to make it bigger without completely redoing your plans
Also Im curious how is this your 2nd dewling? Are you planning on renting your house out?

Hi justinjk, thanks for the questions ....the great room is 16'9" x 21' I don't know if that is small or not but it is bigger then my current great room so I think it will be fine for us. The reason it is a second dwelling is because our daughter has a much house on the same property which is 14 acres so size is a restriction by the county.

Hi kirkhall , the master bath rm wc is in a space that is 4'x6', I hope we ill not need a wheelchair or walker but if we do all the doorways and rooms are big enough for it to be maneuvered around without any trouble..I wonder why you think the bed room door should be moved ? Thanks you both for your feedback.

I like what you did in the kitchen, I love circulation :)

Do you think you'd like a door from your bedroom directly into the bathroom? Although, the bed would have a view into it...with the big closet, you probably need only one chest of drawers in the bedroom, so perhaps the door could be near the bedroom door. And, when you step out of the shower, where will your towel be?

bpathome, thank you for your thoughtful questions. I already have put a pocket door in the bedroom to the bathroom it is right next to the dresser. Also I have planned towel hooks and towel bars for the bath tub are and the shower area and a few other place as well.Thanks again you have been a big help to me.

any more suggestions on my floor plan would be appreciated thank you all for your help so far.

Old people need to pee too often to have that master bath work too well. (I is old enough to know that all too well.) You're giving up covered parking out of the weather for a bonus room? You don't get snow or rain? Other than that, is this a cash build? I just don't see banks financing a 1bedroom 2nd dwelling on property that isn't owned by the constructor.

Hi hollysprings, thanks for your feedback. I canâÂÂt be sure why you think the master bath wonâÂÂt work to well? But maybe it might be that you didnâÂÂt notice that there is a door that goes directly from the bedroom to the bathroom, it is a pocket door that we will keep open at night and the same will go for the pocket door to the WC. It is only a few steps away from the bed.
About the parking issues, we will have a covered parking adjacent to the house via carport. We live in California so our weather is pretty mild. We will build a larger Garage in a few years after the house is finished, we will include a breeze way from the house to the garage, so we will have covered parking eventually. I havenâÂÂt had covered parking for the last 48 yrs. so I am sure it wonâÂÂt be a big problem to wait for the garage to be built.
Thanks for your comment about financing I am happy to say that we have secured it already.
Thanks very much for the comments I appreciate it very much. Renee

I'd want the door moved so that you don't have a direct look into your bathroom from your front door (unless you keep your bathroom door closed all the time.)

And, so you can close your master bedroom door, and still have private access to your bathroom. As is, you have to open your master door, enter a public hallway, go through bathroom door and close it for privacy.

In the middle of the night, in a house by myself, I'd prefer not to have to operate any doors, but maintain my privacy (should I find myself not alone).

Hi kirkhall,
Thanks for the follow-up question. There is a sliding âÂÂBarnâ style door in the Entry Hall that can close off the whole master bed room suite. Also even if all the doors were open you wouldnâÂÂt be able to see anything in the bath room as it is off set from the view into it. Also I usually do keep the bath room door closed it is a long time habit of mine. There is also a pocket door between the bed room and the bathroom so there is direct access to the bath room and the door can stay closed, when on the very rare occasions that someone is at our house I can close the hall âÂÂbarnâ door and have complete privacy. Also the small hall where the WIC, bed room and bath room is will also double as my dressing room I have an very beautiful antique mirror that will fit in there and will be very useful to me.
Thanks so much for your feedback I really appreciate it. Renee

This is such a nice plan, "just right" size, I like the kitchen/sitting room, and another living room separate but convenient with the new access to the kitchen. In the kitchen, I'm reading that the fridge is on the left, but can't tell what's on the opposite wall. If I'm right, then you might want to move the prep sink so you have a bit of landing space for the fridge. When you put away groceries, take things out, or pour a drink, you want the counter space there. Also, the DW between the cleanup sink and the range might be inconvenient when you are cooking if you clean as you go, but the rest of the day it would be fine.

Where will you park and then enter the house? You mentioned a breezeway, what would it connect to?

I'm curious about the master bath water closet. Is that small sink and cabinet? I like the idea.

bpathome
Thanks Bpathome, your help has been so good and very valuable to me, especially to my pocketbook. It made me very happy that you said it is âÂÂsuch a nice plan and just the right sizeâÂÂ. I am a little obsessive about the whole thing so Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have exteriors ready to post also but I want to try and shore up all the changes to the floor plan first. I look forward to your feedback on that as well.
Across from the fridge are the oven and microwave stacked and the broom closet next to them. Next to the fridge is the pantry. I just moved the sink over 16â towards the center to accommodate grocery bags thanks for that also. I love your methodical eye. I am new to this site and I never thought anyone would be as helpful as you have been. May I ask if you are a man or women? It is hard to tell from where I sit.
The DW was a problem for me. At my current house my fridge is on the right of the sink and all my cabinets are as well and I am right handed so it is perfect. But in the new house I havenâÂÂt put many cabinets to the right of the dishwasher I have the windows and there is a great view from those windows, so I will have to adjust to load it up with my left hand but unloading will be a lot easier. I am not at all a clean as you go person, so that shouldnâÂÂt be a problem with cooking and cleaning I will just slide things over from the cook top to the sink and do it later which is my normal style.
The parking on the house will be on the North side which is the same side as the master bed room but there also will be a circular driveway in front of the house so we can park there and go in the front door. Eventually we will build a big garage just outside of the north side of the house closer to the back end of the house and the breezeway will use the bonus room doors for access to the house. If the house could have been bigger I would have made space for better egress then I am able to have now. But somethingâÂÂs are just that way because of sq. ft. restrictions.
Thanks again Renee

So here is my exteriors that go with my floor plan. I would love any and all comments. I am going for a Cottage style with some character. my computer only has a few stone options so this is just an example where we would put stone but not this exact type of stone. we will put a metal roof on it.

I just have a question about table space. It looks like the only "table space" to eat at is the island. So you will always eat every meal at the island? What about other "table" activities? If people visit, where will you set up a table?

thanks debrak2008, for your question. we have a few options for eating beside the island. right behind the sofa there are two table that we can eat at or we can put them together for 4 to eat. My hubby and I usually like to watch tv while we eat so most of the time we will sit at those tables. But if we have a big dinner and the weather is bad so we can't be outside, the Bonus room will accommodate a long table that 18 people can sit at. BUT the likelihood of me ever cooking for that many people is about the same odds as finding gold in my back yard. we can also set up a table for other thing in the great room or in the bonus room, I tend to clutter up tables that I don't use much. so I don't want a full time dinning table it just isn't something we have used much in our life. we have been married for 33 yrs so we are pretty set in our ways.

Nice elevations ( though shouldn't the east elevation be "rear"?). Don't put stone above the windows, it wouldn't make sense unless the entire wall is stone. Others are more knowledgeable about stone around the bottom.

So, is that a fireplace in the Great room? Where is the tv?

Thank you for your kind comments! When I look at a plan I just always see myself doing daily stuff in it :)

Something about the family room/laundry/bath is bothering me, though. The family room seems too separate from the rest of the house, but if you swap with the wet areas as in the first plan, or move the wet rooms to the left side, do you lose outside views? And do you need a utility sink for the laundry? Some people don't, but I like one, if only for washing out paint rollers and the mop. But in So Cal, maybe you just do that outside.

Do you have dimensions for your spaces?

Hi bpathome
Yea you are right it was a mistake when I was moving things around I forgot to move the word âÂÂLeftâ and then forgot to change it to âÂÂRearâÂÂ.
Regarding the stone: On the front of the pop-out there really isnâÂÂt any wall mostly window and trim but I was thinking about putting the stone on the side walls of the pop-out. I will draw it and show you so you can tell me what you think.
The Fireplace is in the lower right hand side of the great room it will be a gas fireplace and the TV will be above it.
About the family rm./laundry/bath changes: First off I really love the changes I did make because of your suggestions. So because of that I tried out your idea about moving things to one side. I have a few considerations, I didnâÂÂt want to lose the view completely or the access that I need to that side of the house and with the changes I did. In the drawing I did the amount of space for the family room is currently more than it would be if I made those newest changes. It would also make the bath rm. less accessible to the main part of the house. Also I think if my hubby is in the family room watching his loud block buster movies or a football game I might like the separation that there is more than having it close to the rest of the house. Also when I have insomnia, I can go back there and turn the sound on the tv up to watch my shows without disturbing the hubby.
In the family roomâÂÂs bath room, the sink will be a utility type sink, maybe not a really deep one, but big enough to do things like; washing out paint rollers, giving the dog a bath she is a small Cockapoo, or soaking a shirt.
I can show the dimensions on my next post of the floor plan but I am not sure I can get them big enough to read but I will try.
I am actually in Northern California but we still have mostly sunny day here also. So yes we wash our brushes outsideâ¦
Thanks Again. Renee

Hi bpathome, After responding to your post last night I worked more on the Family room until very late into the night to come up with something that would work. so I am posting both for you to see and give me your thoughts. Thanks again for your help. Renee

Hmm, I guess I liked the 3-side view. Hhow about this: going back to your original plan, can you move a bit of the left hand wall out even with the master bath, enough to accommodate the bath (but put all the fixtures in a line), laundry, and, are those the water heater and something?, then bring the wall back in for the family room? So that wet area would be narrower but longer, and the family room would still be an open-feeling room and separate but not as isolated? I can't play with it here, but maybe you can.

Of course, one thing I learned from these great GWers is that every corner adds to your cost... So if you make an L-shape instead of a T, and keep the plumbing close together, you'll save some $.

Hi bpathome, there is a problem moving walls, I am restricted to 1200 sq ft for the house and 480 sq ft to the Garage/Family Room and because it is an attached "garage" I have to have the door to it not in a bed room or a bath room . I wish I could make it all bigger but that isn't possible. but thanks for the suggestion .Thanks Renee

In that case, maybe the original? Depending on how you decorate it, it could feel like you're walking into a garden room or a sanctuary :)

I am restricted to 1200 sq ft for the house and 480 sq ft to the Garage/Family Room and because it is an attached "garage"

Can you explain more about this? Is this a new build? Do you have to submit plans and get them approved? Does that mean you have to label something as a garage?

Thanks dekeoboe, the floor plan is for the house we plan to build, on our property. Our property is about 16 acres. In the county I live in, you are allowed to build on property that is over 3 acres: 1 house any size sq. ft. Plus you are also allowed 1 âÂÂsecond dwellingâ (we used to call it a granny house). The âÂÂsecond dwellingâ may not be more than 1200 sq. and it can have an attached garage that is not more than 480 sq. ft. The only way to get around the size restriction is to subdivide the property but that is very expensive and a very big hassle that we donâÂÂt want to go thru. My hubby and I are retired we donâÂÂt want a big house but what we want is a space that will meet our needs and give us a few of the luxuryâÂÂs that we have always wanted. So, for us to accomplish all that, we will need to turn our garage into living space. But that wonâÂÂt be done until the build is completely finished. Then what started out as a garage and will be labeled that way on our plans will become our âÂÂFamily/Bonus RoomâÂÂ. We will later build a breeze way and a detached Garage. So I need to consider that in the future. All of that will be on the North side of the house.

The âÂÂsecond dwellingâ may not be more than 1200 sq. and it can have an attached garage that is not more than 480 sq. ft. The only way to get around the size restriction is to subdivide the property but that is very expensive and a very big hassle that we donâÂÂt want to go thru. My hubby and I are retired we donâÂÂt want a big house but what we want is a space that will meet our needs and give us a few of the luxuryâÂÂs that we have always wanted. So, for us to accomplish all that, we will need to turn our garage into living space. But that wonâÂÂt be done until the build is completely finished. Then what started out as a garage and will be labeled that way on our plans will become our âÂÂFamily/Bonus RoomâÂÂ.

If I understand you correctly, your first permit will be for a 1200 sq ft house with a garage. Right now, you are showing a bathroom in the "garage" section. How will you explain all the plumbing in the garage to the inspector? And the doors that are not large enough for a vehicle? Or do you intend to actually make it a garage and you are looking ahead to how you will make the future changes? If you make it a garage now, how will you get a permit to change it to livable space if you are limited to a 1200 sq ft second dwelling?

This post was edited by dekeoboe on Wed, Mar 12, 14 at 21:40

Hi dekeoboe, Yes I am looking ahead to how we will use the space. The county allows you to have a bathroom in your garage, just not a shower. but I will show that as a second washer dryer (you can have more the one set) so all the plumbing will be fine. the door in the family room is a standard garage size. the only real change we will make is the shower and the door which well will change after we are done with the county. if we ever sell it we will have to take the shower out and change the door out also. The likely-hood of us ever selling is extremely slim and my daughter will also be building a larger vacation house on the property, so I think it will be in the family for a very long time. Also the county can't tell people that they can't put a sofa and a tv in their garage or not. so after the county is done with our building project they will have nothing more to say about it. The house will always be a 1 bed house with attached garage. Do you work for the County???

Up date of plan. I made a few more minor changes. What do you thing?? this is 1 of 3 post.