Min- What happened to your upstairs plan? I think the closet gets too small, with the second option...and do you need four bedroom, three baths, and a loft, upstairs?

Maybe rework this so that you have three bedrooms that share a bath, the laundry could be a bit bigger (with a window that is not over the dryer) and a larger master closet. Or, with the possiblity of a guest room downstairs...do you need four bedrooms...maybe three and a loft/playroom would be a better option? And, if the fourth bedroom will be an office in the future, do you really need a walk in closet and two doors to the bathroom?

I'd ask the 'gurus' on the forum to take a look at this and see if they can come up with some better layouts. I like the first floor (a lot) but let us know what you want/need upstairs, and see if there are some better options :)

Wait...do you only have the powder room downstairs, now? Then maybe you do need a guest room, but the second bathroom has no light in the toilet/tub area and the guest bath seems to be the only entrance to that closet. Again, I think this could be better...can you post your downstairs plan and maybe your original upstairs plan?

I can't say that either master bath design really floats my boat. But of the two options, I prefer the builder's original plan. If you made the outer shower walls tempered glass instead of solid tiled walls, you would get plenty of light in the shower. That wouldn't solve the split vanity issue tho.

I know you said that you don't mind the loss of hanging space in the second plan. But that long skinny closet is a horrible waste of space.

And having your attic access in the closet like that will make it nearly impossible to actually access the attic. To get up into the attic, you would probably have to clear out a bunch of your clothes, then carry a ladder into the attic and shut the closet door behind you so that you could set up the ladder. UGH. And, even if you could get a ladder into position without clearing out clothing first, would you really want to risk letting all the dust that collects up in the attic fall on your clean clothing? It seems to me that it would be far better to move the attic access hatch out into the hallway where you would even have room to install a fold-down attic ladder if you wanted. Attic access hatches can be trimmed out so that they're not at all "ugly". Then, I'd probably rearrange the entire bathroom/closet space...maybe start by cutting off one corner of the overall space for a shorter wider walk-in closet and make an L-shaped bathroom.

What are the actual dimensions of the available masterbath/closet area (wall to wall)? It looks like you've got a little over 19 feet one direction and at least 13 ft the other direction. Seems to me that there just HAS to be a better option than either of these.

Unfortunately guys, if we want to build on this lot we have to minimize the floorplan changes and work within the current walls as much as possible.

If we want a true custom build where we can tweak every little thing, we need to build 15 minutes further out of town in a new residential development.

It's a nice development, but there are no mature trees, my husband's daily commute would be 30 minutes each way, and it is about 15 minutes from groceries, shopping, dining, etc.

The semi-custom house is a much better location for us and while we could renovate a house someday, we could never pick it up and move it. :)

ANYWAY, on to the bathroom. I will never again have a glass shower door. They are impossible to keep clean. We wipe ours down and dry it completely after every single shower, and it's still milky with mineral build up. I realized that the simple solution to the dark shower is to add a SolaTube. (I got a quote a few years ago for 2 tubes @ $770, so not that spendy).

The only remaining issue is where to put a chair, and that stupid split vanity, but I think I can just resign myself to an imperfect bath for a perfect location. :P

If that's the case, I would keep the first bathroom option...and switch the sink and tub. Have the two sinks together, as you enter, then turn the tub sideways, so it fits short end against the window wall, down to the toilet wall. You should be able to angle it a little, if you have to...then put a window on one wall and maybe a mirror on the other.

In my opinion, the second choice has a lot of floor space in the middle and loses too much closet space. If you ever sell (and I rarely worry about resale) that small closet will not do you ANY favors. It would no longer be a walk in closet, but a step in closet...with no storage on one wall.

You also might want a pocket door, between the guest bath and closet, to keep steam from the shower away from the clothes...and a window in the kids' bathroom, for the toilet/tub area. If you can't do that...at least look at that tub/shower combo. It looks like ones I used to see (way back) looking at manufactured homes that were awkward to get in and out of, due to the oval shape. For kids, a standard tub/shower might be a better choice.