Here is the front of the house.

Here is a link that might be useful:

What area of the country are you in? Very nice house! But....do you need a 3 car garage in retirement? IMO...seems to be space waisted. Also, it is less expensive to build 2 story vs one story. MB on main floor and other bedrooms upstairs. I 'think' this house already has a bonus upstairs so why not have the bedrooms up there also?

here are your plans;

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i like it. I think the closet in the lower bedroom, the linen closet, and guest bath are all small. Not a huge deal!

The floor plan is difficult to evaluate, since some of the plan is illegible. There is an area behind the kitchen that I can't make out as to function. It looks too deep to be a closet, and there are a couple of vague lines indicating something else, but I'm not sure what.

What kind of foundation is the house designed for? Is there supposed to be a bonus room over the garage? These things make a difference. It's hard to evaluate a floor plan without knowing if we have to worry about staircase placement, HVAC chases, or the location of the mechanical equipment.

Here are a couple of things that jump out at me:

Dryer will have to vent to front porch area. Not an ideal place due to lint.

Door into garage swings across entry into laundry room and will partially block it when open.

Garage sizes are misleading. That 17 partially overlaps with the 20 in the other part.

Great room appears to have very little space available for furniture that must go against a wall.

Other than those few items, it looks like a nice moderately sized house with an attractive exterior. The third garage would make a nice workshop area.

Forgot to add that the two sinks in the master bath look like they are a little too close to each other for good elbow room.

I think it's great. Looks like a very comfortable home for 2 and the occasional guests. :o) The things that I really like about it are the sizes of kitchen/dining/great room areas. They are very spacious and will give the house a much larger feel.

Like frog hopper, I think that there isn't enough room to comfortably have 2 sinks in the master and the lint to the porch from the laundry will require constant upkeep. Where do the stairs lead?

I'd keep the door swing from the garage as it is. It will make it easier to bring in groceries, etc. However, you might want to change the swing on the front door for better access to the closet.

Where do the stairs lead?

The bonus room, if there is one. The basement, if there is one. That was my point. Without knowing what foundation the OP is thinking of, plans are difficult to evaluate. A lot of stock plans are drawn for one type of foundation, while claiming they can be built on virtually any other. I have seen numerous plans that were designed for a crawl space foundation, but claimed a basement was optional. OK, then where are the stairs to go? Often, there is no indication.

Stairs have to go somewhere. If they are not shown on the plans, they will have to be added, and the sq footage will have to come out of something existing. The same is true for HVAC systems. Chases are often required for the ducts, but a lot of plans simply leave them out. That leaves the owner at the mercy of the mechanical contractor who will end up deciding things that should have been thought of by the architect.

This particular plan is partially unreadable, probably because whoever is selling it doesn't have a large enough graphic on their website. This happens all too often. I think they are trying to force people to buy study plans. You shouldn't have to do that just to get a basic understanding of what is being offered.

I like the plan -- it doesn't waste much space on hallways. It's somewhat similar to the house we are currently building in Arizona. We also have an open floorplan, and we wouldn't have considered anything else. Too many separate rooms in a house that size makes everything look small and choppy.

Since you're porch people, why not extend the porch further to the right by maybe five or six feet? Otherwise, I think you're going to find it a bit cramped. You could even extend it far enough to make it even with the garage, if funds allow.

I do think your master bath is a bit cramped. Are you set on having both a shower and tub? If you aren't that much into taking baths, you could have a really nice big shower stall and a longer vanity. That's what we're doing. You also wouldn't have to shoehorn the john in the way the plan shows.

Be sure when you choose your lot that it has the right orientation for this specific plan. If you're building in the South, put the garage side facing west to block the afternoon sun. Also consider that most of your windows are facing the rear, so try to take advantage of whatever views there might be. You might also consider adding a side window to the master bedroom if there's enough privacy to allow that.

Thank you for your opinions. We do need the three car garage, we own a small car lot and hubby has a 1968 corvette and an elcamino he isn't ready to part with yet, and a 1970 truck. He also drives a company truck for his construction fulltime job. I have no passion for cars, cash them in!! hehe We will also be having a two or three car cap garage and the basement will be a full walkout. There is a possibility he would sell the car lot, we need to be prepared for all that stuff to come home!!!
I also need a sewing room, I'll gladly work in the basement, haven't had a window for 15 years, not a big deal, maybe this time I will.

Hubby likes double wide open staircases, I'm okay with hidden closed staircases, I think the staircase to the basement is behind the kitchen wall. He will probably have garage stairs that also lead to the basement.

We will do away with the Master Whirlpool tub and rework master so it has a large walk-in tiled shower, possibly no tub. I may add some jets to standard bathroom tub upstairs.

Thanks for your opinions, its a good feeling to know we are getting close. Were planning $150 sq ft building costs,we are in Iowa. Acre lots are averaging $60,000-80,000.

I'd like to put the fireplace on the inside wall with bookshelves to left and right. I assume our Tv will be over it, not my favorite look, we have that now, but it works, and no our necks aren't sore.
We will be putting another fireplace in the basement.
He may be moving the third garage forward a bit, and may be putting 3 single carraige garage doors on.
I'll get you all posted, it got so late last night , but I am excited about this plan. Thanks for transferring the links to photos inserted, I must not know how to do that!!

I like the floorplan, it is a lot like mine and we are really satisfied with it. That said, I do not like the double garage door on the front of the house. It just screams welcome to my garage, oh and there is a house here too. I would put the entrance on the side, you could leave the other facing front as it is set back and less obvious...

Since you're in Iowa, you'll need lots of hats and coats and boots. Where are you going to put them when you come in from the garage?

I like the layout, especially given your description of your lifestyle. However, I feel like the elevation and some of the interior details are dated.

1. Three exterior materials - brick, shingles, and stone. Silly.

2. Extra gable that serves no purpose.

3. The detailing in the brick on the corners (I forget what it's called) - very 1950's.

This is all stuff that's going to cost more and IMHO only detracts from the house. Get a graceful shape and then ornament it with landscaping and high-quality windows.

4. The front elevation is dominated by garage doors. This is a negative, but it doesn't bother me if there is a reason for it. If you need three garage spaces and the lot doesn't allow for a rear entry garage, then so be it.

5. That master bath tub looks enormous. Kind of 80's. But if it's your dream, go for it. I would prefer more sink space and a separate toilet enclosure.

6. Looks like the kitchen island has raised bar seating. I don't know how old you are, but that's going to get difficult a lot faster than seating at an island that is 36" high everywhere. I am personally not a proponent of building homes that are totally wheelchair accessible because I think that is planning for a fairly unlikely eventuality. But I think that high islands are difficult for even middle-aged people as well as younger grandchildren.

The raised breakfast bar seating is because of the cooktop. It is to keep diners a little safer if something being cooked is spilled, splashed, or splattered.

I'm with you on the 36" is high enough. That's what we have now, and I wouldn't want it any higher.

It is a great starting point. We don't have much use for a tub in the masterbath so unless you are, think a larger shower.

I agree with a previous poster, there is not much room between sinks in the master bath. My husband loves elbow room and places for tooth brushes, hair brushes, tissue, soap, etc. and would need additional counter space. Make sure you have plenty of space.

Do you have a basement? One of the most important things I have learned with different homes I have lived in....storage space. Figure out where you are going to put the Christmas / Holiday Ornaments, extra towels, linens, and extra seasonal clothing. Books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

Personally, the fireplace is where the TV should be. Our experience with fireplaces have been more negative than positive. Drafty and cold. Gas fireplace is great to look at but doesn't warm the room. So why bother. Is this going to be a working / room warming fireplace or just a show piece?

We have found that a room 10 X 10 is great for little kids. Tight for Teens. But too small for adults. Are the extra rooms for grandkids or hobby rooms?

Planning on paper is great. Make sure it is what you really want.

And after the paper plans appear to be done to your satisfaction, use foamboard and cardboard to make a to-scale model (½"=1' is usually easy to work with). Also make a too-scale model of you and spouse and use them to proceed through daily/weekly events. You may find that carrying a laundry basket from bedrooms across the LR and foyer to the W/D is actually a PIA (or maybe not). The little model can be put in a dark room and you can use a flashlight to simulate the sun, which is helpful for determining whether there are enough windows and whether they are in the right place.

One thing: the plans appear to have a shower door opening so that it will hit the commode. Big no-no... be sure the door is hinged on the opposite side.

Personally, I don't like being able to see a sink full of dirty dishes while sitting in the LR; however, ymmv -- some people are neater cooks than I am, lol

You can do all that and a lot more in software using Home Designer Pro. It is expensive at $500 (Amazon discounts it), but it is worth it in the scheme of things when you are building a new house.

One feature I particularly like is the dollhouse view, which lets you look down on the house with the roof (or other floors) removed. You can see how well the house will work for you.

The software also accepts geographic coordinates, terrain data, and compass orientation, which lets you see how the sun will hit any part of the house at any time of day on any date.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Design Software

The one thing that strikes me is the garage. On the front elevation, the switch from stone (on the porch) to brick (on the garage) makes it look like the house is a duplex and the garage belongs to another unit. Maybe reduce the amount of the stone and use it as an ACCENT to the brick instead of a third building material to COMPETE with the brick. Its really a nice house with a good functional plan. I like the way you dont have to walk thru the living room to get to the kitchen. The brick projections on the corners are called quoins, and we still put them on houses to this day. They are still an element to be used on a traditional styled house. Good luck!

I want to 'lose' that third garage so the kitchen will have an exterior wall and some light. Is it possible to store hubby's darlings in a portion of the basement? (Underground garage.) Or...how much will it cost to build the third garage v. cost of renting storage off-site for the cars?

Have to add that our DS once had 17 cars and parts of cars in his back yard in a heavily wooded unincorporated area. Thank heavens for daughters-in-law who come along and rescue boys! (Says she, who stored and drove an Austin-Healey 3000.)

I love this Kama plan, we both do. I assume our garages will be similar to this. Most likely we will be having our plan drawn up by an architect. Hubby insists he's not building any bigger than 1800 so Kama at 2100 is out of the price range. How can I shrink it 300 sq ft. Brick,stone, siding, gables, carriage garage doors, are very popular here. He says he's pulling third garage door forward on the plan I posted and I'm assuming similar to Kama design.
I also LOVE Bar stool islands, so I'm really shocked about the 36' preferred choice for an island. I've always had my kitchen sink at a window, so I do wonder if I'd miss that.
Once again this is just a prelim...so thanks for your opinions.

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee64/sewwhatsnew/?action=view&current=Kamahomeplan.gif

Kama design is viewable in photobucket on the first clickable http I had listed for viewing of plan, I'm having trouble posting it again.

Although you are going to retire, as we are planning, we definitely want a 3 car garage....my car, his pickup, and the riding lawnmower, an additional refrig and freezer...that is one of our top priorities~~
I like your plan...nice and open like I want also. DH is an architect, so we are drawing our own....get more of what we really want that way.
Use graph paper....draw your rooms to size....and cut little miniature furniture pieces to scale and see how everything will fit in your rooms.
Good luck~~

Is the hall to the bedrooms wide enough to enable you to use a wheel chair? Also, is the door to the Master Bath wide enough to allow use of one? If this is your forever house, you might make sure that you could get a wheel chair into the bathroom.

Also, I am not a fan of a closet entrance in the bathroom. I always wonder if the clothes will start to smell musty because of the moisture. I am glad that you are reworking the master bath. It is my least favorite part of the house.