Welcome to the 19th Century.

Yep, this is a very old-fashioned home. I guess it is trying to give a nod to economic realities in terms of square footage and getting the most home on a small lot. Seems like it also tries to use durable, yet economical materials inside and out, materials that need little upkeep.

Interesting.

I swear, I have friends in San Antonio who have a house with EXACTLY that floor plan...right down to the bookcases ata the top of the steps and the "storage space" upstairs behind their master bedroom (which they've turned into a combination master bath/laundry room. The only differences are that there is a door from their "foyer" directly into their kitchen; their living area and foyer aren't cut off from one another, and they have a single little closet tucked up under their stairs instead of the "clutter closet" and foyer closet. They've also added on a second floor screened room over the front porch with access from the front bedroom. I'm pretty sure the upstairs screened room wasn't part of the original house.

I think their home was built around 1920 and it IS a very beautiful and livable house. Of course it doesn't have all the upgraded products like Hardiplank and energy efficient windows.

This house is no doubt livable...our grandparents and parents lived in houses like this from like 1860-1950, and they were OK. I live in a similar house...lots of old houses in cities are built like this. And people want them, and often times, the only way to find one is to buy a house in the city, unfortunately.

I'm not sure exactly would what be unlivable in this house. It may not match your personal preferences, but it is certainly livable, and desirable.

There's been a lot of commentary on this site and all over the internet and society about the hidden costs of overly large houses. There are also benefits. It just comes down to how you feel about where you live and what you want. I personally love this house.

I really like this house. The two major things lacking for me is office space (I would need a bedroom down) and laundry room (which would also need to be downstairs for us.) I also don't like that it doesn't have a fireplace. If we were to build this house on our lot the side porch would be about 18 feet from my neighbor's bedroom/bathroom and I would feel like she was sitting there staring at me! I wish the porch was more off the back. I agree with small bedrooms that are meant for sleeping and I personally don't have any need for more than one dining or living area. Lots of good ideas. I especially like the idea of using transoms to bring light into the hallway. Thanks for sharing.

I don't think this is very functional for a family with multiple kids. I don't much see the reason to have two master bedrooms, and no playroom. I know some folks like to be upstairs with their kids but our master has always been down and it has not been a problem at all. Generally the babies were downstairs with us until they slept through the night (or at least almost) and yes, you do have a year or two of up and down the stairs, but now (our youngest just turned five) they seem to find their way downstairs if they need us, or we can go up but it is very infrequent.

I think this would be a better plan, at least for our family, if the downstairs master was a bit more useable as a long term solution (i.e., double vanity), and the upstairs master was converted into a playroom/teenage hang out.

It reminds me a lot of my first house which was a post war bungalow.

I'm not sure I understand the whole playroom thing. Of course, we don't have children, and probably never will. I remember when we were little, we either played in each other's bedrooms, or played in the "front room" where Mom and Dad were (living room, family room, whatever you would call it). Isn't a playroom kind of a duplicated space? I love to hear people's opinions and thoughts on here, it's really interesting to hear people's needs and how they live and function. I am always, by nature, a curious person!!!!

Hi, krycek! Yes, isn't curiousity the spice of life? I am one of those curious people also? Always want to understand how and why something is. But soooo many people are not! I don't understand those people, but it takes all kinds, I guess.

As for playrooms...I don't have children (though I might), but from what others say, it is good to have a place where the children can leave all their toys and stuff and not worry that the toys always be put away or be in the way of the adults. Where the kids can be free to be noisy or messy for awhile and give the parents a break. Maybe have room for when their friends come over or when a mixed group of kids are over for gatherings and such. I can see how this would be great, but are there drawbacks?

If you don't have kids, you wouldn't know the amount of "junk" that they come with! :) I don't know if society has changed, and I don't think it's better or worse, but I think we just live differently than we did 20-40 years ago. For us a playroom is essential. May be this parallels the fact that we have also done away with the idea of an unused living room that is there for show. Since we don't have a living room for show, we don't want our one and only living space to be the same area where all of our kids toys are. We want it to look somewhat inviting. As much as you'd like your kids to be creative and play in the woods with sticks, etc., they love toys and will have toys. The smaller the kid is, the bigger the toy is (megasaucer!). Many toys, especially for babies and toddlers defy the ability to be contained in any standard storage unit and must be left out or in some big open basket, etc. So, since we don't want our living space to look like a daycare, our playroom is essential. In ourhouse, the bedrooms all open onto the playroom. This way also, the kids can keep their toys in a common area and they are available for use by everyone. I remember playing in each other's rooms. It was not a good thing. We generally played in my sister's room, left her room a mess, and got her in trouble for having a messy room. :) Or, if there was a good toy, there would be the debate about whose room to keep it in.
So, unless you intend your main living space to be a playroom, then a playroom is not duplicated space. It has its own function. We have 4 kids ranging in wide age ranges. If we had to store the toys for 4 different age groups simultaneously in our great room, it would drive us insane.

We don't have a playroom now (have 3 boys 9, 7, and 5) and it has worked only because we have lots of closet storage (closet under the stairs has been a godsend, plus two of 3 have ridiculously big closets (9 x 9) so they are able to put a desk in there, a bean bag chair for reading, and store lots of toys. Of course it gets crowded at times, with a giant Knex rollercoaster and a raceway sharing space!

I think the playroom is wonderful for little kids but even more essential for big kids. I would like my kids as teenagers to continue to have kids over to play, spend the night, and expect groups of kids down the road. The playroom becomes a teen hangout where they can watch a movie, play video games and hang out without them being in the middle of the common area.

I don't think a bedroom serves this purpose, particularly when the crowds become mixes of boys and girls. With a playroom, you can still check in from time to time but they won't be under your feet.

Also, it may be different with girls but BOYS ARE LOUD and can't always play outside so it would be wonderful to be able to say "go to the playroom if you are going to do that :)

And thankfully we have gotten rid of most of the plastic junk now that the youngest is 5 - it was a great day when we donated the exersaucer and the swing!

I raised two kids... and never had a playroom.
None of my friends had playrooms either.

Yes, the kids had tons of stuff... but we never saw the need to dedicate a room to that "junk", as gobruno called it.

But then, I am a person who doesn't see the need for a junk drawer in the kitchen either....

I do like this house, the style and exterior of it, but it would have to have the garage attached. Plus, it is just too small, would need at least 300-400 sq ft added. Though appealing, this could never be the house I ended up building because I still think that a one story house is the only kind that can be fully functional and accessible as a forever house.

I LOVE homes with stairs, the look of them that is, but don't want to build one. I don't want to be standing at the bottom of the stairs when I am older dreading the climb or simply unable to access my 2nd story, that would take away from my full enjoyment of the house. Even with the main living areas and mbr down, I don't like that scenario. I know there are elevators, but I cannot think of some desired room that I would get rid of to pay for an elevator instead. Yes, there would be extra cost for a larger foundation for my one story. I know that on some lots, larger foundations simply would be out of the question, and I think this house was built with that consideration in mind.

Thankfully, we have almost 3 acres to work with!

I really like all the feedback about the playroom. Now that several of you have explained the purpose of it, and why you have it, it makes a lot of sense. I know, growing up, (I'm only 26!), quite a few of my friends had semi-finished basements as their "playrooms". We never called it a playroom but I guess that's what they were! It was a nice place to put our "junk" and play without parents bothering us or without us getting into trouble for being loud. So now that you mention it, a lot of people have playrooms but don't necessarily call them that! It was awesome having the basement function as the playroom because we didn't bother anyone.