I don't know about anybody else, but I absolutely loathe that tinypic web site. It has the main level plan partially obscured by two ads, including the controls. I can't find a way to get around them, and life is too short to deal with it.

I do like the original house plan quite a bit. The floor plan looks good. The stone exterior in the rendering is stunning. It looks like an expensive house to build, though. If you do build it, somebody is going to be doing a lot of toilet cleaning. I counted six!!!!

Is the house going to be in a subdivision or in the country side?
I am asking because the plan looks wide, in addition you will need about 28' for the driveway of your sideload garage and usually lots in subdivisions are 100' wide. some persons buy two lots when they want a wide house. Hopefully you are as lucky as most of the members in this forum to have 3 to 5 acres!!!

I like the master bedroom closet in the second drawing but I prefer the door off the room, not off the bathroom. I also prefer the master bathroom door to swing against the toilet so you have a better view when you enter the bathroom.

I like all your selections!
May I ask what brand are the door locks? (entry door and interior doors) I love them!
Good luck in your adventure!

After taking a quick peek at the floor plan, one thing jumped out at me. If you rotate the island in the kitchen so that the long side was facing the dining area, it would open up the floor space in the kitchen area and make all the appliances more accessible. You would still have the same amount of counter space, but just more walking room and you wouldn't have to walk around the island to get from sink to stove.

Froghopper - if you click on the floorplan in tinypic, it will enlarge the plan, click on it a second time, and it opens up into a full size floor plan with no ads or controls in the way.

I like nannys idea, I did not notice that about the kitchen.

Froghopper - if you click on the floorplan in tinypic, it will enlarge the plan, click on it a second time, and it opens up into a full size floor plan with no ads or controls in the way.

Not for me. Clicking on it a second time sends it right back to the small pic. The "raw pic" control has an ad sitting on top of it, which blocks it. However, after looking again, it seems that I can scroll the ads (but not the page, which is really strange) and uncover the control, so I do have a way to look at the unencumbered plan.

They must have written the site explicity for IE, which I never use.

I much prefer the original plan, especially the kitchen. The new version has the island too close to the stove, and it doesn't seem to flow as well.

I have a problem with no sink or toilet near the family entry (garage).

The lower right corner 1st floor BR bath sink is too close to the wall. (Think 'elbows'.)

I prefer the closet opening off the master bath and adding windows in the MBR.

The stone and board looks fine to me. Brick instead of stone? OK too.

I don't like double-height rooms, but that's just me! (Sound carries upstairs; difficult and expensive to HVAC; room can feel public and cold.)

I like most of this plan alot! I liked how you changed the master bedroom closet to a walk in on the second redraw. I also like how you made the upstairs a bit more useable although the teens up there are getting gigantic rooms. I'm sure they'll fight over that big one...LOL! I do think the kitchen needs tweaking. The stove is on the other side of the island from the sink (on your redraw)...that's going to be a pain.

Your choices of finishes are right up my alley for sure! In fact, I have that kitchen saved in my favorites. The door hardware is very similar to ours and I noticed a Kohler Devonshire faucet that we have too. So, I'm going to say the finishes are yummy! ;c) I prefer stone on the exterior too.

I have looked at this plan before and I really, really like it. I only glanced at your modifications (no time), but for the most part they seem reasonable. I like the squared off kitchen. I'd make sure that your upstairs configuration will accommodate two kids sharing a room. I realize that there is a big age difference, but at some point you might want this option. I feel like there should be a back door where you have lockers.

I do have one very significant criticism: I think that your interior choices do not match the beautiful exterior of this home. To me, the elevation shows a very classic (and classy) American home. I think what is so terrific about this house is that it's classic, but wouldn't look out of place on a suburban lot (whereas some of the Russell Versaci "New Old House" stuff would). This house is like the best of the 1930's - early 1950's. It is what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else. But your interior photos show some circa 2005 "Old World" influences. It's almost like one spouse picked the outside and the other the inside.

You might want to do a search for images of Blackberry Farm.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Figures I'd have a typo in my first post for all the world to see!

Froghopper,

I had read on this forum about tinypic being an easy format to use for uploading photos, which is why I chose it. Sorry you are having trouble. The floorplans that are shown on tinypic were edited by me using cut and paste so therefore, aren't exactly to scale. The island would be centered in the area if we went with this plan. I had also bumped that side of the house out about 18", the original floor plan had the kitchen at 13'4" and I increased it (along with the DR and breakfast nook) to 15'. How many problems would adding width to the house cause structually? We also added about 2' to the garage width to keep that side in proportion. What do you think will make the house expensive to build? The rooflines? Dormers? Size? Finishes? All of the above?

Marthaelena,

Your observation about width is a concern, especially since we added about 3.5 feet to the current width which would make it 81.5. Yikes! The neighborhood we are considering is heavily wooded and has 2-3 acres lots, although I don't know what the lot widths are. I would need to go out there and measure. Since most of my editing has been cut and paste I have no idea how wide the closet is but if I bump the bath out enough to accommodate the tub/shower/toilet I'm thinking it's probably only about 4 feet, so probably not enough for a true walk-in closet, so my drawing is most likely not technically correct here, and again that 4 feet is not included in the width measurement I gave you earlier, which is making the house even wider. Would it be completely overwhelming at 85 feet wide or more?

I've attached a link below to the Baldwin hardware below.

Nanny2a,

If I turned the island horizontal it could only be 4 feet wide and still have a 42" perimeter between the wall cabinets. I see what you mean though. I could add a prep sink to the end of the bar nearest the fridge and range or move the main sink to the right and have a "window" to the family room. Which idea do you like?

Chisue,

I actually thought of you when I was editing my plan because I know from reading other posts that you like a bath near the back door. I thought the toilet in the laundry room of the original plan was strange and once I removed it, I couldn't find a new home for it. I suppose I could use the far left side of the laundry room as a small powder room, but to be honest I'd rather have the larger laundry as opposed to another bath. I never even noticed that the sink it that first floor bedroom was off center. How strange that they drew it that way, but I suppose easily corrected. I take it you preferred my second drawing if you like the closet opening off the bath and extra windows in the master. I actually really like both elevations also, but assume the hardi/stone would be less expensive to build. And yes I had also considered closing in the second floor of the family room, because we have had these open spaces before and sound really carries, but I really don't want more space upstairs. I know I could put another bedroom and bath there, but I don't need it, the house is plenty big enough without it and there is also storage on this floor already also. My only thought on this point was that having a bedroom over the garage could be difficult to regulate the temperature and might also be noisy when my DH leaves for work and opens the garage door. Any thoughts on this?

lindybarts,
Thanks for your comments. We currently have devonshire in our guest bath but it is satin nickel. I really like the orb finish for everything in the next house. I love this hardware and debated between this and emtek but it will probably all come down to price in the end.

Solie,

My oldest will go away to college in two years and I plan to move the little one upstairs then and move the older one's things downstairs since he will rarely be home to use his room, if all goes according to plan! There is the possibility that I mentioned above of turning the space over the great room into a bed/bath, if we did that then we could use the first floor space for a gym or guest bedroom, but it just seems like too much house to me if I do that. I could leave the space over the garage unfinished for future use, but we will have a full basement (unfinished) also. I was actually trying for a european farmhouse look for the inside. I guess this might also be considered old world but I guess I always thought of old world as more ornate and I was trying to keep things simple with natural materials. I know that the one kitchen photo is very french country, but I only posted it for the color combination not the style. I would very much like to mix several finishes in the kitchen. One for the perimeter cabinets, one for the island and one for the "coffee bar" across from the pantry. Although I do want some sort of significant hood over the range, either a mantel type or the other. The other photo which could be considered out of place would be the family room. I posted it for the bookcase on either side. The fireplace would most likely be the same rock that is on the front gable. Which finishes specifically do you feel are not suited?

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to look and comment. I appreciate all of your feedback.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardware

These are the things that jumped out at me:

The trusses in the kitchen and the detailing of the cabinets. If that photo is just for color then it looks great - I just saw your notes on that photo. I guess I missed that the first time!

The fireplace. I think a painted wood paneled fireplace with a very simple surround would look good.

The window. It's obviously not Old World, but I don't think it goes with the house. I would prefer six over six. If you are looking to save money and admit more light, then maybe six over one or even two over two.

I don't like the how curvy the light fixture is.

The glass tile doesn't necessarily 'go with' the house, but I don't think that matters (and I think it's nice tile). I think baths are a free for all.

I really like the photo of the floor you have and from what I can see I also like the hardware.

I'm probably being overly critical because #1 I really love this house and would consider building it and #2 I don't really like overly European stuff in homes in the U.S. Yes, of course all of our architecture is influenced by other cultures, but I think that this particular home is quintessentially American. If you look on the John Tee website this plan comes up under Americana/Country House plans.

BTW - I think wide is good as long as it fits on the lot. I'd rather preserve the backyard.

Here is a link that might be useful: more photos

Oh, gosh, how nice to be thought of...as the 'biffy' lady? LOL

I just thought of something about the first floor secondary BR. Couldn't that BR be served by a full bath in the hallway, instead of having a bath ensuite plus the powder room immediately outside the door? (Hee-hee, and you know where I want you to PUT that powder room, don't you!) Seriously, THE most used toilet in our house is in the back hall. I know it is, because I replace the TP there as often as I replace it in our master bath. We have two other perfectly fine -- and fancier -- bathrooms; I have to remember to use them once in a while.

Solie,

I feel better! The things you are commenting on are photos that I had for other reasons. The curvy light fixture photo was there because I like the cabinet finish and to some degree the hood, although I would probably cover it in another finish if I did it. The window I really like the simplicity of and it would be painted on the interior not stained to save money. We currently have 9 over 9 and they are a pain to keep clean, so I would consider one with less division.

chisue,

I knew from reading other posts that not having a back hall with a bath was a pet peeve for you. We didn't have that set up in this house either until we finished the basement and now there is one near the basement entry, which is the entry the kids use when they play outside. I want to try to redraw one of my edited plans to scale and try to figure out the size of the laundry, maybe there is enough space there to work one in.

A couple of other questions I didn't think of before. I completely changed the study from a study/bedroom to just a study and removed several closets in order to add a fireplace and bookcases. Do you think this room is to long and narrow now?

I also removed the bay window because I felt it was making the room even longer. My idea was to replace it with a large arch top window instead. I actually just received the new southern living magazine and there is a house featured in it that could easily be the outside elevation for this plan. I will add it to my photo album for comments.

I was able to find an exterior photo of the Wyntuck with the stone and hardi exterior. I added it to my folder above. I also posted the SL photo showing a similar home in brick.

Thoughts anyone?

FYI our house is pale stucco and oversized white rough-finish brick. I'd wanted stone, but the city's all-knowing (hah!) building review board vetoed stone. It turned out pretty nice!

One of the biggest mistakes people make while planning to build a house is cheaping out on the plans and thinking that they can design a home themselves. The second is believing that they can be their own general contractor. From the sound of it, you are looking at a monster house with 6 bathrooms, I have a hard time believing that you can't afford an architect to get a decent house plan. You may end up spending 10% of the cost of your home on design but hey....this is the biggest investment of your life. Shouldn't your house be exactly what you want? Did you know that a good architect provides plans based on site placement making sure that your house takes the best advantage of views, and gets the maximum exposure of natural light?

We've built a lot of houses and I have been in a lot of houses....and the difference between and architect designed home and an online plan is night and day with the finished product.

Bellamay,

Actually the home is 4.5 bathrooms and at 3600 sq ft, hardly a monster in today's world. We only plan to live in it for 5-6 years, so I would rather not pay an architect 10% when, with a few adjustments, I can purchase a stock plan for thousands less. I would however, be willing to pay for the design changes from the same architect I purchase plans from in order to preserve the integrity of the design.

Hopefully, when DH retires and the children are on their own, we can not only afford to hire an architect for a custom design but actually be willing to spend the extra $'s too.

Here's the current edition of the main floor with the changes I hope to make, it's a combination of three different plans from the same designer. However, I do continue to tweak the plan on a regular basis. When we are ready to build, I'm sure the architect will be able to tell me whether my changes are feasible. The posters on this forum have provided great direction.

bellamay, this is the second post I've seen from you where you used the words "cheaping out" ...how rude and condescending. I also think many here would take issue with your opinion on whether a homeowner can successfully be their own GC. I've seen several people on here do it and do it well.

bren_va....looking GOOD!!

bren

sorry I am late to the party here - i just stumbled onto this thread. I live in N VA and just finished a custom build - starting with a set of on-line plans. Here are a few things i learned:

1) The local code can be very different that the code where the architect who drew those plans is located. In my case, the architect was well known in Texas - but if I tried to build to that exact plan I would have had problems. The live and dead loads are very different in regions where you get snow - just as one example. In Texas they dont normally do basements - we wanted one. That drove a lot of structural changes. Not very high in cost - but something that had to be done. Unless you are lucky enough to be in the same area where that the on-line plan was made for - you will need someone to make the mods. The cost for this should not be excessive if the mods are minor.

2) Before you purchase the plans, make sure you speak with the designer first. Most of these on-line sites are just store fronts. You should find out if the person who drew them is a licensed architect (and who it is - then you can search about them for them on-line). Also find out what plans are included in the set - is it just a floor plan or does it have roofing, framing, foundation, elevations, electrical, plans etc.). You want detailed plans - and ones that have been used before in a real build (they should have pictures they can show you). You can also typically buy a review set of these plans for a smaller fee which will be applied to the total cost when you purchase the final plans. I recommend getting those first.

3) Even though a plan may look great and have all the detail, you can't assume that you can build the house within some cost per square foot or other ball park estimate. One of the biggest mods our architect made to our plan was the roof. Our builder studied the roof design and told us that it would significantly drive up the cost of the home. We were changing the outside elevation anyway, so re-doing the roofline and pitch was fine with us. When the architect re-designed the roof, he actually gave us more square footage on the second floor so that we could add another bathroom - a nice bonus.

3) I would not assume that you canÂt afford an architect or architecture services . And I also donÂt think it has to cost 10% of the house. We made a lot of changes to our plan and it cost $15K, around 2% of the total cost. It was worth every penny.

4) When you start looking for an architect donÂt get discouraged. I ran into a lot of pompous pre-MadonnaÂs who tried to feed me a load of crap on what I needed to do to the plan and it was going to cost me out the wazoo. Be prepared when you deal with this species . But if you look hard enough, you can find what you need.

5) We found are architect through our builder - someone who he has worked with extensively. If you use a custom builder, you might want to see if they can provide the design services you need. In the end it helps you both because you know that the plan is done to code.

Good luck!

This looks like a nice and efficient floorplan. My one change would be, as another person suggested, putting a bathroom near the kitchen/laundry room. Rather than put a powder room and full bath back to back, I would move the powder room to but a jut out where the pantry is, to line up with your breakfast room exterior wall. You can reconfigure the pantry to accommodate the jut out, or move it to the opposite wall, or make it narrower and deeper and put the powder room next to it. I'd then push up the full bath in the bedroom to line up with that exterior wall and have it be accessible from both the bedroom and the hall. I might configure it so that the bedroom has a separate vanity and the area accessible from the hall has a separate vanity, but both areas can access the toilet and tub. Just my 2 cents, but I know, since I'm designing our house, that everybody might have particular reasons for certain layouts. So, feel free to ignore. Also, I personally don't think you need an architect if you hire a contractor who is a design builder. Many builders can take a stock plan and turn it into something buildable and very nice. If you already have a sense of design and style, you can have the builder add the functionality. We built a home without an architect and it turned out beautifully. Again, just my 2 cents.

the cost of an architect is a drop in the bucket for a home of this size. jmho. and i understand how you want to select a style and finishes, but i think you're a little ahead of yourself. you can't possibly decide on a plan (bought or furnished by an architect) without property. GL!