Welcome! Hopefully you'll receive lots of good advice here & be 100% ready to roll when those rains finally do come.

Taking a quick look, a few things I noticed:

-I really like the flow of the house. The set up for accessing bedrooms 2,3 & 4 so everyone has privacy from the family room is great!

-I love that the laundry room is right by the master for easy access and that it's placement allows privacy from the rest of the house. You can scoot right in the laundry room in your skivvies to get your clothes if you need to and no one would be the wiser. An added bonus is that even with the door open, the laundry room and the inevitable stacks of clothes are hidden from site from the common areas of the house.

-Bedroom closet space appears more than adequate, which seems increasingly rare these days.

-Love the porches!

-You are going to have huge space upstairs!!!! What a plus!!

-Would love to see front elevation. Looks like it's going to be a cape cod style home. Those dormers can be tricky, so make sure you pay special attention to their size and proportion compared to the rest of the exterior elevation. You don't want them too small, too tall, or too wide. Also, depending on the dormer style you're going with, inquire about the intended depth of any overhang on the dormers--typically you want to stay about 4-6".

Now, what would I do to improve upon a good thing?

-There is no powder room/bathroom near the garage entry--this means when you're working or playing outside, you will have to traipse all the way through the house or into the master to use the facilities possibly tracking tracking mud, dirt & grass along the way. You could combine the interior closet by the master suite with the outdoor storage closet it backs up to to make a nice little 1/2 bath.

-You will not have much usable space in the breakfast room due to the angled swinging door to the porch. I would maybe move the door just inside the family room. Another thought would be to do away with the breakfast area all together--you've got seating for 4 at the peninsula bar + a dining room for eating spaces.

-I would probably try to rework the master bath--those corner tubs take up so much more room than a simple rectangle or oval. In a bathroom that size, I would try to use the space as efficiently as possible. There is a door swing issue in the bath, too. The door from the bedroom opens up into the door for the toilet room. Additionally, there's no where to put a light switch. I'd change the bathroom door to a set of double doors that open up into the bedroom to solve the door swing issue. It also makes for an inviting look.

-I'd make the back porch even with the exterior wall of bedroom 4. This will give you about 1-2 extra feet on the porch as well. Its currently specced at 10' but once you take the columns into consideration, you'll be down to about 9'. It also does away with a corner which will save you $$$. When it comes to porches, the deeper you can get them, the better. I'd then delete the window in the master that looks out in the direction of the porch (space and privacy issues).

-The family room will effectively become 19'4" x 14'8" once you allow for the walkway to access bedrooms 2, 3 & 4. Very long & narrow. Another option would be to extend the family room wall so it's flush with the breakfast room wall and then extend the porch so it lines up with the exterior wall of the master bedroom. This will also serve to delete a corner and probably end up being a wash with adding the extra square footage.

-Speaking of master windows--do you have a view you'd like to take advantage of out the back of the house? If so, I'd make the two windows in the master on the back of the house a bank of 3 or 4 windows mulled together. This would also help the look of the rear elevation by making it more symmetrical. I'd then put the bed on the wall bordering the bathroom/closet or on the wall bordering the laundry room. I know alot of people like to walk in and have the bed right in front of them, but that also means your bed is on full display to anyone who walks to the laundry room. Additionally, trying to line a bed and nightstands up between those windows can be challenging depending on the size of the bed--you'll have to lock in your forever bed size right now.

-I'd also delete the doors to the porch from the master & Bedroom 4. By deleting the door, you don't have to worry about privacy issues if people are on the porch and you're in your room. Each door also provides additional potential entry points for a burglar. Statistics show that most people keep their valuable jewlery in their bedrooms-even with a security system, you just gave a burglar the ability to get to yours quicker than if he had to go through a different door and then figure out where the master bedroom is--he can grab and run before the police even show up. Yes, it's a nice feature, but realistically how often will you use the door? If you want to go out to the porch, the breakfast room (family room if you move it) door is still close by.

-I'd make both doors going into the jack and jill bath from bedrooms 3 & 4 pocket doors so you don't have door swing issues.

-Where do you plan to put the bed in bedroom 4? I'd be tempted to extend that room into the porch by about 2.5 feet and put the closets in that space freeing up the opposite wall for the bed. It would also make the room 14.5 x 11 which would allow space for a queen bed vs. a shorter and narrower double or twin bed. I'd then either make the windows symmetrical or make them a twin or triple bank of windows mulled together centered on that wall. This would also improve the rear elevation of that room.

-Same question in bedroom 3--where is the bed going? I'd be tempted to slide the window over in front of the bedroom door or all the way over by the closet as close as you could get. There's plenty of room for the closet door to swing in on that wall vs. swinging out or you could make it a pocket door--both options allow the window to be on display & not covered up by the closet door as well as eliminating the need to temper the window in that position.

-Is there enough room in your garage to fit your 2 cars + allow for the steps into the house from the garage? What about being able to open your car door fully when both cars are in the garage? I'd probably extend it another couple feet. There's a recent thread on just this topic on the 'Building a Home Forum'

-I'd see what could be done on column spacing on the back porch so you don't have a column obstructing your view--it can be as simple as doubling up on your colums to either side of the windows. In all fairness, it can be more complicated than that as well, but definitely worth asking about.

Good luck & let us know what you decide!

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Cars Won't Fit In Garage' GW Thread

Wow, thanks for the awesome feedback. I'll address a few of your suggestions now and get to the others later.

We agree with you on the corner tub, we hate it and it has to go. I think we are planning on a stand alone tube, which will also allow us to enlarge the the shower some.

We also have an outside shop that has a bath/shower in it, I know it could be a hassle but that will have to do.

The two doors exiting the master and bd4 going on to the porch will be removed.

We haven't really thought about changing any of the perimeter layout but bumping the back porch out seems like a good idea. I do appreiciate all your input.

When you finish the upstairs, you may want to add a bathroom, or at least a powder room up there, too. It's a long walk, from the bonus room to the downstairs hall bath.

If you don't want an upstairs bath, I would consider adding the half bath that Mydreamhome recommended. It's a very nice farmhouse plan and the exterior is wonderful. I would also think about making the garage wider...to accomodate larger vehicles and to give you more storage/work space.

Thanks lavender! The upstairs storage closet, right off the stairway will be converted to a full bath. We also noticed that when looking over the plans. We plan on using one of the bonus rooms for a home theater room and dang sure didnt want to travel all the way back down stairs just to go to the restroom. Good Catch!!

It's too bad that so much of your space is...upstairs. The Great Room could be larger.

My first thoughts are the same as mydreamhome's:

The family eating area is tight; 12 X 12 is better.

The lack of a powder room near the family entrance is a problem. I'd want more 'back hall' space. This can be a congested area in a house, with family coming and going.

The lack of ANY facility upstairs is a problem.

The garage isn't very big, but you've explained that there will be an outside shop.

The rear porch is 'skinny'; making it 12' deep would help. Consider skylights to help keep interior rooms bright.

The master bath is awkward, and I don't like to have to walk through a bathroom to access a closet.

Otherwise...I like the plan! (Will you really put that expensive window in the *garage*?)

Tell us a bit about who will live here -- family size, ages, etc. How do you plan to use the upstairs?

Hi chisue. We have a family of 6. With ages ranging from 2-15. We decided to not have any windows installed in the garage, I just didnt want to spend the extra money for something that I really didnt see a need in having. We haved discussed adding a door from the master directly into the closet(I agree with you, I dont like having to go through the bathroom to enter the closet).

We plan on converting the upstairs closet into a full bath, this was a must. The large bonus room on the right will be used for a home theater and the other bonus will be used for a playroom for the kids and an office. That doesnt sound like a very good mix but I think it will work,lol.

We could bump out the back porch like mydreamhome suggested, actually that sounds like a pretty good idea. Not much more cost and it would make alot of difference. Thanks guys and gals

If no window in the garage, what will be in it's place? A large empty wall will take away from the facade you have. Plus the garage will be like a dark cave without the door open. You will always have to have the interior lights on or the doors open. What type of windows are you going with? My quote on a twin all vinyl (each window is 3'0" x 5'6") is around $400--not so much in the big scheme of things, really. The bump out part is what will drive the cost up, but I don't know by how much. Of course there is no foundation cost on that style bumpout, so that's something at least. You could always go flush & keep the windows. Something to think about...

Garage: Think about a bit of glass in the garage door(s). If you really like the box bay window and shed dormer effect, fine. I'd be draping it for privacy, but it does break up the front of the garage wall.

Kitchen: Do run this past the "Kitchen" forum. I see some problems -- having to skirt the peninsula and having the fridge *in* the kitchen workspace. (That is the most-visited kitchen appliance -- by cook and family.)

Back Hall: Now that I see you have four kids, I'm even more hopeful you'll expand that area. You have the family entrance AND stairs there = congestion. There's not enough storage space. Where will all your coats, boots and gear go? I'd still like to see a little powder room there too.

Laundry: Not crazy about a windowless work space.

Upstairs: Glad you'll have facilities there. You'll want closets, too.

I'd re-work the back hall/laundry/master suite situation. I'd guess you could go a little wider within that rectangle, since you have the side-entry garage.

IMHO the design combines the tidewater south tradition with a bit of the northern Shingle and Colonial Revival Styles that is often though of as modern country. It's eclectic but pretty well balanced except for the large gable front on the garage. I would reduce the size of it if it wasn't needed to fill out the required garage space.

I would omit the corner boards and shingle it just because I find clapboards to be too formal for a sub-urban location and they often distract from the massing of the house. At any rate, the dormers should be shingled whatever the main siding might be.

The garage could have some square or more cleverly shaped small windows that would allow more planting in front of the garage and draw more attention to the front porch and dormers. IMHO when at all possible a garage should appear to be ancillary to the main house rather than masquerade as an extension of the living spaces. A big blank wall or blanked out windows will not fool anyone for long.

Very nice plan. I agree with pretty much all of MyDreamHome's suggestions for making it even better.

I can't see some of the dimensions so I am a bit worried that the master closet might not be wide enough to hang clothing on both sides as sketched. A closet needs to be at least 7 ft wide to do that comfortably. If necessary, I'd steal a few inches out of the master bedroom rather than have the closet too narrow. You'll never miss 6 to 10 inches less in a bedroom that is 16 to 17 feet wide but the extra space in the closet (and bathroom) could make a major difference in how comfortable and useable they are.

In addition, since you're going to get rid of the door from master bedroom out to back porch anyway, I'd suggest a couple of other changes. First, bump the breakfast nook back another foot of two at least. With a family of six, you can't all sit at the breakfast bar. So, unless you're actually planning to use the dining room for all family dinners, your nook needs to be large enough to accomodate a dining table that will seat at least six... more when one of your kids invites a friend to stay for dinner. Using a window seat to create partial 'booth' seating would allow you to fit a larger table into a small room but I still think you would do well to add another couple of feet.

Then, if your building codes will allow it, condider using a patio door that opens outward from the nook to your covered back porch. Doors that open outward work very well when they open onto a well-covered outdoor space and they're actually safer in areas prone to high winds because they don't blow open as easily.

Then, since the left end of your porch won't really get much use if you don't have a door into the masterbedroom, consider closing in the left three feet or so at the end of the porch and make that space into a nice large outdoor closet for storing all your grilling supplies.

And, consider moving your masterbedroom door to where you have that little hall closet now and then see if you can't then get rid of the walls that turn your back entry area into a maze of hallways. With four kids, a single fairly-large open room (like a back foyer) with storage cubbies and benches around the edges would be much more useful than what you have now. You might need to shift the opening from the back foyer into the kitchen/breakfast nook area and the laundry room door but I think you can create a 7x12 'mud room' with cubbies that will be more useful than the spaces you have now.

You would think in Oklahoma (and here where I am in Texas) everyone would have a basement as a place to retreat to in case of a tornado but here in Texas everything is now built on a monolithic slab with no basement. So, if you're not going to have a basement remember that you can open up the space under the stair case landing and make it part that storage room you show opening off of the garage. And, if that garage storage space is for storing things like bicycles, I don't think I'd bother with a wall and door there. I'd just leave all the space UNDER the stairs open to the garage. Would make it easier to access.

And, if you do that, you might be able to move the entire staircase forward a couple of feet so as to make your back foyer/mudroom larger and more comfortable.

Just my nickle's worth... Except for the cramped back hallway and a few other minor things that mydreamhome already discussed, it's a great plan and your new home is going to be lovely!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thank you everyone for the great ideas! I love the window seat suggestion and I think moving the whole master bath/closet wall into the master bedroom is a smart idea.

I am not for sure if you can tell on these plans but it shows stairs going down into a basement. We are not going to have a basement but we are putting in a large walk in cellar and it can be accessed by using those stairs.

I also agree with you on using a door that swings out on to the porch instead of in towards the nook area. That was something I hadnt even caught until mydreamhouse mentioned it, Thank you. We talked about moving the door over some, closer to the living area but it didnt feel right having a door right off the living area.

We also got a call back from the back last night, they are sending the appraiser over to appraise our older house and six lots that we are using for our down payment. Things are looking good, now we only need a good weeks worth of rain so we'll be ready to start our dirt work. Thanks everyone, have a great day!

Glad to read your post, that things are starting to MOVE!

What is the difference between a cellar and a basement?

Hi dekeoboe, the proper term should be storm shelter instead of cellar, I've always just called them storm cellars, or "cellar" for short. I guess by defenition a cellar and basement are the same thing but when I think of basemant, I think of a large room, usually about the same size as the main floor. And when standing in the basement all you have above you is the sub-floor of the main floor. When I think about a cellar, they are usually alot smaller in size and completely surrounded by concrete, except where the door is at.

oh, then what will the rest of the foundation be, slab, crawlspace or ?

Ok, guys I've been working with my framer on getting a good solid price. He had previously told me that it would be around $17800(labor) to completely frame the house. Thats roughly 5000sf with porches and garage and a 10:12 roof. That qoute was about a month ago. He called me last night and gave me a price for framing, (labor+material) vinyl siding, exterior trim and all the soffit (labor+material).
It came out to $58600, which is still within my budget, I guess I just wanted to get some feedback on what others thought.

I know three other couples that have had this guy frame their house and they all are really happy with the quality. I was turned on to this guy by a General Contractor friend of mine that uses him on all his jobs.

$58,600 for roughly 5000 sq ft sounds fair for framing labor and material - especially if it also include vinyl siding, exterior trim, and soffit.

For comparison's sake, I can tell you that my builder - with whom I'm in the midst of litigation - claims that he spent over $70K just for the framing materials for my house and garage... no labor and no siding included in that price. My house and garage also total about 5000 sq ft but, b/c my garage is semi-detached from the house, it is a less compact design than yours so, no doubt used more material. I don't believe my builder actually spent anywhere near as much as he claims and he has only been able to supply me with receipts for about $35K worth of materials. If my builder actually spent about $35K just for framing materials, your guy is probably giving you a fair deal for everything he is including.

Since you're planning to have the contractor build the shell and then finish it out yourselves, be sure you and the contractor are in EXACT agreement regarding what work will be included in building the shell.

It doesn't sound like your framer will be doing the foundation work so I gather you're getting a quote from someone else to prep the foundation. Again, with that person, be sure you and he are in exact agreement regarding what work he will be responsible for doing.

You need to know who will do each of the following steps so make sure that they're included in the bids you get...

1) Site work necessary to prep for building (cutting trees? removing stumps? leveling? digging the cellar/basement? etc.)
2) Framing the foundation (and cellar)
3) Pouring and curing foundation.
4) Framing including:
a) Exterior walls
b) Flooring joists
c) Subfloors
d) Ceiling joists and rafters
e) Interior walls/partitions
f) Staircases
5) OSB/plywood sheathing of exterior walls.
6) Applying housewrap (Tyvek)
7) Installing windows & exterior doors
8) OSB/plywood sheathing the roof
9) Shingling the roof
10) Installing siding
11) Brick/stone masonry work for chimney and porch support posts)
12) Porch decking
13) Any exterior painting

Good luck with everything!