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Building a Home

SL Old Ivy Modifications and Critique Please

Marianne Thompson_Stratton

12 years ago

Hello,

My husband and I began looking at house plans four years ago but decided to buy existing, and now we're looking at building again. I've looked at thousands of plans and have just finally found a couple of stock plans that I think could be very close to what we would like. One of them is Old Ivy by Mitchell Ginn, also found on SL. A couple of things that need modifying: increase the great room to at least 20x20, basement foundation, modify the kitchen a bit to provide a bigger pantry and move the sink so that it's under a window or overlooking another room and the island is clear, and I'd like to have a mud/laundry room area and bathroom off the kitchen side that would open to both the back yard and the garage. We're trying to stay around 3000 to 3100 sq feet.

We have two kids, 2 1/2 and 9 months, and possibly another one down the road. We're planning to build on 2 to 5 acres or so of flat land and would like our views to be of the back and side yards.

My thoughts were to move the staircase and living room down about 4 feet to increase the great room, and add another foot or two to the living room. This would become a play/flex room for us. The front porch would be in front of the dining room only and the upper porch removed. The dining room at the south of the plan would become our home office and could be narrower - I'm thinking 9 feet wide or so. Then we would have an entrance to the mud/ laundry either on the north or south end of the kitchen. I want guests to be able to access the bathroom while also being able to close off the mud/laundry area with pocket doors if needed to hide the mess.

I was hoping to get some critique of this plan, as well as thoughts or ideas on how to best modify it to meet our needs so that I feel prepared when we contact the architect. Also, do these modifications seem too extensive? And when we contact them, should we let them decide how to modify it since they will have a much better way to do it than I could dream up. And I would be really interested in hearing if anyone has worked with them before.

Thanks so much - the information and knowledge on this board has been so impressive and helpful already!

Here is a link that might be useful: SL Old Ivy

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Comments (12)

kelhuck
12 years ago
I immediately see no linen closets for the bathrooms. That's a big thumbs down for me. I would definitely try to add them in somehow.

I don't think I would remove space from the dining room. Just thinking of resale value.

What do you plan to do with the extra 4 foot upstairs? Just have a bigger MBr or use it for a closet or something?

Do you have long vehicles? Do you plan to use the garage for more than just cars (bikes, mowers, freezers, etc.) If so, it might be too small.

Where do you hope to have the basement stairs accessed?

I'm definitely not a pro at this yet, so maybe someone else who has developed "the eye" will throw in their thoughts. Good luck!
athensmomof3
12 years ago
If you extend the left side of the house, you will have to have a front gable on that side of the house, changing the roofline and making it look totally different. Just wanted to point that out if the exterior is what drew you to the plan . . .
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Marianne Thompson_Stratton
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks so much for the comments:
kelhuck - I would definitely increase the garage to fit our cars and to allow for ample storage space. Depending on how we modify the downstairs, I will need to move the upstairs a bit. The laundry and loft would become a bedroom, and I was considering taking a few feet from the master and combining that with the 4 feet of added space and making a long storage area or possibly 2nd laundry. Great point about the bathroom linen closets. Downstairs we would probably remove the bathroom next to the living room completely to make a place for the basement stairs, although we've considered the possibility of having the basement entry in the living room, which I know isn't optimal but do-able.

athens - although I do find the exterior beautiful and classic, I've also always been drawn to the exteriors with a gable in front and a porch off to the side, similar to these
dekeoboe
12 years ago
If you remove the bathroom next to the living room, where will your downstairs bathroom be located?
Marianne Thompson_Stratton
Original Author
12 years ago
dekeoboe - I plan on adding a mud/laundry area and downstairs bath off of the kitchen area that would also connect to the garage and back yard. We plan to have a pool so we want the d/s bath easily accessible from outside.
young-gardener
12 years ago
Delaware-
I'm a big fan of Mitch's work (I get to see it first hand since he lives in our town, and it's gorgeous). I *believe* his Old Ivy was built in Quail Run in Lanett, Alabama. Use the link below to put the subdivision into the search box, and you might find some photos. If not, try Googling Quail Run, because their website has pictures of several of the plans' interior. All the plans in the n'hood are either Mitch's or another local arch. whose name I have forgotten. We toured them, and they were lovely. (Note that Quail Run renamed all the plans.)

I believe he offers modification of his stock plans via his website. (www.ginnhomedesign.com) He's a nice man; I think you'll enjoy working with him.

Here is a link that might be useful: Search here for photos
young-gardener
12 years ago
Found it! (There are two on MLS right now, also) You'll notice they made a few modifications and in some cases had to move the garage doors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old Ivy as
young-gardener
12 years ago
Maybe you'd like the look of his "Eastbrook" since you like side porches?

{{gwi:1498553}}
athensmomof3
12 years ago
We actually have a gable in the front of our new house too - which is not a look I am drawn to but was required by the floor plan. In fact, I adamantly didn't want one - we live in a "multi point" house now and didn't want one when we bought this either but we had two days to buy a house so we were sort of stuck! I am very happy with it as constructed though. . . We too will have a porch but a small one with copper trim . . . in the millwork shop now so anxious to see it.
Marianne Thompson_Stratton
Original Author
12 years ago
young-gardener - wow! that's so helpful - thank you! Very neat to actually see pictures. I also really like his other work - I've been through all of the plans several times over. Great news that he is good to work with. If you happen to know any other communities with his houses I'd love to see them.
Athens - so funny how different people can be - I'm drawn to the gables and you are adamently opposed to them. I definitely want something streamlined and not along the lines of this conglomerate architecture often being built today. Your house is so classic and the gable is perfect in my mind. Looking forward to seeing that roof!
athensmomof3
12 years ago
Not sure why I even mind the gable on the front in general - they don't bother me on the side. Probably because I live in a house now in a subdivision where every home has a version of a front facing gable - and usually several . . . in our new house, though, we had to do it to line up the sight lines in the den and kitchen so that little bump out is to get the dining room the length it needed to be. When we did the floor plan, I didn't realize I was getting a gable! Oh well . . .
young-gardener
12 years ago
You're most welcome.

He also has some in New Haven and Highgrove. (Peachtree City, GA)

http://www.highgrovehomes.com/
http://www.newhavenhome.net/default.html

Many of the others around here are outside of developments, though I see the Shook Hill from time to time while driving local neighborhoods.

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