side of home

main floor

basement

alternative bathroom set-up

Think twice about the corner lot. I live on one, and I won't again in the future: Your backyard privacy is reduced, and the kids' bus stop is on my corner . . . which means they're cutting through my front yard and sometimes leaving trash in that area. It also means we have to cut the grass in the ditch on two sides. On the positive side, parking is easy when we have guests. Oh, and we have the fire hydrant ON our lot, which does reduce our home owners insurance a bit.

Front window: I do think it'd look better if it matched its mate on the opposite side of the door. Yeah, I see that it's just a window into the utility room, but so what? What you care about here is the outside look.

Yes, a 4x4 shower is fine for a simple, plain shower. My current shower is 3x4, and I never touch the walls when I'm in there (Admittedly, I can still buy pants in the children's department, but my husband who is normal adult size doesn't complain about its size either). A 4x4 isn't a showstopper that'll earn a spot on Houzz, but you won't be irritated every time you step in either. We are going bigger in our new house only because we want space for two shower heads and a stool -- we're thinking of our elderly years.

In fact, looking at your closet, I'd suggest you steal a bit from the shower and widen the closet. A walk-in closet that has storage on only one side is a waste of space. If you steal 1' from the shower you'll still have an adequate shower . . . and you could have shelves on that closet wall, which would DOUBLE your closet space. This closet, as it's drawn, isn't particularly "master".

If you keep the bedroom this size (and squarish), you could even insert a reach-in closet on the wall shared with the secondary bath. In addition to the extra storage, this would give you some "sound insulation" from the bathroom. Another option, more expensive than a closet: Built-ins. You could have a massive number of drawers on the bottom and bookshelves on the top -- it'd look great and provide massive storage, and give the modest closet, that would be useful.

I'm completely ambivalent about the transom window.

I think your dining area looks comfortable now. Not oversized, not undersized. If you're thinking it might not be big enough, consider inserting a built-in bench across the whole back wall . . . that will take less space than chairs against the wall, and it'd look great in that area. This would garner you more usable space without increasing your square footage.

However, I think I'd slice a couple feet off the back end of the master bedroom anyway. It appears almost square in shape, which doesn't do anything but give you empty space in the middle of the room. I'd flatten it out across the back of the house, which will save on building costs. Width matters more in a bedroom (and this one looks wide enough for a king bed) than height. Figure up how many feet you'll have at the foot of the bed and decide if that's adequate.

Looking at the back wall again, I'd definitely straighten it out. It'll save you money, and I see no reason for the jigs and jogs.

Sorry, I'm not "getting" the concern about the kitchen wall. I don't see a problem with a portion of the kitchen being "hidden from view". In fact, I think it might be good to have the stove out of view when it's full of messy pots!

I think the fireplace needs to be on the back wall. This would allow you to have two sofas oriented towards it comfortably. If you place two fireplaces in the room as it is now, you'll have a big empty space between the seating area and the kitchen.

Oh, wait -- you were asking about the fireplace in the basement . . . I was answering for the main floor. However, I think the advice is applicable to both areas.

I would suggest that you "stack" the two fireplaces. This is a pretty substantial money saver. Actually, considering the use a fireplace actually gets, I'd keep the second fireplace at the top of the "I could do without this" list . . . or consider an enclosed gas fireplace, which is MUCH cheaper than a full-out masonry chimney for the secondary unit. Other options might be a wood stove (which doesn't have to be real wood -- can be gas), which is more efficient than a real fireplace and is incrementally cheaper. Or, if you really just wanted it for the looks, consider a fake fireplace with an antique cast iron front . . . or flowers in the summer, candles in the winter.

Basement bathroom: I'd move it to UNDER an upstairs bathroom (or kitchen plumbing) and then adjust the bedrooms to fit. Plumbing is always expensive and difficult, so place it first -- it'll save you money, and if you have short plumbing lines, you have fewer problems in the future -- fewer areas to leak.

How to arrange areas in the basement? How many people will live in this house? What spaces do you actually need? I don't think any of us can answer this question without this information. You seem to have ample space upstairs; I'm not really seeing the need for the huge basement.

Those were your questions. Here are a few thoughts of my own:

I don't like that angled door going into the secondary bathroom. I think it's going to feel odd to walk in the door and be essentially pushed towards the wall. I think you could do away with it by incorporating the little hall linen closet into the bathroom itself. Anyway, storage INSIDE the bathroom is better than storage outside.

You've planned a good-sized kitchen, but no pantry. A pantry is your best and cheapest storage.

I also don't like that when you enter the house, you must walk all the way around the staircase and through the great room to get to the kitchen. So often you're carrying groceries, and this is just more steps for no reason -- your garage is RIGHT THERE. I'd want a more direct entrance.

I'm not loving the elevation, though admittedly this is partly a matter of taste and preference. It just looks kind of wide and boring with so much roof and so much garage. It'll take a ton of landscaping and upkeep (says the person who currently lives in a long ranch house . . . and isn't going to do it again).

Consider your sight lines: When you walk in the front door, you're looking the side of the fireplace. When you walk down the bedroom hall, your view is a bathroom door . . . and angled bathroom door. From the garage, I assume you're looking at a pretty hall table -- good. And once you're in the great room, the sight lines are top notch.

Why is the master bedroom door scootched up to the right? It's already conflicting with the closet door, and this seems to make it worse.

Thank you so much MrsPete for your detailed suggestions and answers. I've made a lot of your changes to my plans and they're looking a lot better now. I really appreciate the time you put into commenting on my post. Thanks!