Why no master bedroom?? That would kill the resale later on...

We might add on the master suite later but that is a bigger house than we want to build to start with. Resale is not really something we are worrying about. If we have to sell, the 80 acres of timber the house sits on will be a bigger selling point in that area.

The kitchen is really small and closed off. If you don't cook much, I guess that's OK, but I would hate working in there. Other than that, I like that it doesn't waste a lot of space for hallways, and it's a cute house.

IMO, the kitchen is usable, but just barely, and comfortably only if by one person at a time.... personally, I've found DH to be a big help in canning/freezing. And although we work well together, we'd never manage it in the space shown -- if he stood by the stove to stir jam, there's no room for me to stand by sink to prep jars.

There is no eating area. If you put a table for four at one end of the LR, you've lost half the floorspace of the LR.

And watch out, I'm pretty sure that 19x16 is including the stairway. Subtract the stairway, subtract the area needed for the entranceway, subtract DR area, subtract area to access one BR and the hall to the others.... not much space left for LR and it'll be difficult to decorate because of all the access areas which must be left open.

This is one of those plans that at first glance, I think oh yeah, okay. And then I try to 'live' in it, and realize that it's all looks and no use.

I agree with what the others have said so far. An easy fix would be to get rid of the wall between the kitchen & bedroom 2 and use that entire area for an expanded kitchen and dining area. The idea to use the study for a laundry/mudroom is great. It already has a nice setup for it with easy access from outside and a shared wall with the bathroom for plumbing.

I like those houses a lot, if you think you can handle the space, i would go ahead and do it. My wife and i lived in a house that was 1000 sqft and loved every second of it and would build smaller if we were going to stay in it for a long time. Over sized houses are a dying breed.

I have posted his plans before, but you should check out some of Rick Thompsons plans. He has many different sizes all with sort of an old look to them but a new layout. click on the link below and on the left side of the screen are the different sizes of houses he offers.

enjoy

Here is a link that might be useful: website link

ashvillean ~ Thanks for the link.

Che1sea ~ click link, click 1199, look at plan 1101B. That looks a lot more liveable than Katrina Cottage.

You've pointed out all the issues I pointed out but DH really likes it. I like 1101B except it has no office space. I do like the pantry and utility room. 1105A has the extra bedroom but we would really like a rectangular footprint.

Che1sea, have you looked at the floorplans on Buildnownola.com? I like the plan you've chosen, but I thought that this site would be interesting for you to look at. The Delachaise looks like a good plan to me. The site tells exactly how much it would cost to build; plus, the architect will act as the general contractor (price included b/c it's a nonprofit.)

How about using bedroom two to expand the kitchen and make a laundry. Make this laundry accessible from the kitchen eliminating the door from the living room. Your study could remain a study. The space under the stairs could become a nice storage closet or even part of the laundry.

This firm has plans with similar styles. It never hurts to check out all the options.

Here is a link that might be useful: allison ramsey

I like it with the modification of removing bedroom #2, make that the kitchen and then a eating area where current kitchen is. (I think somebody else already mentioned that).

I also like that you have the option to add on later. To make it easy to do so, do build out the peak of the upper floor, but have it end where the wall ends. It will be easier and cheaper to tie in later.

I would use the closet across from the study as a laundry closet.

If you plan to use Bed#1 as the master, I would switch the closet to run along the back wall to get more closet space, or if you put the laundry in the study, switch the opening of the closet that is in the hall along with that single w/d stack space and make that the master closet and remove the current one. I'd also instead of a window in the middle add one on each side of where the bed would go.

Thanks for the great links. Some of the Allison Ramsey ones are very close to what we are looking for. You also have some very good suggestions for rearranging the Katrina plan. I still have the issue that I would still like to squeeze it into a few less square feet.