dacherie--I really like the layout (we have a very similar layout that Summerfield helped with). I'm having a hard time making out the dimensions on your plan--they're too small to make out, but when I enlarge it on photobucket they get too blurry to see. From what I can see, there are only a few things I notice that I would change just looking at your plan:

-Love the idea of opening up the kitchen and putting in a big island. I think it's a much better use of space. You may actually gain some space between the kitchen & family room by doing that too!

-I would delete the french doors in the nook area--I'm guessing a table & chairs will be going there which will be a pain to go around, and you do have a door with open access right there on the other side of that open corner. French doors are very pricey too, so deleting those and making them windows instead can save you some $$$.

-Using fixed doors or long windows for 1 of the sets of doors in the family room would also help in 2 ways--it would reduce costs & give you space to put furniture on that wall.

-We also wanted the 20x20 family room not including the walkway to the secondary bedrooms. We ended up with roughly 19' x 21' altogether including the hallway (19'x18' without the hallway) and it's worked out beautifully--I don't miss those extra few feet the way I thought I would.

-I would suggest placing to-scale furniture cutouts into the plan based on the furniture you'll be using in the space to get a feel for which rooms need to be made bigger, which could stand to shrink & which ones are just right.

-I will ponder the master bedroom/bathroom issue a little more... Could you please share the dimensions so I have a better idea what you're working with?

-Do you need such a long office? If not, I would seriously consider making the office the laundry room and/or taking some of that space for the master suite.

Hope this helps!

Overall, nice flow.

- I also cannot read the dimensions.
- All exterior doors should swing into the house. At least the front door and garage door should swing in.
-Agree that I would replace the french doors with windows in the eat in kitchen. More functional and cheaper too.
- One bathroom between 3 bedrooms? You didn't mention your age, if there are children etc so I'm not sure if that will work. You can possible squeeze it 2 smaller baths. One hall bath and one off of bedroom 4.
-I like the idea of an island.
- The back hall can use some work. Where will you hang your coat, put your bags? There's no counter to fold on in the laundry room. There's no access to the laundry room from the outside/bakyard.
-How deep is your lanai?

Again, these issues may be irrelevant to you. 4 acres with a lake view! Sounds like a wonderful setting.

pps7 - Why do you say that exterior doors should swing into the house?

I lived in a house where the door from the garage to the house swung into the garage. If there is a car parked, it's a major PITA to get stuff in the house. You can just as easily swing into the house.

The front door-it just feels odd to answer the front door and have it open outwards. Do your guests move out of the way? Are they supposed to close it on the way in? Again, you can just as easily swing it in.

In most jurisdictions a 4" curb or step is required at the door from the garage to the house to prevent gasoline or it's fumes from entering the house in case of a spill. If the garage floor slope toward the door that also creates a difference in the floor heights at the door. If the door swings over such a step it would be dangerous. The door would also have to have security hinges to prevent removal of the hinge pins from the garage side.

All of these considerations also apply to the front door. The only reason to swing those doors out is if you are in a severe hurricane zone.

Most designers would put a window in each outside wall of a bedroom for cross ventilation but I don't know the climate or the nature of the HVAC system, etc. It's difficult to offer advice about the design of something as personal as a house without knowing much about your life style, the site or the climate.

Hopefully this message will make it before I lose my wording again. Seems my computer locks up with this website.

Thanks for the follow up posts! I gave a rough sketch to an architect and this was his first draft. We appreciate all your input before returning to the architect.

mydreamhome -

Master bedroom is 13'-7" x 17'-6 1/2" (a little deceiving because of most of the room is 13'-7" x 13'-11") I like things symmetrical and haven't made a decision about that jog in the master bedroom north wall by the pantry under the stairs.

Master bath and closet area is approx. 16'-8" x 13'-11"

Nook 10'-2 1/2" x 12'-1"

Kitchen 12'-1" x approx. 16'-2"

Living Room/Great Room 20' x 20' (this includes 3'-6" hallway)

Dining Room 12'-0 1/2" x 15' (not sure why the 1/2 inch measurements by the architect)

Bedroom #2 12' x 15' (this includes the closet space)

Bedroom #3 12'-0 1/2" x 12'-8 1/2" (not including 3'-10 3/4" x 8'-5" closet)

Bedroom #4 12'-0 1/2" x 13'-11" (not including 3'-11 1/4" x 8'-5" closet)

Office 7'-4" x 13'-11"

Laundry 6' x 8'-0 3/4"

Garage 24' x 24' (Husband would like an entry door added to the garage, as well as a utility sink, so the garage will be growing - isn't that always the case)

Theater or Bonus Room 12'-1" x 23'-8 1/2" (Architect states can tweak the length of this room to stay under the 3000 sq. ft. Most homes in our area have bonus rooms over the garage, however I wanted that rear view.

Covered Lanai 9'-8 1/2" x 39'-1"

Upstairs Covered Porch 9'-8 1/2" x ? (Architect states can go the whole length of house or make smaller)

I agree with deleting the french doors in the nook area and once we get into picking out windows and doors will keep in mind your suggestion about the fixed doors or long windows. At this point, I think the architect was just trying to get something down on paper for review.

I'll work with a scaled layout for the family room. How much furniture were you able to place in your family room?

I did a search for your user name and was able to view past post and some pictures of your home, but never found the floor plan. Beautiful home! I would love to see your final layout.

I don't necessarily need such a long office, I had originally drawn a rough sketch for the architect that had a smaller office and utilized that sq. ft. for a larger laundry room. This is what he proposed. I think I can live with this as drawn, but maybe other suggestions will be made.

pps- I was also questioning about the doors swinging out.

A little information about us: Well, it is just my husband and I in our mid 40's. We live on the central east coast of Florida, so hurricanes are an issue, however it is not code to have doors that swing out. Our friends on the west coast of Florida have a front door that swings out. We have no children. A four bedroom house may seem excessive, but we presently live in a smaller three bedroom home. One bedroom is my husband's office/hobby room, one my office and then our master. We have no room for guests when they visit us, and it is my desire to be able to accommodate family and friends, as well as plan for the future possibility of caring for elderly parents. We hope to be in this new home for a long time.

Hi dacherie- Thanks for posting the dimensions. I don't have time to go through them all right now, but right off, I would say the master needs to be bigger, especially if you have a king size bed. To me, the jog is too little and placed too far over in the corner to really count as usable square footage in the room. I'd probably end up making it a closet and/or splitting the space to make a niche in the kitchen nook for a hutch or china cabinet. 13 x 13 for the main area of the master bedroom is a little small. I would shoot for 14 x 15 minimum especially if you're planning to stay there a long time.

Our family room currently has 2 full size sofas (1 is 8.75' x 3' & the other is 8' x 2.75') & a chair and a half with ottoman. I haven't found a coffee table I like well enough to buy yet, but there is plenty of room for one (or even two) as well as end tables if we want them. I'm debating about putting a console table along the back wall--there's space, but I kind of like it open. Our family room also has a fireplace which extends into the room plus built ins on either side. Here's a near the end of construction photo of the family room without furniture & our layout. Some rough room dimensions for you:
Master 14 x 16, Dining 12 x 14, Kitchen 12 x 21, Family 19.5 x 21, Front Bedroom 12 x 14, Back Bedroom 12 x 15, Laundry 8.5 x 8.5, Front Porch Depth 8.5', Back Porch Depth 10' behind Kitchen, 16' behind Family Room.
Hope these help!

Mydreamhome: What is the overall square feet of this home?