Here is what I am thinking for the first floor addition.

The front of the house faces south. There is a detached garage/ barn to the east. We can't build to the north or west because of the septic field to the north and slope to the west.

And for the second floor:

Last post! A model of the exterior... my computer isn't showing the colors right so everything looks odd. And I know it is very, very plain. Is it too dull?

Thank you so much for any advice!

Nice plan! We live on a farm, too. Lots of work, but lots of fun :)

First, you're going to need a mudroom! Especially with kids. Where will you put all the muddy shoes and boots, let alone garden stuff. Do you plan to have animals? Kids love animals and you need a place for all their stuff, too.

I think the porches will work well, since they face south and west, but I would flip the main floor, so the living room is on the porch side....then you can put the mudroom off the kitchen, between the kitchen and barn/garage. Maybe even add a powder room...very handy. Then the porch could wrap around to the mudroom, making easy access to the garage. Perhaps have the mudroom with doors to front and back yards, so almost like a breezeway, with lots of storage and powder room.

This would also bring in some light to the kitchen. Think windows over the sink and maybe cooktop on the island. I know people are often anti-cooktop on island, but it really depends on how large your island is and whether you have stools too close to the burners. Just a few ideas :)

{{gwi:1514261}}From Kitchen plans
{{gwi:1514264}}From Kitchen plans

My favorite kitchen (Laura Calder).... {{gwi:1407444}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

Here's a link to cooking chocolate crepes...great recipe and you can see the kitchen. Notice she does not have a hood, but you could have a drop in range, rather than a wall oven.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Laura Calder chocolate crepes

This post was edited by lavender_lass on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 17:00

I just realized that link starts in the middle of the show. It's got better clarity (at least on my computer LOL) but here's the rest of the show. Doesn't that first cake look delicious? :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to entire show

This post was edited by lavender_lass on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 17:12

Lavender Lass- Thank you so much for your input! You are right, of course, about the mudroom.

I also love the idea of flipping the kitchen to the east, and it was what I had originally planned on. My husband then suggested it would be less expensive have it on the west side to tie in the existing plumbing and sewer, be closer to the existing water heater, etc. He also said it is more expensive to ventilate an island cooktop, a bank of north facing windows will steal our heat, etc, blah blah. So I changed it to what I currently have.

I am okay with it only because there is a beautiful view out to the southwest, and I will not mind being in there making dinner enjoying the afternoon light, view, and breezes off the porch.

I love how you enlarged the back hallway by shifting the stairs down, and will change that in my plans.

I have also added a mudroom off the family room, which I know is not the traditional place for it, but will at least be convenient for bringing in firewood. Am undecided about wrapping the porch around the east, since I would love direct morning sunlight in the family room. I would certainly make the exterior more appealing though to wrap the porch around and connect it to mudroom.

Thank you so much for your help, and great ideas! Wish I could use more of them. And if it turns out that extending the plumbing and sewer lines is not that much more, I might!

Is there a reason you're not doing a teardown? What you are proposing will cost more than doing a teardown. It's essentially building a whole new house but trying to do it constrained by the old part. That makes it more difficult, which translates into more expensive.

Cas- We also have an old farmhouse, we plan to remodel. My husband got sick, so the plans are on hold for now...but it has given me time to do more planning.

I like that you have some bedrooms on the main floor and some upstairs. We plan to do the same thing. Our bedrooms will probably be in the addition, along with the kitchen, with living spaces in the original house.

Just be sure you consider wiring and plumbing in the original home and make any upgrades...especially electric, to be safe. Our farmhouse is older, with original from 1904 and addition from 1950s.

We're in eastern Washington (cold winters, like Idaho and Montana) but Virginia seems warmer...are north facing windows really a concern? Do you plan to have a garden? Any animals? We have horses :) {{gwi:325130}}From Lavender's Garden
{{gwi:1446015}}From Lavender's Garden

Hollysprings, that is really surprising to me that a teardown would be less. Doing this plan as addition we would only have to put in 1 bathroom vs 3, we would build 1000 fewer sq ft, and we are keeping the original house completely intact. I assumed this would make a remodel cost effective, especially when factoring in the cost of demo and impact fees. I see that I need to get detailed estimates before proceeding much further. I am certainly not opposed to a teardown if that is the logical thing to do. Thanks for your advice.

Lavender- Your pictures are beautiful! We are planning on a large garden the first year, and slowly adding animals. Luckily, my husband grew up on a farm and has a lot of experience, but I don't want to be overwhelmed our first few years. I know my girls would love some dogs and cats so we will probably get those right away.

Cas- How goes the planning? Have you started the remodel yet?

Hollysprings was 100% right. The property is a tear down. It needs foundation repair, new roof, windows, siding, etc, and is small and so poorly laid out that it is not worth saving. I have been told it would cost twice as much to build the same house brand new as it would to repair what is there, and there would still be issues.

Right now we are living in it. 900 sq ft with two toddlers. It is livable for the short term so we are saving as much as we can until we start building. In a way it is nice because I will appreciate whatever we end up. Thanks for checking in!

Ooh, foundation repair! That's an expensive fix, along with everything else. At least you have a chance to live with the property and find a plan that works with your space. Taking advantage of the best views, morning sun, lovely sunsets or just the nicest cross breezes will all make your new home even more enjoyable :)

I think a mud room is essential with farm living :) Could you make a portion of the porch in front of the bathroom, out side the kitchen the mudroom and side entry? Best of luck with your project!

@jani. This thread is 6 years old, one would think this house dilemma would be resolved by now.