When you look down from the upper stair landing you will be seeing the top of the entry closet and the dust that collects there. Frankly, a 2 story space seems out of place in such a small cottage/farmhouse. I would prefer a traditional open stair and landing that overlooks the living room.

Doors open out into the corridor creating a hazard that could be easily avoided. It is usually best to open a door against a wall so it can remain open if desired and not be a hazard. If you have never walked into the edge of a door you need to do so before finalizing the plan.

The double bath lavs are too close to the walls to be used comfortably. the counter dimension at the minimum limit for double lavs IMHO.

Why have bi-fold closet doors with 4 small panels when double doors or even a single door would work better? Sorry, but I hate bi-fold doors more than I can say. Last week one came off the track in my in-law's house and it broke when I tried to put it back so I had to prop it up and run.

Why are the closets so deep? The only practical reason I can think of is to allow an enclosed incandescent closet light above the door. It would not be a problem in a larger house but this layout represents a major portion of the floor area and decrease the size of bedrooms that are too small.

The door to the basement stair appears to be over the first tread. Push it a full tread into the enclosure if there is headroom which appears to be the case?

A stair turn should never have risers that meet at the pivot point because the hand rail must then drop a whole riser at that point. Of course, the handrail could go on the other wall but now would be the time to show that on the drawing. If the railing is on the inside wall, the risers should be moved back 1/2 tread (or so) from the corner.

I try to avoid a post or meeting rail in the window over a sink by using an awning type which is also easier to open.

The Utility room and the Utility chase should be more closely aligned.

Does the fireplace/stove not have a vent to the outside?

I'm sure there is a better way to arrange a washer and dryer in a master bathroom and allow more lav counter space.

I usually round the end of a kitchen peninsula if it is in a major traffic path or across from a work counter and this one is both. There should be a counter next to a refrigerator or at least on the counter across from it IMHO.

I realize the toilets are only symbols in a CAD program but they should be "elongated" if there are any men in the house. Elongated toilets are standard and short "compact" ones are for spaces too tight for standard toilets like "powder rooms" that men are wise to avoid.

When you look down from the upper stair landing you will be seeing the top of the entry closet and the dust that collects there. Frankly, a 2 story space seems out of place in such a small cottage/farmhouse. I would prefer a traditional open stair and landing that overlooks the living room.

Doors open out into the corridor creating a hazard that could be easily avoided. It is usually best to open a door against a wall so it can remain open if desired and not be a hazard. If you have never walked into the edge of a door you need to do so before finalizing the plan.

The double bath lavs are too close to the walls to be used comfortably. the counter dimension at the minimum limit for double lavs IMHO.

Why have bi-fold closet doors with 4 small panels when double doors or even a single door would work better? Sorry, but I hate bi-fold doors more than I can say. Last week one came off the track in my in-law's house and it broke when I tried to put it back so I had to prop it up and run.

Why are the closets so deep? The only practical reason I can think of is to allow an enclosed incandescent closet light above the door. It would not be a problem in a larger house but this layout represents a major portion of the floor area and decrease the size of bedrooms that are too small.

The door to the basement stair appears to be over the first tread. Push it a full tread into the enclosure if there is headroom which appears to be the case?

A stair turn should never have risers that meet at the pivot point because the hand rail must then drop a whole riser at that point. Of course, the handrail could go on the other wall but now would be the time to show that on the drawing. If the railing is on the inside wall, the risers should be moved back 1/2 tread (or so) from the corner.

I try to avoid a post or meeting rail in the window over a sink by using an awning type which is also easier to open.

The Utility room and the Utility chase should be more closely aligned.

Does the fireplace/stove not have a vent to the outside?

I'm sure there is a better way to arrange a washer and dryer in a master bathroom and allow more lav counter space.

I usually round the end of a kitchen peninsula if it is in a major traffic path or across from a work counter and this one is both. There should be a counter next to a refrigerator or at least on the counter across from it IMHO.

I realize the toilets are only symbols in a CAD program but they should be "elongated" if there are any men in the house. Elongated toilets are standard and short "compact" ones are for spaces too tight for standard toilets like "powder rooms" that men are wise to avoid.

The doors into the first floor bedroom and bathroom would traditionally be hinged on the opposite side than they are shown; they would open against the wall.

Is there no master suite? Not that it is essential but is the downstairs bedroom the master or the large upstairs bedroom? I guess I would "flop" the small bedroom upstairs with the bathroom so it would be closer to that big bedroom. I would also "round off" the peninsula or shorten it a little. I might also move the fireplace to that corner, just a little better use of the space.

It will be interesting to see what your architect comes up with. I think there are some floor space efficiencies to be addressed - especially with closets and bathrooms. I used the same program to design my floorplan and have about 25 or 30 revisions.

Just some things I see (in addition to macv's astute comments):
1. Outswing the french doors in the dining room.
2. The utility in the basement needs a straight run up to the roof to allow for venting.
3. Vault over the entry way seems small.
4. Master needs an ensuite. Existing 2nd floor bath seems large with alot of space between fixtures. Even a small ensuite would be much better for resale. You may consider flipping the Master on the Main.
5. Kitchen could use more space/storage.
6. Closets are generally 2' deep.
7. Linen closet is a curious shape.
8. There's a better solution for laundry than placement in a bathroom.

Hope this helps.

I might consider flipping your kitchen and dining room. It seems to me the kitchen open to the family room would be a more workable option for entertaining and just general family life than the dining room open to the family room. This would also eliminate the view into the kitchen cabinets from the front hall, and substitute the more elegant view of a dining room (I suppose it will be a casual one?)

I just know when I am cooking it is nice to interact with those in the family room and in my current house the kitchen is where your dining room is. It is also a more traditional house plan to have the kitchen and family room across the back, for what that is worth.

Wow! Thank you all so much for your fast responses.

I will rely on my architect to handle some of the utility chase issues and basement layout. Currently there is a chase for the woodstove up through the master (large bedroom on 2nd floor).

I don't have an ensuite on purpose. We have 3 kids now and plan to have more so the larger bathroom is meant to allow it to be sectioned off (possibly) so that the toilet and shower are separate from the sinks, which the drawing shows too close to the wall, but they are farther on the actual 6' vanity which I'm building.

The master closets are a mess. I thought about single door in each (maybe pocket?) with bars on either side of it inside. Or maybe one huge closet with internal organizers (like Ikea-ish?). Or maybe built-in cabinets on either side of one large closet?

The in-swing patio doors are cheaper and easier to have open with exterior screen doors. We have friends with out-swing and they have tried multiple screen options and in the end just never have the doors open.

There is a coffee station counter next to the fridge with a microwave under the uppers and a countertop for small appliances and fixing drinks, etc.

I thought about doing the woodstove in the corner, but I got nervous about the chimney not being in the center(ish) of the house causing drafting issues? I think I would like it better in the corner, but I don't want a pipe sticking up 10' on the side of back of the roof. Current we plan to just have a chase bump out in the master, or run it into the attic above the bathroom and then on the outside of the house.
The window in the kitchen is a slider at counter height as per my wife's request. As such it is non-negotiable :)

The large closets are mostly due to aligning with hallways, I didn't want to have a few inches bumped in in the bedrooms just to make the closets more narrow. I wasn't sure about the closets because currently we have 2'10" interiors and they feel about right, I think. Hopefully the architect will let me know what's standard and what will work best.

Also the upstairs linen closet is a hot mess.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

Sounds like you've given it alot of thought. I know when I brought in my drawings to the design firm, they were shocked everything was drawn to scale and most details worked out. They said they usually work off napkins and the back of envelopes so we should consider ourselves well ahead!

Good luck in your build. Whatever you do, it's sure to be a huge improvement to what you have now. My framing is up and despite best efforts, I can still see flaws...but nothing maddening. We take it all in stride and are very grateful to have this chance to build.

Forget the divided bathroom; the first kid in the bathroom will lock the door and leaving the lock off will cause even more problems unless they're all boys.

This house plan is obviously inadequate for a future family size of six. Future expansion should be a key feature and you will need the basement to keep the kids from destroying the house.

I suggest that you not tie your architect to this plan but instead let him/her use it as a starting point to find a simple, efficient, and elegant solution that considers your future needs and isn't sidetracked by conventional trends. The architect will be able to know you better than we can since he/she can talk to you, share photographs, visit other projects, and visit you in your home.

Don't try to design your house using a set of conventional features and parts that never seem to fit together; allow the architect to show you how a collaborative design process works and how much better the design can be because of it.

Incidentally, the Gross Area (to the outside of the walls) of your plan appears to be about 2,036 s.f. (rather than 1,900 s.f.) in case you want to compare it to other designs. Net Area (to the inside of the walls) is only used for rental properties.

I agree with macv :) Another thought about the basement - figure out where you want the plumbing if you want to put a bathroom there, which I would highly recommend. Not expensive to rough it in before the slab is poured but expensive to add later. It appears to be a walkout so it will give you some real living space for later on and even possible to put a bedroom down there. Also consider the ceiling height down there when you are running duct work or excavating. I understand it is not much more to go from 8 feet to 9 feet ceiling in a basement when you are digging it out but it can make all the difference in how it lives.

Remember, little kids turn into adult sized kids before you know it and what works for the folks under 4 feet tall will likely feel cramped when they are 6 feet :)

The basement is actually set for 9 feet walls, and we're going to price out open engineered joists with our builder to run ductwork, plumbing, etc through the joists. Also, I've added bathrooms to basements with up-flushes, and I know it's not that bad to do after the fact. Certainly not prohibitive in cost or effort, as we'll do the work ourselves when the time comes.

Also, we're currently a family of 5 living in a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment quite comfortably, so I think we have a different concept of what is 'inadequate' :)

I do want to make the best use of the space though, and I appreciate the note about square foot comparisons. Usually when I see plans online they are living area it seems because any open to below, bonus rooms, etc are not apparently counted. But if that's not the standard, it's good to know.

What about something like this - seems to have all the parts that you have in yours but has an extra bedroom and 1 1/2 extra baths. I personally would rather have two tiny single sink baths than one large double sink one :)

This is slightly under 1900 square feet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Allison Ramsey cottage

Don't know if this will work but here are the Southern Living farmhouse style house plans under 2250 square feet. I am sure a search for cottages would pull up a few more.

The benefit of these Southern Living plans is that many are designed by pretty prominent architects, so you get their skill without paying the price for an original design.

Hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Farmhouses under 2250 square feet

Okay. First off: Thanks Dyno! I have no idea how I got 2'10" (kind of including both walls... maybe?) but with those revisions and a bunch of other changes that others suggested I've come to the following. If anyone still cares to comment, I'd really appreciate it.

First Floor Revised:

Thankfully I have like 2 more days before my architect actually starts work, so I'm trying to clean up and get it at least closer to reality.

Again, any comments on these plans are appreciated.

You said you have three children, but I am only seeing two beds. Is one of them a bunkbed? I also only see one desk. Will there be a tv in the living room? Where will it be placed? The furniture doesn't look like it is placed for viewing a tv.

Your dining room is not large enough for a table that size -- you don't have adequate chair clearance. I think you can steal some space from the living room to get that clearance and have a little more balance there.

And perhaps I am missing the mark, but from what you've said about your family's lifestyle, an eat-in kitchen with a farmhouse table sounds more appropropriate?

I think you should definately close off the open area above the foyer. It's not only an awkward space for an entry (like walking into an elevator shaft), but it will also give you a small little nook upstairs that can be used for studying, playing or just a way for someone to get away from the others for a while. With so many people in a small space, I feel one or two nooks like that will be priceless, especially once the kids reach that age around 12 or so when they get that need for time alone.

Okay, so yes, the upstairs bedroom has bunk beds but could fit two separate beds eventually. There is no TV space on purpose, we don't have one, don't plan on having one. Good catch though.

I will definitely talk to the architect about making the dining room wider. The table shown is wider than what we plan to buy and is 'fully extended' in the drawing, so normally wouldn't be that big. But I would love to be able to steal an extra foot or two, if the structure alignment to the second floor is not important. We have family dinners with extended family about twice a month and would love to be able to host them (15-ish people currently in a dining room slightly smaller than the plan here, but it's cramped).

And I think I'm leaning towards closing off the open to above entrance. I like the idea of a reading/study nook up there and a more cozy entrance. It probably sounds dumb but I was worried about moving furniture up and down with the enclosed stairs with the turn. I think I made them wide enough though that it wouldn't be much of an issue, and I don't plan on having a contoured ceiling over them so maybe it's not a big deal?

I should have asked for this feedback way sooner. Thanks everyone. Keep it rolling if possible!

Your last post made me realize you have aligned the walls upstairs with the walls downstairs - is that right (you talk about structure alignment?). You do not have to do that, so you have much more freedom to move things around upstairs.

That upstairs bathroom is large yet inefficient (vanity too small, lots of floor space, etc.) It could easily be divided into two seperate more functional baths. I cannot stress enough the need for this when your kids get older. . .

Hi,
Despite what may have been mentioned about their problems, I would really go for out-swinging french doors in the Dining Room. There are good models out there that have no water intrusion problems, and it solves what seems like a huge space problem in the room which is sized a little on the tight side. Go with a top-line Pella and you'll be okay.
Casey