Anything is possible with enough time and money. For all of the changes you want, you'd be much better off starting from scratch and working with an experienced architect to address your needs and wants.

You are going to spend a lot of frustrating time trying to take a stock plan (with a lot of small rooms, by the way) and try to completely turn it inside out so that it hardly resembles the original stock version.

Good luck on your project.

Sure, you could do all these things.

Before you make any decisions about the garage, you need to consider the layout of your land. The plan you've presented is really only suited to a lot that already has a deep slope to it. If your land is flat, it's much more sensible to move the garage out to the side.

I'd envision a mudroom for this house to be sort of a breezeway between the house and the garage.

However, I don't think I'd like entering through the dining room. It's ideal to enter the kitchen (because the floor is usually dirt-proof, and because you're often carrying groceries), but that's not a possibility "as is".

I don't think the living room /dining room switch is do-able; well, it's do-able, but I don't know that's a good idea. There's a discrepancy between the size of the two rooms, and then you'd have both of your "living" areas to the back of the house -- that's a bit odd.

If anything, I'd consider moving the dining room to what is now the family room, making what is now the living room/dining room into one BIG family room. And you could enter the house through the great room. I could imagine the larger, front portion housing comfortable sofas /TV, and the back area having a built-in desk and game table.

To change the stairwell style, you'd have to enlarge the foyer -- probably losing either the pantry or the bath near the foyer. I would not recommend a spiral staircase; even just a queen-sized bed would be impossible.

I think a bathroom for every bedroom (especially when you have five bedrooms!) is over-kill. Bedroom 3's bathroom looks like the best candidate to become a hall bath; however, an even better choice would be to combine the laundry room and Bedroom #2's bath for one nice, big hall bath, and let Bedroom #3's bathroom become the laundry room.

As VirgilCarter says, anything is possible with enough time and money. With the exception of the garage and the upstairs bath reduction, however, I'm not sure these are improvements to the plan.

Hmm...what's less expensive, getting a degree in architecture or paying an architect? ;)

I know what you're saying VirgilC, I'm just going to keep banging my head on this wall until..we get up the nerve to call on an architect I guess. Thank you though, and yes the house would be better off a bit larger in all directions.

Mrs. Pete, I think I was posting as you were. My intention was not to switch the dining/ family room, I misspoke.. so to speak. But to God rid of the family room all together. But I am finding too many flaws with these ideas and this plan for it to work... thank you for yourideas on the plan and changes. I aappreciate your input.

Mrs. Pete, I think I was posting as you were. My intention was not to switch the dining/ family room, I misspoke.. so to speak. But to God rid of the family room all together. But I am finding too many flaws with these ideas and this plan for it to work... thank you for yourideas on the plan and changes. I aappreciate your input.

"...I know what you're saying VirgilC, I'm just going to keep banging my head on this wall until..we get up the nerve to call on an architect I guess..."

Well, yes, it can be fun searching and playing with stock floor plans. But unless one can find a stock plan that is virtually perfect for one's needs, with few revisions, it's often a frustrating waste of time.

A much more productive approach may be to:
--Create a list of priority "wants" and a second list of nice to have "desires, that both partners agree on;
--Create a list of furniture and equipment, with dimensions, that a new house must accomodate;
--Create a summary of lineal footage of storage necessary for the new house (chothes closets, food storage, etc.)

And present these lists to an architect experienced with the successful design of houses of a size and character that are representative of one's interest. Working with your architect, all of the subsequent development of a responsive and successful house design will flow naturally (and enjoyably).

Presenting a stock house plan to a licensed architect for a "few revisions" is like presenting an Internet diagnosis for an illness to a physician and asking for a written prescription based on the Internet diagnosis. It's an inaccurate and time-wasting (and money wasting) exercise that will only be frustrating to everyone.

Additionally, in most states, it's illegal for a licensed architect to stamp designs not prepared by her/him or under her/his direct supervision. So whatever stock plan an owner may present will have to be completely revised and redrawn, and, of course, the experienced architect will see many errors, omissions and possible improvements to a stock plan far beyone what an average consumer will ever see.

Finally, many folks are apprehensive to commission an architect to design their house and prepare the important construction drawings and specifications due to presumed expenses. The fact is, these early expenses are an owner's best investment to minimize construction-phase (too low) allowances by builders, minimize costly change-orders and to have a clear set of documents that illustrate fully the owner's desire for their house.

Complete construction drawings and specifications become a legal instrument as the basis for a construction contract that is in the owner's interests, rather than simply turning everything over to the builder and hoping the builder will put owner interests before builder interests.

Just some thoughts. I think you'd be a lot better using your time and energy working through your key planning and design criteria than searching the web for stock plans and spending considerable time wondering if/how they might be changed to fit your needs. Hope this helps.

Good luck with your project.