When you're in this thread, copy the address from the address bar at the top. Then start your thread in the Kitchen Forum and then paste this address into the "Optional Link URL" space in the new thread in the Kitchen Forum, and then type "Building a Home Forum thread" in the "Name of the Link" space below it.

They will want to see the entire first floor plan, as well as the revised kitchen plan. There's also a thread in Kitchens on either page 1 or 2 called "Read me if you're new to the kitchen forum" (or something similar) that can provide lots of guidance and food for thought.

Anne

You said the foundation was in, but haven't indicated if the interior walls are up. If they aren't, I'd stop until you get a plan you are more comfortable with. Moving some interior walls is not usually a problem, if it's done before the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical are in. Better to change things now and spend a little more, than have to live with what you already recognize as an unsatisfactory floor plan.

Things that seem to me to be problems:

--Your mother's bedroom. I lived in a 1200 sf condo with a MBR that was 15' x 12'3". The 15' length is fine, but in looking at your plan, I'm trying to figure out where you will put the desk, TV, chests, and bed with the 11'1-1/2" size. Have you worked that out with the designer? Maybe having a twin bed instead of a queen like we had will work, but if she has a hospital bed or a wheelchair, and if there's any furniture on the wall opposite the foot of the bed, I see a crowded, very awkward space. If you need more space, could you bump an alcove into the "study" for the desk/TV or chest? A good interior designer could then get the balance (although maybe not the symmetry) of the new DR/study to work. At 16', you have enough sf to give up 2-4' (total for both sides) for the BR alcove and a buffet on the opposite side and still have 12' left for the table and chairs, unless they are quite large.

Has your designer actually measured and located your furniture in all of the rooms? Some designers are good with sizing things; others could make mistakes like your architect has with the kitchen, etc.

--The down stairs and the great room corner seem like they'd be visually discordant, and are awkward at best. I'd get rid of the closet in the foyer by the existing DR, move the DR doors forward, and move the stairs forward so that the down stairs line up with the hall to your mother's room. Get rid of that short, odd great room corner wall. Then you could move the kitchen forward and maybe have enough space to rearrange things and come up with a decent sized island. The revised kitchen is better than the original, but still doesn't seem special enough for this house.

--There's a lot of space given to halls. There has to be a better way to deal with the "study"/great room/hall situation.

Anne

Our interior walls are not up yet. The outside 1st floor walls are up with the exception of the garage wall. Builder wants revised plans right away so that 2nd flr walls can be put up and then roof. We are in Wisconsin and we are already having extreme weather.

I had asked the builder and his architect about the bedroom size and they had both assured me that there would be space for all I wanted and wheelchair. Wrong advise again I guess.

OK, you obviously need to keep moving.

If you have a twin or hospital bed and put the headboard against one of the long walls with the long side of the bed parallel to the big window about 2' from the window wall, and don't put anything at the foot of the bed except maybe a wall mounted TV, things should fit. If she only has one chest and a desk, they could be on opposite walls and there would still be turn around space for a wheel chair. Don't know if you'd have room for a comfortable chair, but maybe she'll always be in the main part of the house the rest of the time. Not ideal, but it can work.

To alleviate the awkward down stairs/great room corner setup, forget everything I said before. I'd have the study, which I still would make the dining room because of its location and size, stay the same with its 3 sets of beautiful French doors and transoms. The dining room would become your husband's office, with French doors to both entrances. The foyer closets and stairs would stay the same and keep the symmetry. However, I'd try real hard to get rid of the wall between the great room and the hall and that corner wall that butts up to the kitchen wall. That would make the great room even larger, but the other rooms are so large that I think this one would still be ok. This would get rid of some useless hall space, and greatly improve the transition from the foyer to the great room IMO. This will only work if structurally it makes sense. You might need a couple of beams, but I think they could be hidden in the ceiling. I would be interested in macv's opinion on this if he is reading this and if you and your DH like the idea. In any case, your architect would obviously have to be consulted.

Since the last time I looked, I didn't see a post on the kitchen forum with your plan, I'll give it a shot here. All of my references will be to your original plan, not the revised kitchen. However, I'm using the SIZE of the revised plan. I'd move the kitchen door to the left, so that the left side of the door is opposite the end of the stairs. Keep the cabinets along the kitchen-great room wall, getting rid of the cabinets to the left of the kitchen door. Move the cooktop to its left, and put a hutch that suits your house style in place of some of the cabinets on the right end of the cabinet run on the kitchen-GR wall. Get rid of both peninsulas. From the right of the pantry door running to the kitchen door have an L of cabinets, with the fridge on the end next to the pantry door and the oven/MW next to the kitchen door. Somewhere in the cabinets in the L between the fridge and the ovens, put a large bar sink and your wet bar setup. At least 42" from the perimeter cabinets, put an island that has corners on both ends toward the kitchen door, but as it extends towards where you have the 42" eat-in counter it becomes circular. Sort of hard to explain, but I hope someone else can draw this up and post it if they can follow what I'm saying. The island would be straight on the side opposite the cooktop/hutch side, and then start to curve to the right when it is opposite the end of the hutch. The island would be straight on the right side until it is past the fridge, and make a deeper curve to the right before turning to the left a couple of feet past the pantry door, thus forming a circle as it connects up with the other side. So the end of the island towards the dinette would look somewhat like part of a round table with maybe a 48" diameter. On the longest straight side of the island (opposite the cooktop/hutch cabinet run) would be the DW on the right corner that's opposite the kitchen door, and the sink would be to the left of this.

I've sketched this out, and it seems like it should work. You'd have a place for family to sit around the curved end, a great circulation area when you have larger groups, the wet bar in an out of the way but easy to access area, and I think it would be more functional and look more interesting than either of the plans you have.

Hope this helps you with some ideas of changes you might discuss with your husband, designer, and architect.

I really feel for you with the snow you've been getting (my DH's brother lives in Madison), and not being closed in yet. We put our roof on between Christmas and New Years a couple of years ago with better weather than you're having.

Anne

This is kind of a radical idea, but can you get a highly functional houseplan from someone on this forum that will fit the foundation without many modifications?

Are you planning to get ideas here and then go to your architect to make the changes? Will he do that?

I kind of like the idea of switching dining room and study.
I'd modify the bedroom entry, closet and bath after dining and great room are defined.

The way you have the stairs and the hallway in front of it bothers me but all of that can be changed once you define great room and dining (former study). The kitchen is not ok but I think you already know that.

When do you need to change these plans?

I like this kind of chalenges but time is tigh right now.

Since your mom is going to live in the bedroom near where alot of the activity will be....you might want to sound proof her walls..

Yes, we are hoping to get ideas here and take to architect. We are also hoping the builder does allow these changes. Because of the winter weather, we need to proceed quickly but I do need to get this right. Builder is out of town till Jan 9.

I would be very interested in seeing your ideas regarding the above changes you mention.

Also if anybody is able to draw up Anne's ideas, that would be great. And if anybody has any comments about other areas that have issues, please do let me know.

Thanks a bunch for your help

What's in the basement and does the stair to it need to be so prominent?

I am puzzled by the handicap accessible spaces and the "floor level changes" as well as other strange layout ideas.

It makes me curious to know if a licensed design professional was involved.

I guess the "FLR CHANGE" refers to a change in the flooring rather than the floor. Even if the note was clear it's not really necessary if the flooring is called out in each room so I'm still curious about the background of the author of the plans.

The most serious issue with this plan is the kitchen being pushed back in the house by the stairway/hall and forcing the kitchen corner against the back inside corner making an awkward passage not only there but at the stairway/hall/Great Room.

I don't see an easy fix without somehow moving the stair. It's unfortunate the architect isn't working for you. I'll never understand why an architect would want to work for anyone other than the owner of a building and why an owner would not insist on a direct relationship. Design is hard enough as it is without creating unnecessary obstacles.

Sorry to rant but my primary responsibility in my professional life is to protect owners and I hate to see them hurt by a careless builder.

macv, we share the same concerns here. In my earlier posts I made some suggestions, but not being a professional (only an experienced novice who spent a LOT of years drawing up our plans before turning them over to someone with better credentials!), don't really know what's doable.

Can you give any kind of educated guess as to whether my suggestion from a previous post would work, especially the beams? Not a great solution, but maybe easier that moving the stairs and reconfiguring that entire area. Obviously, the original architect is the only one who knows the structure, but is this even worth mentioning to him?

"To alleviate the awkward down stairs/great room corner setup . . . I'd try real hard to get rid of the wall between the great room and the hall and that corner wall that butts up to the kitchen wall. That would make the great room even larger, but the other rooms are so large that I think this one would still be ok. This would get rid of some useless hall space, and greatly improve the transition from the foyer to the great room IMO. This will only work if structurally it makes sense. You might need a couple of beams, but I think they could be hidden in the ceiling. I would be interested in macv's opinion on this . . ." ;o)

macv, do you see any way to improve the bedroom setup for Jessica's disabled mother? I find it hard to believe that a professional would design a bedroom at 11' wide for any adult, let alone one who's disabled. And there will be no privacy when they are entertaining non-family members.

Anne

What has concerned me from the beginning for this poster is that she has mentioned several times that "the builder has assured us that the size is adequate." If the builder is already trying to sweep the concerns away this early in the build, I would be wondering how he would react to other issues, and questions, throughout the process.

In my opinion, mom's BR width can be changed to 12'-4" maximum making the dining 13'-9". It will create a domino effect since you need to give the dining some symmetry, which is possible...and the great room...and so on to also fix the kitchen.
I asked if the architect would change the plans because if he changes the plans (are you paying him for this additional work?), is not a quick fix and if someone here do the work... I think that is sad if you are paying an architect and - Is the architect still going to be responsible for the outcome?
On the other hand...You do not know contractors. Expect him to say that if will be more work (more expensive). if kitchen becomes bigger, more cabinets, more tile, more $$.

I don't see why the inside wall of the Great Room can't align with the railing of the stair to the basement so there is at least some semblance of order to the plan.

Of course, there is no way to know if that wall is structural and sits over a line of posts and footings in the basement. A plan of the basement would help.

Your mother's bedroom is essentially the same size as my mother-in-law's bedroom (14-4 x 11-2) and she has a double bed and is in a wheelchair. It's adequate as a bedroom but it is not a living space and adding a foot to it won't change that.

Macv you are right about your comments. This has hurt us tremendously. I have not been able to eat or sleep. It has become a complete nightmare for us. The builder has also not placed our home to our satisfaction. Although we have a 1.7 acre lot with the woods in the rear, the way he has placed our home, our neighbor has full view of our backyard and part of the back of our home. He was supposed to walk the lot with us and show us the placement but he just took our signature on the survey and before we know it, he has put footings for the basement.

Here is the link to the basement plan. We do intend to finish part of it with a bedroom, bathroom, rec room with bar, excercise or media room.
The 2 beams underneath the great room have been replaced with 14 inch joists after I had concerns about the beams in the middle of the rec room especially the one in front of the spot for the fireplace which is underneath my mom's bedroom closet. Also the 2 beams underneath the dinette and hearth room is replaced by 1. There is a steel beam dividing the dinette from the hearth room, about 12 ft from dinette wall and 5 ft from kitchen wall.

Here is a link that might be useful: basement

Marthaelena, I am hoping not to pay this architect more money. I am in this situation because of lack of proper guidance from a professional that I trusted. The architect overlooked details. I don't think I should be paying him to correct his own oversights. The builder is charging me a pretty penny for this house. I told him my needs and he sought to fulfill them but all in a hodge-podge manner. I think he was hoping I would not pick up on these oversights till the house was built and then I would just have to live with it. He would have collected his money and I would be stuck with a flawed plan.

For a house this size, I feel the laundry room is far too distant from the bedrooms, via a staircase, a long hall and then an awkward zig-zag through the rear entry room before you even get to the laundry room. Since most of the clothing generates from the bedrooms, this is poorly planned. Why, with all but one bedroom upstairs, isn't there an upstairs laundry?? Hopefully you will have a maid to run this obstacle course for you. I haven't looked any further at this plan to make any more comments yet, but that problem hit me at first glance.

I couldn't follow your comments about basement beam changes. Is the plan you linked (with steel beams and 12" I-joists) the final one or not?

Could she have meant "beam" when she said "post" sometimes?

Anne

How would you use a "planing" desk and is it important for it to be in that location? (Are you designing boat hulls?)

Here is my plan for your home. comments to follow.

anne

jessica,
Is it possible to get the cad file from the architect?
If not, Do you have a better drawing?

It sounds like macv is working on a layout that will probably be better than mine. However, this morning I got out my old laptop that still has my old 3D Home Architect software on it from when I designed our house, drew your plan into it, and played around with it today. Tonight DH got our digital camera back from my son and was able to take a picture of the plan and post it for me. Actually, I wasnt quite done with it when he came home, but I figured if I didnÂt have him post it then, it might not get done at all.

I got the kitchen to come out the way I wanted--had to make some minor changes to get everything to fit. Since I posted the layout, IÂve changed the cabs on each side of the cooktop to 27" wide, the dish cab to 54" w, & the cab between the ovens and lazy susan to 15" w. I switched the ovens and fridge back to where I first had them--fridge is recessed into the pantry to the right of the pantry door so it is counter depth. Ovens are to the right of the kitchen door, don't stick out as far as the fridge did, and make the corner between the ovens and the fridge more open. If you want a door here, a pocket would work nicely. I took the short wall between the Dinette and Hearth room out, since it was visually obstructive.

The island as drawn is ~ 10Â long and the circle has a diameter of 5Â. It also looks fine if the diameter is 54". If you want an island this long and canÂt find granite long enough, you could do butcher block or a different surface across the end opposite the ovens. Since this is an interior kitchen, I would put in a couple of SunTunnels or Solatubes. Sorry, I forgot to draw in their locations on the layout. IÂd center them and make them as symmetrical as much as possible over the aisles on each side of the square end of the island. You can build a chase for them in the right corner of the WIC of bedroom #2 and in the corner of BR#2 formed by the toilet wall and the 42" wall behind the door in the vanity room. We did this and it makes quite a bit of difference, especially on sunny days and at certain times of the day. (We had 8Â ceilings in our second floor and a 10/12 roof pitch. I posted a link to this thread over on the kitchen forum in case anyone wants to improve on my layout.

I tried quite a few different ideas to solve the foyer, stairs, study/dining, great room problem. With my 3DHA, I can walk through the plan in 3D and see how it would look, and based on those images, this is what looked best to me. It depends on NOT having any pillars or posts, and getting rid of most of the great room wall from the left of the wet bar around the "L" to the kitchen wall. The various attempts at pillars, posts, partial walls, etc. didnÂt look balanced or symmetrical--just bad. Whether this works structurally I don't know. I tried leaving out the DR walls, but the GR, DR, & foyer together were just huge. The DR and foyer are much more attractive as defined rooms here.

My goal was to open up the approach to the great room from the foyer and make it attractive. To achieve this, I HAD to get rid of the obstructing corners. I switched the open side of the down stairway from the hall side to the foyer side, dumped the great room corner, and cut the corners of the DR which continues the idea of the cut off corners in the hearth room and dinette and those of the soffit in the study. The view is great; you can see the fireplace as you approach from most of the foyer. That heating or plumbing chase (or whatever it is) on the foyer side of the DR corner will need to be relocated. I find it hard to believe that the architect (are you sure heÂs not a designer?) put this here; at the very least, it should have been on the DR side of the wall which should have lined up with that short wall to the kitchen. That entire 3-corner ungrand entrance to the great room is the worst approach to the main room that I think IÂve ever seen!

I forgot to make the dining room entrance opposite the study doors 4Â wide so that they match. I didnÂt put any doors on the DR, although you could. The entrance from the great room to the DR is 54" wide--60 seemed a little wide because of the other doors being 48", and 48" seemed a little small. I doubt if anyone would notice the difference of 6".

By the BR door in the left angle is a display case for art objects, or you could make it almost rectangular for a bookcase. After posting this plan, I added another short wall to connect the isolated piece of the GR wall to the DR, just past the art object shelving. ItÂs about 3Â6" out from the BR door opening, and makes a sort of entrance to that room; no door there, just a cased opening of about 4Â6". I located this wall so that the 2 short walls on each side of the DR opening are equal.

I took macvÂs suggestion and lined up what is left of the GR wall with the stairway wall, and carried it through to the WIC, giving the BR a little more space. I took what looks like wasted space behind the fireplace and put it in the linen closet, which gave me room to move the vanity over and still keep it 5Â. Whoops! Forgot to put the chase at the end of the vanity in.

In the powder room, I switched the fixtures to the longer wall, and reversed the door. Since 1Â6" was given to the kitchen, the closets in the rear entry no longer work, so I switched things around and took some space from the utility room. If you need a little more space, you could bump into the study for part of the closets. ItÂs hard to see, but I donÂt think the architect made the 2 doors through the rear entry from the garage to the hall 3Â wide, as they should be for your mother. In the utility room, I left the door to the hearth room where it was, so you can leave the fire place where it is if you want to. All the appliances had to move to the other side, and the base cabinets opposite them are 18" deep. Upper storage cabs probably should be 9" deep. If you need more length in this room, you could bump into the hearth room for this and the pantry.

I assume this is all 2x6 exterior walls. We made our garage walls the same as the rest of the house, and got insulated garage doors--it all helps that side of the house. IÂd put a pedestrian door to the garage in that inset by the study, and move the one on the opposite side of the garage up near the hearth room since the garage is so large--seems like itÂd be more convenient, but depends on how you use your yard. Will you have glass in your garage doors? If not, windows on the wall without them would provide more natural light in what will otherwise be a dark garage.

Be sure the stair widths are all at least 42"; I think the architect has them at 39". Since you are finishing your basement, it would be a good idea to have the layout drawn out exactly, or the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical subs could put things where you might not want them--like the posts/beams you mentioned before. Sometimes these guys have no choice, but there were times when I had to make decisions about where I wanted a soffit, or a ceiling to be dropped where they HAD to run ducts, etc.

I have to say that the thing that bothers me the most about your situation (other than that horrible way into the great room that the architect drew for you), is that you were not consulted about the siting of your house. How could he NOT have the location of the house approved by you and your husband??? Did he say why??? Did you buy the lot, and then find him, or did you buy the lot from him? IÂm quite worried about what else heÂs going to do or not do. You may want to read your contract very carefully to see whatÂs in it. You also should ask around and maybe talk to a couple of lawyers who deal with building issues, have them look at your contract, and advise you of what recourse you have (usually not much, even if you have a good contract) if you run into problems. Builders get away with a lot. How far away from the building site are you? How often do you and your DH go there? We were at our site daily, and caught all kinds of mistakes, large and small.

I hope this layout is helpful, and that if you donÂt like it, or it doesnÂt work, that at least you get some ideas from it.

Anne

Since nothing seems to align structurally between the basement and first floor it is difficult to move walls on the first floor. Can I assume it was the main steel girders that moved away from the center of the house and that the joists between them are supporting the bearing walls that support the second floor framing? It would help to have the corrected structural framing for the upper floors. There's no point in designing something that can't be built on the existing footings.

A few other things I noticed on my plan, or changed since I posted it:

--My software design program requires walls in order to name rooms & give their dimensions. I can make it an invisible wall (like between the dinette & hearth room), but it still takes 4" of space that it doesn't count when computing the room sizes. That's partly why the left kitchen wall is not bumped to the left a little in my layout as it is in your architect's plan. Also, my software figures each wall at 4" in depth, while I think some design software might use a different number. So additional space is needed for all of the drywall thickness, wiggle room for cabinets, etc. Also, some dimensions I was guessing at, and some I didn't have time to go back and correct. The kitchen is 14'6", not the 15'5" measurement the program picked up as the widest part where the fridge is recessed.

--If possible, halls are much better at 42" wide; I think the architect has the one between the kitchen and stairs at 39".

--The balusters work on either side of the down stairs--there are pros and cons to each side.

--I put an extra wall behind the washer, dryer, etc. for extra depth for the dryer duct, washer hose set up, etc., so that's why that measurement came up as 7'11". With that being an outside wall in Wisconsin, that lets you insulate the original wall fully, and build a dummy wall for the things I mentioned.

--I changed the bar sink by substituting two 18" wide cabinets in place of the 36" I had. With the bar sink in the right one, that gives you counter space between the fridge and sink.

--I changed the rear entry since I didn't like the 46' straight view from the entry door to the great room cabinets. I moved the door to where the cubbies are, the cubbies to where the bench is, the bench to where the door is, made a 6' closet that lines up with the study wall in case you have to bump into the study for space, and put more cubbies (or hooks, shelves, recycling, or whatever you want) where the right closet is.

--You might want to try to locate a structural engineer who can go over your plans, whether you make any changes or not, but especially if you do. (They are not easy to find.) A long-time poster on this forum for a while was Susiesnowflake, who built somewhere in Wisconsin, had a dreadful experience, litigation, lots of $$$, etc. She started out like it sounds like you are, but ultimately became an expert on structural and moisture issues out of necessity. When people would post with building problems, she would often advise paying for a structural engineer now, to avoid paying big bucks later like she had to. BTW, do a little research before your windows are installed to be sure YOU understand how to properly flash them so that you can be sure the builder's subs do it correctly. It doesn't matter that he builds 100s of houses--we used to drive by lots of improperly flashed windows in houses being built in large subdivisions. Improper flashing = moisture/rot/mold issues.

Sorry to be making so many suggestions at a time when you are already losing sleep over this. I'm hoping these things will help you get a better house and help in the long run, since you've already had some red flags from your builder.

Anne

Sorry I did not reply earlier, I was just able to get to the computer.

I don't know the technical details. The plan of the basement I uploaded is not final. The architect has still not e-mailed me the plan. I scanned from 1/8 th inch plan I had. I apologize that I am unable to explain correctly.

Marthaelena, I will ask for CAD file from the builder.

Macv, 2 beams or columns ( I am not sure if I am calling it correctly) below the great room are replaced by 14'' joists. I have some steel calculations and truss drawings which I will try to post.

We wanted the planning desk so that we could have a computer, phone there and spot for my younger kids to do homework as they need my help when I am in the kitchen. Currently our dinette table is being used and is a big mess. We miss having a planning desk close to the kitchen in our current house and desired that in our new home. What are boat hulls?

Wow Anne!! You are better than my architect! I like the way you made the great room more open. With your plan, I could leave the dining room and study how they are or switch them. I guess the changes will depend on the structural details. I wish the builder's architect had paid attention to details like you have.

We bought the lot from the builder who is also the developer of the subdivision. There are several subdivisions he has developed and many houses he has built. In the subdivision, there are 13 lots, 4 of which have homes, all built as spec homes by him. 2 houses have been sold 2 years ago and the other 2 are on the market. The builder would not take the price down for this lot at all as he said it was an inside lot with view of the woods from the back. So we paid him full price as we wanted the private backyard. Now we don't have that because of the placement of the house. Had he informed us before we would not have bought this lot from him. He did not walk the lot with us before digging. He took our signature on the survey telling us it is the best way to place the house and that he would walk it with us before digging but he didn't.

The builder expanded on a plan of a previous house he had built. He then gave his preliminary drawings to his architect. The architect then drew the final version.

The fireplace in the hearth room has been moved to center of the wall with the fireplace box partly outside and partly in the garage. So the door to utility room can be moved. The wall between hearth room and dinette is removed but there is a structural column there about 5' from kitchen.

How do I learn about flashings? Search for window flashings on the internet?

Is there someone who can inspect the building process? How do I find a reliable one? Are they very expensive?

Thank you so much for your advice.

I've got some links for you and some more info about some other things, as well as a few comments on your 2nd floor design--I'm especially concerned about the design of your jack and jill bath (see link below). Things have been busy for the last couple of days, so I'll try to post the info later tonight or tomorrow.

Anne

The architect spelled "planning" as if he were a boat hull designer. Did we establish that he/she is really a building architect?

Its more energy efficient to have none of the fireplace on an outside wall, so it would be better to keep it in the corner, or shift it so that it backs entirely onto the garage wall.

Since theres a post between the dinette & the hearth room, Id try working it (and a matching dummy post) into some sort of buffet/server between the rooms. It would look better than having a partial wall there. Also, its not clear on your posted plan how the windows in those rooms will be, but since the 2 rooms are sort of combined as one, I think there might be a better looking window set up--sort of hard to tell, though.

DH has provided the following links for flashing. They are from the Building Science website--they are the experts!

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/3-water-management-and-vapor-control/drainage-plane-water-resistive-barrier/

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/3-water-management-and-vapor-control/pan-flashing-for-exterior-wall-openings/

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/3-water-management-and-vapor-control/common-flashing-details/

Link to a pdf file
http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-0509a-details-for-mold-free-homes/view?topic=/resources/homeowner_resources

"Is there someone who can inspect the building process? How do I find a reliable one? Are they very expensive?" This is a tough one for a variety of reasons. We had met a man through the people who helped us build our ICF walls. He was unbelievably knowledgeable about all aspects of building. He inspected houses for a national builder in our area to be sure the subs were doing what they were supposed to. We hired him on a weekend to inspect our rough framing. He spent several hours going through the house with DH (we were owner-builders) and visually examined everything (he did not refer to the plans). And yet, he missed a really crucial mistake that DH and a builder wed hired as a consultant found later. On the plans, it showed two point loads--places where there were supposed to be squash blocks to help carry the load. They had to tear out some framing, jack up the wall or floor (I forget the details), and put the squash blocks in. Really major oversight! So I dont know how to answer this for you.

Another point I want to make, particularly in light of how you feel about your builder already, as well as the suggestions weve all made or are going to make: you are going to have many months of a relationship with your builder. Youve already signed a contract, yet are going to ask/insist on some changes. Its your money, but basically hes in the drivers seat. If you antagonize him, there are all kinds of ways he can make things difficult for you. But you need to stand up for what you want in this house that you are spending a great deal of money on. Thats why I previously suggested that you find a good lawyer who is familiar with residential construction issues to find out what you can and cannot reasonably do in light of whats in your contract. Do NOT let the builder know about any people you may be consulting to get better info from. It will make your relationship worse. The major clout you may have is that he has so many lots to still sell and build on. He would not want an unhappy customer badmouthing him to prospective clients.

I would ask to see the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical layouts. You have a right to know where the chases, ducts, registers, switches, etc. will be, so they wont interfere with where you might be planning to put a piece of furniture or an appliance. I would especially want to see how hes going to get heat/AC to the bonus room. It should NOT be run in outside walls or between the joists in the garage ceiling, which is the way Ive usually seen it done.

BTW, many of the things you might bring up with the builder will get one of two responses: "I build everything to code", and "Ive got 20 years (or however many) experience, and thats how we do it." Two problems with this--building to code is the absolute MINIMUM, not necessarily the best, and things have changed a LOT in the last 20 years. We built under the 2003 Michigan code. Since then, there were changes in 2006 and 2009. Many of these changes have to do with energy and moisture issues, which can create big problems if not done correctly. One thing our code said you HAVE to do is seal the HVAC ducts (and not with duct tape!). Our local building inspector, who is a builder with a "side" job of building million dollar houses (conflict of interest?), said he did not require that the ducts be sealed! DH did it anyway, because it saves energy.

Back to your HVAC and the bonus room. Im not an expert, but I heard DH, who had researched everything extensively, talk constantly about many of the HVAC, plumbing, & electrical issues. He was extremely ill when it was time for them to do their work, so I had to go around with them and talk about what went where. DH was adamant that the duct work to the bonus room go up an INSIDE wall, over the band joist, and run through CONDITIONED space (that means that its heated and cooled, not outside in the attic or garage). We ran it along the inside wall, and built a long bench over it. We insulated the heck out of the attic and garage ceiling (spray foam and cellulose), and the bonus room is the warmest place on the 2nd floor!

I have to get off the computer now--may add more tomorrow.

Anne

To finish up on my bonus room HVAC comments--I would think the ducts would have to come up through the right side of the existing dining room (easier to work into the room layout if this is a study IMO) and utility room, and then through the 2 WICs above, then over the band joist into the bonus room. Also, be sure the dryer is vented to the outside, not into the attic or garage as has often been done in the past. Be sure you have an HRV or ERV (I forget which one is right for your climate) for ventilation.

You mentioned the unsatisfactory siting of your house. Which direction is south? How far is your house from the lot line on the part where the neighbors can see over your lot and to your house? Could you plant a mix of strategically placed evergreens and deciduous trees to block their view?

To find a structural engineer, you could do a search for one in WI, call a couple, ask for recommendations for someone in your area. You would want him to look at your final plans. It would be great to have him inspect the house after framing; that could be difficult to arrange because many builders do not want anyone on site while they are building, especially someone who might find a problem. We once heard an excellent nationally known building issues speaker, Paul Fisette, who said someone had done an experiment to see if subs performed better if their work was inspected. Guess what the result was! Your money, your house--diplomacy is the tough part.

Anne

Thanks Anne for all the tips. We are truly ignorant about home building process. That's why we were hoping that this experienced builder would guide us well. But unfortunately he has failed us so far.

Please do let me know if anything else comes to mind.

Our house is 50 ft away from our neighbors on the side, but our house is not placed in line with theirs. Our house is in front of theirs, hence they have the direct view of the back of our house including our walk out basement. All the builder had to do was to push the house 5o ft behind and we could have gotten privacy. However this would have increased the length of the driveway. The driveway is included in the cost of the home. The builder was trying to save some money on the driveway, so he could increase his profit margin. A few hundred or thousand savings in cost of a longer driveway has cost us our privacy. Now we always have to have shades drawn all the time. We will put in trees, but they take several years to grow to a size that would provide privacy. We are so upset about this. I can understand if this was a 1/2 acre lot but this is a 1.7 acres. Our current home is on a lot that is less than 1/2 acre and cost us 1/3 rd the price and we have more privacy.

You are right Anne, it seems we are at the mercy of the builder. After paying him so much, we have to go thru this.

Yes, Macv, he is a building architect.

In order to get the cad drawings, wouldn't I need the software on my computer?

Jessica,
No, you do not need the software unless you want to open it. You can receive it and then forward it to whomever you want. You can send it to me if you want.
You can download an AutoCAD viewer that allows you to see the drawing, I think is free and if not, most likely there is a free trial version that you can use for some time (AutoCAD also has trial versions).

I truly hope things get better for you with your builder. I listed most of the things I could think of to watch out for, since I had the time now and life is about to get a lot busier for me. I don't know how often I'll still be checking back here, since I go in spurts.

Anne

The architect won't give me the cad file. Also he has e-mailed me a pdf version that is secured and I can only read it but can't print, etc.

Any original document prepared by an architect belongs to the architect. An architect would only give a CAD file to a client (and thereby lose control of the use of it) if he was well compensated for it.

Could you comment on what you would change on the plans I posted already?

I don't think this is a house design that I could improve enough by moving walls and spaces here and there because that seems to just create other problems. I would have to understand the existing structure and the status of the work so I could treat it like a renovation project.

The only thing that has occurred to me that the stair is located poorly and the only solution I can think of is to flip it so you walk under it's intermediate landing when entering the house. I have to admit that I don't like two-story entrance vestibules unless they are part of a stair hall. I've done the walk-under stair a few times and it worked well.

However, the entrance to the Great Space from the entrance space would still be a bit of a problem and how open you want the kitchen to the entrance space is another. The hall to your mother's bedroom is another. The kitchen layout is easy.

I have trouble staying focused on with this kind of design problem unless I have a deadline and a demanding client who pays on time.

We are planning a meeting with the builder this weekend. Any comments on flaws in the design on any of the floors would be much appreciated. Any ideas would be very welcome. I know some would be feasible and some not. You could also e-mail me at jinomac@yahoo.com.

Someone told me that it is typical for the surveyor, builder, and owner to meet and decide on the home site location. Is that how it is usually done?

Jessica,
Your home probably will have a few flaws but there is not perfect plan. After seeing the complete plan set, I noticed many nice things, too.
The thing that bothers me the most as I first mentioned is the odd spot by the stairs and hallway. Instead sending this to you email, I decided to post it here in case there is something that I am not seeing or to get some opinions.
This is a partial idea of that I think you could do. I wanted to define the Foyer and give some privacy to your mom's room entry. I did not modify the kitchen (lack of time) but I know you will make it bigger.
I do not agree with the idea of making the great room/ a big room. I like some separation. Instead the double hutches/built-in that I show, a closet with the door in front of your Mom's room or a wet bar enclosed in 3 walls with doors off the dining or off the great room. The trick is to find the right doors for the bar maybe wood and glass folding doors?
The bulkheads are optional, depending on the look you are going after. I have no cad here so I used paint.
Hope this helps.

About the placement of your home in the lot, I cannot imagine having and architect designing your home and he did not provide a site plan. For a good architect the site is very important. On the other hand, in most areas they require a site plan where you show setbacks to get a building permit. After the big mistake of the builder, he owns you to make you happy for the rest of the building process.
Good luck

Here is the best I could do but I suspect it is too late to help.

Wow, I love your plan, macv--shows what a GOOD architect can do!

Anne

Thanks, but I just discovered that the first floor ceiling height is 10-0 so the main stair is still a problem.

WOW! Great job macv - vast vast improvement!

Thank you Marthaelena and Macv for your drawings. I love how you have opened up the living room to the foyer. Macv, have you taken 2' from the utility room? What are the dimensions of the kitchen?
The builder did say that the stairs cannot be moved. I will ask builder what is possible with these drawings.
Thank you so much for your help.
Please do let me know if you see any other flaws that need our attention.

With all of the kids you have, especially the teens, I would give up that hearth room before I gave up even ONE INCH of space in my laundry/utility area. I don't utilize my hearth room surprisingly as much as you might think.

So here's another option to think about:

Open up the kitchen to that huge living room by leaving out that wall. Put in a single row of cabinets instead with no uppers (or use columns) so that the room is open to the kitchen. Then utilize the present breakfast room to make the kitchen larger. Use the hearth room as a really awesome family sized eating area which still includes the fireplace. You could still have your desk and probably make it bigger.

With a big basement, do you really need two family areas upstairs anyway (hearth room and living room)--when teenagers would rather be in the basement away from it all.

Good luck.

I particularly like moving the powder room to decrease the size of the study and increase the size of the kitchen - 12 x 12 is plenty big for a study and makes for a cozy space. It also eliminates the rectangular space for the study which to me would always look like a dining room was supposed to be there. . . If you look at jamesmichaelhoward.com he has a cozy much smaller study (looks more like 9 x 11) and it is a great little space.

I just realized Marthaelena had drawn the earlier plans; I thought the architect had finally gotten the message and cleaned up the connection between the main rooms and the entrance foyer. My plan used that solution as a starting point...nice work.

The basement stair could remain as it was if the overlap was reduced to 12 or 13 risers instead of 16. In other words, the basement stair could start 3 treads farther to the right and open up the hall while hiding the ceiling intrusion of the flight above. Then the back hall would have more room for the half bath, etc.

I'm new here but have enjoyed reading the posts. Considering using the Oak Hill Lane plan and noticed from other posts that some of you have built with that design. Can you give me some advice on changes you'd make? I'd love to see photos of how yours turned out if you're willing to share. Thanks.