Also PPS7 - We thought for a long time about powder room placement when it came to the house plans.. We saw many ideas on where people put them but for the most part the options we were seeing was to either A) put it in the foyer area of the home, B) put it off the kitchen, or C) put it off the dining room.. After giving it some thought we really didnt like the idea of putting the powder room off of any of the eating areas.. We also didnt like the idea of putting it in the foyer.. The idea of walking into a home and bam there is the bathroom.. Again its personal preference but we just like the idea of having it more tucked away.. We were actually goign to not even have a mudroom but personally I hated the idea of walking directly into a main room of the home, whether it be the foyer, living room, kitchen, etc.. I like the separate entrance.. And honeslty the most I see being stored in that room is coats and shoes.. However we were thinking of reworking this area as we would like a side entrance into the home.. We were thinking of moving the mudroom to where the powder room is and then putting the powder room where the entry door from the garage is located and doing a powder room that is narrower so that when you open the door you have toilet on left and sink on right.. But again we do like the current setup.. Here is what it would look like:

Assuming recessed cans for kitchen lighting 1. Plan on having ~ 35 lumens per sq ft for general lighting from the main light source(s). 2. The cans should be spaced between 3' to 4' apart in some relatively regular pattern. 3. The distance from the wall is typically between 26" to 32". 4. The final position and layout is influenced by the layout of obstructions in the ceiling such as joists, plumbing, wiring, insulation, ducting, vertical clearance... 5. If you live in California or a region with energy efficiency laws (title 24 for CA), the type of recessed can is strictly governed. 6. LED recessed can lamps (e.g. - Cree CR6, LR6, Sylvania RT6) work much better than the standard bulb in a can configuration as the latter traps a significant amount of light. 7. Under cabinet lighting is very useful. 8. The glimpse LED lights can be used as surface mounted lights and can be used in places where a standard can will not fit. If you're building soffits, you could consider putting in cove lighting - either LED or T4/ T5 fluorescent. The cove lighting could be used to supplement or replace the recessed can lights. Alternatively, you could use pendants.

I noted up your plan before reading the above comments. I am in complete agreement with them. Light work surfaces rather than the tops of heads A light over a stove will only reflect off of the hood and make a big bright spot on the ceiling. Where possible light walls instead of floors except where there are no walls nearby. Light sinks from directly above and on each side if possible. Use adjustable wall lights at beds. When you enter the house the closest switch should turn on the room lights not an outdoor fan. The big storage space under the stair needs a light assuming there is no basement. The recessed fixtures lighting the walls can be adjustable floods (lamp rotates 35 degrees from vertical in housing) or reflector wall washers depending on whether you want the light on the wall to be scalloped or an even wash. There's no point in choosing fixtures and bulbs until you have a layout and know the function of each fixture. Then you would choose 4" or 5" diameter (I recommend 4") Then you would choose LED or halogen and, if LED, choose retrofit or integral and, if incandescent, choose low or line voltage. Many of these decisions involve what kind of light you like and your budget limitations. Good lighting is not cheap. An electrician will usually want to use Halo fixtures forcing you to use an eyeball or gimbal to light a wall and IMO that defeats the purpose of recessed lighting so you will need to make it clear what you want. The only mid-range brand I have found to offer a full range of recessed lighting choices is Lightolier Lytecaster. Other manufacturers have some great lights but I like for all of the recessed fixtures to be from the same manufacturer and that usually leads me back to Lightolier. .

Unfortunately that won’t work with our lot. We need to keep the garage closer to the house because of the slope. I meant maybe reconfiguring the kitchen and dining are and putting the dining area between the family room and kitchen and getting rid of the bump out. i think it’s farfetched. what do you think about a U-shaped stair? I think that would possibly work. Or I like the idea of the stair starting in the foyer and then cutting left shortly after the story and running along the family room