I can't believe how many are still asking about this! The OP posted this in 2007: "Posted by dannic_az z7AZ (My Page) on Tue, Jul 3, 07 at 0:28 Sorry folks, the chicken tractor plan is no longer available."

You need to talk to a realtor to find out what is available in your area for sale, as there are often some screaming deals for those that can take advantage of them. You might be surprised at what 1M can buy vs build in your area. In my low cost area of the South, an older (10-20 years old) home in the most desirable upscale home section of town will run around $125 a square foot. You can find homes in OK but not luxury areas of town for $60 a square foot. To build a new upscale home will start at around $200 a square foot, and just a "regular joe" home starts at around $100 a square foot. The only people building are those who want exactly what they want where they want and who have the savings and income to be able to afford to dictate that because banks are not cooperating well with builders right now. Homes older than the 10-20 years old are also available at lower cost per square foot yet, but most people who purchase those plan to remodel them with new kitchens, master baths, and other amenities that 50 year old homes didn't have. And those are the folks who end up spending more per square foot than if they had bought new. Luxury "rebuilds" often cost upwards of $350 per square foot to accomplish, which even an average home remodel will cost $150-$200 per square foot. When you have to update a home's systems like electrical and plumbing, and also want to expand/reconfigure the space, you are MUCH better off financially buying existing or building new.

I've looked at that plan before. It looks like a very casual 1970s plan, and I like it. As always, I see a few things I'd want different: - In the master suite, I wouldn't waste a corner on a closet. I'd rearrange the bath so you could have one big closet where the lower closet is now ... and bump the master bath all the way to the edge. - I agree that I'd like the laundry nearer the master bedroom ... and it looks easy enough just to rearrange those rectangular rooms. The problem this may create is that it might mean the bedroom door's "open" to the hallway to the main living area. I think this is problem that can be overcome. If I moved the laundry, I'd be sure to make it "back up to" the hall bathroom for consolidation of plumbing. - I'd open up another entryway to the "back hall" in the crux of the kitchen's "L". This would give you a kitchen that's a galley + extra wall, which is fine. I think this'd work well for circulation. - I'd want a slider in the master bedroom to allow space directly to the patio. - Since the hallway is your office, I'd want a pocket door between that area and the main living areas.

@Mark Bischak - careful there, many of us do "purchase" our spouses online these days. I am one half of an eHarmony couple, and heck that was almost 10 years ago already ;) Yeah, these days most of my friends meet their significant others online. Other thoughts: - I don't see where 3,862 sf is going. That's a huge, expensive house, and this floorplan doesn't seem to "live big enough" for that investment. What I mean is, none of the rooms are particularly large or special. - I do agree that the downstairs will have something of a "tunnel" feel. - On a small 3/4 acre lot, are you sure you have space for a side-entry garage? I'd be concerned about the space in the garage too ... this isn't really a 3-car garage at all. It's more like a 2-car garage with storage ... I'd make the doors match what it really is. - I like that it has a family room + an away room ... that works for a family of six. I'd definitely add doors to the office so it can provide acoustical privacy. - Guests can use the full bath by the suite addition ... I'd consider losing the powder room and adding this space into the family room, which isn't very large now ... but another 5' would make it much nicer. OR put that space into the office area, which you say will be your TV room. - I like the dining room. - The kitchen is okay, though I don't like that you have to carry groceries the whole length of the kitchen to reach the pantry. - You say the girls will share the larger bedroom ... there is no larger bedroom. The bedroom with its own bathroom is roughly 181 sf, while the two matching bedrooms are approximately 183 sf. These three upstairs secondary bedrooms are almost identical in size. Plus, since they're sharing, the girls are going to have significantly less closet space. Eventually one of the girls is going to demand to move downstairs to that suite addition. When that happens, will you be okay with one girl being alone downstairs? - Looking at the upstairs, okay, I kind of see where all that square footage is going ... these are large bedrooms. I personally would rather give the kids smaller bedrooms and bigger closets ... bigger closets = cleaner rooms. I personally don't care for this large a master either ... I'd rather have larger public areas. - I like that the laundry is upstairs near the bedrooms. I don't think it looks small at all. - I don't have any love for the loft area, which is really just a large hallway. Wasted space. It'll be a dark, enclosed space. Yeah, I know, it looks open and bright in the photograph, but note that they have all the doors open, bringing in light from the bedrooms. In real life, those doors are going to be closed most of the time.