Overall I do like it, but would change a few things if it was for me. If the basement is just for mechanical and storage, why not just build a same floor mechanical room into the current gargage space, and adjust the garage over a bit. It avoids the "wasted" space and hazards of stairs, eliminates water /flood issues,and makes it easier to get things in/out of storage. Where the current stairs are could be a big walk in storage closet.(I grew up in one story homes, and have never gotten used to basements myself.) Is there a way to make a mudroom entrance from out back by scooting the den office over? Or would you always want to enter the garage then the mudroom, which could keep the biggest mess out of the house altogether. A bench in the garage could be great. I have never had a house with an actual mudroom, so I don't speak from experience. But I think I would like to be able to also enter a mudroom without going through the garage. And it could give a way out the back of the house which I would also want. On the other hand, it makes for a lot of doors in a small room............. Ultimately this house is for you and your husband to live in and enjoy, so it should be the way that makes the most sense for how you live. (I do agree that at least a half bath would add a lot to resale value, more than the initial cost, but the cost/benefit is for the 2 of you to decide) I do like that it is a practical design with added details that fit your needs and make it more interesting than a plain box shape. And if you build exactly as it it will be beautiful! I like the way everyone lives a little differently and comes up with such varied ideas for home design, and you get to pick what is best for you. Good luck! And post more pictures as you progress. I like watching folks progress from design to actual build, since it is so hard to really know what a plan actually is to live in. And maybe some day I will be able to go through the process myself.

Okay-- concerning 2 vs 3 2x4's, I don't really see a problem with it. it'd be a little unorthodox, but you could actually "form" the shower pan with the 2 2x4's, and then bring the mud pan all the way to the top (including cement board on top of the 2x4's). Use a Kerdi drain, and either Kerdi Membrane of Laticrete Hyroban liquid membrane (either way, a surface applied shower pan), and just make an elevated curbless shower base, mounting your glass over the 2x4's. if you want to have some sort of curb, though, I would strongly suggest going up the third 2x4, or you're going to have a very small piece between the top of the curb and the top of the shower floor. You really want to have a little bigger piece-- won't collect "junk" as easily. As for your shower pan question, Below is a link to the step by step construction of a standard shower pan. Additionally, For the standard pan, if the plumber's going to install it, and he balks at the thought of a preslope under the pan membrane, you can show him this: Uniform Plumbing Code related to shower pan construction. "412.8 When the construction of on-site built-up shower receptors is permitted by the Administrative Authority, one of the following means shall be employed: (1) Shower receptors built directly on the ground: Shower receptors built directly on the ground shall be watertight and shall be constructed from approved type dense, non-absorbent and non-corrosive materials. Each such receptor shall be adequately reinforced, shall be provided with an approved flanged floor drain designed to make a watertight joint in the floor, and shall have smooth, impervious, and durable surfaces. (2) Shower receptors built above ground: When shower receptors are built above ground the sub-floor and rough side of walls to a height of not less than three (3) inches (76 mm) above the top of the finished dam or threshold shall be first lined with sheet plastic*, lead* or copper* or shall be lined with other durable and watertight materials. All lining materials shall be pitched one-quarter (1/4) inch per foot (20.9 mm/m) to weep holes in the subdrain of a smooth and solidly formed sub-base. All such lining materials shall extend upward on the rough jambs of the shower opening to a point no less than three (3) inches (76 mm) above the top of the finished dam or threshold and shall extend outward over the top of the rough threshold and be turned over and fastened on the outside face of both the rough threshold and the jambs. Non-metallic shower sub-pans or linings may be built-up on the job site of not less than three (3) layers of standard grade fifteen (15) pound (6.8 kg) asphalt impregnated roofing felt. The bottom layer shall be fitted to the formed sub-base and each succeeding layer thoroughly hot mopped to that below. All corners shall be carefully fitted and shall be made strong and watertight by folding or lapping, and each corner shall be reinforced with suitable webbing hot-mopped in place. All folds, laps, and reinforcing webbing shall extend at least four (4) inches (102 mm) in all directions from the corner and all webbing shall be of approved type and mesh, producing a tensile strength of not less than fifty (50) psi (344.5 kPa) in either direction. Non-metallic shower sub-pans or linings may also consist of multi-layers of other approved equivalent materials suitably reinforced and carefully fitted in place on the job site as elsewhere required in this section. If you want to go with the Kerdi/ Hydroban hybrid, Laticrete WILL warranty it, so long as you follow their spec. Email me, and I';ll send it to you (for some reason, I can't upload it to Photobucket, and therefore can't post it here). Here is a link that might be useful: Harry Dunbar's Showerpan tutorial

We did have our sunken tub flood. It wasn't from the drain being clogged. The sewer pipe from our house to the main sewer was clogged by tree roots so all drainage from the house stopped. Because our house is elevated a bit from the street level, the clog was around 5 feet lower than the house. Being higher than where the clog was didn't help. The sewer pipe filled. The water didn't come from the shower above the tub. The tub drain was just the lowest drain in the house. So water from anything drain that was used (the clothes washer, dishwasher, sinks, toilets, other showers) came out that drain once the pipe filled. The tub bottom was about 3.5 x 5 feet (the lowest part so not counting the area of the step in the tub. It filled to above the step in the tub so deeper than 6". That means more than 8 cubic feet of water. Now that the lowest drain will be in a shower, a curb wouldn't have contained the water. As myrica4 points out, there are other sources of flooding. The one that happened to us once in a prior house was a toilet tank that cracked. Nothing hit it - just one night it gave way. I got up to use the bathroom (pregnant at the time so not uncommon) and my feet slipped in the water. At least that was clean water, but a pretty unpleasant surprise at 2 AM or whatever. We cleaned it up and no permanent damage. The place where being on a hill helps is if the sewer line clogs below at least your next lowest neighbor. Then the water will come out of their drain and the pipe to your house won't back up. But if it clogs close to your house, the elevation of your house won't make a difference.

@mtpo Have you considered attaching your ramp to the back door instead of the garage steps? I empathize with this all. I have a fab little house with all budget-friendly concepts for being accessible, but the doors did end up quite a bit off the ground: like 4 steps worth. I would have had to cope with this if I had been able to afford an attached carport, so I know it's tricky to try and do it with steps, let alone a ramp. In my case, though, the mistake was partly mine. The builder and I went out to my raw lot and decided where to put the house (imagine being able to do this!), a few feet here, a few feet there, a little more angled to the south, a little more privacy for my bedroom window, the most exposure for the solar panels on my roof..... The two of us forgot that the doors would be quite a bit above ground because of a slope in the lot. And then, I made it worse because after we measured everything and laid it out, I asked if he could please move the whole house over 2 feet. I wouldn't have swapped that experience for the world, though. And out of the goodness of his heart, the builder himself made me a most magnificent set of front steps, wide and with sturdy rails. And when I said how much I appreciated him, he did the back stairs, too! At some point, I will get one of those nifty metal dock-ramps. ******* Aha! This is the company that builds those metal ramps: https://www.highcountryaluminum.com