Hi, I'm just chiming in.... I've had a home similar to the one you want to build... a few times, actually. We've owned almost 20 homes. This last home we built, we improved on issues that bugged us with previous homes and it has paid off. We've been in this home ten years and still love it. We have recently bought waterfront property and want to come up with a bit different plan, but it is hard for us to change too much of some parts of the layout because it works so well. I see some changes that you could make that may seem ridiculous, but with your children, you will be SO thankful if you do it. I would give up some of your MBR closet for a decent laundry room near your MBR. You will NOT regret it. I put in two washers and dryers, cabinets with a sink, and closet with room for my "flipping lid" types of 13 gal. Rubbermaid type trash cans that I use for sorting clothes. (My kiddos all learned to sort clothes and do laundry correctly!) I have a can for whites, darks, lights, dress/gentles, towels, sheets/blankets. Plenty of hanging areas. In the next home we build, even if it is just my husband and I, we will also have two washers and dryers. I believe it is that important. I'd be chained to the house all the time doing laundry. With kids, grand-kids, guests, etc... it's just crazy to not have them if you have the room. I'll post my photo of what we did. Heck, I think I still have a site up when we were building. Check out the MBa... and how /where we put the shower and water closet. This way, when my husband was showering, he had privacy while I am doing my hair or brushing teeth. I cannot stand having a shower 'open' so if he is in the bathroom, he gets to watch me. I just do not like it. As you get older, you really do want more privacy.... even if it's your spouse. I want to be seen in my best light...not when I'm bending over shaving, etc. Also, we built porches this house which keeps our home cooler. We put in Radiant Barrier almost everywhere. We have over 6,000sf under roof... 4500 heated/cooled. Over the garage has not been hooked up to AC yet...because I'm still using it for storage. When it was almost 100F outside in FL, with the fans on upstairs, it was like 78F with the radiant barrier. Neighbors could not believe it. Our electric bill for our house with two AC systems (5 and 3.5 ton) is less than $300/mo. Possibly $250 avg. We love our kitchen layout, laundry, MBR will be larger next go around. Your home looks good... except there would be great longevity in your home if the MBR was larger and the layout a bit different for the bath, imo. I am also a Realtor and see many homes. I have gone the gambit with building this house. (Lawsuit over kitchen...and custom cabinet issues in MBR. They are fixed now.) Adding 'keystones' of real granite over windows added architectural elements. Fake keystones always look tacky. Also, our present MBR shower is 3'x5'. Next time, at minimum 4'x6'...most likely larger. Our MBR is 14'x16'. I've had 16'x18' before and thought it too large. I think 15' x 21' will be our next MBR... at least. Here is a link that might be useful: Check out some of the features we put in.

Wow, this forum is great! Scott  I had placed the accent boulders by the shallow end to be a transition from deck to coping, but great point about the jumping risk  those rocks would be smaller and hopefully not as tempting to jump from as the 3 intended jump rock areas. I didnÂt anticipate the pool sweep climbing up 2 feet onto the baja shelf, but will have to think about that. Already made the changes per your skimmer and light location suggestions. Bobinbaltimore  Will seriously consider the obstacle course feel, but we too like the look of various accent boulders throughout. Your note about the thin decking on the far side is a great one  the plan should state that it is 1 wide coping around the entire back of the pool. I intended that section to only be walked on when climbing out of the pool from the bench and onto the rock waterfall . Gonna have to think about how weÂll use it and how wide it should be. BTW, your pool looks great so far! Just-a-pb  IÂve known several friends/neighbors do OB with the general comment being that it is a headache, but you will get more pool for your $. I hadnÂt heard that the OB market has plummeted. Not sure how the downturn in the past 18 months in the pool biz has altered the OB market. WeÂll only use licensed, bonded, insured subs who are clean with the ROC and have been recommended by other OBs  and we are hiring an inspector to check after each sub. So not totally on our own. Barb ÂThanks for the warning - IÂll make sure I check codes before I get permits. Thank you all for your feedback! More of this good, honest feedback would be awesome!

artemis_ma, I'd rather not walk from bathroom to closet through the bedroom (I get dressed after I shower). I definitely don't want to rely on my DH to remember to close the bedroom door behind him (because invariably he'll forget) so that I can go from bathroom to closet without putting on a show. I'd be in the same bind if the bedroom shades/drapes were opened while I was in the shower. (Why, hello, neighbor! lol) To each their own. =) Andrew Page, finally you tell us that yes, you need the 4th bedroom! This is information that should have been included in your original post. Off to delete the idea I was drawing up.... I'm assuming that, in addition to the stairway location, the center wall, front to back, that is one side of each module needs to stay as drawn on your plan. Is that true? If it isn't, then there is more flexibility for room lay-out, as damiarain's plan shows. That said, with all the changes that need to be made to make your plan more functional, why not consider other plans or other modular home manufacturers as katinparadise suggested to find one that meets your needs with little or no modifications. I would think that all the change orders required to modify your plan will increase the final cost. A frosted glass door for the upstairs laundry room would help (good idea) as One Devoted Dame suggested, but even so, I'd encourage you to find a way to add an additional natural light source for the upstairs hall. Our upstairs landing is open to the 2 story entry and the 6 x 6 window over the door but because the entry faces northwest, the upstairs landing and hallway aren't as brightly lit as I'd expected when we built, especially on gray days.

True...each architect has their own, individual approach to design. If the OP has lost confidence in her architect she should select another, not try to design her on her own and crowd source it here. I wonder if the OP understands that architectural design is a simultaneous consideration of site planning, interior space planning, exterior massing and style, and roof design. In other words, design is a three-dimensional activity involving all aspects of a house. A decision made in one sphere has direct impact on all the other spheres. Architectural design is never a single isolated consideration of a floor plan, one floor at a time. That's what drafters and CAD operators do to manage their clients and minimize time on each project. I hope the OP can work closely with her architect, and not in isolation from her/him.