How intent are you on having full, private baths for both secondary bedrooms?

Here's some possible changes (will refer to rooms as twin beds room and queen bedroom):

1) You could put a bath where the queen bedroom closet, toilet, and sink are located. (You would turn left off of the stiars, and walk right into the bath, which would go all the way to the back wall.) Then, you could add a wall of closets instead of the walk-in closet. Overall, you would get more linear storage space and a much larger bath.

2) If you were willing to go to one bath upsairs, you could then place the laundry back where it was originally.

3) If you could do without the landing, you could always put another bath there.

I like the more open feel of the larger bathroom, larger landing and window, and, of course, all the larger elements in the master. It depends how you intend to fill the space, and how much use that second bath would get.

One more thing - I think a larger master shower is pretty much expected at a certain price point, but the third bath isn't expected until you get to an even higher price piont, Just thought I'd mention that for resale value. Besides, I'm not sure a lot of cramped space with a third bath is really more valuable than a more open, airy, luxurious upstairs.

Hope that makes sense!

First thing...you are not being too picky. He works for you. It's your house. Ask for a thorough explanation of the changes...did he mean just to show you another possibility? I'd sit down with him and say, okay, I see why you made the changes to the hall (and I agree with them...the original hallway, unless there's a generous skylight in it, is a cave, and the smaller ensuite bath is too cramped). I question the use of that space as a study...bookcases and a window seat would be lovely and useful, but a desk between the two bedrooms only makes sense if the people in those rooms would use it often. A generous upstairs hallway may seem like wasted space, but it gives a kind of graciousness to the floor that you will like, particularly with a built-out wall around the window.

I'm assuming the room with the twin beds shown is the guest room? The second version of its bath is really much better. You could push the back wall of the guest closet to the left (as you view the plan) to return it to its former size, and take that extra two feet to create closet storage from the other side (the door would be across from the laundry room door) providing linen storage for those two bedrooms and baths, and a place for cleaning supplies, which I don't see a space for upstairs on either plan.

The other thing I would do to the second plan involves the laundry...I would leave the washer and dryer rotated to the narrow wall because it gives you plenty of space to back up for loading and unloading. But I would open the wall next to the sink between the laundry and the master bath, creating a tall, deep upper and lower cabinet that opens from both sides, with a hamper or two on casters below, and shelves above, so that you can shove the used towels and your clothes and sheets through to the laundry from the bath, and load the clean towels and sheets onto shelves right there in the laundry that you can then access from the bathroom. In this scheme, what you'd see from the laundry is open shelves above the counter, canvas or wicker hampers below it, and the back sides of two sets of doors that open into the master bath. From the bath, you'd see two pairs of doors...the upper pair would conceal the shelves and the counter, and the lower would conceal the hampers.

So the first question is, do you need a larger shower? Will you be showering together? It's a personal question, but important. Otherwise, a really big shower is not necessarily an improvement, and the improved hall, guest bath, and laundry access would be a good tradeoff.

Hope this helps.

OH, I love that idea of being able to store the clean bath linens through that cabinet door!

And while I agree that a "really" big shower isn't necessary, the shower pictured looks a bit small.

(We vacationed in a home with a "REALLY" big shower, and I didn't like it at all! Couldn't warm up. LOL)

Great idea about the thru-the-wall linen solution.

What you described in the upstairs landing is exactly what I had envisioned for a little "library" setting. Not the silly desk the architect has pictured, which would be a waste of space and a clutter magnet.

Yes, we do shower together often. In the house we recently rented in Maryland for a year, there was a large shower in the finished basement, with double shower-heads (one on each end wall). We LOVED it so much we would travel down 3 stories all the way to the basement to use that shower instead of the small one right there in the master bedroom. Incidentally, that master bath also had a "garden tub" which we used only twice, only because it was a novelty to us. Mostly it served as a large laundry "basket" where we would throw our dirty clothes and towels. Ridiculous.

What about the size of the master closet? Is it sufficient? DH travels a lot and had envisioned an "island" counter in the closet where he could spread out his bags for packing. I don't think there's enough room for that in the new closet area.

Please keep the ideas coming!

All these notes are based on the second version of your plan.

The second version of the master closet is really not much smaller in functional space than the first...the first plan has the entry incorporated into the closet plan, but it is not useful space. What I would consider is giving up two feet of space in the office, and creating a wall of storage between the closet and the office.

I'd divide it into three sections... the two on the ends would belong to the closet, and you could build in shelving for shirts, shoes, sweaters, purses...all the things you don't hang up. The center section would belong to the office, and would provide a storage closet for that room, which I don't see on the current plan. Since that's the bearing wall of the house, you need load-bearing vertical supports in that wall anyway, so dividing it between the rooms would allow for that as well. You could include alcoves high in the wall for luggage. Your hanging clothes would run around the other two sides. Then you'd have room in the center for your packing counter.

And in the master bath, if you make the laundry room wall into your linen storage, you can eliminate that linen closet, put the door to the john where the closet door is shown in the plan, rotate the shower 90 degrees and stretch it along the wall that now shows the entry to the john,stopping about 2 feet short of the end of the wall to keep the entryway wide enough. Its door would face the laundry room wall. Then you'd get your tub and your big shower, you'd have room just inside the new door to the john for a small hand sink, you'd have even more knee room and privacy in there, and you wouldn't have to go back into the bathroom to wash your hands.

I do think the second plan has some improvements to it. One of those is consolidating the doorways in the MBR. You may find that having all the doorways chop up your wall space when you are arranging your furniture and what he has is a much more elegant solution. That said, if you want a shower to accomodate two, there should certainly be room for it so I would simply tell him that is a "must-have" and see what he comes up with.

As for the guest bedrooms, he may be thinking more in terms of what is expected in a house of the size and price point--and not just what works for your personal situation. For many people, those would not be guest rooms but children's bedrooms and he is most likely planning not just what works for you personally, but what would also work for a family.

I also wanted to mention if you think about getting dressed, the second solution would work much better since the WIC is next to the bath instead of being so far removed in the first solution. I do think overall the second FP is an improvement.

Yes, I forgot to mention that we do like the new arrangement of doors into master bath/closet and had planned on keeping that aspect. What I don't like is the smaller shower, smaller master bath room size and the layout of the laundry room. I want to find a solution for that.

And quite frankly I'm not interested in designing my home for "other" people or resale or the morbid thought that my spouse will die prematurely as someone elsewhere suggested (who designs a dream home based on that?), but that is a whole different can of worms - not one I want to get off track discussing.

Thanks bronwynsmom for more good suggestions.

Sorry, didn't mean to come off sounding snotty... I just feel like, working with this architect, that I'm designing a house that I already want to remodel right after it's built. It's frustrating.

You didn't sound snotty at all. It's your house, and its up to you what things you want to consider when building your house.

I wouldn't build for resale value, either, but it does matter to some people!

you are exactly right. the laundry room can never be big enough. also, put the shelves for holding detergent, stain remover, clorox, etc rigt in front of you. Ours are up too high. Hate reaching all the way up there for degergent.

I saw your post a few days ago (building a home forum) but I did not have the time to comment.

Laundry: is not ok. The original, you have to go accross to fold the clothes. The new one, you will have unsued or difficult to reach counter.

lower left bedroom: Not enough circulation space to reach the bathroom.
Masterbath: It is nicer when you enter the bath and you see the Vanity or the whirlpool first, then the shower and finally the toilet enclosure, so, even if it is bigger, I do not like the original masterbath layout.

If the only two choices I have, is selecting between these two plans. I prefer the new Layout.
It is better in many ways, specially the study nook with a window (big plus) and the relation between bath /closet/ masterbedroom.

I suggest to select the new layout and fix the main issues.