We are in the second round of changes with our designer and still not happy with the results. Background - family of 5, we plan on finishing the basement as well with another bedroom and bathroom and rec space. Any suggestions would really be helpful Image link:

Basically, good job! Things that I have to say are fairly small. Its maybe not the best positioning for a roll out pantry. It both opens across a doorway. Possibly it is a little cramped in the aisle when the rollouts are extended. I'd like to be in front of them, not to the side. It seems like it would be a little weird to get stuff from the pantry onto the island. Pick something up and backup a couple of steps sideways, then turn around? I would think about maybe moving the pantry next to the ovens. Or reversing the ovens and pantry. Comfortable stools and table dining means that there should be at least 5 feet between the counter edge and the table edge to allow for room for both sets of seating to be in use at the same time with enough space for someone to be able to get into and out of a chair or stool in the center. The end of the island towards the clean up sink doesn't need anything really decorative - its one of those things that looks good in elevations, but it can't be seen in real life. There is just no perspective on it from the sides. It would be one thing if it was in an important vista, but as positioned, it won't read. I'm at that place where every open cabinet is another opportunity to dust that I don't need. In exchange, I'd rather have each cabinet facing into the cooking aisle be a little wider, finish with either a plain or decorative end panel. Or an end panel plus a small shelving unit only on the seating end. Or a built-in paper towel holder above a tilt out bin for recycling. Or plain shallow depth cabinet with a door to store more brightly colored liquor products - can't have enough of those! This one is really personal, but I would move the prep sink towards the cleanup sink just a little - so there was about 18" of counter on the end. I would like to sit down things that came out of the ref or out of the pantry. Any ref that has double doors means that the best landing space is behind you as you stand in front of it (turn around, sit it down and turn back). It's too far to reach to either side, so you'd have to walk/walk back. I'd like to place pantry items there too. It brings up a design alternative that I'd at least draw, which is nicknamed "wall of tall" - the ovens, pantry and ref go together on the wall where you've currently drawn the ovens. Ovens in corner, then larger pantry cabinet, then ref. Extend the island a bit towards the "wall of tall" and do a baking area where the ref used to be. Why you might like it is that the kitchen should feel more open without the big ref taking center stage.

I like Don Gardner plans, and this one is nice -- but could stand some modifications. Do note that this plan has about a dozen "first cousins"; you should study those similar plans to see if this one is really best for you ... even if you mean best as a starting place. - I agree with the above posters that the laundry room is the single biggest problem in the house. I'm thinking about my grandmother, who was capable of doing her own laundry ... but had trouble transporting a basket across the house. I see several options here: If you extend the bathroom a scant 2' or so /making it flat across the back of the house, you could make that small linen closet into a small stacked laundry ... and it'd be literally next to your closet. Your closets are large; you could make one of them into a small laundry room. Or, given that you're going to have bedrooms in the basement, you could rework a portion of the bedroom/study into a laundry room. But don't leave it where it is: It's too far, and it'd be like threading a needle to go the length of the whole house, navigating through multiple doorways and -- worst of all -- the kitchen. If you do keep the laundry in its current position, I'd urge you to to to Amazon.com and buy a commercial laundry cart -- and plan a place in both the bathroom and the laundry room where this cart could be stored; having such an item would be sort of like pushing a shopping cart around the grocery store -- and we all know that many elderly people find shopping carts a good substitute for walkers. - If you lose the laundry room behind the kitchen, you suddenly have space for a nice mudroom by the door (the box you've drawn onto the garage is just silly-small for a mudroom). I'd guess that you'd flip-flop the new mudroom and the pantry, but that's a nothing change. - Do you really need a three-car garage for a retirement home? - Angled kitchen cabinets aren't 'specially good storage, but with the big pantry nearby, you'll be fine. - You say you don't want a big staircase as a focal point because of small grandchildren ... two arguments: 1) you've chosen a plan that has a big staircase as a focal point ... and 2) grandchildren won't remain small forever; if you want the stairs, use a gate for now. - Since this is a retirement home and you won't have guests on a regular basis, I think planning downstairs guest space is practical. I assume you'll be able to "close it off" and avoid paying for heating when no one's using that space? Sure, the day may come when you cannot use the stairs and cannot utilize these rooms ... but you have everything you need on you first floor, so you'll be okay. And if ever one of your children/grandchildren (or a paid caregiver) moves in to care for you, I think you'll both appreciate the separation. - How do you plan to use the secondary bedroom /study on the first floor? If you're planning to have a separate space for guests in the basement, I wonder if you need that to be a full bath? - I agree with the above poster that the toilet-in-a-closet is bad for the elderly and infirm. Test it next time you're at the mall: Go into a bathroom stall (not the larger handicapped stall) and ask yourself if you want to use that small space on a regular basis at home. - I'm going to disagree with an above poster and say that laundry on an exterior wall does matter. If you place it on an interior wall, you're going to have to figure out how you're going to vent the dryer. Sure, it's possible to vent from an interior position, but it's more difficult to pull the dryer from the wall /clean the dryer fluff ... and if you don't do this regularly, it's a fire hazard. Of course, I'm also in the South and have little concept of how cold weather and laundry pal around together, so take that for what it's worth. - A thought about exterior doors: Your master bedroom is far from any exterior door. My RN daughter worked "home health" during her college years, and she says that it's important for fire safety that an elderly person have an exterior door in /near the bedroom. She says it's one of the big considerations that is discussed when the home health agency is deciding whether they'll take you on as a client ... or whether you have to go to a nursing home. At her insistence, we're placing a sliding glass door in our master bedroom. - You ask if it's too much space? It's not small, but it's also not ridiculously large.

So many variables to consider: What is the size and condition of the existing foundations; will they support a second level, or make a second story impractible? The OP doesn't want to touch the existing roof--is she open to the most economical options? A new stair likely means an addition to the first floor or loss of existing floor area to accommodate a new stair. How old is the existing house? What about framing and pest conditions? Signs of needed or ignored maintenance, water damage, rot, deteriation, infestation, etc.? Then there's all the systems: For example, supply and waste plumbing runs; soils lines; septic systems, etc. Where are they and where do they go? Then there's electrical capacity--will the existing service be adequate for expansion? How about heating and cooling--not likely that existing HVAC has the capacity for the new area regardless of where it's located and it's current condition. How large is the lot; what are the setbacks; what's the buildable envelope for new construction? How is the house oriented and what are the options for new, added first or second floor construction? Are there any soils, drainage or special site restrictions? How will construction be planned and scheduled? Will the occupants attempt to live in the house during construction? Will construction be by a GC or owner? What type of construction contract makes most sense? Is financing an issue? Are city/county approvals required? Are they problematic? No architect will be surprised by this partial list--it's what they consider and deal with on every project. Consumers, on the other hand, may need to do a lot of due diligence before getting locked into one approach or another. Cooler, professional heads may help! Good luck on your journey--exciting times ahead!