cpartist - you make good points. That is why my previous post said we were putting a powder room upstairs with the potential to expand into a full bath as a budgets allow. :)

Edited to add our kids are 6 and 9, one of each.

Trust me when your daughter becomes a preteen you'll be very glad if you are able to have a full bath upstairs. Your son may not appreciate it, but you and your hubby will. ;) (I had one of each. They are now 22 and 26)

Kitchen in the east vs. kitchen in the west: You're treating the porch as if it's a constant. Any reason it can't be the item that moves to the other side of the house? Of course, that adds more options than answers.

Regardless of which way you go, I like the new "streamlined" dining table placement.

You've emphasized the importance of light in the house; I'd consider carefully placed skylights in the porch. Exterior skylights aren't particularly expensive to build.

I agree that you need to put a bathroom upstairs. I understand and appreciate the idea of building a small house, but you don't want to skimp on the FUNCTIONAL pieces of the house -- do that, and the house isn't comfortable. A simple bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower and storage UPSTAIRS will make this house infinitely more liveable. I would do the whole thing now rather than planning to add a shower; they'll need the separate shower sooner than you expect, and there'll never be a good time to renovate. One shower more while you're building isn't a big deal. Also, if you're borrowing for this house, the bank will probably be more willing to lend on a 3 bedroom/2 bath rather than a 3 bedroom /1 bath.

Downstairs, I prefer the original split-bath plan. The picture of two baths in that space makes each bathroom TINY, and you'll always be hitting your elbows and missing storage. Better to have one decent sized bath in this space than two inadequately sized rooms. As for locking the door every time you go in, just teach the family that a closed door means "this room is occupied".

I'd move the washer /dryer to an outside wall. It's cheaper and safer to vent your dryer straight to the outside.

And I agree with the above poster that some of your sizes don't seem to be realistic.

Finally, OP, I'm concerned that you're going too far in the name of economy. You've used the words "unnecessarily spacious" and "luxurious". This house is cute, snug, cozy, but also minimalistic -- but be sure you're being realistic about just how small it is. Someone above used the cliche "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish". Be sure you're not trying to design smaller, smaller, cheaper, cheaper at the cost of the final product's quality.

mrs pete, thanks for your input.

Do you have any suggestions on how to have the dryer on an exterior wall while maintaining the bathroom plumbing on an interior wall? or do think it would be more worthwhile to have the dryer on an exterior wall than the bathroom plumbing on an interior wall?

As I mentioned originally we currently live in a MUCH smaller house so I think we know what we are getting into and we are happy with it. This design incorporates more storage, more flexibility as well as separate rooms for the kids. Every room's dimensions have been compared to the size of rooms we have had in both our current very small house and our previous house 3 times the size and are more than comfortable for the way we live.

Remember there will be a nearly complete second floor upstairs. 760 sq ft with 6+ foot ceilings, 630 with 8+ foot ceilings. We will have plenty of space. You will just have to trust me :).

Tell us what building code is in effect. If it is any version of the IRC the smallest regular tread width is 10" and the minimum width of a winder tread at the narrow end is 6 inches so you can't build the stair as drawn.

For legal winders extend the stair run 14" at the top and 2" at the bottom or vice versa.

For no winders extend the run 20" at the top or bottom or 10" at each end.

For a straight stair extend the run 8" at the top.

Thanks Renovator. It is Klickitat county, so a version of IRC. I am not sure how to draw winder stairs in sketch up so they are to code and I haven't felt like it was worth the time right now to figure out. I also hadn't taken the moment yet to figure out exactly how long the run would be with winders. There is room in the plan to extend the bottom 2 inches and I will add in another 14 at the top to make sure I don't forget about that. It is also good to know that with 20" more at the top I can avoid winders altogether.

Thanks for saving me some time parsing out the IRC at this stage. To double check my math, a straight run with ~7.4" risers would be 130" (13 risers). A L shape no winder would be 120" plus the landing, 20" before the landing 100" after in this case. L shape with winder would be 20" (2 steps) before the winders, the winders would be the corner plus 2" before and 4" after (3 steps), plus 80" after the winders (total 13 steps)?

Either way I will be sure to have it nailed down before building or finalizing second floor plans, which I am about ready to think about more seriously.

If you'd like to keep the plumbing on interior walls, but exhaust the dryer directly outside, you could do something like this. An advantage of this configuration would be possible access to the full length of the area under the stairs for storage.

I just realized you wouldn't get your window in the shower room in this drawing, but you could indeed put the shower on the interior wall that is common with the closet...

Respectfully, you may live in a smaller house right now, but you don't live in a smaller house with two adult-sized children. Once they're teens, they take up more space in numerous ways: They take up more seating area, obviously, but their clothing requires more space in the laundry and the closet, their food requires more space in the pantry. Teens are "bigger". I'll trust you on it, but I think all of us read this website to garner different points of view and become aware of things that might not be apparent to us at first glance.

As for putting the W/D on the outside wall for vent purposes, I like the way Benje'sBride laid it out. You could "open" the W/D towards the door or towards the stairs. And you could stack the machines.

I'd lean toward keeping the toilet and the sink on the outside wall; I think you could have a bit more sink space that way. And shelves under the stairs would provide great storage space.

I've been looking at your floor plan in comparison to our house. You have 4 feet more length in your kitchen/dining/living than we do. I'm just so pleased with how our space turned out, so I can't help but visualize your home using ours as a reference.

Is there a particular reason why you have the entrance between the dining and living areas? Our exterior doors are set up more like this and I think it works well to not split the living space with entrances, it gives us more flexibility with furniture and keeps the walkway through the middle of the house

I think Mrs Pete said it well about little children, small spaces being fine. Teenagers are a whole different ballgame. And they collect stuff! Lots of stuff. Even if you keep them on a tight budget they manage to collect stuff. LOL. And trust me a few pair of size 14 sneakers (yes my 5'10" son has big feet!) takes up space. My first home was a two bedroom, two bath 1200 sq feet which with a 4 year old and a baby was perfect. So I do know smaller, efficient homes.

I also agree with Mrs Pete that adding that shower upstairs now is a lot more cost effective than having to renovate. It's why we decided that even though we were putting in the fittings for the elevator (we're at "that" age where stairs can start to be a problem) and weren't originally planning to put in the elevator, we realized that putting it in now was actually more cost effective and over the life of our mortgage only added about $10/month, if that. I don't know if you're taking out a mortgage to build but if you are, the cost per month would be nominal and then not having to disrupt your lives with a reno is worth its weight in gold.

Realize that if you reno, then you'll be down to one toilet/sink with teens during the whole reno time.

I think Chelwa's plan is around 1500 square feet, no? My math could be off, but I wouldn't necessarily define that as small.

Benjesbride, you are correct. With upstairs it will be around 1500 sq ft. Small compared to 3000 sq ft or even the average new US house at ~2300 but nearly twice as big as the average house in Sweden (~900 sq ft) which is often rated as one of the happiest countries in the world. :) I think 1500 sq ft will suit us well. We could go smaller if we sacrificed the 1st floor masters (not willing to do that) or built all on one floor but 1.5 stories should cost a bit less and the kids are very excited about upstairs bedrooms :).

Is there a particular reason why you have the entrance between the dining and living areas? not really :). I like your modification. It makes sense, and we could put the wider screened porch area on whichever side we put the kitchen and still have a convenient door. Not sure why that didn't occur to me but it is the reason I put the plans up on this board, for simple yet brilliant ideas like that. - I also like the idea of full length access to the under stairs area and putting linen etc under there. I think we can still work a window in the shower room, even with the shower on that wall. I will have to play around with it a little.

Mrspete and cpartist. I do post here for varied viewpoints and to be sure I do not have blinders on. :) I appreciate both of your willingness to share your viewpoints and to take the time to give me feedback. I have already had some very good insights from members (yourselves included) and I appreciate that not everyone lives the same way we do but can still have important experience to share. I would not expect everyone to be happy in a ~1500 sq ft home. Also, while I would be unhappy with a 3000 sq ft home I can appreciate that others are very happy in a house that large or larger and I respect that choice, even if I don't understand it from my own personal experience. :)

1500 is a good size. :) I'm not saying you need to build a bigger home. What I was saying is make sure you plan now for your children becoming teenagers. If a space works well in terms of layout and storage, you don't need to make a huge home. The reason my first home was too small was not the size but the configuration and the fact it only had 2 bedrooms. That would have been fine if we had two boys or two girls but like you we had one of each.

Again my point was to spend now for the full bath upstairs and save yourself headaches in a few years. Renovations while living in a home, especially a bathroom reno is no fun. Been there, done that.

Additionally I think Mrs Pete and myself are trying to get you to see that it's sometimes a better idea to put in those "extras" (i.e.: the shower) now as opposed to later on. Maybe because we've done it several times already? (The house I am building will be my 7th home)

I'm surprised this is 1500 sf; it looks smaller. Perhaps I'm "off" because we're not seeing the upstairs. The house we're planning is only 1905 sf, so it's only one step larger.

Cpartist, you've expressed my thought more eloquently than I did: I'm not saying BIGGER, BIGGER! I'm saying plan for teens, whose space needs aren't necessarily the same as those of young children. The closet that is perfectly adequate while the child wears six 6X clothes will be too small when your teen son wears the same size jeans and coats as his father. The table at which your family sits comfortably when your kids are small will suddenly seem too small when the kids are adult size (or when they bring home a handful of friends). It's sensible to anticipate these changes and be sure your house will still be comfortable in the future. My kids are on their way out the door (it all goes so fast), and I'm planning ahead by thinking about aging-in-place. Thinking about the future isn't a "one size fits all" concept.

My first house was 1400 sf, and while the rooms themselves were big enough, our bathrooms and closets were just so small. Our current house, which we didn't exactly choose -- we sort of bumbled into it, but that's not a story worth repeating, is 2400 sf, but the space is so poorly allocated! We have a whale of a big kitchen, but only about 3' is actually useful, well-lighted space. We have a walk-in pantry and laundry, but it's not conveniently located.

No matter what type of house you're planning, you don't necessarily need more (or less) space; rather, you need well-planned space -- and part of that planning is anticipating changes as your family ages.

Chelwa, do you require a walk-in-closet? In my planning, it seemed like reach in closets were a much more efficient use of square footage. If you shimmied things around you might be able to have a straight run of stairs with reach in closets in the master.

I am sure that only seeing about half of the house (while I can "see" all of it) does make things seem smaller. If you have specific examples of how spaces can be tweaked to make them more functional with teenagers I would be happy to hear them. I remember being a teenager but the perspective is a bit different as a parent. Your advice reinforces my intention to make sure the kids have room to grow. When I post the second floor with their bedrooms I look forward to your feedback on how well I achieve that goal.

Benjesbride, we do not require a walk-in-closet it just seemed to fit better in the space but I would be open to suggestions for converting to reach-in. I also generally prefer those, they seem easier to light as well.

If you're not a clothes horse then I would probably go with two reach in closets. One for you and one for DH. I do have a walk in but use it not only for clothing but storing extra blankets, boxes I want to save, and small carry on bags. (We have no basement.)

You are missing our point though. We are not saying the house is necessarily too small. We are saying you have kids who will be teens in a few years and that it's more cost effective to put in the shower now for them. I have no doubt you've thought out the best way to give the kids plenty of room to grow.

All the talk about home size made me notice that there is only room for two to sit in your "family room". I hear you about the square footage being adequate, but given the layout, I think the living space you have planned may not work.

Incorporating Benjesbride's suggestion. Neither my husband nor I have much clothes.

Sebat, I am sorry the other photos were a little confusing. The brown box was a built in sofa. I found some premade symbols that make it less confusing. I am using sketch up and it doesn't have a great system for labeling things so I have to do it after the fact and I miss stuff sometimes. Sorry for that.

CPartist. Don't worry I am not missing the point, I am just not communicating well that it is a non-issue. We would not build a house in such a way to make planned renovation difficult (for ourselves) later on. We would rather plumb for a shower (inexpensive) skip the cheap insert and wait a couple years to do something nicer. If it turns out we can afford the full bath right away, even better,

The other thing to remember is not all rooms of the same size work the same. It is not just the size of the room that is important, it is also the shape of the room, where the doors and windows are located, how much wall space there is, etc. And then there is the flow of the house, some small houses can live larger. So, it is not all just about the numbers.

Regarding the laundry room layout, if the dryer is on the left and you want a front loading washer, you are limited to getting an Electrolux. The reason for this is that all other brands do not allow for the washer door to be hinged on the right.

reason for edit: change to: washer door to be hinged on the right.

My current (Maytag) washer hinges on the left but if it is going to be a problem to replace it then I can switch them. I will double check with my dad on that, he repairs appliances.

Dekeoboe, do you see a flow problem here? Of course I don't have window locations on this yet.

I'm digging it, chelwa. The sizes of the bedroom, kitchen, dining and living look great to me. I still don't get your bathroom, but I appreciate that you love it :-)

Bring on the 2nd floor, sister.

Oh, do you mean to have book storage between the stairs and the bathroom?

Thanks Benjesbride :) I appreciate that you appreciate it. The though with the book shelves by the stairs is that they would line the side of the stairs. Like these but different, no neon green. :)

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Also with the kitchen switched, would probably switch the screened porch to the west side.

Um do you really want your bedroom right off the kitchen? I wouldn't. Especially again as the kids get older and want those late night snacks when you're trying to sleep for example.

I asked myself that same question. I plan to ask my parents that question since they raised us in a house with the master bedroom off of the kitchen. I seem to remember that location discouraging me from going after late night snacks :)

Hahaha Chelwa.

One other thought. I know you are not thinking now of resale and from what you say are planning on it being your forever home (and I hope you have decades of happiness in the home), but I have found through life that sometimes forever isn't forever. I think a master bedroom off the kitchen, especially one where you have to actually walk into the kitchen to get to the bedroom would be a negative in a resale.

I just measured and it is either 18' from refrigerator to bedroom door with the kitchen on the W or 12' with kitchen on the E : ) Not sure it will make a difference. I think the layout is otherwise better with the kitchen by the bedroom. I think I would prefer east windows in the kitchen as well.

Edited to add:

CPartist. That is a good point. Though you don't have to actually walk through any of the work area to get to the bedroom. If I were building this where I live now or really just about anywhere else it would be something I would prioritize a bit higher. But I think the fact that this house is located in the boonies surrounded by timberland off a dirt road will hurt resale more. :) Or the size, or the straw bale walls or having to live next door to my mother in law (just kidding, mostly). Also the land will be worth far more than the house... We may regret the decision not to consider resale value more important later in our lives but that is a risk we have decided to take. :)

A first guess at how the upstairs might work. The chimney is a little tricky to work around. I have color coded the floor to show what the ceiling height is in each area, lighter color, higher ceilings. We are thinking a dormer in the front and back. Not entirely sure how the timber frame trusses will play out, thus the wall running down the center of the building.

There's kind of a dead space in your bedroom at the end of the stairs. If you shift the master bedroom door to the left a couple feet, it might improve the chimney location upstairs, take care of the perception that the master is too close to the kitchen and increase closet and pantry space by a few feet:

My current (Maytag) washer hinges on the left but if it is going to be a problem to replace it then I can switch them. I will double check with my dad on that, he repairs appliances.

Can I use the excuse that it was late? I meant to say right not left. Most front load washers are hinged on the left, so you want them left of the dryer. Your current floor plans show that. Made the comment in case you were considering the floor plan above where the washer is on the right.

Dekeoboe, do you see a flow problem here? Of course I don't have window locations on this yet.

No, nothing in particular, it was just a general comment. There seemed to be a lot of discussion about the size of the house. We have moved many, many times and sometimes just because a house is bigger than the last one, it does not mean it lives bigger. Sometimes the smaller house just worked better. So, it is important not to think, for example, my bedroom now is 12 x 12 and it is fine, so a 12 x 12 bedroom in the new house will be fine. The new 12 x 12 room may have more doors or windows in the wrong places for furniture placement or other conditions that make one room better than the other.

Also, when designing a house, it is best to design the inside and outside at the same time. That means considering window placement and how they will look from inside the house (with regard to furniture placement and views) and outside the house (with regard to balance).

Am I confused or were you looking for passive solar heating and cooling. If so, then that must be taken into consideration with regard to axis of the house (best is east/west axis), windows (size, location, height) and roof overhangs (main house and porches).

Can I use the excuse that it was late? Of course, that is usually my excuse :)

Am I confused or were you looking for passive solar heating and cooling. We do want our house to be passive solar to some extent. Our climate is not really suited to direct gain passive solar or depending on it for all of our heat but we would like to put most of the windows on the south side, use overhangs to keep sun out in the summer and let sun in in the winter, etc. Mostly have a smart orientation in relation to the sun. The house is fairly square but the longer axis is east west and there will be lots of windows on the south side (down in the photo).

I think Benjesbride solved the problem of feeling like you're coming into the kitchen to go to the bedroom.

Benjesbride that does shift the chimney over to a bit better spot I think. and is a better use of space. Firewood could now be stored under the lower stairs, have a small closet accessed from the bedroom and have linen access from the back.

These two walls in the kitchen not lining up would bother me, but I may like things lined up more than the average person.

What size interior doors are you putting on the master? They look like 36s? If so, you don't really need to go that wide; I think ours are 32s.

Are you doing an open shelf/ coat hook type of thing in the mudroom area?

I hadn't noticed that they don't line up. At some point I will make a 3d model and see if it bothers me then.

We have 36" doors throughout. Right now that is something we are happy to stick with, without a compelling reason to go smaller.

We will have some sort of shelving coat hook in the mud room, probably on that left wall. Maybe a drawer for shoes etc. under the stairs on that side.

Just for another perspective, we were going to do 36" doors because we're erring on the side of accessibility. My dad (who was commercial glazier--windows and doors--for 40 years) gave us convincing reasons why there's no benefit to 36" doors. So if you find that your plan can be improved, or storage increased with that extra 4", something to consider.

So accessibility is not improved with the extra 4"? Are 36 harder to install, significantly more expensive? I would be interested in hearing some of those reasons if you want to share.

The conversation was one among 100 I had with my dad about this house and probably over a year ago, so I don't remember exactly. If you've ever been over on the window and door forum you might know that these guys can be surprisingly opinionated about their craft :-) When it comes down to it, it's just good to have doors. Any doors. (types the woman who still doesn't have all her interior doors installed after 2 months.) Ha!

I think he mentioned that it's harder on hinges (we were planning on solid core doors), so your doors will get wonky easier. He mentioned that they would take up extra space unnecessarily in our little house (and at the time I was probably obsessing about every inch).

You can get standard walkers and wheelchairs through 32" doors and if you ever need a wider door you can switch to an offset door hinge.

The thing that probably changed my mind was when he just talked about the ergonomics of opening and walking through and closing 36 inch interior doors. I realized that it does feels a bit awkward to me. We've stayed in ADA condo units before and given a choice I prefer the feel of a standard 32 interior door to those wider doors. I over-thought every choice in this house and didn't see any advantage for us to make room for 36s, so, all things considered 32" was a better choice for us. Now, I'd never do smaller than 32-- but I'm sure there are folks who would never have a door narrower than 36". It probably just comes down to personal preference, really.

gosh that was a long answer. Sorry.

Thanks benjesbride, those reasons do make sense. I appreciate the long answer. I was definitely under the impression that 36" was necessary for any wheelchair access. Did you get a chance to glance at the plan for the second floor?

Chelwa, we are making all doors ADA compliant and they are only 32". I thought like you but found out 32" is standard. Actually it makes sense from another standpoint. If you need to push open a door, I would imagine opening a 32" wide door would be easier because it would have less weight?

Thinking about the second floor is kind of mind bending for me. Can you add the other dimensions (north-south , I think)

Do you want the dormers or do you feel like you need them? You can probably get an efficient plan without them. I'm not sure how expensive-or not-dormers are.

In your plan it might be handy to have a laundry chute--are those even legal anymore?

I don't know if kids need a large shower. The only shower in our house has exterior dimensions of 38x42 and even my my 6 foot 280# husband is happy with it. I'd rather have vanity space.

One thing I recommend is planning for an extra long twin for each kid right off the bat. Our girls' built in beds are XL twin size. It adds an extra 6" in length I think. We're taller than average people, but our idea is that they'll be comfortable in them until they leave home and if we have extra guests, a tall adult can sleep comfortably in an xl twin while the sweeties can sleep on the living room floor.

If all the medium gray areas are storage and you have reach in closets that is A LOT of storage.

If you'll allow me, I think it would be fun to play around with the plan if you can post an update with the dimensions of the other axis and the new chimney location.

If it's useful to you, I'll add a link to our shower. Fiber-Fab is made in Gervais, Oregon and I heard about it on GW. I think ours was around $500? Since it's a one piece unit it had to be installed during framing. If you're up for a road trip they have discounted blemished units for sale at their shop in Gervais (but they don't come with the 10 year warranty); we checked it out but nothing worked for us since I designed the bath with a specific model in mind.

Fiber-Fab Model 38 one piece shower stall

Benjesbride, I would love it if you or anyone else wanted to play around with it. This was really a first stab in the dark. The grays just give you an idea what the ceiling height is in different areas. The dormer on the north side allows us to stack the upstairs plumbing above the downstairs plumbing in the exterior wall which may help to cancel out additional cost for that dormer. The dormer on the south side was to get some light in that middle area, but I am not wedded to the idea of dormers by any means.

Here it is empty except for the stairs (N is up). Let me know if you need more dimensions than I have included. The north wall that is thinner would be the plumbing wall. Lower ceiling areas don't necessarily need to be storage, beds could go there, desks, dressers, etc.

Wow, I just tuned in and your design is really coming along! We were trying to build the smallest house the two of us could live in together and almost decided to leave the shower out of our upstairs. Ended up putting in a 36" square version, figuring it was better to have than not. But we have lived together in tents, boats and other rather rustic accommodations, so we find different things "acceptable" compared to lots of folks.

We are also doing a ton of built in drawers and cubbies for clothing storage, but just 4 ft of hanging space each (stacked rods). (Also living in the boonies, down a dirt road, so the evening gown storage requirements are pretty limited!) Good to see you have a well-thought out vision of what will work for you and your family. Extra sets of eyes are great, as long as you stay on your path!

Regarding the dormers, I think they add a lot unless you determine the cost is prohibitive. We have a 1.5 story house now and I have been in a lot of similar ones without the dormers. They feel much more constrained, plus having the light come in from all directions is pretty wonderful in a small-ish space. The other thing I didn't realize originally is that the feel of the upstairs is very different depending on which way the ridge runs. There is more headroom and less of a "tunnel" feeling if the ridge runs the short way instead of along the longer axis, if that makes any sense... (This is assuming you have a vaulted ceiling and collar ties, not sure if you have planned that far yet.)

You have well thought out plans and are receiving excellent help. Perhaps down the line our experiences with building straw bale may be of help. We are also rural, two miles off pavement and just starting construction on a small (just under 1500 sf ) non load bearing straw bale one story home. We will heat with a wood stove. We are working with local straw bale contractors and their subs. We will be doing work wherever we can. It has been a benefit that it has taken us this long! The home site is part of 20 acres we own in the mountains east of San Diego. There was an existing well but we have had to clear, plan for electric/solar, the water system, and will be doing the septic soon. The length of time has helped us develop our plans, (pretty simple) and style(?) rustic, 1800's California Rancho as an inspiration. We used some of the waiting time to visit open house straw bale home tours, talk to the home owners and visit California historic Rancho and Mission sites. It is just the two of us now but we raised our youngest daughter (with lots of other kids around eating and sleeping over) in a much smaller home than this one. You are so wise to put the planning in that you are doing now. Traffic flow and storage were big issues for us then and now.

I am going to post on the May Progress in Home Building Site and see if there is an interest in following a straw bale project.

Best of luck. I'll enjoy following your progress

cismontane - You might also poster in the smaller homes forum. I have gotten some interest over there, at the very least they might like to hear about it. It sounds like we have similar styles and I know I am eager to follow your progress! I have been thinking about this house for years and I agree, it has been a boon to be in the planning stages for so long. We lived in quite a few different houses and have a much better feel for what we like in a house. If nothing else after 9 years of parenting we have a much better handle on what raising kids is like :)

Comments on small things:

- I don't have any opinion about whether your bedroom should be just off the kitchen, but I can tell you that a child's bedroom should not be in this position! We were a "sit in the kitchen" family, and I had the bedroom just off the kitchen. I overheard MANY things that were really none of my business, for example, I remember being terrified after a smoke alarm salesman came to our house to talk to my parents (yes, when they first came out, they were sold door to door), and I really shouldn't have heard all the details about why my parents were divorcing.

- Width of the door isn't the only consideration. A larger door is heavier and larger, and it is more difficult for an elderly or infirm person to open (because the person has to reach 4" farther to reach the door and allow it to swing open); we're a short family, and our arms aren't that long. A larger door also requires a greater "swing area", meaning that in a small house furniture placement may be hindered, and you might like to use those few extra inches for slightly larger kitchen cabinets or slightly larger bookshelves. If you are ever confined to a wheelchair full time, you'll probably buy an electric wheelchair, which is more narrow than a traditional push-it chair (because electric chairs are "driven" with a joystick on the arm, and you don't need to allow space for your hands beside the wheels); I had a student in such a wheelchair this semester, and she could scoot through small spaces -- but she couldn't fit under a standard-height table! Additionally, if you go with smaller doors now and later find that you need the extra few inches, you can always switch your doors to swing-away hinges later. And since you want both accessibility and budget-friendly choices, be sure you choose standard-sized doors; I think it's 34" that isn't standard (?). Note, too, that these arguments don't apply to pocket doors.

Okay, after reading on in the thread, I see the above thoughts on 36" doors had already been covered.

-- Since you mentioned wheelchairs, I'll toss this out: My grandmother didn't have any type of accident or disease, but as she approached 100 she became more fragile. She was never confined to a wheelchair (few people are actually in wheelchairs ALL THE TIME); rather, she went through the typical old-age progression: First she started using a walker only when she left the house ... then she started using the walker inside the house too ... and in the last two years of her life she started using a wheelchair outside the house but used the walker inside the house. Until the last 2-3 days of her life, she never used the wheelchair in the house. She never had any problem with any doors (and I know the ones in my house -- she lived with me for a time), and I know the doors in my house are 32".

What WAS a problem was not having a place to store the walker (and later the wheelchair) when she wasn't using it! Finally we bought a second walker, so she used the blue one INSIDE the house, and she was able to take the one step down to the garage, where her pink walker was waiting by the door. When she started using the wheelchair outside the house, we'd help her up the ramp and into the house, then after she was seated in her favorite recliner, one of us would have to take the wheelchair back out to be stored in the garage ... and then she she was ready to go out again, someone had to bring it back in the house for her. We were always moving something because we had no place to store the things!

As a result, for the house we're building, I'm planning a spot (in the utility room) near the garage entry that will hold a 36" chest of drawers in a little alcove ... but in the future, if we need to house a wheelchair inside the house, we can remove the chest and use that alcove as a wheelchair storage spot.

Regardless, the walker-and-wheelchair and/or doors weren't what gave my grandmother the most trouble. The #1 thing that gave her trouble was the shower; she had trouble lifting her foot over the threshhold (though it only about 6") and a larger shower with a larger, more comfortable stool would've been good. The #2 problem for her was being able to carry her laundry and reach into the machine. #3 was probably changes in flooring (even a 1/2" difference between tile and hardwood could trip her). Oh, and she wouldn't go to one relative's house because she couldn't get into the toilet-in-a-closet.

In contrast, the household detail that gave her the most joy was probably the big bay window by the table where she always sat. It let in so much light and she could enjoy the lovely back yard.

Honestly, aging-in-place is a common topic on this board, but most people are discussing the wrong things. The discussion goes way beyond wider doorways and walkways; I definitely learned a great deal from being my grandmother's caretaker.

- I don't know how large a shower kids "need", but my girls have a tub-sized shower in their bathroom, and we all LOVE it. (I say tub-sized because we recently had the old tub pulled out and replaced with a tiled shower.) My only regret about their shower is that I wish we'd had two niches build (or an extra-long niche); they aren't particularly high-maintenance, but a big squirt bottle of shampoo and another of conditioner plus a bottle of squirt soap ... well, it's all full, so they have to keep shaving cream and body wash on the floor. It would've required only a tiny bit more effort and money to have had more storage.

The shower in my bathroom is 3'x4', and it's comfortable; however, I'm planning to make the one in my new house 8" wider. Why? Because I want to install grab bars on both sides, and I don't want to make the usable space any less than 3' wide.

- Dormers may not be necessary, but I think they'll add significantly to the quality of light in the upstairs. I'd do my best to include them.

Excellent advice Mrs Pete and your thoughts are right on target. My Mom had parkinsons so I watched her progression as you describe it and now I'm watching my Dad progress with having to use a walker full time. And yes changes in floor levels is a huge problem as is curbs in showers. We plan on not having curbs and will try and minimize the floor changes from our wood floors to our bathroom floors for that reason. As for where to store the walker? I just figured it out! We're putting in an elevator. It will be the perfect place to hold it. LOL