How do you like this plan, like, generally?
I'm looking for a couple of modest-"ish" house plans to send the inlaws for inspiration for a lakefront cottage.
A nice lot just came up but we haven't offered on it yet. The inlaws aren't great at visualizing and I just want to show them something that COULD be built that would sit nicely on the lot. I just want to send some decent plans for inspiration. BUT -- I don't want to send them something horrifying just in case they get attached to the first thing I send and want to build that exact thing.
Context: lakefront, west facing, very gentle slope, 200 feet water frontage, no lot constraints to speak of, cold coastal climate (Maineish).
Wanted: two masters, or at least four bedrooms, bedrooms can be small. The inlaws want a bedroom with ensuite and excellent water views. Efficient layout. Engineered slab, will need main floor utility room. Charm a plus, screen porch mandatory. Maineish.
Budget: fairly modestish but if the inlaws are in love it won't be a huge issue. Trying to keep it under 2000 sq feet and "cottagey" (MIL's word) but FIL likes his creature comforts (ample refrigeration and lots of bathrooms). I would like to find something enticing without being ridiculously luxurious.
Delete the waterline on this one - is it ok-ish? Too gabley? I kind of like the layout (picturing the left side facing North and top side West).
I also liked this Southern Living plan, Seaside lookout. That tower looks kind of pricey but if FIL thought it was cool that would be ok. There's an excellent home designer near us who does quite a few of these tower thingies so if they liked it I could point them to this guy.
Comments (17)
robo (z6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJust wouldn't be the same with a 4" diameter white vinyl column? ;)
The tower looks kind of lighthousey to me which is apropos for the province, but not for a lakefront setting of course (it's a big lake but not THAT big).
Using the type of finishes below for first facade would be ok by me, I don't really love the super rustic look.
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do you like our floor plan?
Comments (13)Lots of wasted space in the laundry. It could very easily be half that size and be fine. I'd give over the room to the kitchen to be able to get rid of that corner sink. Corner sinks are a PIA and there is no way you're going to get a standard double sink like you show into a corner cabinet without scooping the sides and weakening it. Plus, it makes for a single user sink. Overall though, the rest of the kitchen is pretty functional and the prep sink is even in the right spot! I'd also straighten out the useless little jogs of the kitchen and the garage. It does nothing functionally, and only adds expense to the framing and roofing. You will only be able to have tiny windows in those angles by the time you account for framing and casings. I'm talking you're lucky if you can have 20" of glass total. Also, your "jogs" don't line up correctly from one floor to the next. If you "got" to have them, those jogs need to be much larger in order to be both decorative and functional, but that will also affect your budget. (Yes, I know it's opposite advice to eliminate them or make them larger, but one or the other needs to happen. They don't work as is.) Do you have room on the lot for a side load garage? It would look much better. Or tuck the garage even further behind the main home's face if you can't manage a side load. Do you really want to have 1/4 of your entire build devoted to a master suite? It shorts the other rooms, and is off proportionately to the size of the rest of the home. The closet is awkwardly shaped, and too large. (Yes, there IS such a thing when it will impair function.) Being over the garage, it's also likely to be poorly insulated and thus will suffer from temperature swings that will lead to mustiness in your clothes. Make sure that you insulate the garage ceiling properly as well as have both an HVAC vent and return in the close, even if it becomes smaller. If your ground floor guest room won't host guests but a couple of times a year, do a Murphy bed or sofa bed and use it as the office for the 90% of the time it will be unoccupied. It's wierd to most people to come in the front door and be confronted with a private space like a bed room. It's also uncomfortable for any guests to walk past the front door in their PJs on their way to the toilet. En suite access is a must here. That's a change I'd strive to incorporate in order to make the situation more user friendly both as an office and as a guest room. The laundry is big enough that if you want to add a powder room there to compensate for the bath becoming en suite, it's more than doable....See MoreWhat do you like Now that you didn't like Before?
Comments (26)For years I didn't care for potato chips or French fries though I liked potatoes prepared other ways, but the past few years there are times I crave them now. It's a combination of the oil/grease & salt. Rather than a certain food, I find that I now like specific dishes a lot more than I used to: stews, pot roast, sauerkraut, sausage, biscuits & gravy (notice the interest in heavy fat foods?) A kind of sad thing, I LOVED chocolate to the point of once buying & eating a whole BOX of Hershey's bars, & going to chocolate conventions for a few years. Now I've lost my taste for chocolate; I don't hate it, but I don't care if I have it or not, & when I do have a piece, it doesn't taste all that great. Calories I don't have to worry about, I suppose. It's also given me empathy for older people who have lost their taste for food....See MoreDo you like this plan / layout?
Comments (21)Jen- I can see why you like the look of the open plan, but I completely understand your desire for separate areas. The noise and clutter can become overwhelming...and even though people often have formal dining rooms and separate living rooms...all the 'living' seems to go on in the great room. My personal opinion is to either make a beautiful, big great room and don't waste money on rooms rarely usd...or make large, inviting, separate spaces and design them so you'll actually use them. For example, if there's only room for two chairs and an ottoman by the kitchen fireplace, people will move into the separate living room, to stretch out and watch TV. If you want an informal dining area...keep it informal, and use a banquette on one side...while putting comfortable, upholstered chairs, in the formal dining room. Also, keep the formal dining room interesting and inviting, with maybe a window seat, french doors or some bookcases. If you think you want separate spaces, explain this to your architect...and more important, talk it over with your family. You can have the same 'great room' feeling, by putting in a den, with a bar and a game table. People can sit at the counter (bar) and have something to drink (doesn't have to be alcoholic) and play games/cards at the table, or have a quick snack. It will function, much like the great room concept, without the clutter and noise transmitting back to the kitchen. Also, the kitchen 'mess' will not be seen, while relaxing with friends and family. It might be another idea to consider :)...See MoreDo You Like Fried Potatoes and How do You Like Them
Comments (33)My husband makes the best french fries. He cuts the russet potatoes in rounds....doesn't peel them. Then he cuts them in sticks, so they are about the size and thickness of my little finger. He has a pot of oil, and he dumps them all in at once...which tends to cool the oil a bit, but when the oil reheats and they finish frying, it is like they have been fried twice, which is the real way to make french fries. You fry them, drain them, and then fry them again. They are lightly crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I used to always cut my french fries length ways, but after seeing how he does it, I changed to his way. His still taste better than mine. I am another one who loves an electric skillet. I don't think I have ever fried potatoes in one, but I like frying chicken it better than I do using cast iron. And I have over 100 pieces of cast iron cookware. Or, did have. I have given a lot of it away....See Morerobo (z6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoVirgil carter - main floor master not mandatory (inlaws currently live in a big house with no main floor master).
Architectural style - there is a bit of tension there b/c FIL oversees big suburb developments so he is very comfortable with middle American suburb, but of course would not be my choice. MIL likes beachy cottages and I could see some amalgam of beachy/Maine lakehouse type of thing if I could find it. Not mountain cabiny, not rustic. I doubt they'll spend big bucks on super special craftsmanship or lavish architecture for this home, but it will be a cut above a starter home.
Although my hope would be that XXX down the line we hire an architect and go for a nice plan, this is really to get the ball rolling - but like I said I think they need a bit of a frame of reference or jumping off point.
Going all the way to the other end of the cost spectrum, this would be a good indicator of my MIL's taste but too big/lavish for a tertiary residence and of course I wouldn't send them this because it's completely unrealistic.
robo (z6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorobo (z6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
palimpsest
8 years agoThis particular house is very expensive because of its minimalist detail, but the overall shape of the central block, and the glass area along the back are nice.
robo (z6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agopalimpsest
8 years agorobo (z6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
cpartist