In the hallway! Commute to work, mentally.

Take this scenario: One of you needs to bring someone over to fix equipment or work on a project, the other is barfing from the flu.

LG, that's quite a visual. LMAO. But you make an excellent point in that by going into an office from the hallway, it's like commuting. Come to think of it, my studio/office is right next to my bedroom both in NY and FL and once I leave the bedroom, I am headed to work.

It will be better for future resale to have a hallway entrance.

Bedrooms are for relaxing and quiet times and would be best without any form of work items, computers, and even without any exercise stuff. Definitely have a hall entrance with no connection to master bedroom. (look up Feng Shui for master bedrooms)

I guess it depends on how the office will be used -- if it is only used during the day, then a door in the hallway makes sense, but, if you or husband are the types that might get up in the middle of the night for a few hours and do work (my husband will do this and he'd rather roll out (he'd be on the side near the office door) and go through one door to get to the office), then why not both? Leave the hallway door to the office and then - you have enough depth in the bedroom whereby you could design a wall opposite the bed wall to include built-ins for clothing and TV, etc. and have two doors on either end (entry to the hallway and entry to the office) but designed in such a way that it looks intentional or is a "hidden" door. Of course, once you go down that road, you are talking about moving the double window in the bedroom so that it is centered in the room after the built-in (and how does that affect the outside elevation view?) ... and moving the tray ceiling over so that it is centered... Well, just a thought!

I've got this set up in my master (although the second door/s go/goes to the bathroom), and I love it. With the master closet and the built-ins, no need for dressers (which I don't like); tv (if you have one in the master -- we do not) can be behind cabinetry, and gives the room a real custom feel.

Both! Then you can access it from the bedroom or the hallway....and not have to walk as much to get from one place to another. Especially, if you have to answer phones early in the morning...like I do :)

Rmsaustin- Lovely wood finish!

Also...I like the sink in laundry area.

Hallway access only....definitely!

thanks everyone. Your input helps a lot. So roughly 5 for hall only and 2 for both. Its always so much clearer after hearing from my Houzz friends. So I think we will go with the hallway entry. The barfing and the Feng Shui comments have me convinced. If dh really needs his direct entry we can always add that during construction.

(LL, I think I now have an almost full size laundry:)

lol, I was thinking about the resale value. I don't actually barf:)

The only problem I see is no hall bath. This space could easily be a bedroom down the road. Where does someone go to the restroom? I know it may not be important to you....however you never know what is in the future as far as moving.

I thought about that the lack of hall bath entrance as well. Maybe one of those bathrooms could be easily reconfigured into a hall bath as the office could work for an extra bedroom - it has a closet and e-gress window. Heck, it could increase the value of the appraisal if you called it a bedroom/office.

Good points gw and colfoster, do you have any ideas as to how to add a door to one of the bathrooms while keeping the bathroom entry intact? I'm having a little trouble seeing the best way to do this.

the easiest way with the bathrooms is to turn bedroom 4's bath to a hall bath. It's literally right outside 4's room and since 4 is the most isolated in terms of bedroom, it wouldn't be quite so bad. to do it, you would need to reverse where the fixtures are. Here's the example.

I think having the office ALSO open to the master bedroom...provides a future nursery! That will be a better selling feature (IMHO) and you can use the master bath :)

The office is very small for a bedroom (especially compared with the others.) And, if you feel the need to barf (ick) have husband meet with client in lovely, formal living room.

Also...now that each bedroom has a bathroom...are you putting son in front bedroom? Just thought it might give younger girls more privacy and they could each have window seats, if they like. And it makes their rooms almost identical, except for bathroom window :)

I'm guessing older son might want a desk or chair, but that's based on my nephew at that age...or maybe drums. LOL

CP, what are your thoughts on the design below that keeps the bedroom entry to the bath?
LL, the girls will love the window seats. I am still keeping the office/master doorway open as an option.

Mary since the bath for bedroom 4 most likely will only be used by child in that bedroom, why not make the door to the hallway a pocket door and keep the door from child's bedroom a regular door? :) Hallway door can remain closed and locked except if you decide to ever use office as a guest room, or if you resell.

Cpart- I think that is a really good idea! Especially, if that's going to be son's room. He's 15 (I believe) and may not be in the house as long as the girls. If he moves out (promise, not trying to rush him out of the house! LOL) it would be a great guest room or media/play room for the girls. Just an idea :)

I think I would make the bathroom door by bedroom #4 as follows: regular door into hallway and slider into bedroom. That way son could lock hallway door and probably would never even shut slider into bedroom. If office is ever used as a bedroom, a regular door into the hall bath looks and feels like a more standard arrangement.

I like hendricks way of doing it too. It's just whichever you would prefer.

FYI, we have window seats designed into every bedroom in our house (4). Trim guy quoted $10k to build them. Yikes. We will do them eventually, but not right now.

hendricks/cp, that sounds like a winner. Much better than my banging doors.

Michelle, ouch.. DH may have to take that on as a father/son /daughters project.
LL, I would never rush my son out... dh might though:)

This may sound a bit sexist...but it just seems like girls' rooms overlooking the back is preferable to being on the front of the house. Especially since they're younger. And your son might like having a bathroom AND a closet between his room and his sister's room :)

I think he also likes his room being as far away from us as possible:)