I'm probably at revision #60 or so. Here's how it has worked for me. A first floor plan comes together. Then I follow one of two paths - go straight to exteriors and roof or go to second floor. Once one of those is done then I proceed onto the remaining task. I've had all sorts of plans that I really liked right up until the moment where I didn't like something that was a design artifact that I couldn't work around due to decisions made earlier in the process. Then I pull the plug. Once the plug is pulled I have two choices - start fresh or backtrack. Here's how I manage the process. When I start fresh I label the plan as "House Plan #4" and each subsequent new start proceeds sequentially. Then as I make changes to the basic plan I save the changes as "House Plan #4 - Design Variant #8" and so on and this process branches out. I've had plans that worked well on the first and second floors and exteriors but the roof lines just didn't work for me, so I've abandoned them and started afresh.

This is really not as bad as it sounds but we are our 3rd designer. Not design, not revision, designer. The first didn't work out due to some personality conflicts. Our second was a very nice helpful person, who was patient and easy to work with. We almost got what we wanted(and many of you helped with our floor plan), but then it all fell apart on the elevation. What we wanted was just really beyond the scope of what she knew how to do. It was really turning into a waste of time and effort for both of us. This third designer has been awesome. He's extremely talented, very patient and has been a real pleasure to work with. He managed to nail the elevation with a pen and some trace paper in 10 minutes sitting in front of us. I spent months with the other designer and still never got there. We are so happy with the new design and elevation. I never felt that way about the other designs. It makes the nearly a year of frustration(and money) dealing with the other designers all worth it. My opinion, keep after it until you get a product you love. If you can't get the love from this one, move on. It's worth it.

Erika, Evaluate your needs and see what makes the most sense for you. I opted for 12" overhang w/a 42" wide aisle that runs for 3' between the island and desk hutch wall rather than 15" overhang with 39" aisle. That is the major traffic aisle from the utility/mudroom so for my needs (and a short family) that worked best for us. Jenny1963, I do like how the curve dresses up the island. It also makes a difference with the amount of water that does NOT end up on the floor. I do my major prep work to left of the sink. I thought in Erika's case it would add some length to her island. The hangover is 4.5" at the widest part of the curve. It feels significant when I work.

I think it's the shower causing problems in the master bath. If you turn it 90 degrees, look how much more nicely things fit together -- the bathroom no longer has to be so deep -- in fact, if you move the door to the end of the room, this is my plan's bathroom layout. It's a workhorse of a plan: modest in size, keeps everything close, functional. I very much like the connection between the bathroom and the closet -- they're located together, but you don't have to walk through the entire bathroom to reach the closet. Best of both worlds. I agree with the idea of turning the Great Room the other direction -- similar to the shower, its forcing the house to be quite long. Bonus: If you bump the Great Room out, you may be able to have windows on three sides. However, I think you have unnecessary bump-outs in other parts of the house; I'd simplify the exterior shape. Hallways: With a long ranch house, you're going to have to have hallways. It's just part of the package. I don't think yours are outrageous for the size of the house, though pretty much any hallway is wasted space. I like the concept of the Keeping Room (though I don't like the name much -- I'd have to call it something else). However, I note that all the pictures L-Lass shared above -- very nice pictures -- are more of an alcove, a nook, an extension of the kitchen, whereas the one in the picture is an actual ROOM. I think I like the alcove /nook rendition better. I like the concept, but I'm not sold on the execution of this room at all. And I wouldn't want it to be large at all: Just big enough for two easy chairs. I think I'd like the Keeping Room if it were in the spot now occupied by the dining room -- of course, that idea doesn't mesh with the overall design. Absolutely nothing is "killer" about a straight set of stairs. They're the most common type of stairs, and it's rare to hear of an injury, much less a "killing". I like CP's kitchen much better than the original. The original had too much space in the middle, and you'd always be too far from where you needed to be. This galley kitchen is functional and nicely laid out. You have your serious work space in the galley area, and off to the side you have space for beverages and a spot to keep a cake or a fruit basket -- but that's all out of the way. I like the pantry too, though I don't understand the storage between the garage and the pantry. I also wouldn't do two exterior doors into the garage; instead, consider this door arrangement: This allows you to walk into the mudroom, and if you have groceries, the pantry's right there ... but if you don't, you keep walking straight ahead. I'd also go with pocket doors for the pantry. You'd probably keep the doors open most of the time anyway, and this would mean your doors wouldn't cover up a part of the shelving when they're open. Finally, I'd use motion-sensored lights inside the pantry so you'd never enter a dark room with your hands full of groceries.