Yes, it's an attractive looking house. Unfortunately, I don't find it convenient or comfortable for daily living, especially with several small kids in the mix. The most obvious discombobulation is to consider having to haul all the laundry downstairs, through the foyer, through the kitchen, through the mudroon, and through the study to get to the laundry. Even if you use laundry chutes (not a real good idea with those little ones around), that is one long and awkward trip to carry everything back upstairs. Give yourself a break and change one of the upper baths into a laundry! Or access the attic to have really usable laundry. The kitchen definitely needs to go to the forum. It surely was not designed by or for a cook. As is, you are going to wear yourself out just going around corners when fixing a meal, and it isn't good sense to have the sink so far from the stovetop. And think about the kids running from the garage to the steps... not too good for them to be passing the stove everytime, yet the most direct route is right beside the stove. With four kids, a downstairs bathroom which is convenient to the outdoors should be a priority. There's nothing like having mud tracked through the house [times four] to bring real life inside. In this plan, a kid with gotta-go is going to use the powder room... and that means you'll have to make a constant effort to keep it clean and attractive for guests, as well as have extra traffic either through the kitchen or through the great room. I don't see the point in having the formal dining room with a 2-story ceiling, especially with a nearly full flight on steps going up one wall. I admit I personally don't care for the noise, decorating difficulties, or general ambiance of ultra-high ceilings, so that may be influencing; but to have a 2-story ceiling only in the DR looks like an architect's afterthought which was designed to cater to fad rather than use. Definitely YMMV. I very much agree that the scale and measurements should be visible on the plan. Most of those doorways look uncomfortably narrow, which is all the more distressing in a plan that has mostly generously sized rooms.

@pps7, Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I think the thing I love most about your response is that several of the issues you've raised I've already been struggling with myself.....so I guess that means I've really become educated on proper house design! (At least designs that meet THS's member's standards.) Or I've been spending WAY too much time on this website! :) Built-ins vs. windows- you're right, I'd much rather have windows there, but I have that old "where-to-put-the-AV-peripherals" issue. The TV will hang above the mantle. (FP will be wood burning.) So I'm not sure how to include the extras without at least one built-in. I also thought about maybe rotating the layout of the room a little bit to put the FP in the corner where the screen porch meets the room, but I'm not sure if I would like that set up over the years. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Dutch door- I'll be honest here- I only have the dutch door there because I'm really in love with them and I needed to find a place to put one! haha And the most logical place to put the dutch door was from the kitchen in to the Family Center (that's my current name for the laundry/mud/craft, etc room.) We think it really adds to the farmhouse feel. If anyone sees a reason why we should definitely not include it, please let me know! The front door sight line: I also don't have an easy fix for this. The exterior of the house will have the symmetrical windows typical of a farmhouse/colonial facade. (See pics below.) If I move the front door over, the symmetry is thrown off. I thought about putting in a double front door, with only the door on the guest's left side opening, but I assume that will increase costs dramatically. How important is my lopsided sight line to the overall feel of the house? I definitely want my home to have a welcoming, "right" feeling. If putting in a double door (or some other fix) is needed, I'll do it. Kitchen layout- funny you mentioned moving the refrigerator there....because that's where it was to begin with! :) After staring at the kitchen for a couple of weeks, I decided that, according to THS standards, having the fridge on that wall was too far from the sink, so I moved it over next to the sink. I'll admit, I felt a little dismayed, because I like the original layout, and I didn't like losing the counter space. I'll definitely have the kitchen forum take a look and hopefully they'll give me some feedback. Here are some inspiration pics: The outside is currently being inspired by these two pictures: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/2002-showcase-traditional-exterior-new-york-phvw-vp~66627) [traditional exterior design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2107) by other metros Witt Construction Kitchen inspiration pic- do you think a dutch door would add to the farmhouse feel? [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/macgibbon-kitchen-1-traditional-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~193091) [traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by dc metro kitchen and bath Cameo Kitchens, Inc.

All this anti room-sharing and bath sharing! Good grief! For decades, families ALL shared ONE bathroom and managed, regardless of sex. I'm certainly not suggesting that we go back to one bathroom houses, but the idea that teenage opposite sex siblings cannot share a bath is ludicrous. Buy the girl a dressing table where she blows her hair dry and keeps any cosmetics. Makes time in the bath far less and keeps all her "stuff" out of it as well. My son and daughter shared a jack-and-jill bath just fine. DD now shares a bath with her two teenage boys - she has more control over them and their idea of bath hygiene than she does over DH who has the en suite to himself. My children even shared a room until DD was about 7 and kicked her brother out - wanted her room to be "girls-only" when friends came by. My two grandsons have always shared a room and have never requested a change. They have two extra BRs in the house so they could easily each have his own, but they like having each other. Younger GS is dreading his brother going off to college next year - can't imagine him not being there in the room with him. It's all these attitudes that have caused colleges to spend a fortune on dorms with the majority being singles, and at some schools, each with its own bath. Children no longer know how to share. Makes me wonder if separate bedrooms for married couples may become the wave of the future for these non-sharers!

I agree with the comments to work with your professional architect and their process for determining your needs and wants. That said, being a homeowner with some familiarity of design principles is a definite plus! If you have the time and interest, I recommend the “Not So Big House“ books by the architect Sarah Susanka. The essential point is to focus on good quality design that suits your actual needs and that works for “human scale” day-to-day living. This is not a tiny house book, many of the featured homes are well over 3,000 SF. The point is to plan your space wisely and not default to the “bigger is always better” mindset. For example, she provides ideas for the open concept/great room floor plan that greatly improve the livability and usefulness of the space. With your need for hobby and work-at-home spaces, I think you might find her approach quite illuminating. Best of luck to a fellow Michigander!