Rockin Horse Farm by DE Wiggins
Looking for feedback on "Rockin Horse Farm" by DE Wiggins.
Planning to build on 5 acres in NE Indiana for the wife and I within the next 2 years. We have no kids and are in our late 30s. Our parents are in good health, but do foresee grandparents needing help here soon. The wife's GPs are in their late 80s, early 90s and living on their own. They live in a 2 story house and still do most of their own yard work. I do want to offer them a place to stay when they are ready.
Our current home is 1800 sq/ft ranch, 3 bed, 2 bath on a crawlspace. Nothing special, just a typical builder-grade tract house on a quiet 1 acre lot. We do like our location and the house is adequate for 2 people but would be tight for future guests.
The 2 biggest issues with our current home is it lacks storage space (basement) and does not fit with my work lifestyle.
I work as a locomotive engineer and am unfortunately on call 24/7. Many say working for the railroad is a "lifestyle" instead of a job, because your life revolves around the railroad. I receive numerous calls throughout the night related to work which disrupts the wife's sleep (very light sleeper). Getting ready for work is also an issue as she usually can hear me in the kitchen or typing away at the keyboard in the next room. Our previous house was a 2 story (w/ basement) and allowed me to get ready on a different floor to prevent waking her.
The short list of our requirements:
- 4 bedroom (3 bedroom + office)
- 3 bathrooms (at least 1 per floor)
- main level master bedroom & guest bedroom
- 10' poured basement (unfinished)
- over-sized 2 car side load garage
- radiant hot water heat
- energy efficiency and low maintenance exterior are higher priorities that interior finishes
- budget $400k
I do plan on contacting an architect when I get further along to polish the design and make sure there are no glaring mistakes. So far I'm drawn to "Rockin Horse Farm" by DE Wiggins because of the main level layout. I'm not a fan of the vaulted family room / foyer. I would also like to change the second floor layout after the vaulted family room/foyer are removed.
Right now I'm just concentrating for suggestions on the main level.
"Rockin Horse Farm" by DE Wiggins
- 1953 Sq Ft ( First Floor), 461 Sq Ft (Second Floor) + 529 Bonus.
My list of changes for the main level:
- Remove vaulted ceiling in family room & foyer
- Change garage to side load (10' wide garage doors)
- Add a foyer closet if possible
- Change master bathroom toilet door to a pocket door
- Standard size refrigerator instead of built-in
- Add windows to front of garage
- Remove the perimeter step in the garage
- Add linen closet by main level bathroom (cut into master closet)
- Increase size of master shower
- Remove door to basement steps and open stairway.
Comments (151)
Crystal King
5 years agoStarting to to look and few more like a house! This week lighting, plumbing and tile work!
Reda Tabor
5 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (15)adding linen closets Yes, this house could use more storage overall! With the exception of the master closet, storage seems to be lacking everywhere. Here's what I'd do in the kitchen for better storage: Red is the pantry ... now it's located near the garage entrance, and you can unload bags of groceries on the island and put items away conveniently. Blue is the counter run, which is no longer interrupted by the pantry. This allows for better flow, and it allows for more windows towards the back grilling area ... and it would allow you to have a pass-through -- very convenient to pass your plate of burgers through instead of carrying the plate around the corner /through the door. side entry garage I'm against this idea. With the gable above the garage, you need those big doors to "anchor" that end of the house. Without them, the house would feel "off". Thank you both! I hadn't thought about a larger shower being cold. I'm glad that you pointed that out. As in so many other places, you don't want a shower to be too small or too large ... you want right-sized. You need to start paying attention to shower sizes in hotels, friends' houses, etc. I personally like 4x5' with no built-in stool. This is plenty big so that it feels luxurious, yet not so big that you can't reach handrails on both sides (thinking of future needs when I'm old) and no so big that it gets cold. We wouldn't need a hall closet, but would like an area designated for vacuums, (etc) in the laundry room. Maybe even adding a small closet in there. A good idea -- if you don't plan things like where you'll store your cleaning items, you'll end up realizing too late that you have no "assigned spot". I wouldn't put a closet inside the laundry room though; I'd just go with an open cubby type spot -- quicker to grab things. As for a drop zone, we had talked about maybe a built in wall bench with hooks above and storage underneath for shoes, coats, backpacks, this being under the staircase so right as you come in from the garage. Not sure that I'm explaining it correctly...something like this picture: https://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2015/07/05/mudroom-bench-shelves-for-shoes.png That's a cute picture, but do note that with allowances for walls, you'll have space for about a 3' bench ... this picture probably shows a 6-7' bench. You can use the same idea, but realize that yours will be smaller. Upstairs, I'd do a one-sink vanity, which allows for more storage both on the countertop and in drawers beneath. My kids have two sinks and never, ever use the one closest to the door. They could sure use more drawer space, though. I'd use one-sink vanities everywhere. What you've described is typical: No one ever uses the sinks together, yet pretty much everyone could use more drawer space. I have to say that I don't find the upstairs exterior pleasing. The second floor doesn't seem to have any rhythm or balance to it, it actually looks a bit chaotic to me. I agree. It has too much going on ... are we doing arches or gables? ... too many ins and outs, jigs and jogs ... it's all too complicated ... it has no grace, no elegance, no flow and even leans towards gaudy. The lower part of the house has this issue too ... jigs and jogs, a complicated perimeter that'll be expensive to build, yet adds nothing to the function or look of the house ... yet the lower portion is "saved" by the simple front porch, which "evens things out". Overall, I do not like the exterior. How "farmhouse " do you want it to look? I have seen a lot of houses that look like they belong on a farm more than this one. Take it from an actual farm girl, this is in no way a farmhouse. Farmhouses have tall single windows, not double windows. The porch is the right size for a farmhouse, but but proportions are wrong for farmhouse; likewise, the roof is too prominent for a farmhouse -- the roof kind of leans towards bungalow, but isn't really bungalow. Simplicity is a hallmark of farmhouses; likewise, the materials are not "farmhouse". Here's a farmhouse -- almost always white, the porch is a separate item, and it has tall single windows:...See More
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Front entry and you can see the door that is in between our dining and kitchen, that space is underneath our staircase. And because this plan lacks closet space, it’s our coat closet and it’s pretty spacious for a vacuum and a few open shelvesCrystal King
last year
Britt B
12 months agolast modified: 12 months ago
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