You might be able to get the water heater and furnace under the stairs, depending on the model. Alternatively, you might be able to put the stair where the hall is, if you are willing to have one bedroom open into the kitchen. This gives you more space downstairs.

I do not know if I said anything about this in your earlier post. We have the ductless heat and air units in our 1375 house. We do have two of them each with its own outside? part not two heads on one unit. They are wonderful and you would no longer need ducting or the closet for them. They mount right on the walls and really once in place you stop noticing them. Efficiency is wonderful. Heat bill dropped to less than half. Cost was less than a regular heating and air unit.

Otherwise your plan looks great. LOVE the steel building. We wanted to do that here too. It looks so nice on our shop. We did use white though. I like white.

I told dh what I learned on GW about the ductless but he still doesn't want to do it. He said he knows people who have it and it doesn't cool as fast or as well as central. Gotta choose my battles and that one isn't important to me.

Where is your view? Out the front, back or side?

Views probably best out the front, back is good also. We plan to put a pond in front of the house, dam by the road so our view will be of water.

Can you expand the living area forward, just a few feet deeper? This would give you more space in the kitchen (so the range could be on the wall) and fridges on back wall.

And in the living room....you'd have space for a sofa, rather than a loveseat. Also, a little more entry area, before reaching the staircase. Is this going to be closed or open? Is the door to the upstairs?

It might feel more spacious if the stairway is open on the kitchen and entry side, with a wall on the living room side for the TV. You could have a door at the top of the stairs, to keep heating/cooling costs down. Just a few ideas : )

You need to think smaller LL! lol More space = higher taxes. I'm thinking of cutting 18" out of the master bedroom and dining area. Sofas take up too much space considering that most people don't like to sit in that middle seat. A loveseat and 2 recliners is plenty for us really.

I originally had the fridge over by the door, on the other side of the range, but then I realized it would be hard to get the water to the ice maker, so I switched it.

We're using ductless, and they really are amazing. During our hot SC summers, the A/C only adds $20/month to our power bill. Winter heat peaks at about $40/month. Our house is very tight and well-insulated, though. I think a lot of the negative about ductless stems from people trying to use them in a drafty, uninsulated farmhouse. They are also very quiet; my laptop is louder.

Whatever HVAC you go with, make sure the contractor knows what they're doing, especially in a modern, well-insulated house. I had a 'professional' tell me (over the phone) that I would need minimum of 2-1/2 tons in a central system. I bought a program and performed my own calculations, and it worked out to 3/4 ton for A/C, and 1 ton for heat. A system that is way oversized wastes a lot of electricity, and doesn't dehumidify well. We couldn't have gone with a central system even if we had wanted to; they don't make them that small.

Thanks mushcreek, I'll point that out to dh too. What program did you buy? And how did you place the units so they heated/cooled the house evenly, but the units weren't in the front of the house?

FWIW, I've experienced ductless a couple of times, different installations, different models, different countries. Hated it every time. Cold or hot air blows down on your head, which is quite uncomfortable, like a Modine or a room air conditioner mounted high.

They also make noise, something like an air conditioner-- not as loud, but still annoying, to me. DH and I are hyper-aware of sound. So no way I'd buy these.

But then again, I'll be in Maine, where you really don't need air conditioning. I really like radiant heat for its quietness, although it's not cheap.

We have Mitsubishi units, which are fully programmable as to where the air blows out. There are also units that mount on the floor, in the wall, and in the ceiling. Ours are virtually silent- I like to challenge visitors to see if they can hear it running. The outside units are very quiet, too- much quieter than conventional split systems. Our central system in FL was much louder than our ductless are. All of the ductless I've seen in hotel rooms and rental cabins have been noisy and ineffective, so I guess you get what you pay for. Radiant heat is silent by nature, but here in SC, A/C is at least as important as heat.

The program I used was called HVACCalc, if I recall. It was $50 for a one-use contract. I think it was active for 45 days. The regular program for a pro is like $350, but for a one-off you don't need that.

I see your problem placing the compressor(s). Our big 'public' room is in the back of the house, as is the compressor. We have a separate smaller unit in our BR, and it is on the side of the house. You can run refrigeration lines pretty far, though. Just make sure you also have a provision for the necessary drain line. They make pumps to drain condensate for applications where gravity feed is problematic. Our house works just fine on a single unit as long as we keep the interior doors open. At night, we turn the bigger one off, and just run the one in the BR. Again- this is a very tight and well-insulated home.

I guess not all my guests are that friendly (LOL) because I rarely get two people sitting together on a loveseat, unless they're very close. But ours might be a little small.

Do you plan to have more than two guests for dinner? If not, then a table for 4 should be fine. Or you could eat outside....I keep forgetting you're in a warmer climate.

For me, I wish I had a few extra square feet. Our house is working pretty well, overall....but I would love to have a little porch with French doors, so I could get away from the TV without being in my bedroom.

If we remodel the farmhouse....I hope to have a greenhouse/sun porch AND a screened porch. For nice weather : )

We rarely have company, unless my mom or the kids come for a week. The 'island' is a table that will seat 6. My plan for it is to have it height adjustable so it is counter height most of the time, but will lower to table height when needed. If more people are here, a card table or two will extend it further.

I did have to change the sizes of the bathrooms/closets because dh insists that everything is wheelchair accessible. I want a curbless shower but don't know how much to allow for the size. Dh says the interior needs to be 3 feet wide and 6 feet long so it can be used without a shower door.

We have one and that's probably about right. Let me check...

Outside measurements are 38" x 61", but I would make it closer to 6' if you want a permanent bench in there.

Thanks LL. Did you have it built, or is one that comes in pieces to replace an existing shower? Can you take a picture? I'd like to know if the slab has to be poured differently in that area or if it goes over a flat slab ok.

It was a remodel in our existing master bath. They pulled out the old tub. Looked great, was seriously about 6" deep....and put in the shower. This was so my husband could come home and be more independent, so they specialized in this type of thing.

The floor was built up a bit, then brought back to the lower level at the drain. This way it drains without going all over the bathroom. They tiled it, too....so it would be easier to use and not slippery to walk on.

No pictures right now, but I'll try to get some later. It seems like a pretty standard install, though. These guys said they did them all the time : )

If might not be a bad idea to have someone, who specializes in handicap accessibility take a look at your plan. Maybe a consultant or some other expert? That would give you an idea if there's anything else you might modify in the half baths, the kitchen, the doorways, etc. Better to do it now, then to wish you had later.

Could he roll his wheelchair into it?

He actually had one of those benches to transfer to, at first...but yes, you could. At the facility, they showed him how to transfer from the wheelchair to the bench.

Soon after he got home, he was able to use a walker inside, so he used the bench to sit on in the shower. Now, he's able to stand most of the time, but I keep the bench close by, just in case.

About the window into the breezeway. I have one from the original bathroom into the added on breezeway. PO had closed it, I opened it up again. I use it all summer. I can set a fan in it pointing either direction if I need to.

WE have one unit mounted on the front of the house over the front door. There is a square tube holding the plumbing part of the heater to out side unit. I could get a photo for you. If it were painted the same color of the house it would not really show. I do not care if it shows. You could make it look like part of the architecture if you were clever. Because we get so much snow sliding off the roof on the side of the house Joe built small metal roofed covers and the out side units are mounted up high on the side of the house.

We have one unit in one end of the house and the other unit at the other end of the house. The house feels evenly heated and cooled and out units are also silent..

LOVE that So pretty and the safety issue is wonderful.

"I did have to change the sizes of the bathrooms/closets because dh insists that everything is wheelchair accessible. "

a very wise idea. my sister and her dh built about 8-10 yrs ago and made wider hallways and doorways. they tried to do what they could to be prepared should she need a walker or wheelchair. this past yr she has had to resort to using a walker at times.

what I didn't understand (and didn't ask) was that their master bath was small and crowded. it was a bad place to conserve on space (and $).

the shower is just a normal size and pushed into a corner area. they put in a big tub (probably for resale) but I don't think they've ever used it. they put the toilet in a 'closet' w/a door - but I doubt her walker can get thru it.

it's about 7x 9 but seems so small and crowded. that big tub makes a big difference.

also think of things like door knobs, cabinet handles, faucet handles - and grab bars in bathrooms. including next to the toilet. at least have the frame work put in behind the drywall for future installation.

one thing that has been a highlight in my move to my doublewide is the shower (not part of a tub). no more climbing over the tub ledge - it is such freedom for me! there is a 2nd tub in my bathroom - but I don't use it and plan to have it torn out and made into a storage area. there is a tub in the main hall bathroom too.

and I've replaced (have 3 doors still w/o knobs!) door knobs with levers. much easier on my hands. I plan to change the faucets to singles levers too.

and of course, be sure to put in drawers, drawers, drawers in the kitchen and any other space with cabinets!

That's one reason we'd like to eliminate hallways. Such a waste of space, especially when they need to be wider. Dh has back problems and no feeling in one leg, so he is the one who will probably end up in a wheelchair. Although lately, I've had a pinched sciatic nerve and I can hardly sit or bend over.

A funny story on the lever door handles. Dh was coming in the back door as I was going out. The storm door has levers and he was holding it open as he tried to get his keys in the doorknob just as I opened it. So he backed up, and hung a belt loop in the handle. But he twisted to try to get loose and only tightened it. I was laughing so hard I could barely untangle him.

I once walked too close to the door lever in a hallway and it hung on my jeans pocket and slammed me. But I do prefer them to the round knobs, especially when I've just put on hand lotion.

You will never regret making your home all handicapped accessible....sounds like unfortunately, one of you might need it that way. Good luck.

I also like the lever handles. EXCEPT one kitty has learned how to work them. Sigh. So now we have a string up and over the top of the bedroom door to hold the lever UP. WE are strong enough to open it but kitty is not.

I HATE our long hallway and I created part of it with stretches in the house. OH well Happier to have the larger rooms o either side. Also gave me a huge canvas to work on with my mosaic.

I'm also one of those people who tends to snag themselves on lever handles, BUT we are still putting them in too in designing our 'aging in place' home.

As for your questions regarding the shower - the shower guys will always tell you its easier for them if the floor joists are sunk where the shower will go, but the joist guys will tell you your paying a premium to do that, AND it may impact your HVAC lines too!

For us, we found we liked the simplicity of OnyxCollections roll-in tubs, which don't require a dropped shower floor. Simple, but effective, and leak-free too! (I hate tile, its hard, cold, breaks if you drop things on it, and can be slippery if you buy the wrong kind)