I know. On the phone PI and I talked about all that second floor storage space on the second floor which isn't obvious on the "conceptual" (there's a reason that word is part of the drawing title).

And for the readers out there, the photo above is actually my own house and interestingly when I sent it to Pensacola, wrote "We have our coats on hooks and store the VACUUM CLEANER (emphasis mine) there as well as boxes where the ceiling gets low".

But I did forget about a towel bar.

Not going to sweat the darn towel bar lol. The second floor storage space a huge let alone storage over the two garages. We will add in drop stairs in both garages for storage needs. We tote around too much stuff already and after this move, we are done. We will be living on some of the nicest waterways in the state and with the naval station being home to the Blue Angels.

Towel bars are overrated. I don't plan to use them anywhere. Towels have to be folded just so so.

Towel hooks....that's the ticket.

Personally, I prefer towel hooks to towel bars.

LOL ILoveRed. I wrote the above and then read your response.

DH doesn't know how to fold a towel over the towel bar, so hooks just wind up looking neater.

I hated all the towel bars at our last house. Not a single towel bar in the new one...all towel hooks.

I am not asking about a particular type of towel hanger. Although, I admit to preferring hooks to bars. The question is - where would even a hook go in this plan? I am not a fan of the MBR entry/MRB bath/closet plan and think it could use work. Otherwise - looks like a pretty nifty set up. I do worry about anyone with a dining room china cabinet or buffet - but those certainly aren't make/break needs these days for many.

I also wouldn't want to hike through the laundry area or outside to the corner porch and then inside again to get to the kitchen with groceries. But, that is just me. Also - if an elevator is ever put in, food storage becomes almost nill.

ETA - we have a similar corner porch between 2 garages. We really like the look and it is pretty much the entry everyone uses. Do you want many people walking in thru your laundry area?

I am not asking about a particular type of towel hanger. Although, I admit to preferring hooks to bars. The question is - where would even a hook go in this plan?

Maybe right on the wall between the toilet closet and the shower. To put a couple of hooks all you need is 6"-8" of wall and it looks like more than that there.

I am not a fan of the MBR entry/MRB bath/closet plan and think it could use work.

That's your thoughts. Obviously PI is happy with it and had worked very closely with ARG to get what he and his wife wanted and needed.

Otherwise - looks like a pretty nifty set up. I do worry about anyone with a dining room china cabinet or buffet - but those certainly aren't make/break needs these days for many.

PI in his other thread was quite specific of the fact he and his DW did not want a formal dining room and didn't need one.

I also wouldn't want to hike through the laundry area or outside to the corner porch and then inside again to get to the kitchen with groceries.

This is Florida where we don't have to worry about mud or snow. The corner porch is covered so it's just like walking from the garage into your house through your mudroom.

But, that is just me. Also - if an elevator is ever put in, food storage becomes almost nill.

They would definitely have to figure out a different place to store excess food if it ever came down to them needing an elevator. Or they could get one of those chair lifts and keep the pantry.

The loss of the pantry in the future already came up. But given that all designs are made up of compromises and there's a SF budget, we have a more than ample kitchen with 30 LF of upper cabinets and 28LF of lower cabinets. And how much space does one actually need to store a weeks worth of canned stewed tomatoes and applesauce anyway?

Seriously, with all that cabinet space I wouldn't be surprised if the kitchen designer recommended a 3' wide pantry cabinet somewhere, maybe even in the 23'X12' garage.

You beat me to it! The plan is to take the potential for future storage of canned food into the overall design of the kitchen itself. There is more than enough room when we have the kitchen designed to put a tall and say 3' wide pantry cabinet and there are only 2 of us, no children. And we won't be hiking thru the laundry and under a covered walkway with groceries. The single car garage is for the wife and her Highlander and when she pulls into the garage with groceries, it's a straight easy shot. In as long as we remain healthy and have no medical issues, I can't for see the need for the elevator and I don't mind exercise as we work out 5 mornings a week now. The intent on adding the ability to add an elevator was based on the "what if something happens" thought. In my case, we have the "what if" covered in the plan. Long story short, the "ifs" were addressed in the design and the possibility to add an elevator exists.

I think it is a nifty plan in general. Not sure why pointing out a few concerns is causing a bit of a stir. Have you considered a back door to the 2 car garage? Our current garages set-up is like yours (we didn't design it though) and there isn't a back door to the garage that has access to the back yard. We are considering trying to get one put in...always having to carry things around -- yard and garden tools, bbq whatnots, brooms...just a pia.

Good point I wouldn't think twice about not putting a door on the back of the garage, although I am a gardener.

All the points are well taken. And I agree, that whatever footprint we go with (the one on the plan or the alternate) the bath needs work. Being a private bath, we don't have to be 100% ADA compliant but both could certainly be better in terms of addressing later limited mobility.

When I'm designing I don't get everything down on paper and then transfer those thoughts to a plan (like the one posted) that everyone can understand. I'm drawing that plan while I'm still designing the house. It's a simultaneous kind of thing. Same thing with the elevations. I'm going for the "big idea" or in architects speak, "The Parti". You might notice the first floor windows in the plan don't match what's in the elevation. We'll fix that detail later.

And when I'm doing it, often I don't know how much is going to fly. The client may hate all or parts of it and here I'm saying "But I got the linen closet you wanted in the bath!!!". I worry about that stuff later if it's important and I'm on track.

And of course, I'm seeing the thing in the overall context. All designs are made up of compromises and this plan is no different. I posted one here a while back where a poster kept asking "Kitchen needs to be bigger", "More storage space is needed", "bedroom #3 is small, "double bowl sinks are needed" etc. not realizing I'm working with an 1800SF budget and a bunch of other "gotta haves" that ARE there.

But, input well taken and we'll get to those if the "big idea" looks good.

I'm gob smacked. What a lovely result. After reading the other thread earlier, I thought for sure Pensacola was going to sign off in a huff. Kudos to you sir for taking a leap of faith.

Funny, we were considering moving up to Northern Virginia the last few weeks. Moving to be closer to family before retirement. I had no idea ARG was located in Maryland. It won't be for a year or two, but we may choose to build. If we make that decision, I know where to find the architect. I bet he'll even put the cooktop on the wall for me!

Nice job. I hope you spend many happy years in the home.

Have close ties to Northern Virginia. Went to high school in Springfield, college at Va. Tech and we lived in Reston and Middleburg before moving to Annapolis 10 years ago. Started a firm located in Fairfax City in 1980 that grew to 16 people including 6 architects.

Still have many projects there. When everyone found out I was moving to Annapolis the question came up as to service but with the internet now, it's not that hard and if a meeting is needed, it's scheduled around traffic. Just last month went out to Purcellville, Va. to walk a site with a client and we set that up on a Saturday.

Thanks, we went out to the lot this morning to take some accurate
measurements of where things will fall since we have an accurate set of
drawings from ARG aka Doug. SInce our last trip out, gas lines have been
installed on our lot which is a bonus. We had no idea that gas would
even be available on the street since there are only 9 homes. After
measuring, the area marked off by the stakes in the photo are showing
the width of the front porch and second floor balcony. Standing in the
middle of that area I snapped a couple of pics and took them from just
about where are front door should be. I measured the roof height on the
single story house across the street and it is 15'. Our lot elevation is
approximately 3' higher than the road way so between the structure and
elevation when we are on the balcony from pretty much anywhere we should
have a decent view.

Lastly, from my office since it is 35' up, I will have zero
obstructions and a full view of Perdido Bay. I won't get a damn bit of
work done during the day but the views of the seagulls and dolphins in
the bay should be decent. With that, here are a few quick pics I snapped
an hour ago. I love it when a plan comes together and basically, PURE LUCK.

You might want to consider adding a half bath to the loft area. If you're going to be spending a lot of time working there, it'll be nice not to have to run up and down the stairs every time you need to use the bathroom.

I love the little boat on the peak of the loft. I presume it's just an artistic flourish on the concept, but you should totally get one for real.

Thanks for the thought but we'll stick with what we have. Unless of course you're offering to pick up the tab LOL. I was waiting for that and of course the "well you may as well ad a small kitchenette up there as well." We all have budgets including me and the numbers are going to be up there so we are good. It surely won't kill me to walk a whole 20' if that.

ARG, Funny. Small world. I found a nice piece of land on the Snickersville Turnpike. Just a few minutes from Purcellville. I'll keep you in the back pocket. We like classic Palladian type architecture. It would be a complete turn around from Pensacola's project. Husband's from Fairfax and wants to come home. It may be a while, we have to get our current home ready for listing.

Snickersville Turnpike...one of my favorite roads to run when I lived in Middleburg. Hilly but very scenic.

ARG, I graduated from Lee High School in Springfield in 1963.

PI those are some great views.

Ah Lee...the rival school...West Springfield '70 here.

cpartist

PI those are some great views.

Thanks CP,

Just a little update. As of today, I have met with 2 builders who will be working out bids and still 2 to go. Both did say that they're very very impressed with the design of the house. Both of these builders have seen their fair share of high end homes so this is a BIG compliment for a job well done.

PI, I think when done you should frame your original plan, and put it in your office. ;)

Hey, already ordered the frame! A real ugh work of err ugh well yeah.

Figured I would get input here. Met with builder 3 today, thoughts on how well a cedar shake siding would look on the house? We are not using a metal roof. Thinking coastal Florida house or Cape Cod style looking exterior with gray roof. We would do something like NuCedar has on their website gallery.

What will you use for a roof if not metal? I'm using cement tile for mine.

As to what look for the siding, I would defer to Doug.

There is not very much cement tile used up here at all, we did have it in S. FL. I spoke to Doug about siding and came to the conclusion that Hardi would be fairly decent. Builders that I have interviewed, while they all have used it don't care to work with it. Health related issues are possible due to the materials when installing and the need for caulking etc. etc. Lastly, the additional time for labor is a good bit. That brought me to seeking alternatives. The Celect can be painted but it will void their warranty so that is not an option. Wood is nice but high maintenance and having lived on the coast up North, I am all too familiar with that. Stucco, the REAL stucco mind you is nice be very costly. Enter the NuCedar, from everything I have read in the Fine Homebuilders dot com reviews, it appears to have a very realistic look. It is a bit more costly than Hardi but, there is less labor involved in the installation thus a lower cost in labor. Kind of leaning that way at the moment anyway an they've got a lot of options. However, subject to change!

Now is the time to check into all these things. What will you use for the roof if not cement or metal? Regular roof shingles retain so much more heat than metal or cement.

Why not metal? We're using an insulated panel roof construction - and we're getting interior ceiling, insulation and exterior finish in pieces that are 4' x 50' - meaning very few seams. Might this work for your application - there appears to be a nice long rear slope....

Thanks much! Having had the cement tile, we know they are very prone to breaking and the barrel tiles are even more problematic concerning breaking. Whike metal looks nice, 2 issues: we have a few friends with them and the biigest complaint from all is poor cell phone reception and 2) cost. But hey, we can start a gofundme page LOL. We have a budget to work in so we have to keep that in mind.

Siding wise, color is a factor as well. Better half and I got to talking last night and we wanting to stat in the pastel color family. Material wise and in keeping with the maintenance free thought, we will focus our choices with that in mind.

Cell phone reception and metal roofs are a myth. It has no effect, even in an all metal building. Metal isn't that costly when you consider life cycle. Give up the fancy interior finishes that can come later on down the road in favor of external finishes that that will repay your pocketbook over time and are harder to change. Laminate is fine as a counter. Vinyl is fine as a floor. Minimal molding is fine in a more contemporary build. No fireplaces. Do an outdoor firepit. Etc.

Actually you can't make a blanket statement that covers all situations.
We have weak and spotty service at times with our phones and we do not
use a house phone. With weak signals and the spotty service, a metal
roof can make or break your service. The folks with these roofs have the
same service we do in the same area. My business phones and personal
phones are cell phones. It is not worth the risk to us, above and beyond
checking with friends, I have done additional research.

I will have a metal roof, and concrete walls with embedded rebar grids. I am essentially building a faraday cage. If cell reception is an issue, your provider will get you an in home cell access point / booster. that's my plan

Cell phone reception and metal roofs are a myth. It has no effect, even in an all metal building

When you combine block walls with metal roofs you will not get cell reception....at least in several buildings I've been in.

We have an stone house with a metal roof and an AT&T cell booster that works in most of the house! That being said, we don't have good reception in the neighborhood anyway.

We're just not going to take that chance. We gave up landlines forever ago. Metal roof would also have major budget implications. That's something we could do in 10 years if we ever got a wild hair between our cheeks LOL. We have AT&T service and it is poor enough already.

Before you make a final decision about the roofing material, speak with your insurance agent. A metal roof may significantly lower your insurance. While you are at it, talk to them about all of your exterior material choices. It may be something worth factoring. Insurance is a problem in Florida.

Pensacola I have a question about your home, can I private message you. You will need to turn your message thingy on. Thank you

Can't imagine why people give up land lines. I don't want to carry a phone with me all over my house, and before I had my whole-house generator, having just a cell phone would have meant it spent much of the time in the car charging.

P House, message thingy is on. Update, plans are drawn and perhaps a tweak or two. Builder is just about ready to give us numbers. The holidays slowed us down since subs were hard to get numbers from.

Looking forward to your starting to build and us seeing it come together PI.

I don't want to carry a phone with me all over my house, and before I had my whole-house generator, having just a cell phone would have meant it spent much of the time in the car charging.

Carrying a phone around with you in the house can be the smartest thing you can do as you age in place. Why? If you fall for example, your phone will be right there to call. DH and I never even answer our home phone anymore because we know the only calls we get on the home phone are spam calls.

Anglo, we kinda gave up our land line (got an Ooma). It's nice not having a phone bill (except tax on usage), and the phone has a "home," in a cradle, as well as being cordless. :-)

Only downside is it doesn't work if we have internet problems, but I kinda like the serenity of those times, lol.

Thanks CP! We have 3 cell phones and have not had a land land in more years than I can count and don't plan to return to a landline ever again. Just our preference. We made the change to a tin roof. After chatting with a close friend who is a builder in reality the tin roof cost wise in very close to being on par with a very good regular shingle with a 30 year warranty. Exposed fastener that is mind you.

Hi again Pensacola The message thingy is not on

Ok, I think it's right now.

PI, do you mean a galvalume 5v metal roof?

Hmmm. Interesting thread. Just thought I would check and see where you were at PI with your siding decision. I knew you were interested in the NuCedar which we looked into as well. Did you decide to go with it.

someone mentioned cell reception in metal buildings. We have an all metal building that we use for business purposes. we had to put in a land line because there is no cell reception. We would have rather skipped the land line. Is there something we can do to get cell service in the building?

NuCedar cannot be sold here in FL for some reason due to some approvals they don't have so that is not an option. Look here for cell service antenna help, they are NOT cheap but they're the best in the business: https://www.weboost.com/