It's so interesting (and confusing) to see how folks post photos of floor plans. One of the first things student are taught in architectural school is to locate the entry on the plans to the bottom of the page, so that one always "enters" the plan from the bottom and circulates through the design from the bottom up.

I'm getting dizzy, but I'm going to try to get in the front door and move through...! :-)

No. Just no. Way too many issues to even start listing. Get a real architect.

Virgil Carter Fine Art - we do have exterior elevations, I was just looking for feedback on the interior details so didn't post those yet but I can.... thanks for your feedback!

Sophie Wheeler - thanks, I guess!?

These are the preliminary exterior plans. Our architect just designed the outside (the windows aren't what we want in the end or placed where we want but we have a good idea of what we want the outside to look like so I can get past this...)

Oh and Virgil- yes this house will be large and expansive. It's probably considered by most to be a very modern house... we want clean lines, high ceilings, etc) So we are aware of the depth and pretty sure are good with it :-)

Oops! Here are the exterior photos:

These are the preliminary exterior plans

Your drawn elevations and what you have placed in your "Exterior of Home" ideabook it looks like it's for two different projects.

In the boys' bath, give them one sink. It's small to begin with, and they will need the storage and counter space as they move into orthodontia, shaving, hair styling, first aid. My boys as well as my brothers are similar age difference and were never, ever in the bathroom at the same time.

Not going to address the inequality of your daughter having a master bath and the boys sharing a minimal-sized bathroom with three doors. Oops, I guess I just did lol!

Which is the dining space?

Which is the primary go-outside-and-play (both grownups and kids) door?

Just thinking of your daughter, when she's the only one at home and the boys are off at college, she has a long walk down the lonely hall to her bedroom. Would you consider, and does the outside light allow, switching her bedroom and bathroom, so that her door can be closer to the loft? And so she's not sharing a wall with an eavesdropping brother?

Architectrunnerguy -.youre right that exterior ideabook was from way before we bought the lot and started this project... guess I should delete it! ;0

Bpathome - that's a good idea of switching her bed and bath locations. I'll look into it. Pretty sure though, her bedroom is where it is because it allows for the best view from the house in that area.

All 3 of our kids currently share a small bathroom but it does have 2 sinks. For whatever reason, they're ALWAYS in there brushing teeth or doing whatever st the same time...?! Not to mention the oldest gets annoyed when the younger ones use his sink and get it all messy.... it's a whole thing, trust me!!! lol But the boys bathroom is going to be expanded so the shower can be larger and the 2 sinks will fit comfortably :)

As for the exterior door, do you see at the end of the great room, there's doors going out to the pool? Those willl be the main ones going outside There will also be a door going from master bedroom to the backyard

I understand the sink thing, and I find it curious that families have kids who are never in the bathroom together... lol...

I have 5 kiddos, and they all like to brush their teeth at the same time that I do, and we all spit in the same sink (so, for me, 2 sinks would be wasted for a different reason, but I can see your need). :-) Maybe I should move teeth brushing to the kitchen!

My siblings and I all brushed at the same time, too! We just learned how to share, how to take turns, and how to be assertive/get what we wanted, all at the same time lol! When I got my own bathroom, I couldn't blame spatters on the sibs anymore, though.

Have you considered how you are going to lay out furniture in the great room?

Why do you have 4 toilets downstairs? You have two in your master bath, one in the den and one in the entry. However you only have one vanity in the master bath. That's a bit odd. Why not a vanity for each of you and why such a small vanity in a house with over 4000 square feet?

And then upstairs you have 4 more toilets? Why would any house need 8 toilets for 5 family members?

Why do you need 3 staircases?

Where is your dining area?

Have you tried placing furniture in your living room? Based on the layout of the room, I'm assuming you're not planning on having a tv or a focal point like a fireplace because there's no decent wall space. Your furniture will be relegated to the center of the room because of all the walkways and entryways that need at least 3' of space.

You have no measurements on the living room, but whatever the size take off 6' in the length and the width to get your usable space for furniture.

Are you ok with walking through your kitchen to get to the laundry room?

Where do you plan to put your bed in the master bedroom? The way it's laid out now, it will mean one or the other will have to walk completely around the bed at night to get to the bathroom because the only wall that the bed can go against is the wall with the 3 windows. Unless you're planning on the bed going up against the closet?

Why are you losing closet space by angling the doors?

The right end of the shower is useless as it's only 2' deep. What do you plan to do there? And why the strange angle?

That's going to be a massive and very expensive roof

Where are you located?

What is the size of your lot?

Cp, I grew up in a house with 8 toilets for 5 people. (Did we need them all? Well, had circumstances turned out they way they were intended, we would have.) And my parents have his-and-hers bathrooms, which works really well for them especially now that they are elderly. IIRC, the house you are planning has 3 for 2. But I agree, in this plan there are two guest half-baths on the same side of the house downstairs, and an extra half-bath upstairs that is probably not necessary. IF the kids' friends need a bathroom, they are young and spry and can bop down the stairs. Or, use their host kid's bathroom (incentive for the kids to keep them tidy?)

One of those 1/2 baths should be way more accessible from the pool....

PS I love modern - but finding that dealing with the plans as photos, and their jacked up orientation is not letting me dive in. Any change to post some decent jpegs with proper orientations?

I love modern design. The floor plans nor elevations look modern too me. The spaces don't flow into each other at all. Is this a new build or a remodel?

I'm impressed that all of you can even read the plans to offer feedback...

Its easy jamie, turn your laptop on end and squint, lol.

There are some lovely details to your plans, and I love the elevations! With a home of that size I would make each bedroom with an ensuite bathroom including the boys rooms. It will make a difference for resale down the road. Upstairs you have 2 bathrooms not attached to bedrooms. I would lose the half bath and make duplicate baths where the Jack and Jill is now. or, keep the half bath and add the second ensuite. The extra cost for 2 baths with those bedroom is minimal compared to the overall cost of the home.

The bath in your daughter's room is huge. Bigger is not always better. (I have had big bathrooms and a big house and sometimes the bigger rooms feel like a hike to get across! Especially the distance to the toilet in the middle of the night. The toilet should be closer to the bed in case there is a middle of the night in the dark trip to there) As the mother of a teen daughter, I would recommend a double vanity/sink, huge counter space and expansive well lit mirror that will accommodate a gaggle of teen girls putting makeup on and doing hair to get ready to go out or just because. That will make a bigger difference than all the floor space in there :)The only reason I would make that attached bathroom that big is if I thought I would use that room and have the kids doubling up in the other bedrooms there when smaller so you are all close. I would move the closets in your daughter's room to between her room and the other bedroom for sound proofing. That would allow some reworking of the bathroom. Noise proofing between rooms will go a long way to peace between teens who are playing music or games.

Downstairs, where does the dining room table go? I would swap the entry closet with the half bath that is right by the front door. This moves that half bath right across from another bath, and it might be more clear one can be eliminated. Or keep both for big parties. The closet by the front door it too far as is. Awkward for guests to be arriving while other guests are exiting the bathroom right there! If guests come with purses or coats, where will they drop them? Maybe you already planned a bench in the entry area? If there is a long hallway that is interior and will be dark, I really like a window with direct eyesight as you walk down the hall. Such a window in your daughter's room such that if her bedroom door is open, you see out it if you are going down the hall. But it would give her more privacy if you had her bedroom door off to the left and the end of the hall could be a closet or lit shelves or niche. There is also an opportunity for a window at the end of the hall on the extra bedroom past the game room. If that is a guest room, not to be too paranoid, but would you want a guest up there with your kids so far from you? Is there supposed to be a door on that room? It can be made so the bathroom is outside of the room. It is far enough down a hall it is private if not attached. I would consider adding a closet to the "den" downstairs as a better guest room/bedroom alternative/extra storage space, and adding a door there. In general I try to avoid long halls since they are wasted space.

I would add more closets overall such as to the game room. You can't have too many closets :)

The mud room layout is inconvenient. You have to come in and go around the wall. I would have it be a bigger room without that dividing wall that is easier to maneuver and drop armfulls of stuff off (coats, backpacks etc). Folks here can give you more specifics.

Overall, You have a very nice plan. There are just some nitpicky details I would change if it were mine :) But it is not mine, it is yours. So read all of the comments. Ignore the ones that are not right for you. And keep making changes til it feels right to you incorporating the comments that you agree with! As others said, you need thick skin to post here. So hopefully you will get some helpful ideas from all of the comments! :) :) I hope no one scares you away. I will look forward to seeing in progress and finished photos of your home!

lafdr

Agree with these comments -- my thoughts added in ( ) :

- In
the boys' bath, give them one sink. (This space doesn't look big enough to support double sinks.)

- Just
thinking of your daughter, when she's the only one at home and the boys
are off at college, she has a long walk down the lonely hall to her
bedroom.

- Have you considered how you are going to lay out furniture in the great room? ... Where do you plan to put your bed in the master bedroom? (Overall, these rooms are large ... but not furniture-placement-friendly.)

- Why would any house need 8 toilets for 5 family members? (And who would want to clean them all?)

- Why do you need 3 staircases?

- That's going to be a massive and very expensive roof.

- I
love modern design. The floor plans nor elevations look modern too me.
The spaces don't flow into each other at all. (I like modern, but I agree that this doesn't say "modern" to me ... and I agree that circulation isn't good.

Many large homes I have visited have two powder rooms - one for the ladies and one for the gents. I don't find that odd at all. One especially lovely home, even had a lounge area - large closet for coats, and a dressing table with stools to "fix up", as well as a small sofa. It was very gracious.

I don't think one can have too many bathrooms in a house, especially if one has out of town guests regularly or large family get togethers. If one can afford them, why not?

I know of many houses with two staircases - a front one and a family or one for help on the back. I'd have killed for a 2nd staircase when my children were young!

I don't think it is a good idea to criticize choices made by someone building a house, when we're talking about how large it is or how many "extras" there are. Clearly, this is what they want and they can afford it. What we should do is point out areas where plans might not "work" well.

It is often hard to evaluate a design without knowing the program (the information used to make design decisions). I find it the case in this design. I can only say that I hope your were not looking for warm and cozy.

And please don't make it a Halloween House, where the color scheme is based on a variation of orange and black.

Many large homes I have visited have two
powder rooms - one for the ladies and one for the gents. I don't find
that odd at all. One especially lovely home, even had a lounge area -
large closet for coats, and a dressing table with stools to "fix up", as
well as a small sofa. It was very gracious.

It sounds commercial to me. And oversized and difficult to resell.

I don't think one can have too many bathrooms in a house,

Yeah, you can. More to clean, more to maintain -- and to what effect?

I don't think it is a good idea to criticize choices made by someone
building a house, when we're talking about how large it is or how many
"extras" there are. Clearly, this is what they want and they can afford
it.

Yeah, when someone asks, "How can this be improved?", pointing out obvious excess /wasted space is a legitimate topic of discussion.

As for affording it, none of us really know that answer. The average person can't afford a house this big -- and don't we regularly read threads about "must cut 200 sf" or "must cut 20K from the budget"?