There are a number of threads here on starting out. Have you searched for them?

The best siting for the main rooms is facing south for passive solar energy. With a lot that is 118' long with 5' setbacks, I'm thinking you could create an L shaped house with the back of the L facing south to take advantage of the south light.

Also I'm thinking your furniture placement isn't accurate considering how small some of the rooms are.

the drawing is stock - not mine. I get the s/se orientation. i have an idea for a l-shaped house for those very reasons (solar capture), but plans i am finding are big sq footage. Option is to work with an architect and design one - so am still thinking that.

You don't want to have to carry your laundry across the entire house from the bedrooms.

My house faces east and I have lights on in the two front rooms, even in the daytime. And there is no porch! I had no choice - house was built in 1948 LONG before I bought it and it served my needs.

@Anglophilia - I should've included that this house will be in central Oregon - which enjoys a significant amount of sunshine - but the porch on the east side does worry me about minimizing light during the early part of the day (and my favorite part of the day!)

If you haven't read the Sarah Susanka books yet, I very highly recommend them. Start with The Not So Big House and go from there.

Why three bedrooms if this is a house for a single person? Why two full bathrooms? Why not a full + half?

Small houses can be very attractive architecture. These houses by Robert Gurney, FAIA, suggest house with one-person living on the first level, and guest quarters on the second level when/as needed:

Overall it's a small, solid plan. Here are a few thoughts ... the biggest topic, I think, is storage:

- I added the green box at the end of the laundry room to indicate a perfect spot for a window seat. I know, it's not a need in this spot, but it would be lovely thing with windows above and storage space below. I'm imagining that you'd typically enter the house through the laundry room, and this would be a very nice sight line as you enter the house.

- I think you're stuck with the post in the dining room. I'd make it dark rustic wood and use the same type of wood over the mantle and/or in shelving somewhere else in the main living area.

- I don't know that I'd add to the dining room. You have space for a
small table now ... and when you have guests, it can be extended into
the space that would normally serve as walking space to the laundry room
(your guests won't be accessing that room.

- I'd go with a pocket door between the laundry and the main living space. It's going to remain open most of the time anyway, so this is an ideal spot for such a door.

- I agree with the poster above who says that the laundry would be better on the bedroom wing. You say this is a retirement house. I remember my grandmother could do her own laundry just fine ... but she had trouble carrying baskets of clothing down the hallway; the result was that she made many multiple trips with a tiny basket perched on her walker. Not the safest choice.

- 24x24 is a good-sized garage for two cars and a family. I do think 3 bedrooms/2 baths is reasonable for resale ... but I wouldn't upsize a garage.

- Master bath: You'll have plenty of space for a large shower, if you're dumping the tub. I'd bring it to the inside wall so that you can have a window over the toilet on the other side. You say this is your retirement home; pay close attention to your shower and make sure it's elderly-friendly ... you know, curb-free flooring, grab bars -- those things won't hurt you now, and at some point you'll need them.

- Even if you were a double sink kind of gal, this vanity appears to be 5', and that's not really enough to support duplicate sinks. With one sink in this space, you'll have room for nice-sized drawers.

- If you add a bump-out to the back of the house so that the master closet can have storage on both sides, you'll almost DOUBLE your closet storage. A bump-out with a shed dormer won't cost all that much. I'd go 2-3' and make both the closet and the bathroom a little wider /more comfortable.

- If you're going to bump-out the bathroom (for the sake of the closet), I'd keep going and bump out the living room too. It's quite cozy as shown now ... and those extra 2-3' would give you some elbow room. This will also allow you to scootch the back door around to the edge between the kitchen and living room ... meaning that the door (and the door swing) would no longer fall in the living room /would not impede furniture placement. I've circled the door spot in red.

I know, I know, you're saying, "But I'm only one person! I don't need a larger closet, bathroom, living room!" You intend to stay in this house. At some point you may bring in another person, or you may want to sell the house. This little bit of elbow room will be useful. And we're talking about a small amount of space for a fairly large payoff.

- I agree that an exterior door in the master bedroom is a good feature, but I'd consider a sliding door instead of an inswing door (indicated with a red circle) because a swinging door /hinged door will impede furniture placement in this modest bedroom.

- I'd lose the vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom. Personal opinion, but it's just not a space where I'd splurge.

- Consider your windows. You could have add a small window on the side of the dining room. Light from two sides always makes a room look nicer. And with the bathroom bumped-out a bit, you can have windows on two sides there too.

- My final suggestion is that you simplify the hall bath. Drop down to one sink (which will allow you space for a linen tower) and eliminate the mid-bath door.

I don't know that I'd add to the dining room. You have space for a small table now ... and when you have guests, it can be extended into the space that would normally serve as walking space to the laundry room (your guests won't be accessing that room.

Yes but there's no room for a dining table and a buffet in the room. That was why I commented that the rooms seem to have more furniture than the dimensions allow.

The total amount of width right now is 114". Assuming a 42" wide dining table, that leaves only 72". 72" divided by 2 leaves 36" of walking space on either side of the dining table which is the minimum space needed.

If you're going to bump-out the bathroom (for the sake of the closet), I'd keep going and bump out the living room too. It's quite cozy as shown now ... and those extra 2-3' would give you some elbow room.

Right now the living room is 17' x 16' but the actual usable space is a lot less. It's actually 14' x 13' and in reality you'll also lose more space because of that huge corner fireplace.

I'm in a similar place to you 40s single woman and wanting to build somthing to age in place in. Make sure your hallways are 48" wide and doors are 3 6" in case you need a walker or wheelchair as you age. I'm a diabetic so it's something I worry about. I personally am planning to try for a curbless master shower if I can make it work within the budget. You may want to look at the toilet location in your master for that reason as well. May not be easy to navigate with mobility issues in that little cubby. Accessibility is going to be easier to plan for now than to retrofit later. When you start your build think about extra bracing for grab bars in the bathroom when you frame. Also the taller toilets.

I wouldn't want an exterior door in my bedroom. I feel like it would be a security issue.

I would however add to the garage. I'm a DIYer and a gardener so need room for all my tools and having an actual workbench would be awesome!

In your living room I'd plan fkr some outlets in the floor.

I'd also ditch the vaulted ceiling and opt for 9' or 10' ceilings instead. Vaulted ceilings sound great until you try to paint them or dust the cobebs from their corners. Also code may require a smoke dtector up high on that wall. let me tell you the first time you burn something in the kitchen and can't turn it off you'll start to hate that ceiling.

I wouldn't want an exterior door in my bedroom. I feel like it would be a security issue.

See, I consider the exterior door a safety item ... a fire safety item. When thinking about aging in place, you need to consider how far your bedroom is from an exerior door.

Agree with mrspete regarding the door from the master bedroom, but otherwise excellent thoughts Tammy.

One other thought I just had when looking at your plan. If you move your laundry closer to your bedroom and you don't want to do an L shape, I'd flip the house so the kitchen/dining area is facing south and your bedrooms are north.

I'm more worried about the security and plain creep factor. Elderly are vulnerable to criminals and the exterior door gives a criminal direct access when you're most vulnerable. It takes a fast second for a criminal to break that door and he's right on you with no chance to flee or call for help. Fires generally take time to spread giving you time to escape. If its reached the bedroom you've probably lost consciousness from smoke inhalation already. If you're that concerned I'd bump the bedroom next to the master forward and extend the hall to the exterior wall and put a door there.

I'm more worried about the security and plain creep factor. Elderly are
vulnerable to criminals and the exterior door gives a criminal direct
access when you're most vulnerable. It takes a fast second for a
criminal to break that door and he's right on you with no chance to flee
or call for help. Fires generally take time to spread giving you time
to escape. If its reached the bedroom you've probably lost
consciousness from smoke inhalation already. If you're that concerned
I'd bump the bedroom next to the master forward and extend the hall to
the exterior wall and put a door there.

Eh, maybe. Remember that fire doesn't always spread slowly ... and even if you wake /become aware of it in time, it still could block your way to the front door. And while elderly are vulnerable to criminals, I think that's usually more about financial scams than violent crime ... plus, if the criminal's IN your house, I don't think he's going to say, "Well, I would assault this person, but the long walk down the hall has changed my mind. If only I could've walked straight into the bedroom."

Incidentally, when my now-RN daughter worked home health during college, she commented that fire safety /proximity to a doorway from the bedroom is one of the items taken under consideration when deciding whether the company will take a person on as a client ... or whether they'll determine that individual should not be at home.

Still, you have to decide how you feel about this personally; and, yes, bumping the master closer to a front or back door that already exists could accomplish essentially the same thing.

plus, if the criminal's IN your house, I don't think he's going to say, "Well, I would assault this person, but the long walk down the hall has changed my mind. If only I could've walked straight into the bedroom."

I'm not thinking of when they're in the house. I'm thinking of which house a criminal will choose. Your neighbor's entry door is in the kitchen. Yours is in your bedroom. The criminals can see this from casual observation. So is he going to choose thw house where the homeowner would have time to call the cops and put a locked door...possibly two doors with the bathroom between them and the intruder or the house where they can bullrush the occupant the moment the door gives with a good kick and have total control in a matter of seconds? Also remember that as single women we have more to fear than thieves.

If you plan to "age in place" at least one of those bathrooms needs a shower big enough to roll a bath chair into.