Would you mind posting the entire plan? :-)

Also, the folks over at the Kitchen Forum are amazing with kitchens. Post over there, too!

Is this an internet plan?

I can see a major problem is that the kitchen is set up as a traffic circle (roundabout if you prefer) with people coming in from all directions trying to go everywhere else while dodging the center island!.

It will keep kids and pets entertained running in circles but probably not what most people have in mind with an "open concept" kitchen. A lot of people want to redo kitchens like this so that traffic doesn't go through the work areas. Agree best thing to do is to post over on the Kitchen forum. They'll want to see the entire floor as well as the detailed image you have posted here.

Thanks I will post over in the kitchen area when I find it. Pretty new to this and some forums frown on double posting.

Not sure cpartist. A buddy of mine gave me a bunch of printouts of plan jpegs. This is the one that we liked. We like the layout of the house just not sure on a couple things like the kitchen size and if the kids really need 13x13 rooms. Looked at a bunch of houses and never see anything that large. Below is what we have so far but we have made some changes. There wont be an AC unit in the hall. We are going to foam and use one unit.

Oh, Mr. Mike, y'all got more problems than just the kitchen, unfortunately. :-( So sorry! Generally speaking, to avoid an expensive and out-of-proportion roof (and to maximize natural light), it's best to have a house that's only 1-2 rooms deep. This one is 3-4.
Have you considered hiring an architect? The ones on the forums here are pretty awesome -- I imagine there's probably someone super cool somewhere near you. :-)

I guess I don't follow. The house is only 55' deep. I looked at a lot there were deeper and wider than this one. I looked at some being built that were like 50 wide and 80 deep and I have one sitting here in front of me from a mass builder that is 70 by 66. All of them have three bedrooms on one side. The roof is hip.

Why would you want to enter your master bedroom by walking through the kitchen and also have the door to the master bedroom right next to the powder room and the pantry ?

Plus your kitchen has no windows........and your family room is buried within the house and away from natural light sources as well.

Also, why would you waste the precious corners which are a source of light and air by putting closets and bathrooms there instead of rooms with windows on two walls.......?

This is a very poorly designed house.........I suggest that you consider hiring an architect to design a truly custom home for you and your family.....

The kitchen location is a big issue. You have to go through the kitchen to get to the garage, laundry room, powder room, and master bedroom. Imagine carrying baskets of laundry through the narrow walkway into the kitchen and around the island. Not something I would want to deal with on a daily basis. You also have no windows in your kitchen and you really don't even have a view out any windows in any other rooms from your kitchen.

Thanks while I agree there are some things that could probably be better, I am still making some changes. I was planning on adding an extra window to each of the three other rooms. They are just not on these plans. We are sorta short on time with a current small one and another on the way. My wife likes this layout ( I guess Acadian style) and well our current house has the kitchen, dining, and utility all together, and frankly its never been an issue. We typically do clothes once a week. I spent a few weeks going and looking at houses and most are somewhat similar. Rooms on one side, LR in the middle with porch on the back and almost none had windows directly in the kitchen etc.

I like that from the LR I don't really have to see into the bedrooms. The kids rooms are the two at the top left. Guest is at the bottom left that has access into the bathroom.

Originally we had the 36" cooktop in the island, but the wife didn't like the range hood coming down after looking at another house that was like that so we moved it to where it is which is why its further from the sink. I think from anywhere in the kitchen other than the current stove location, you can see just fine out both the LR windows adjacent to the FP and at least 1 of the ones in the breakfast room.

I think most every house has some things that everyone would want to change if they could. Perhaps moving the range back to the island would be ok so it would be closer to the sink.

I actually like the garage and kitchen joined. The last house I had wasn't and bringing groceries in etc was a pain.

Mike, try mentally walking through the process when you come home from work. When you come home from grocery shopping. When you come back with the kids from being out and it's cold out and everyone has coats and hats. When the kids come home from school with backpacks--where does all that stuff go?

Unless you always keep your bedroom door closed, people will be looking straight from the kitchen into the master bedroom.

I'd look a bit harder for a plan that works for you.

The reason I expressed concern with the depth of the house is because natural light is probably my #1 priority. If y'all don't have an obsession with light, then feel free to disregard the rest of my "tale of woe/friendly warning" post here, lol. ;-)

Despite my current home (a rental) being only 1.5-2 rooms deep, it is depressing and dark. My kitchen is on an exterior wall, but without windows, it has zero natural light. Sunshine from my south/southwest facing dining room tries *so hard* to reach the edge of my kitchen, 10 feet away. Since the dining/kitchen border is barely lit, the other 10 feet to the counter is hopeless. I am constantly turning on lights in the middle of the day.

My house faces all the wrong directions... It's best for living spaces to face south for maximum sunshine, and my windowless staircase takes up 2/3 of the southern exposure. It has a porch where it shouldn't (north/northeast, so my living room is always dark) and an uncovered patio (dead west) that should be covered (the doorknob is too hot to touch on the outside from about March to September).

So, since I'm living in a 2 room deep cave, I break out into hives when I see a plan that's 3-4 rooms deep, lol. With my first house, I got super lucky. With zero knowledge of these things, at the ripe old age of 22, my husband and I picked out an H-shaped house that was 1-1.5 rooms deep, situated almost perfectly on the lot. All of the right rooms faced south. It was a joy to live in.

I just want to spare as many people as possible from the kind of house I'm living in now. :-D Unless you're a vampire. A vamp could live quite happily in my house....

Hey Mike,

I'm not an architect or an interior designer, so you can take my feedback with that in mind. I also have my own preferences which will obviously weigh into the objectivity of my feedback.

This plan resembles 75-85% of 1 story plans currently being marketed on house plan websites. That is a fact.

I agree with what you and others have said regarding the kitchen. Not only is the layout too chopped up to be user-friendly, but there are issues surrounding the space - the powder and master locations as well as the laundry, IMO. Why put a window in the laundry room but have no window in the kitchen? I would be very, very unhappy with the current setup, but hey, that's me.

Another issue, as I see it anyway, is the great room. This is totally my opinion, but one thing I can't stand in most house plans I see is how one's furniture can be seen from the entry floating at an awkward angle. From your front door, the first thing people will see is either the back of a sofa or the side of a sofa running parallel. Why people want furniture floating in the distance of their entry is beyond me.

As for the left side of the house, I think it's too many bedrooms for one tiny bath. I'd sacrifice a bedroom for another bath area and maybe move the laundry and powder room over to that side too.

Good luck.

Having the garage close to the kitchen is great.

Having both the master and the half bath off the kitchen, not so much. One, you and your family will be interrupting whomever is cooking to use either of those two rooms. Two, the bath off the kitchen - just plain unpleasant. (I am living in a place like that right now. Who wants to catch a whiff of a gassy moment while prepping?)

Don't return the range to the island - lots of folks here can tell you about the venting downsides of that arrangement.

I'd suggest some fixes, but I think you are better off finding a different plan. This one won't remotely be the same place when done.

Thank you everyone. Man we picked out THE plan of chaos. lol We are actually on the MS coast and are on about an acre lot. Whatever house we go with on the lot will face south to southeast. Everyone has pointed out some really good things. Things quite frankly I don't we thought of. While I think we still like the general layout I certainly see where there are issues.

Previously I had about 30 printouts of plan images with no information on them other than the basic layout. We basically drove around looking at other houses under construction and then came back to the printouts and picked out what "had" what we were looking for without a lot of thought to some of the things you guys have mentioned. Almost every house I looked at or plan that was given to me, has at least one of the things mentioned here.

We wanted 4 bedrooms for sure and split. Originally we had 3 full baths, but I removed one to make walk in closets. While I agree that it could be useful, we do not entertain a lot and our thought was any guests could use the 1/2 bath if needed on the rare occasion we do. Though I don't think we thought much about the MBR being there. Probably because we 'currently' rarely ever keep the door open. Its a wife thing. We do have family that comes sometimes though, but spending another 10k on a third bath just didn't fit into our spending. I would rather use that to make the LR larger or kitchen.

We also knew we wanted a separate space for an office since both of us are still pursuing degrees. We didn't want to be studying in a bedroom etc like now. We also did not want a room over the garage (bonus room). Don't want to have to fight stairs, or inlaws that are older going up and down or high windows or dormers etc so we really wanted everything on one floor and something between 2600-2700 sq ft HC MAX. Also wasn't looking for something that had crazy rooflines, multiple exterior angles etc, that typically increase the build price.

So we were basically looking for something kinda Acadian style, 4 bedrooms, 1 dedicated office, garage, 2.5 baths and nice porch on the front and back. We spend almost all our time in the LR and outside. Personally the MBR could be smaller. I am only in there to sleep. :)

The house I am in now is about 1400 total with a bath and a half so anything else is a huge improvement. I guess we can try looking for a designer, but honestly I don't have the cash to pay the over $1-3$ per sq ft cost. I have family that CAD for a living BUT of course they are not designers. I can rough draw something though and they can do it all up. So here I am. Came in for a question on a kitchen layout and really learned a lot.

So we were basically hoping to start the build on whatever before the end of next month so we could be done and moved before the new baby comes. I guess I could try and draw something out and see what come out based on you guys input.

Mike, go buy one of those already existing houses. You have set yourself up for failure with an unachievable deadline, low budget, and the lack of experience to judge what is a good plan vs a bad plan. If you want to move forward with shelter for your family that is more personal, then you should resign yourself to living in your current house for at least another year while you explore more options. Buying something just for the sake of buying something and keep moving forward is like going shopping for your spouse on Christmas Eve. The pine tree air freshener and can of Turtle Wax ain't ever gonna cut it, even though it might seem brilliant at the time to cross off that name from your list.

Design may seem expensive on the front end, but just try to fix bad design on the hind end. It's 10x as much. Or, it's permanent and can't be fixed for any price. It actually costs less to build a well designed house than a poorly designed house, so why pay more for something that isn't going to work well for you?

With your lot size, and hurricane high wind and flood zone requirements, you can't do a cookie cutter design anyway. It won't pass local code requirements. And a design intended for a narrow city lot just looks stupidly like a square peg stubbornly and nonsensically getting hammered into a round hole. You need a local person to alter the cookie cutter 8000 square lot plan house anyway. So, you have now spent MUCH more money and time than just starting from scratch with an architect.

So we were basically hoping to start the build on whatever before the end of next month so we could be done and moved before the new baby comes. I guess I could try and draw something out and see what come out based on you guys input.

Mike if you were coughing up blood, would you go on the internet to find how to stop coughing up blood? Of course not! You'd go to a Doctor trained in medicine.

If you're NOT a designer with strong visual skills, why are you trying to design a house that will cost you six figures?

There are too many variables you may or may not know. For example, you say you're on the MS coast. Are you in a flood zone for example? What are your wind ratings?

You're on 1 acre. Why are you looking at a house meant for a city lot like where I'm building? (My lot is 9100 square feet).

Please do not rush a design. It isn't like going out and buying a new pair of pants.

For example, here is the house you're thinking of.

The red arrows are having to carry laundry from the bedrooms to the laundry room. In every case it goes right through your kitchen work zone! And sorry, there is no way to fix that in this plan. You're doing laundry once a week now but what about once the new baby comes?

What if you or your wife is cooking at the stove and the other is doing a load of laundry. Can we say safety hazard?

Why do you need the garage attached to the front of the house if you're on 1 acre? Could you instead do it detached with a breezeway? That breezeway could be a mudroom or a drop zone for coming in from the garage.

You mention that you want a simple roof. This is not a simple roof because it will be overly fat which will make it overly expensive.

And most importantly, as others have said, you could add windows on all four sides and it would still be a very dark house, especially if the rear faces north.

Red arrows is bringing laundry from the bedrooms to the laundry room.

Green arrow is guests using the powder room.

Blue arrows are coming home, getting out of the garage and going to the different rooms in the house.

Orange arrow is if you entertain outdoors and then getting food from the fridge and bringing it outside.

Purple arrow is bringing food from the stove to your dining nook or to your dining room.

Also one other thing I noticed is why isn't the kids bathroom between the two bedrooms?

Here I did a possible idea of how light would enter your house. I added windows to all outside walls too. Notice how it doesn't help the interior? Anything white will not be getting natural light. That's a heck of a lot of dark interior spaces. Additionally this house is so closed in that I would think in your area of the country, like in mine (I'm in FL) you'd want to embrace indoor/outdoor living. This house is so closed up it doesn't do that.

In the entire house you have only two doors to the outside. One to the backyard, and one out the front.

Always love CPArtist's flow arrows and light patches. I was hoping she'd do them for you, too, Mike! They really are great tools, to test how the house "works." :-)

Edited to add:

I totally know how it is, wanting to move into a larger house when the family is growing. My patience is wearing very, very thin in this area (my husband and I have 5 kids in 1350 sqft). So I know. <3 It's stressful for sure. Short term patience will really pay off in the long run! (At least, that's what I tell myself now, to keep my sanity from totally slipping away, lol.)

Oh! One more thing!!!

You mentioned the cost of a designer... I've heard that many lending institutions consider the cost of the architect (an actual architect, although maybe a designer/draftsman would apply, too?) as part of the homeowner's contribution to the building of the house! That would be less $$$ you'd have to bring to the table for the loan, assuming you were gonna finance it. :-D

Mike,

What everyone is trying to say is slow down and stay where you are for now. While you are waiting for new baby, start the process of designing a new home for your expanding family. We can help make the process much easier, efficient and effective for your family. But, you have to stop and take a deep breath.

Having lived in New Orleans and the South for most of my life, I understand that you have heat, light and weather requirements that are totally foreign to some of the posters from other parts of the country. That's why they asked about your location.

One example would be how to deal with light. In many parts of the country, light is precious. On the Gulf Coast, light is constant, too bright and brings heat. Catching a breeze and a porch are necessities. Stock plans usually cannot meet this need for multiple locations.

Don't be afraid of architect designed homes. Here are links to two discussions at this very forum that provided me with a lot of insight.

Architect versus online plan

Beginning Bubble Diagram

Read those. Once you have made some decisions and need floor plan input, don't hesitate to consult the experts at the Kitchen Forum about kitchen design. I've yet to see a plan, either architect design or stock plan, that didn't need a little adjustment all the way to a major overhaul.

At GW, you can cross post with impunity. Once you get to the point you need to select appliances, go to the appliance forum. There are experts opinions galore. Some are better than others, but all are trying to help.

Best of luck with the new family and home.

Mike, dont make a mistake and build this plan! You have the opportunity to build a custom home. Not many people get to do that. You do not want to mess this up. I really think that if you are going to invest in building a brand new home, you should look at spending money on an architect. This is a huge investment, not only financial but also for you and your family's lives, as well as in future resale.

Thank you everyone for the insight and cpartist for the flows. Really does put things into perspective. I pretty much totally agree on the one side of the house. The kitchen certainly makes a mess of things.

I am not in a flood zone. I'm actually almost 20 miles inland. I do wish I had inquired earlier but I guess that is the process of learning. I have already gotten some building quotes on this plan but I think after reading everything I need to re-evaluate. No builders I talked to do design. They all want you to bring them the prints.

I read over the links and wow cost could be huge. I do like everyone have a budget so I need to stay in that. I also have family coming before the end of the year who will be living with us for at least 6 months. So unfortunately, I am a little time constrained and then there is the market and interest rates. It never ends.

As for the garage. You know, I'm not against it being separate. But its like this. My wife gets cold when its under 70 lol. So I was trying to keep it near or attached to the house. Plus there are no other houses that are like that. While I am on a lot I am in a developed area.

I personally do not find the lighting issue to be of that big a concern. I'd much rather deal with the flow issues. I'm not sure how I would fix lighting. My house now faces east and west. In the morning I get the rising sun and in the evening the setting. All my windows are on the east and west sides and it bakes. Its toooo bright. Had to hang curtains.

Tomorrow I will reach out and make some calls to see what it would cost to do something from scratch.

Does anyone here just do layouts? Maybe sketch something in the size I have that works? I'm not talking about electrical, cabinets etc, just an approximate layout?

ArchitectRunnerGuy just did a home for a poster from around Pensacola. This guy had a mess stock plan, too. ARG did a series of phone and internet consultations. He worked up the basic design. He turned it over to the owner who engaged a draftsman to work up the final builder plans. It didn't take any time at all and I think the result is going to be great.

Does anyone remember the post. I can't find it. I'll keep looking.

Here is a link to his page at Houzz:

http://www.houzz.com/user/architectrunnerguy

Found it! Here's the thread: The NEW Plan from the man

Yes, you may be able to find someone here who can do approximate layouts for you. But for it to work I suggest you be flexible. Mention your requirements (how many beds, work from home, entertainment plans, etc), the lay of the land you will build on, how many of you there are or might be in a few years. Prefer one story, or two, that sort of thing. And down in MS, you will want to face north/south, as you've discovered.

cpartist's flow diagrams are priceless!

"So we were basically hoping to start the build on whatever before the end of next month so we could be done and moved before the new baby comes. "

Oh, a lot of us here can tell you that the house will take longer to build than you think. Or that the builder will tell you. They're going to give you the best case scenario - which I am afraid won't happen. I'm not sure how long it is before your blessed event, but I can guess you won't be in a house that quickly. Permitting, then building, then hurry up and wait while one trade or another has something else going on in their lives, etc.

I was supposed to be in my home by this point last year. Nope. Close, but not yet!

Designing a truly custom home enables you to customize something to your lifestyle but it is a big time commitment. I'm not sure yet whether hiring an architect and starting from scratch is the path I would recommend for you. You have to be all in.

You can also look at plans on the internet and then bring in an architect for changes. Some internet plans are pretty good. Now that you've heard some of the feedback and know what to look for (like kitchen flow) maybe you could look at some other one story plans online? Based on your comments it sounds like you had a gut feeling the plan wasn't right before you posted. That's good and improves the chances you'll know a good design when you see it. More people know good design when they see it than can actually do it themselves.

Even if the builders you are talking to don't do design they should have references to someone locally who does -- and that person should have existing plans that are already adapted to your building codes and local styles you can start from to help keep costs lower.

Also since you don't have plans yet I'd be very cautious of anyone who is telling you a new house will be move in ready in less than 12 months. Just. Not. Going. To. Happen.

in regards to the kitchen question in the original posting i would exchange the range/stovetop with the ovens..... or i would look into a range with double ovens (which is what i chose and i really like), one of the ovens is not terribly deep but i use it 95 percent of the time.... regarding the light situation, which direction is the rear of the house facing? our home has a 12 ft deep porch around the south side of the house and the lighting in the gr is more than adequate, the kitchen in our home does have windows, but the 2 large ones face north and are under another 12 ft deep porch, we have absolutely no need for lighting during the day in this kitchen, make the windows onto the porch from the breakfast area and the great room as large as possible, even loosing the corner fireplace to window space

i would consider taking the entire side of the kitchen that now houses the stove top and turn that into pantry space and i would loose the walk in pantry in the hallway to the master bedroom to just cabinetry open to that hallway area.. having done that, i would make that pantry more narrow and the dining nook a bit wider, your formal dining room looks quite small for the number of people in your family, that would concern me a bit, as would the small size of the bathroom on the "children's" side of the house

yes this plan is certainly not the very best, but we all have different tastes and financial concerns

have your wife "cook an imaginary Thanksgiving dinner" in her kitchen in a variety of different layouts and see how she likes the function of each also i would loose the different heights on the island making it more useable counter space all the way around..... my kitchen dimensions are much the same as this one and we've functioned with as many as 5 people preparing 5 different dishes at the same time..

Didn't read through every response yet, but all the bedrooms need more windows. Secondary bathroom should also have a window.

You need to buy a house that is already built and then in a few years, if you can afford it, build your "dream house". You don't have a good plan, you don't have enough money, and you don't have enough time right now.

As for the size of those bedrooms, 13x13 is actually a VERY small room. Children have "stuff" - lots of stuff - and they need room. These bedrooms are the size of my dining room and it is WAY too small. I can't even imagine it as a bedroom!

Take a deep breath and go look at existing houses.

Anglophilia- As for the size of those bedrooms, 13x13 is actually a VERY small room. I disagree, 13x13 is often size of a master bedroom in smaller homes and apartments. I think you'd find several layouts right here in Houzz.

I sympathize with ya brother. We wanted to be in before my baby was born too. He's 6 weeks old and we haven't broke ground yet.

Slow down, take a step back, consider how you're going to use every room, and evaluate if what you're building can last you 15 years.

You'll be glad you did, and what you end up with will be more in line with what you're feeling this new space will deliver.

Just my $0.02. Good luck on this awesome adventure!

I personally do not find the lighting issue to be of that big a concern. I'd much rather deal with the flow issues. I'm not sure how I would fix lighting. My house now faces east and west. In the morning I get the rising sun and in the evening the setting. All my windows are on the east and west sides and it bakes. Its toooo bright. Had to hang curtains.

You fix it by minimizing windows on the east/west and maximizing them on the north/south axis. You help by designing the house with overhangs and placement. You can have lots of interior light without it heating up the house. If it's done right.

If your place is too small and you absolutely need to live in a larger space, my suggestion is to rent for now. Find a rental that will work for you for the next year to 2 years while you plan and build the right house for you. Take the time to make it right for you and your family.

This plan's kitchen has one of the worst designs I have seen. You have 6 openings/doors! The issue is not only circulation. It lacks continuous counter space and there is no natural light! Then, there are a bunch of smaller issues all over that are not worth it to mention.

Only a skilled architect or designer can fix this. It would be easier for you to find another plan. I like your idea of going with Acadian style. If you do not have time, then listen to the persons that are suggesting to buy something already built.

We used this plan to start our process, made some changes but it is lovely! Also the only one that both DH and I picked out of a catalog:
http://www.designbasics.com/PlanView.aspx?plankey=08376fed-4ea5-4bc7-aec4-f8ade7e217e0

Good luck and don't be in a hurry! Anything worth having is worth waiting for!

I knew a guy that wanted a dog, so he bought a cat and tried to make changes to it until he got the dog he wanted . . .

I knew a guy that wanted a dog, so he bought a cat and tried to make changes to it until he got the dog he wanted . . .

A good one for ARG's 100 quotes

A good one for ARG's 100 quotes

Might be tough. This year I'm limiting Mark to 99 out of the 100 and, 11 days into the new year, I'm there already!

There's nothing like a good metaphorical statement to drive a point home.

Anything is possible.
Barking Cat

The veterinarian in the room would like you all to quit giving her clients ideas. :-P

Don't leap into building just because you want to be in a larger place before the in-laws land on you for 6 months. You won't be done by then even if you started now with that. Figure out a way to deal with them in your current house while you get a well-designed house plan for the future.

And like everyone else, I think that kitchen plan is a disaster - it's got all the traffic from every part of the house going right through the work area, behind the person using the knives and carrying hot pots.

Whoever drew that design should be required to cook dinner in there - spaghetti dinner for 8 so they can haul a huge pot of boiling spaghetti and water from range to sink while dodging the island - while someone else is coming in from the beach with loads of wet towels that need washing, and someone else is trying to store the load of groceries.

Draw the colored lines for daily activities with EVERY PLAN you look at - people have a hard time looking at plans for liveability, but they can draw lines from where they get up to where they get dressed (which makes me ask, why do you want the closet in the bathroom with all the steam?) to where they get coffee ...

Draw in the daily activities for everyone, and for various ages with children and their visitors. What does the route look like for kids coming in from playing to get a snack or a drink? What is the 'dirty route' for muddy toddlers and teens? Can you get them cleaned up before they hit the rug in the living room?