No, I imagine I will just use that area as the breakfast nook. I'll have a round table and buffet. I use that area a lot in my current home. Thanks for the advice on the laundry room!

3,463 SF for $400K is really pushing it. Especially when you enclose, heat and cool the garage as interior space and add the cost of a carport. Then, there's land costs, site improvement expenses, etc. Do you already own the land? Is it easily buildable with sort access drive and simple water well/septic?

Dining room should be wider - 12ft is VERY narrow (ask me how I know!).

Skip the movie room - children watch too much TV as it is, and a first floor guest room is very nice to have.

DO NOT make all three bedrooms upstairs the same size! For resale value alone, a master should be bigger than children's rooms.

Is the library really a home office? If so, guests will see the mess when they first come in the front door. A home office should be out of the way, both for privacy with business phone calls, but also to hide office mess (which is inevitable, Perhaps part of bonus room on the 2nd floor? I'd also use some of that bonus room for a 2nd floor laundry - too much hauling up and down stairs.

Cost? I now that building in TX is less than some areas, but I think you are overly optimistic.

Upstairs, I want to keep the master and have 3 other bedrooms. I want the two smaller rooms and the bonus room area to be kids rooms, just need the smaller ones a little bigger and the big one a little smaller. There is already a laundry room on the 2nd floor.

The library downstairs will be a library/study. I want it a comfy reading area with wall to wall bookshelves for all of our books! It won't be an office.

The movie room is just a want- we all love watching movies and it's a fun place for kids to hang out especially at sleep overs and such. It can certainly be cut out if needed.

I guess I was thinking we could do it cheaper if we did things ourselves and weren't paying a huge builder's fee. We would basically be doing it for cost on his end.

Thanks for the feedback!

The OP wrote, "...I guess I was thinking we could do it cheaper if we did things ourselves and weren't paying a huge builder's fee..."

How many 3,000-4,000 SF houses have you built? How many subcontractors and specialty contractors do you know and can get to commit for your one-time build?

There's a reason general contractors charge a fee...

Our general contractor is a friend which is why he isn't going to charge much. I may be crazy and will probably go smaller, I just was curious how crazy I was! Lol. I figure start with the dream home whittle down as needed for cost.

If you eliminate the garage, consider where you are going to keep your lawncare/sports/car tools and other items that are commonly kept there.

If you turn the garage into a game room, will you have a mudroom-type entrance?

With no basement (and as I recall they aren't common in East Texas anyway), there isn't much storage for seasonal items/decor, pantry, extra paper towels, and yard stuff. Do you have a plan for all that?

Are you including the cost of land? I think you need to cut your dreams down by a lot.

I am thinking a storage area in the carport and the attic plus my husband will have a large shop. Cost of land isn't included, we'll pay cash for it. As far as storage in the house, I will make sure there is a large pantry and plenty of closets for storage.Typically around here houses are around $100 sqft.

Oh yes, I do need a mudroom added.

If the 400K does not include the land, then yes, I think it's doable in East Texas (I am building in North Texas) of course you may have to reconsider high end finishes in some areas.

I could never live without a garage. Where will you put lawn equipment, bikes, tools, etc? For that size house and for the amount of people living in the home I do think your laundry is a joke of a size. Although that's just my opinion

Yeah, I thought it seemed small as well. Definitely have to adjust sizing of rooms, I just like the overall layout.