House Plan Help

7 years ago

I've looked at house plans forever it seems like and can't seem to settle. I'm simply looking for suggestions for well liked house plans. We're a family of 4, with one boy and one girl. Looking to build on 7 acres out in the country in lower Alabama. Currently looking between 1800-2400 square feet and prefer open house plans with split bedrooms. Needs to have an attached garage and options for nice porches or outdoor living space. We are working on meeting with an architect but in the meantime, I can't help but to continue researching. Thanks for any and all help. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Charles Ross Homes

7 years ago

Hi, Joseph,

There certainly are a daunting number of plans available on the web. Reviewing even a small sample of them can be time consuming, and may not be all that productive.

Since you are meeting with an architect, I suggest your pre-meeting time is better spent identifying your lifestyle needs and budget. When determining your budget, keep in mind that there will be a number of post-move-in expenses such as window treatments, wall coverings etc. that you'll want to reserve money for.

Houzz.com is a great place to collect ideas for your home's exterior and interior spaces in an idea book that you can share with your architect.

Finally, I encourage you to include your builder as a member of the design team; their real-world experience and knowledge of local construction costs will help ensure you don't invest in an expensive set of plans for a home that will never get built.

Best wishes for a successful project.

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Comments (21)

cpartist
7 years ago
If you're meeting with an architect you don't need to have a plan beforehand. That's why you hire an architect. Because they have the skill and ability to take your needs and give you something that will work well for your family.

Charles gave you excellent advice. Sit down with your spouse and put together a list of your needs, your must haves and your wouldn't it be nice to have. Put together some idea books showing the style of houses and interiors you like. Figure out loosely what rooms you'd like next to one another.
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I see what you want to do and I think it is generally doable but you have a couple of problems, mostly with your bathrooms. First off, you're trying to squeeze a bit too much into the masterbath corner. Sketching bathrooms without the aid of graph-paper is tricky because just about everything in a bathroom has a certain minimum size and there are code requirements about spacing around toilets, etc. An inch or two can be critical. To start with, you've shown the tub too small. A standard alcove tub like you see in every tract house in America is 60" x 30". If you want a whirlpool or airjet or "soaker tub", you'll need lots more space... up to 6.5 ft long and 48" wide! Typically a whirlpool will be about 72" x 42". I recommend you do a search on tubs and find one that you like and use those dimensions in planning. A minimum sized shower unit is 32"x32" but unless you're very skinny, a shower less than 36" x 36" will feels pretty cramped. You may be used to showering in a tub/shower combo which is only 30" wide but there, you have a shower curtain which can billow out of the way. It feels different when the curtain is replaced by a solid wall or by glass. Then, you need about 2.5 to 3 feet between the tub and shower for standing room when you're drying off. You want to be able to bend over without whacking some part of your anatomy against a wall. LOL! The worst part of your current design tho is that small closet (his closet?) that you've hand-sketched onto the original scaled drawing. Based on the scale of your original drawing, you've drawn the closet about 7 ft x 3ft with a 24" wide door down near one end. Then you show clothing hanging alone three sides of the closet as if it were a walk-in closet. Sorry but it simply won't work. A reach-in closet can be just 2 ft deep but has to have a door that is nearly as wide as the closet so that you can reach items at both ends of the closet. Thus, for example, a 5ft wide reach-in closet usually has two doors that provide for a 4 foot wide opening. A 7 ft wide walk in closet usually has two 32" or 36" wide doors and so forth. A walk-in closet, on the other hand has to be deep enough to to have an "aisleway" so you can walk down to reach any items further than an arm's length from the door. Hanging clothes take up 2 ft and then, at a minimum, you need a two foot wide aisle to get to the end of the closet...and even then you would be be brushing up aginst the sleeves of hanging garments as you walked to the end of the closet. Thus a 3 ft deep closet is just too shallow to be a walk in unless you ONLY intend to hang clothing along the two side walls. But you can't do that with your design because the door is at one end. If you analyze that corner of the house, in a 14 ft wide space, your're trying to squeeze the following: * A laundry closet (needs 2.5 ft depth minimum due to vent at back of dry and washer hoses) * His closet (4.0 ft depth at minimum) * The bathtub (2' 4" ft, maybe more) * Standing room b/w tub and shower (2.5 ft minimum) * The shower (2.5 ft minimum) * The wall between laundry and closet (4 inches thick) * The wall between closet and tub (4 inches thick). That totals to 14'6"... and that's with everything squeezed in as tight as possible. I suppose you could just make the house 6 inches wider but even if you do that, I can promise you that you WON'T be happy with your cramped masterbath. So, you need to rethink that space. Then, on the other side of the house, you've made the secondary bath between the two bedrooms far larger than a secondary bath generally needs to be. Unless you need that bath to be wheelchair accessible, you could make it as small as 5'x7'. That 11'8" x 11'4" room really isn't big enough to be a bedroom. Once you cut a closet out of the side (2ft minimum depth needed plus 4" for the wall thickness), the actual room drops to just 11'8" x 9'0". Large enough perhaps for an office but really too small to serve as a bedroom. Even as a guestroom, it would feel overly cramped. And, if it is an office, do you really want/need a closet at all. I suggest shrinking the bath and enlarging that bedroom. The kitchen and dining areas are probably okay. Might be a bit tight getting around a dining table when chairs are occupied but it's "workable" as long as you don't try to put barstools along the countertop next to the dining room. If you want barstools, they'll need to be on the "living room" side. It's a minor thing, but when designing bathrooms, it is good to tuck the doorway down a hallway or around a corner a bit, so that when the bathroom door is opened, one isn't able to stare straight into the bathroom at the toilet or tub from the kitchen, diningroom, living room, or front door. Another minor thing... since you don't have a foyer or entryway, you should probably move the front door to one side or the other of the living room. That will make it easier to arrange your living room furniture. Also, if you live anywhere where it is cool or rainy any portion of the year, you might want to have a front closet... especially if that is the door you and your family will be using on a daily basis. After writing all of the above, my mother's voice saying "don't criticize unless you can suggest real improvements" started playing in my head. So... I played around with your design a bit using my non-professional CAD program and thought I'd post my what I came up with. To keep things simple, I've turned off the auto-dimensioning but the background grid is set so one square equals one square foot so you can count squares to figure out sizes. This is basically your design but I've made is one foot wider and one foot less deep and then revised the bathrooms significantly. The rest is yours tho. What do you think? Note that you don't have a walk-in linen closet in the secondary bathroom. Instead there is a small linen closet in the hallway. You could enlarge the linen closet and have it open into the bathroom (behind the bathroom door) but you would have to make the bedroom closet smaller. I've made the two bedrooms nearly the same size. The back one is 11'8" x 12'0' and the front bedroom is 11'8" x 13'4". If you intend to use the back bedroom as an office most of the time, you could shift the bathroom closer to the back of the house so as to to enlarge the front bedroom at the expense of the back bedroom. I would not make the back bedroom less than 10'feet deep tho. Note also that I haven't included that "tall cabinet" between the two vanities in the masterbath. Instead I've shown a 72"x44" spa tub with his/hers vanities that are each 48" wide beside the tub. You may find a tub you like that is smaller - in which case you could increase the width of the vanities. Or, you could make the vanities only 36" wide each (still a nice size for one person), pull them and the bathtub forward and put in a tall linen cabinet back beside the shower. Anyway, I'm just throwing out my thoughts...
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I would like to know a bit more about your needs /thoughts, family etc. Is there a basement or 2nd level ? The entry appears to be into the living /dining area??? I would prefer to see a foyer of some sort to control the cold air ?? depending on where you are. It also sets things up and gives a sense of not walking right into your main living all at once. I would like to see a stair going to the basement( cheapest space you can get) behind kitchen wall that would open that long hallway up and not feel so tunnel like. If no stairs then just pull kitchen /Fam rm out/down and widen the hall ...maybe have some closets and desk recesses to break up the hall. Shower for spare BR's should be 5 ft long /tub shower. Some bedroom window spacing /locations look a bit strange but not sure what the elevation is like or meant to be along with intended or desired style. Be sure to allow enough depth for refrigerator if its not counter depth. The wall behind could be extra deep or have the closets etc I spoke of above. This allows a standard Ref. not to have to stick out so far past cabinets. Access to the bedroom portion is right through the kitchen. Im not fond of it but if its what you end up with make it wider? more gracious where the kitchen functions dont feel "invaded". I dont know your site, views etc so that part is hard to know if you have taken advantage of your site.
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I'm going to echo much of what has already been said: - you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the master bedroom. This isn't particularly a pet peeve of mine, but in this kitchen, it's as bad as it ever gets: The sink is the most heavily used single item in your kitchen, and yours is straight in the path of the garage entrance and the master bedroom. This sink location is an absolute deal-breaker ... you could move the sink to the island, but then you're running out of space. Note, too, that you're forced to walk through the kitchen to reach the pantry; ideally you want your pantry to be as close as possible to the garage so that you don't have to carry groceries so far. In conclusion, the kitchen, although fairly large, is choppy and really can't be made better because it's serving as a hallway. - the living room is a giant hall. Yes, it's the kitchen all over again; however, the living room will work ... it just loses space when you allow the walkways. - you say you have a 4 year old. I have a 3 year old and would not put his bedroom where he can stick his head out his door and peer into the living room. They're not small forever, but at that age, I would want a room more separated from the main living space. Eh, yeah. Growing up, my family spent time in the kitchen rather than the living room ... and I had the bedroom just off the kitchen. I overheard waaaaay too many things that weren't meant for my ears. At 9'8" wide the master closet isn't wide enough to have an island. You need 2' for hanging clothes, so that 9'8" - 4'(for hanging clothes) = 5'8". You need a minimum of 3' for aisle space on either side of the island. You could get away with 30" on each side but that would leave you only 8" for an island. Yeah, I was going to point this out. Note, though, that the 5'8" includes the wall thickness ... so you actually have less space than your breakdown allows. However, I do like the connection between the laundry and the master closet. You have good circulation throughout this area. The question is, with the washer/dryer on interior walls, how will the dryer vent? In the back hall are french doors that open onto...the laundry room. Why? Reason 1: To get some natural light into the back hallway. I'd make them sliders, which are more efficient and don't block the hallway with door inswing, and I'd move them to the master bedroom. This'd be good for fire safety and would allow direct access to the porches, which are a major part of this house. Reason 2: It provides quick access from the back yard to the powder room. Perhaps they're thinking of a pool? You have one child. Why would you need two sinks in the second bath and more importantly why are the sinks in a separate room with doorways? Agreed. I think bathrooms today are unnecessarily complicated, and it's cutting down on the function. In this case, it'd make more sense to place the linen closet outside the bathroom ... and place the sink and toilet next to one another ... after all, don't you want to wash your hands immediately after ... well, you know. Also, I don't see any point in the bathroom bump-out ... if you eliminate some of that unnecessary walkway /hallway. I have a front porch that is only 6' deep but my whole lot is only 9100 square feet. If I had more room, I'd have a deeper front porch. Eh, maybe. Front porches tend to be just for looks. I don't like the exterior ... well, I like the garage end, but the main house dormer looks odd, and the porch doesn't read "farmhouse" at all. If anything, it leans more towards Southern plantation because the pillars are tall and you have that porch roof under roof line instead of a farmhouse's simple roof ... but the exterior of the main house is just kind of odd. I don't mind eating daily meals at the island. We are both nurses & we work a lot of shift work & both have multiple jobs so no big deal there. We will use the formal for holidays/dpecial occasions only. Even if you only use the dining room occasionally, you still have the option to design it so that it's comfortable and functional. Why purposefully make it substandard? This house plan makes me think of one we considered for a bit, but rejected because of the same issues that your plan carries ...note that this similar version has a better connection to the dining room. Note, too, that this edition is 1960 sf, which is probably a more reasonable size for a three-person family. https://www.familyhomeplans.com/plan_details.cfm?PlanNumber=61297&OrderCode=PT101
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So please enlighten me. So I have a gas chamber in my masterbath. I use the gas chamber. I open gas chamber door using the handle. I go and wash my hands. Later I use the gas chamber again. I again use the door handle to exit gas chamber and go and wash my hands. Anything that could possibly be on the door handle is not traveling outside the bathroom because hands are washed every time after leaving the gas chamber. So........ As far as odor goes it's better to stink up the entire bathroom then just the gas chamber? Yes let's make our potty experience miserable for everyone else. I'm not in the gas chamber to have a party. I get in and get out. There's a window in my gas chamber and a fan.
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Springtime Builders
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Great advice so far and I challenge the idea of needing an attached garage on a seven acre site. Your indoor air quality is likely to be better by detaching the garage instead.
BT
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
>Great advice so far and I challenge the idea of needing an attached garage on a seven acre site.

We have a farm. In no way would I recommend primary garage to be detached. I can not tell you how many times we found doors of our barn broken into, open, specifically targeting garage stalls. [presumably looking for a tractor, trailer].

=

It is less expansive to do attached garage. It is also less chances that someone will break into your house or the detached garage using side door, you also don't need a key or change batteries on electronic locks. Since the area not in the view from the street and no massive light pollution, my wife would not feel comfortable walking between structures, and physical security is critical. All it takes is one incident.

=

Most crimes = crime of opportunity. You should never be an easy target. Not giving opportunity, having lights, cameras, raised porches, restricting vehicle access with gates [see if crooks will be interested in carrying fake safe full of bricks 500 ft, forcing perps to stand in full view, prickly ground bushes by windows, etc etc etc.
PRO
Virgil Carter Fine Art
7 years ago
Sounds like you need a Mastiff or two...
PRO
Anglophilia
7 years ago
I'm a huge fan of attached garages. Nice when carrying in groceries or babies even raining. Also, easily accessible extra storage. No attached garage woukd be a deal breaker for me, and yes, I gave had an unattached one and hated it and this was in LA.
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
7 years ago
Yes, I have to have my garage attached, too. I don't see the point of an unattached garage - you're gonna get wet, or snowed on, or heaven forbid, assaulted by an intruder in between buildings. Plus, right now due to an injury, I'm on crutches. I sure don't want to deal with added distance between my car and my house.
User
7 years ago
Are you up to looking at anymore house plans? I enjoy it, but I know many do not. Vaughn Lauban out of Mississippi has a lot of older stock plans with open rooms, split bedrooms and large porches.

I purchased and built my first home from one of his plans many years ago. I had a few changes made locally to meet codes, cosmetic updates, etc. You will probably never find a plan online that is 100% perfect for you, but with a few updates/changes a stock plan can work.

Don't let the older graphics turn you off:

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_1926.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_1843.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2492.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2483.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2296.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2184.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2089.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2085.htm

http://www.lauban.com/planpages/plan_2069.htm
Joseph Carter thanked User
User
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I miss the old plan books. They were so delightfully cheesy with their crazy dog-leg kitchens and little bedrooms. But when a client showed me one of those houses it could take a week to establish a design process based on their needs and the site.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
7 years ago
Meet with a local architect as soon as you can. If he tells you to start looking through online plans, fire him! Build a dream home with your own dreams not someone else's.
cpartist
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I still can't understand why people want their master bedroom where they have to walk through the kitchen or kitchen/dining nook area to get into their bedroom.

I would think if you want separation from the other bedrooms you could devise something like a T shaped plan (turned sideways) where the main living is on the long part, the top of the T was the master and the bottom of the t was the other bedrooms. The master closet and bath could further separate the bedrooms.
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Springtime Builders
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
The point of detached is to not contaminate your family and future family's air. It's a health concern. A rural farm garage is likely to be even more contaminated than a suburban one.

Locked doors, motion lights, cameras, dogs and security systems address security concerns much better than an attached garage. Boogeyman can slip under the garage door as its closing either way.

A good designer can create a covered breezeway or shared covered porches between the two that also addresses security concerns. It doesn't have to be far and would suggest no-step thresholds as a more important accessibility feature.

Designers can also address the health concerns by how attached the garage is and include provisions for reducing the health risks. Choose a builder who understands the home as a system and is proficient in best practice airsealing methods between garage and house.
cpartist
7 years ago
A good designer can create a covered breezeway or shared covered porches between the two that also addresses security concerns. It doesn't have to be far and would suggest no-step thresholds as a more important accessibility feature.

Sometimes even features like that will not work. In our case on our narrow lot, it would have been considered additional square footage "under roof" to add a covered walkway (even our lanai and porch roof is considered under roof) and would have meant I had to take that square footage from actual living space. And personally, I prefer to not get wet during the daily summer deluge in FL.

But yes, we're talking about the OP who's on 7 acres so hopefully the OP can design something that is not directly attached to the house.

However, instead of continually insisting no one should have an attached garage, how about instead showing us how we can minimize the hazards.

For example, never start your car in the garage with the garage door closed. Never leave your car running in the garage. Never start the car when the door to the house is ajar. Never close the garage door behind you if the car is still running.

If you have the room to build a shed or an additional garage use that to store extra things like snowblowers, etc. Again if you have the room, use an additional garage or storage shed to do hobbies that might create dangerous fumes.

If you must use an attached garage put in a ventilation vent.

So what other ways can we prevent problems with attached garages because truth be told, they're not going away. And yes, I agree, they're usually ugly.
Joseph Carter
Original Author
7 years ago
I appreciate the suggestions so far. Crime is of no concern to me where we are located. The attached garage is simply for convenience. Also, I will be building a separate shop/garage for projects and project vehicles. Not looking to clutter the yard with buildings.
PRO
Anglophilia
7 years ago
How did I get to be 73 years old and not realize how "dangerous" an attached garage might be! Horse feathers....
cpartist
7 years ago
Hmm, maybe my parents were trying to tell me something since growing up I got the larger bedroom over the garage.
PRO
Virgil Carter Fine Art
7 years ago
Lots of creative and experienced architects out there who have a portfolio of available plans. Here's one: http://russellversaci.com/newsite/farmhouses
just_janni
7 years ago
I understand and agree with Springtime. One thing we are doing is that we will have an exhaust fan / ERV that will run whenever we go in / out of the garage to exchange the air. We also have a well sealed / insulted door between the house and the garage (Passive house certified), and we've taken get care to seal ANY ways for air infiltration to come into the house via the shared walls / at the roof, etc. The garage doors are also sealed and their R rating covers the entire door - including the sealing (German) so managing the garage indoor air quality is something we're aware of and considering. Lastly - it was even more important since we don't have any stairs into the house from the garage - that is something that doesn't provide the benefit of creating a "pool" of bad air that can't get "up" into the house.

I also don't like to walk outside / carry groceries or the 96 pack of TP from Costco a long distance to my pantry. And I HATE getting into a freezing cold car. So - it's attached for us, even though we have 15 acres.

Decisions and mitigations.
bpath
7 years ago
I also don't like to walk outside / carry groceries or the 96 pack of TP from Costco a long distance to my pantry.

Fortunately, we go to Costco just so we don't have to carry that humongo-pack very often. (When we come in, I divvy up the pack anyway among the various bathroom cabinets and closets.)

My dad has a heater in his Great Lakes region garage. (Not connected to the house system, just to the water from the boiler.) Keeps it around 40 degrees. Each bay has a floor drain. So it is always dry and the cars near-comfy even on the coldest mornings.
User
7 years ago
We have a detached garage and I absolutely HATE it.
autumn.4
7 years ago
Living in the north-never ever detached no way no how. I could go for an enclosed breezeway between garage and house. That's about it.

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