It looks great! I like the hall that goes the length of the back of the house - perfect - no traffic patterns going through rooms that are already busy or where one doesn't want traffic.

Congratulations! :-)

Hi Anglo, thank you so much...we like it t too and are just in process of digesting it all.

virgil, thank you...I love reading your comments

ARG....well, mayb, on 2nd thought...back to the drawing board...how do we fit this on a 65' wide lot lol....and all that snow will easily fall off that roof. Lol

I love how the hallways serve multiple purposes: entry to the house, transition to the spaces, buffers for functional necessities like laundry, powder, and pantry, passage to the bedrooms, and privacy from the side and front. And the passage to the bedrooms, which could have been a tunnel, widens out along the way for the kitchen and stairs, the guest bedrooms (with high windows opposite, love that).

i like how the front and service entries relate to each other both inside and out. So many plans pay no attention to that.

That is a just-right-sized master bedroom! I wonder, though, if the bath towel is in reach when you step out of the shower? And, um, when you are sitting up in bed, do you see the toilet? Ensuites can be so tricky, can't they!

I'm not sure I see the top of the basement steps?

Do you think you will build the study?

It's going to be great!

• Just for added info...the lot faces south, yeah, I know...not good especially in our end of the world where the sun, is quite shy and does not Show herself often, does she even exist? The allowable width to build upon is 65'. So we needed to be creative in the design. We debated about the garage a lot too...but followed the wisdom of our pro.

Congrats on great use of space on an infill lot. See? It can be done.

I really like the tv wall and how it works with the fireplace wall.

One question and one thought.

How often will the guest bedroom next to your bedroom be occupied with guests or will it be used more as an office or away room? I ask because the beds butt up against the same wall as your bed. Once in a blue moon is no problem but frequently I'd be looking for another solution. I'm sure thought that you, your DH and Doug really thought it through and am just playing devil's advocate.

One other thought. Based on where you are, I might consider extending the roof over the stairway to the basement on the right side of the house? Is that feasible or a dumb idea because it would block light from that side?

Love that all bedrooms have access to the backyard.

That's an outside stair to the basement? I'm sure there is a reason for it, just curious.

Just for added info...the lot faces south, yeah, I know...not good especially in our end of the world where the sun, is quite shy and does not Show herself often, does she even exist?

Based on your lot configurations and limitation, I think it's a masterful solution to the problems you had. And no stock plan would have been able to give you this solution.

As for the towel, my guess is the wall between tub and shower will be wide enough for at least a hook to hang a towel and/or robe. And from the way it looks, the vanity will block the toilet from view.

Pbathome. Hi, thank you for your thoughts. About the toilet, lol, up here in the north, we don't ever enclose the toilet in a separate room. Must be an American thing. The toilet is around a corner. As for the study, not sure just yet. Depends on $$ As for outside stairs, this was because we were going to have a wood stove in the basement and felt that an extra outside entry would be useful for carrying in the wood. This is under consideration as well.

hey CP, how's your build coming? We love it, and no way could we find a plan like this. Of interest, this is not an infill. The lot is 100x700, so 1.6 acres, but with 32' setbacks on the width. Re bedrooms, guest rooms won't be used a whole lot. And we can add xtra insulation for sound reduction. The tv/fireplace will be awesome...we are still looking at the whole plan and considering very minor changes...hooks will be hung somewhere for towels. But in my home, they somehow find themselves a home on the floor. Sheesh!,,

Enclosed toilets are an American thing. LOL

hey CP, how's your build coming?

We have exterior first floor walls and it feels great!

We love it, and no way could we find a plan like this. Of interest, this is not an infill. The lot is 100x700, so 1.6 acres, but with 32' setbacks on the width.

Ah, so long and narrow. Even better the way it's been designed.

Re bedrooms, guest rooms won't be used a whole lot. And we can add xtra insulation for sound reduction.

I know in our condo we had a third bedroom with the same thing where the wall between the guest room and master butted up. We used the guest room as my studio and in the 6 years we lived there, we had one guest stay on the pull out sofa in my studio, so I hear you.

The tv/fireplace will be awesome...we are still looking at the whole plan and considering very minor changes...hooks will be hung somewhere for towels. But in my home, they somehow find themselves a home on the floor. Sheesh!,,

LOL. Did you clone my hubby?

PG love the plan. ARG did a fabulous job. I have a 100x400 lot but thankfully only have 10ft setbacks on the sides. However, I too cannot find a plan online that works for me so have resorted to contacting an architect. I am hoping I will be as happy as you seem to be with ARG's plan. Maybe I should just contact him lol.

Cp.... re cloning hubby, no kidding eh! All the same....

ilmgirl...yes so many pros on this forum, such generous input and advice by them as well . My strong recommendation is to definitely make contact with any one of them. You won't regret it, i promise Cheers!

PG - looks great! It does seem like you ended up changing the overall layout quite a bit, but I think it really turned out well. The exterior looks amazing. Must be an American thing on the seperate toilet area, that is a deal breaker for us (we actually decided against a house for this very reason LOL).

And I was also thinking about the bedrooms/beds being back to back. I as a guest I would be somewhat hesitant with that, but if most of your guests are family, hopefully they can utilize the first bedroom most times, then it will most likely be no issue.

BK... the toilet in its own room, I never heard of that till I lived in Boise. It was very unique and strange to me, lol. But I got used to it, as they say, when in Rome....as for the bedrooms, we will put sound barrier between them for sure. And it's mostly family. (: cheers

This is a fun plan, using all available lot space, customized for you. Congrats - this will make your home truly yours.

Oh, I love it! Great work, ARG.

Very cute house!

My obsession with... how does ARG phrase it... "outboard" kitchens?... I feel like I'm talking about boat motors or something... lol... Made me the slightest bit sad over an interior kitchen, but wow that pantry!!!

Will you be lining your approach with trees, like that?

So tell us, what were the best parts about working with a design pro? What was the most challenging? What did you learn about yourself? Would you consider yourself a good client? :-D If so, give me tips, 'cause I want to be The Most Awesome Client Ever™.

This is really cool--incredibly exciting!

Isn't ARG great? :-)

ARG is wonderful! Great design highlighting that lot.

Re toilet room inside bathroom... even though I am in the US, I've only been a guest in one home that had this. So, I did what nature beckoned... and then was like: where's the sink? Oh, put hand on door knob to exit to bathroom proper, to go clean up?

The next generation of these things will have a toilet AND a sink in their own private stall.

I have always liked designs that have rhyme and reason, much like a poem. Another sonnet by ARG.

So, I did what nature beckoned... and then was like: where's the sink? Oh, put hand on door knob to exit to bathroom proper, to go clean up?

That's why in my toilet closet I won't have door handles but a swinging door with push plates which is what I had in my condo (the swinging door). Worked great because when you came out of the toilet, you just pushed against the door with your body. No touching.

@,janicone..kaycee...Beth...Mark..thank you for the compliments. We love the design, and feel that it works well given the constraints of our lot. Mark, I love your humour.

@Artrmis..."the next generation will have 2 of these things" Well, of course, why not have clean up areas in a washroom...makes sense, but adds extra cost, space etc. in my humble opinion not worth it. (:

@Cp...swinging doors sounds neat too. You know when we first moved down south, one of our kids asked the teacher where the " washroom" was. She had no clue what that meant. With further explanation or detail, she replied 'oh your mean restroom'. She added, that washroom was where you take a bath...lol. I also ran into this difference in word usage...just too funny.

@Onedevoted dame said: "So tell us, what were the best parts about working with a design pro? What was the most challenging? What did you learn about yourself? Would you consider yourself a good client? :-D If so, give me tips, 'cause I want to be The Most Awesome Client Ever"

Working with ARG was very easy...DH laughs and said, he pulled the design from (DH) head, hehe..ya right! ..it was my idea which I learned from reading on this forum. And I read this forum for over a year. In fact, I got addicted to it. Lol. And I was very very dubious about this forum, even questioned if you guys were all real people. I still question why everyone shares so much wisdom and advice. It's just so awesome and helpful.! The humour is also priceless.

Initially, we gave ARG our needs list. DH wanted to give him the 'plan' he drew up.' He argued that it would save time, and therefore $$$ (for fun I posted it below). I won that battle and convinced the other half to let ARG do his job. And boy did he do a fine job. From Only reading my needs list ARG nailed it. He also somehow managed to read DHs mind.

We waited another 2 weeks with great anticipation and excitement..ARG even called early letting us know he had finished the concept and were we both available to discuss? . Nope, hubby was away.): In the end, he delivered what is now posted. At this point, we are mulling things over to get stuff fine tuned.

ARG encouraged us to post the plan and so we did. For interest sake, I am posting the plan as drawn by ARG and by Husband ...remember, ARG is just now seeing our original design.

Daves drawing below

Uncanny isn't it???

ARG must have taken that mind reading class too.

Very nice. I love all of the light on the side.

Now that you mention it, I think I know another reason why I like ARG's design.

Mark..."ARG must have taken that mind reading class too." We just need to ask him...lol.

ILovered....thank you. I also like the light.

Hey everyone, I'm going to throw this thought out for your opinions. I would love to get that south light into the kitchen. So.. I am thinking about removing the upper wall on the stove side of the kitchen. And Placing the stove on the left side or pantry side of the kitchen. Yes we will see the stairs and front entryway..but that may be ok...ideas, suggestions. Bad idea..good idea? Thank you so much!!!!

@ Mark absolutely amazing...now you must have read ARG mind..congrats on passing the mind reading course. Lol

Post in Kitchens. :-)

I hesitate to offer ideas, since mine are coming from a complete amateur, but I like the idea of opening up the kitchen somehow, as long as it's not totally visible from the entry. Unless you keep an awesome kitchen. Mine is always a mess, lol.

I'm enamored of primitive "working parts" type stuff, and I'm kinda crazy, but I like the thought of having cut-outs/openings in the wall that can be shuttered closed. But that might be totally weird for your style.

(I'd also love a manual rope-and-pulley dumbwaiter with a platform and a basket for moving things between floors, to let you know just how backward I am, lol. So don't listen to me!!!)

Hi OneDevoted...yup it's in the kitchen forum now...But honestly, I am passed worrying what my house looks like...I'm not a slob but not super neat and picky. After all, I'm not the "Queen of Sheba" and if she came to visit, she better like a messy house. Lol.

My thought was to flip the kitchen and dining room. This way you'd have light coming from the living room and from the hall on the right. I always feel that a dining room doesn't necessarily need to be opened to the outdoors since the idea is you sit down and hopefully look at your dining companions vs the great outdoors.

Then if you want more light, instead of opening up the walls completely, how about some higher "transom" type windows in what would then be the dining room. They could even be some sort of stained glass with clear or pebbled glass windows.

I love the aesthetics.

I do not like a kitchen without a window.

*sheepishly raises hand*

That... that up there, who CP is referring to, yep, that's probably me, lol. I am She Who Is Forever Scarred Because Her 1-1.5 Room Deep House Has A Dark Kitchen, Despite The Light-Filled, South-Facing Dining Room Being Less Than 14 Feet Away.

*hides in shame*

[Edited to add: Apparently, this thread changed a bit while I wasn't looking, lol, so now this comment makes no sense at all. Oh, well, I'm too vain to delete it, so latecomers can just think I'm crazy!]

@CP said; My thought was to flip the kitchen and dining room. This way you'd have light coming from the living room and from the hall on the right.

Thank you for not only your suggestions but taking the time to do the drawing. wish I could be so computer savvy! We thought a lot about this layout, but decided against it. In fact, if you look at DH initial plan, this is where we put the kitchen. I love your passion for this forum and how much you try to help others.

Nafnaf...I currently have a large south window over my sink, and you know. It's constantly dirty from water splatters etc. Lol. I appreciate your thoughts.

Hi onedevotedame...you are too cute, and nothing to be sheepish about. You have a lot of good comments to make and give food for thought. Houses are such fun.

ARG...thank you so much for all your effort and time on this home...(:

Aaaaw, thanks, PG! :-)

I am totally sitting over here, completely jealous, that you'll be living in an ARG Original™. Please keep us updated in a separate thread (like CPartist does, rather than just posting to the monthly Progress thread)!

Hey one devotedame...aren't the pros, on this forum awesome. we are all so lucky to have such a wide breadth of experience and wisdom. And of course, there are those like CP and yourself who have a keen eye and an understanding of how plans on paper, actually live like. It will be quite awhile, like 2 yrs, before we start the build. The goal this summer is to get sceptic and perhaps well put in.

Cheers Paula

2 years? Oh, I plan to still be here! ;-)

(Did I just hear a collective groan from the forum??? lol)

Just to note to CP, I like how you decided to do your hidden toilet in your build.

That's why in my toilet closet I won't have door handles but a swinging door with push plates which is what I had in my condo (the swinging door). Worked great because when you came out of the toilet, you just pushed against the door with your body. No touching.

Hi again, one devoteddame. Awe thank you, I'll stick around, observe and hopefully learn.

Quick plan update...to those who really really like kitchen windows. The brilliant, creative minds came forth to find a solution. The sink and range will be switched around. The range will go on the pantry side wall, we will put in a prep sink in the island, and perhaps relocate the fridge to the pantry side wall. Most of the cabinets over the sink will be removed, (I only have 2 upper cabinets in my current home, and new the pantry will be huge) This will allow nice sight lines. !! (: See examples below....

paula_gubbels's ideas · More Info

paula_gubbels's ideas · More Info

paula_gubbels's ideas · More Info

paula_gubbels's ideas · More Info

Love it, PG. :-) I don't care for upper cabinets, anyway (I'm totally short and can't reach anything on the back of the second shelf, plus I think they make kitchens look kinda visually cluttered) so anything that reduces/eliminates upper cabs is awesome in my book.

Awe thanks one devoteddame.!, I plan to have tones of drawers, as I do now. Dishes, spices and of course pots, pans, bakeware work really well in them. The kitchen is very versatile so it's easy to flip things I.e. Appliances around. Im a pretty basic person, no need for subzero, Miele etc. just standard GE or kenmore. Lol. Cheers

Now I have to go find the kitchen thread again--I want to read what they came up with!

Actually the hunt for the right floor plan is easy. Wait until you try getting HVAC pricing. Just remember without plans and specs for the bidders you are leaving yourself wide open.

Hvac said "Actually the hunt for the right floor plan is easy. Wait until you try getting HVAC pricing. Just remember without plans and specs for the bidders you are leaving yourself wide open."

Can't wait for this nightmare to begin. Any tips on this aspect? Seems like integrity and trust are key components.

Level the playing field. Make all your bidders quote the same. Have the.load calcs done, layout and suggested specs in writing. Weeds the contractors out pretty quickly.

What a beautiful home! I hope you'll post pictures of the finished product on this thread when the time comes!

Arialvetica...thank you for the compliment. We are very excited. We are a few years away from starting, however. Our next step is to get construction drawings done, then find a builder and put in infrastructure, i.e. Sceptic, well etc.