I wouldn't want my MBR right inside the front door. I would also be concerned about having the home office near your son's bedroom - at some point, loud music and friends may make his office a less than quiet retreat. I would also not want the laundry room to also be the bathroom/shower - should be two separate rooms. I personally don't like curved islands.

Is it actually safe to grill under cover on a porch?

The porch all the way around the house may make your house very dark. Remember, these porches in the South were the style BEFORE AC, when "dark" meant "cooler"!

These are all VERY personal preferences. You know what works for you.

Thanks, Anglophilia! DH works normal business hours, when DS is in school. His current office is beside his bedroom, so they kind of "work together" during holidays/summer vacation. DH also travels for work, so he's gone about 100 days during the year, too.

We talked about grilling under the porch... I don't think I would risk it regardless. It'll probably just be used as a side entrance. We debated not having it be a porch, but more of a covered stoop.

That island! Yeah, it definitely has to be re-worked. I figured as we got closer to building, I'd have the kitchen forum look at the whole kitchen layout.

The bedroom part doesn't bother me. We will probably have the plan built in reverse so that the garage is on the righthand side. If that's the case, most visitors would enter through the "grilling porch" entrance.

As for the bathroom/laundry room... DH says he doesn't want a toilet in there, just a shower. He can put his clothes in the washer then take a shower (I guess he'll have to walk nekkid through the house to get his clothes? :-) ). He cleans the bathrooms AND does most of the laundry, so whatever makes him happy. LOL

So the garage doors face S/SW, and the Great Room and Master face the pond? How much time will you spend in the kitchen, would you want good views of the pond from there too?

I like the plan, but I'm not in love with it for your land. Looks like the Great Room and Master should probably have another 2 windows each, especially with a covered porch in front of them.

You can grill under a porch, just keep it away from the walls. Especially if vinyl siding.

Porch also gets very expensive to finish. Do you want to pour concrete and leave that? Stamp it? Lay tile over concrete? Do concrete footings and do all wood that's open below? If wood, do you want to pay for Trex or a real dense hardwood? If not and you just go green/PT, do you want to keep staining that every couple years and plan to replace it every 10-15 years regardless?

Personally if I had all that land I'd want my living area to not only look out on the front of the house but on the rear too.

I don't like the laundry area either. You can get both a bathroom with shower and laundry but not in the same room. Ugh.

I think you can do better

I agree that I don't like the location of the master bedroom being right off the entry. It also requires quite a haul from your master closet to the laundry room and back again. The kitchen has multiple issues - no windows, corner pantry, very small prep area by range...

It's not a cookie-cutter house, and I like that. I see a number of things I'd tweak:

- My uncle has a long, skinny storage room like the one in this garage. It's awful. You have to squeeze in the door and scootch along to find what you want. Just leave out the wall /door and store things on the wall. You'll be able to see everything, and it'll allow you a comfortable amount of walking space.

- I don't see any point in the shower-by-the-back door. It's only about 12' more to the hall bathroom /bedroom area. And is anyone really going to want to shower by the back door? I'd rather go to MY OWN bathroom, where I have all my own toiletries, and where I'm near my clothes so I can change after the shower (if you let a 9-year old shower here, expect nakedness between the shower and the bedroom), and where I'm not thinking that someone will come in to do the laundry while I'm washing.

A better (and smaller /cheaper) plan is to put a foot wash in the garage /just outside the garage. The problem isn't muddy kids (and husbands); it's muddy feet. You're not talking about small children. If they can get their feet clean outside and leave their shoes, they can walk through the house without making a mess and can go to their well-stocked bathrooms to shower in privacy and comfort.

- That little hallway off the garage is a space hog. As stated above, I'd lose the shower, which would make the laundry room bigger ... I'd lose the laundry room wall and allow that back hall to become one with the laundry room ... this would give you a nice-sized mudroom. It's large but not overly so. You could have a nice deep closet there to the left. You'd have space for dog crates, pantry space for canned goods, or whatever you personally need.

At first I leaned towards keeping the dining room because it could look so good with windows on three sides ... but then I thought, it'd be more practical to chop off the bump that is the dining room and keep a nice, big area for the breakfast table. Perhaps with a bay window, it could be spacious.

- I agree with the above thoughts about the oddly shaped island, and in fact I think you could have a nicer kitchen in this space. I'd lose the corner pantry too ... especially if you alter the mudroom (as discussed above), which would give you ample pantry space in that area.

- I don't mind the master bedroom by the front door at all (you'll have a door on it, right? Just close it.), but I don't love that the two doors open across one another.

- You could have a nicer master bath in that space. I'd do something more like this:

Even if you don't like this rearrangement, consider the doors on your closets. As drawn now, they'll block access to the bathroom. If they were mine, I think I'd go with a pocket door on the walk-in ... and put a wall of built-in drawers in the space I designated a reach-in.

- The three secondary bedrooms look good. One small thing I'd do: I'd push Bedroom 4's door to the right ... this would place the door in a more private spot /closer to the bathroom.

- I assume your only child will take either bedroom 3 or 4 and your husband will use the smaller bedroom 2 for his office ... I'd lean towards putting your son in bedroom 3 because he could have windows on two sides of the room, which is always a good thing ... I'd adjust the closets in bedrooms 3 + 4 so his bedroom would have a larger closet, and the guest room would have only a small closet. After all, he needs the space, while guests do not.

- Does your husband need a closet in his office? The hall bath is rather minimal -- only a small vanity and no other storage. I'd be tempted to "take in" that bedroom's closet /enlarge the bathroom. Of course, that means it can never be a true bedroom.
Is it actually safe to grill under cover on a porch?

Yes, we grill under an open porch all the time. A screened porch would be a different thing.

Thanks everyone for the comments!

A few things to address...

CP - the land has a slight slope going up from the pond, so there isn't much of a view out the back. If we go up the hill and have a view out the back, we lose the pond view and the pond is why we wanted the land in the first place. We do have the original stone foundation from two houses at the top of the hill. That will be our patio/firepit area and will be our back view. We also can't move the house too far to the barn side or in the open areas because that's farmland for hay.

MrsPete - DH had already said he won't close in the storage area in the garage. His work bench and tools from his current garage will go there. Also, I said in my original post that I won't have a dining room and breakfast nook (and bar). The breakfast nook will become a coffee/beverage bar area. I'll have to think about changing the DR to a bump out. I have a huge antique tiger maple buffet and my great-grandma's china cabinet that I had planned for the DR. I told DH that I wanted pocket doors (or some other door configuration) for the closets. I'll look at the closet/bathroom config. Right now, DS has a similar bathroom and has plenty of storage under the sink. As for DH's office, I don't know that he "needs" acloset (we were planning on some built-in book shelves/desk, etc. We debated giving that closet to BR 3. But, I'm not sure how that will impact valuation? 3 BR+ Office versus 4BR?

Regarding the shower in the laundry room... that's the only thing DH has really asked for! It's not muddy feet that we deal with... he and DS get absolutely filthy from head to toe. They hunt, farm, get greasy changing oil, etc. I would rather go to my own bathroom, but I think that's the difference between my way of thinking and a man's. LOL In our current house, we have to clean the floors after he and DS come through with whatever stuff they leave behind. This would (I think) eliminate some of the dirt getting tracked through the house and help keep the shower cleaner.

Sprinkles - I'm not sure about how we will finish the porch at this point. I was thinking wood, DH was thinking concrete. I think concrete will probably be too expensive - even if we don't wrap the porch.

The kitchen will have views out the dining room (it has 4 windows) plus the great room (the sink wall is a half wall and open to the great room I think).

If we don't do a full wraparound porch and add at least 2 windows each to the great room and master, that would let in extra light, right? We have plantation shutters in our current house and keep them closed 90% of the time. Yeah, we're odd like vampires.

Lily'smom - I thought it made sense to leave the toilet, too. Maybe a wall or half wall would work for some separation. I was planning on a free standing tub instead of the corner whirlpool. That would hopefully let me expand the vanity area, too. I've been pinning coffee/beverage bar stations for months! For some reason, that's what I'm obsessing over.

We are in central North Carolina, so plenty of sunshine and heat. We want the big front porch - however practical or impractical. LOL

I love porches too. Love being outside, but we are very fair-skinned so we need the shade. Overhang makes the house darker so you'll battle that... but I think we are a lot alike where I keep my blinds half closed because the sun reflecting off everything bugs me too.

The porch (hypothetically) will be a significant cost in the big picture. I'd start digging for pictures and ideas now because it may cost more than you think. I've had green decks (holds stain well, cheapest, needs to be redone after ~10-15 years), current have Trex/composite (pricier, the paint DOES fade in time, and you can always see it's plastic...), stained/stamped or tile looks nice but outdoor tile will be maintenance... Personally I'm looking at using ipe (imported hardwood) that while around the same price as composite, supposedly lasts ~30+ years untreated and ~75+ years when maintained. The stuff is crazy hard/dense. Biggest negative with ipe is it is so dense it doesn't soak up stain very well and needs to be stained every year or two. Food for thought

We have a pier that needs to be rebuilt. When we priced it out using pressure treated versus composite, I think DH decided that he could rebuild the entire pier 3x over in pressure treated for the initial build cost in composite. He couldn't justify the cost of composite based on that.

Our 12 year old deck is west-facing and has never been stained/sealed, etc. It gets pressure washed once a year. It's still in good shape. I think pressure treated will be the most cost efficient method for the porch floor - the IPE sounds interesting, though. So, I'll look into that. I would want the pressure treated to be painted/stained/sealed on the porch, though.

DH really likes a concrete porch. To me, it (and tile or slate) doesn't fit this particular style of house. And I think that would cost way more in our area than lumber.

Well, I hate to be the nay-sayer, but the house design is not very imaginative and the public spaces appear that they will be dark, particularly with the large and very expensive overhanging porch. The porch alone is going to cost tens of thousands of dollars.

You want your public spaces oriented to the pond, which means your garage entry and access drive will also have to be on the pond side of your house--does that present any access issues for your drive way and the road?

You can certainly tinker with this plan, but you also can do much better.

Good luck on your project!

Thanks, Virgil! We've considered the cost of the porch (it's listed at nearly 900 sq ft!)... that's why we probably won't go with the full wrap. We do want a big front porch, though, do you have any other suggestions?

The driveway already exists and follows the red property line up beside the pond. If we build the plan in reverse, the garage would be on the driveway side of the property, and not go in front of the house (just go up the drive and turn left into the garage). Even if we built the plan as it sits, the current drive goes up and turns left, so that could be used instead of going in front of the house - which I don't want. (I hope that makes sense)

I don't care for the bedroom at the front door, either.; not to mention that you always have to walk through furniture to the coffee in the morning. I wonder...if you configured the closets, or moved them to the front of the house, the bedroom door could be at the back of the stairs. I'm not sure how you will use the basement, but the door could go at the top of the stairs, making a nice little entryway to the master suite.

BP, that's something to consider. We aren't planning on a basement (our spot is relatively flat where the house would go). The basement door in the great room could be a Master entrance and would be a bit closer to the laundry room. But then, I'm re-configuring rooms, and I don't know what can of worms that opens...

I don't think the front door would be used very often... If we build the plan in reverse (our current intention), I think most people will use the grilling porch as the entrance. IDK if it's because of our area or what, but around here, if someone comes to the front door, they're a stranger. Even the UPS man comes to the side entrance.

I think the plan poorly captures the view you are wishing to achieve. I would suggest either look for a suitable plan for another year or contact a local architect to design a home that will fit your needs and the site.

Thank you, Mark! That's what I figured I would hear (I've been lurking on this board for a year). The problem is that we don't have any local architects that design homes (we have ONE in my county, but he is semi-retired and only does commercial work). There is a draftsman that the local builders use, but I learned enough on here that we need an architect, not a draftsman (the builder that we will be using recommended the draftsman).

The closest architects that I have found are an hour away (not a huge deal), but their portfolio styles aren't anything close to ours. It looks like most are designing commercial properties, McMansions/Estate homes, or waterfront lake homes. Not 2,100 sq ft country/farm houses.

How much does it matter what's in their online portfolio?

There is another post here about "which one do you like better" with similar houses that are better thought out than this one. The master bedroom location is simply odd, and I could not imagine trucking through the hall, nook, kitchen, greenroom and foyer, through my bedroom and then into each closet. It's bad enough just typing it, imagine walking it with furniture in each room.

I would think that customizing a better base plan to have that extra shower would be far better than starting with something sub-optimal to get the shower!

Thanks, Jannicone! I did see that thread... all of those (but 1) don't have a front view living/great room. The one that does have the front view, has the master at the front door (it does have a different access point, though). I did debate adding a washer/dryer in the master area... do you think that would make more sense? Or maybe use the basement stair location for direct access to the master closet?

If you are unable to find a good architect, maybe have a look at the Moser Design Group website? I think their farmhouse plans tend to be simpler and less McMansion-like.

For example, this plan has several of the features you are looking for, and allows both the great room area and the master bedroom to enjoy the views. Seems like your husband's office could be back where the mudroom area is. I think it might be a lot cheaper to build.

http://www.moserdesigngroup.com/newpdfs/sc35a1.pdf

I have exactly zero experience with this, but regarding your question about online portfolios, I sure hope the online portfolios mean (almost) nothing regarding size and style, lol.

Some/most of them *have* to have smaller projects they've done, they probably just can't fit the entire portfolio on the website. That's my hope, anyway, lol.

I guess that I would look for a plan that was wider than it is deep if you are looking to maximize the views out the front / towards the pond. This plan is rather deep and there's on'y 2 rooms that enjoy the pond.

I house with a rectangular shape and center spine would allow you to put 3 or maybe 4 rooms in the front instead of hanging them all behind.

Jannicone,

You mean something similar to this? Note: I don't like this particular house.

^ Yes. I'd want my kitchen/dining/living/family (public areas) all facing the pond. I'd keep my laundry/bedrooms in back since I personally don't spend any leisure time in my bedroom.

Exactly! Designing for the site, or at least acknowledging the site is key here. This layout is far more conducive to maximizing the pond view.

OK, it's time to say it. Creative and successful custom home design always begins with a thorough site analysis, which then leads to design concepts which are based on the existing site, and the needs, wants, and budget of the consumer.

It's simply impossible to go to a plan factory, pick out a apricot or a cherry plan and plunk it (sorry, architectural term) on a site and have a successful outcome. It's. Impossible. Yes. It. Is.

The best example is to look at the OP's initial plan, their description of needs and wants and their site. Nothing computes.

I'm being blunt (but constructive) because it's possible to do so much better than the original plan. The plan posted by BethA is a great improvement, but it's possible to do so much better than that.

North Carolina and the College of Architecture at NC State is full of experienced and talented architects. Contact a few and you'll be glad you did for the rest of your adult life.

Virgil and Mark... thank you both for your comments. I'll look further into finding an architect.

Virgil... we bleed Carolina blue around here, but I'll look at NC State if I have to LOL

I do understand NC university loyalty. When it comes to B-ball, I'm a Dukey! :-)

This right here: "Husband and I purchased 20 acres of family land (200 years) last year in central NC." Yes I would want to spend more/delay a little longer to be able to have something built that fits that land. You likely really will not move or if you do someone else in the family will be in that home. Make it the best it can be so it stands over the generations! If it suits the land well no one will want to tear it down and start over. I hope you are able to find someone even if it's remotely due to no one being near.

Autumn, you're right. Our son will inherit what we have (and my parents acreage across the road). I have pics of my great-grandparents house and the original home place built in the 1860s... I do want something that looks like it "fits."

DH had already said he won't close in the storage area in the garage.
His work bench and tools from his current garage will go there.

In that case, I'd widen it so that it's useful. I described my uncle's similar long, narrow, have to squeeze-into-it storage ... this is the same thing, and it would not at all be suitable for a work bench and tools. Measure it out: Less than 5' wide ... you use 18"-24" for the bench and tool storage ... you have only about 3' of walking space. He'd knock his elbows against the back wall constantly.

Opening it makes sense because then he can store tools against the wall and -- when necessary -- pull a car out, and he has all the working space in the world. If he won't open it, expanding it is essential. As it's drawn now, it's good only for storage ... and it's not really good for that.

The breakfast nook will become a coffee/beverage bar
area.

I like that idea.

Regarding the shower in the laundry room... that's the only thing DH
has really asked for! It's not muddy feet that we deal with... he and DS
get absolutely filthy from head to toe.

I get that they're dirty all over ... but only their feet are touching the inside of your house before they reach their own bathroom /bedroom. They're not rubbing up against the walls as they walk, are they?

The porch (hypothetically) will be a significant cost in the big picture.

We tend to think about "the main house" and discount the costs of garages and porches ... but, yeah, they are expensive. Not as expensive as interior rooms, of course, but they aren't an insignificant cost.

Regardless of cost, they are integral to "the look" of a house like the one we're describing.

If you are unable to find a good architect, maybe have a look at the
Moser Design Group website? I think their farmhouse plans tend to be
simpler and less McMansion-like.That's a cute farmhouse (whereas the OP's original design isn't a farmhouse). I like the layout of the kitchen/dining and the living room's windows are great! I don't care for the bedrooms at all, though that back bedroom might be good for the office.

North Carolina and the College of Architecture at NC State is full of experienced and talented architects.

NC State is not known for architecture; their claim to fame is engineering (in all its many forms) and vet science ... and bricks. Seriously, that's all they have: bricks. It's UNC-Charlotte that's the NC powerhouse for that subject.

However, I think the architects must move out of state because we are certainly not rife with them. I personally only know one person who works as an architect; well, I knew two, but one died.

MrsPete, thank you for the input.

However, I think the architects must move out of state because we are certainly not rife with them. I personally only know one person who works as an architect; well, I knew two, but one died.

You're building (or plan to build) right? Who drew up your plan?