Thanks for taking the time to look. Yes the stairs are giving me fits. Both main floor and basement. I meet with my stair guy on Wednesday. I am not sure what that little area in front of the master is either, except that I like the idea of just not walking immediately into the great room. But if I put cabinets there along the long wall in the great room, or the see thru fireplace idea centered on the open wall to the great room, it might solve that problem and I dont need that wall. I dont "need" that wall anyways, dont know what it would be good for anyways. Maybe a little wall fountain or some sort of lighted art. Or lighted shelves. With the balcony above one might not feel on display to the great room when they walk out of the master bedroom anyways. The bath in the downstairs bathroom is more of a whimsical thing. I also thought since we have grandkids alot, that might be a good place for them to take a bath while I can be not too far away. The idea of the bathroom in that area, was to get it away from the foyer area which is where it was initially. But also that is my "mud room" area. We live in the country. We literally horse around alot, come in filthy dirty, so we needed a shower in the mud room area. Found the tub and loved it. Figured a tub wouldnt be all that much more of a big deal than a shower. But definite more of a whim thing. Just an extra bath for guests. But I see what you mean about being close to the dining area. One good thing, we hardly ever eat at the table, another reason for not having a formal dining room, but maybe that is why so many plans have a bathroom at the front of the house off the foyer. I just needed one close to where I come in from the garage, cuz I always have to go when I get home, and before I leave too it seems, and if I have been working outside, I am usually dirty. The garage bathroom was added after this room, but I still wanted to keep that bathroom in the mudroom/laundry area. I could switch it with the laundry room. But then you would be hearing the washer and dryer. I am a bit confused on the first floor #2, unless I uploaded a picture that I didnt mean to. :-? I like the idea of aligning the window with the hallway. The bathroom, that reminded me she forgot to make that tub a shower like the one in the basement. These are steam showers with a bit of a tub area at the bottom, not really a tub but could be used as one for the grandkids. That was also the thinking for rationalizing the downstairs tub, if a guest wanted to stretch out to take a bath since the upper and lower levels are only showers. The kitchen on the second floor, I keep telling her not a full kitchen. I just need a mini frig, microwave, small sink, and some sort of bar with stools. I have struggled with exactly how that should look anyways, and each time, she always has it looking the same so it is hard for me to figure out how it needs to be. I was going to put a galley of sorts along the wall on the right, maybe I should run it along the outside wall. I am really having a hard time with that space. I just need a small space for my daughter to keep quick snacks and drinks for her and her son while they are staying with us. She can have friends over and not feel like she is living at home. That is another reason why I opted for the outside stairs rather than back stairs inside. The slider will be on the left, window on the right. Just more of an apartment feel. Who knows, when she moves out, I might rent it out. I have another sister who would probably love to move her little girl out to the country. I think that is why this house ended up much bigger than we really really need. I feel the need to nurture everyone, take care of everyone, and with the economy so unstable, I wanted a place big enough to take in family if they ever needed a place to go. But also, if family just wants to come and visit, I want a place they want to come so they can enjoy the horses, enjoy the pond, enjoy just sitting on the porch, just being outdoors, and stay as long as they like because they dont feel cramped, and we dont feel cramped and wish they would just go home. Okay, babbling, Thank you for your suggestions. Going to look at it again :-)

Congratulations on finalizing a plan that suits you! I know you worked on it for quite awhile but, if it makes you feel any better, I spent THREE SOLID YEARS on mine before I was satisfied. LOL! Of course we were waiting to begin building until we had paid off our land and retired the mortgage on our first home so I wasn't under any particular pressure to finish the design and, I swear, one can always find something to tweak. At some point, you just have to decide "that's it, no more tweaking!" Fortunately, now that we've begun building and I can actually walk around in real rooms - albeit, still without sheet-rock - I am totally satisfied with the layout and the way the rooms flow. So, I guess all the time spent designing and redesigning and re-redesigning was worth it! Anyway, it looks like your kitchen and dining area will be nice and bright with those windows and patio doors on three sides. You're going to love that. And the nice big size of the combined rooms will also be perfect for family gatherings or parties where everyone always winds up in the kitchen anyway. I think you've done well and I don't see any glaring issues with the design. Of course, there are some things I would change and I'm sure you'll hear from others about "tweaks" they would recommend. But you are absolutely right that everyone should design for their own needs and how they live. Again, congratulations on completing the design stage and keep us posted on the build process. Trust me, that's when the "fun" really begins.

I like it a lot! The island is much better with the seating on both sides. Not sure why you need to shorten up the length though ... I would lengthen it out a bit, closer to the length of your first plan but keeping the depth and double sided seating. Then you can add a small prep sink there if you wish; not mandatory but it would add a degree of convenience so I would strongly think about doing it. Great plan overall.

Having second thoughts about the location of the fridge and the ovens in my sketch. What would you say if I flipped them? So the wall would be (from left to right) ovens, 36 inch counter, 42 inch fridge and then pantry. The good thing about this set-up is that there would be countertop on the island directly across from the fridge, unlike in the current configuration. I would like this landing zone for emptying groceries, and taking food out to prep. There would also be usable countertop space immediately adjacent to the oven. In the current configuration it is an appliance garage so the countertop is not usable for putting down hot stuff, you have to swing over the item to the prep island countertop and it is 51 inches away. Big deal? Plus, if I do all this then I have a 36 inch deep walk-in pantry, that may need to be rebuilt, as it will be right next to the fridge (a 42 SZ Side by Side). The oven/fridge wall sticks out 27 inches while the pantry sticks out an additional 9 inches. Not beautiful, I know, but I really like having a larger walk-in pantry so I was willing to pay the price. Can I keep my 36 inch deep walk-in pantry with a 42 Inch SZ BI that is right next to it? I doubt it, won't the fridge door be unable to open? Should I ditch the walk-in pantry and do pull out shelves instead and make the wall flush from ovens to pantry? Last but not least, if I move the appliances from the counter between fridge and ovens, to create a landing zone for the ovens, I will need to put the appliances on a counter below the tv, where I have 6 feet of space, to the right of the pantry, and to the left of the banister. It is only 21 inches deep, but will be right across from the entertainment island, and fridge drawers, so the coffee maker, toaster, juicer and blender would have a home. Thoughts? My brain is so tired from trying to fit all these kitchen pieces together. Please forgive me if I am not explaining myself properly.