Where do the washer and dryer go?

My other thought is that for the size of the house, the entry and master bath are really large

Perhaps I'm not seeing it, but where is the laundry? That concerns me that it might be in a basement. The floor plan reminds me of many ranches built in my area in the 50's/60's except that it's more open between the kitchen and the living room.

Long narrow mudrooms with only one exit are really difficult to get out of, especially if you have more than one child. The first one in had better be the one whose hook is at the end, and that person always has to wait for everyone else to clear out before they can leave. Or, they shove and push.

So, who would live in this new home? Where in the country is it? Do you have a lot already?

Not knowing anything about the site, it’s a Cute, compact plan.

I like how the front entry and garage entry share a space. I’d change that closet to a simple reach in because the one drawn will be difficult to get in an out of. Add space to the pantry instead.

The master closets are not really walk-ins.

I’d sacrifice the separate shower/tub and toilet room to get a laundry closet.

And I’d pop a prep sink on the island to complete a work triangle.

Emily brings up a good point. What does your site look like?

Well, in my eyes the exterior is very busy and contrived, with all sorts of "features" which HGTV would love--different roof forms, stacked gables, a wide variety of exterior siding materials, apparently fake gable windows, et al. To really tell the quality of the exterior, show us the other three elevations and let's see if the match the front or are simply plain vanilla with all the hot sauce on the front elevation.

My suggestion: simplify and harmonize. Right now this ain't it...

It's a 1.8 acre lot, don't have many photos but its just flat wooded area. As pictures in this pic. Will be either lot a or b. Need to decide with my brother who gets what.

No children yet, while secondary bedrooms are not big they may never be used.

The washer and dryer would be in the basement level. Main floor laundry is something I would prefer but budget and space that may be something I need to sacrifice.

Thanks for the feedback so far. Basically this design has a lot of the luxury features for me despite being on a budget.

I do really enjoy the following

- Outer Look

- Shared entry with garage

- open living area with kitchen

- fireplace

- walk in pantry

- Large master

After that inspiring thread on flouting all GardenWeb rules, as long as you've considered them first, hard to venture a critical word anymore.

Basement laundry? Stair-climbing is great exercise!

HGTV exterior variety? A glorious celebration of American eclectic!

Awkward walk-in closets? Guarantees using your ingenuity to live with them!

However, your separate throne room is not a sin! Hint: by carefully sizing your w.c. and choosing a space saving sink, you can overcome the one practical objection to such a setup.

Two things jump out at me:

1 - The only room to truly kick back and relax in is small. Even the floor plan shows an accent chair sticking out into the walkway.

2- It's a one car garage. With all that land you may want some fun toys, need a mower and other land and lawn equipment, have a significant other who wants to park in the garage too. Your pine tree forest makes me think you have legit winters. Parking outside in winter blows.

Thanks for all the feedback, this is exactly the stuff I wanted feedback on as this is the first home I will have built.

As for the garage its 23x27 (621 sq ft) which is enough room for 2 cars. It's just one garage door. That seems like a good size.

The plan would be to develop the basement area with larger TV room and bar area. So the smaller area to relax in on the main floor isn't a huge deal for me.

One concern mentioned that also concerns me is the width of the dining area and the one path to the back yard.

I should have probably been clearer in my original post as well, but I'm more concerned about the interior room sizes and layout. I do really like the outside look of this home but not the colours and that chosen in the posted rendering. I would have it similar.

Here is a less busy one, but I don't like the colour. But it's the same home.

This is very reminiscent of a 50s ranch with some interior space updates. Make the entire floor one height and put on a uniform, low pitched roof with side gables. Simple, inexpensive and honest.

All of those silly roof lines add money for no return. Find something simpler on the exterior.

There is no reason to have seating at the island if the eating area is 3' away. Make sure there is at least 42" between the stove and the island.

The entry from garage to foyer is in the middle of the garage wall. It will be very hard to use when there are 2 cars in the garage.

Move the washer and dryer to the WIC closet area so they are upstairs.

All of the rooms are very small. And there does not seem to be a way you can enlarge the house if you want/ need to. Plus, if for any reason either of you need a pair of crutches or a walker, you will be able to walk thru the house.

If you can simplify the exterior, you can enlarge the interior. That silly bedroom inset eats a lot of dollars in building, but gains nothing.

Read the article about McMansions. Although you are building a ranch, don't fall into the McMansion trap!!

http://mcmansionhell.com/post/149284377161/mansionvsmcmansion

http://mcmansionhell.com/post/149563260641/mcmansions-101-mansion-vs-mcmansion-part-2

Also, you cannot really decide on a house/floor plan until an architect, builder, general contractor and an interior designer see the house and the lot. The architect will help you find the best plan with the best layout on your lot. The builder and general contractor....self explanatory. The interior designer will help you with the floor plan and layout so you can maximize your interior and avoid silly mistakes such as a closet door and bathroom door that open onto each other.

Here is a great Houzz article on building a house....

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/so-you-want-to-build-7-steps-to-creating-a-new-home-stsetivw-vs~17295883

The layout looks fine to me - my concern would be the size of these rooms. With the exception of the master, they all look tight.

As for the size, I think it's more than adequate, especially if you're building on a basement.

I'd love to have a house just a little smaller than this one for our next (and last) home. The room sizes are FINE. The amount of storage is FINE.

I think the majority of people here have a lot of STUFF. We don't. We even have empty closets in our current house, so there's that.

The layout is very similar to the tract house we lived in when our children were first born. Ours lived very well but we could not have grown with the home. I do think for resale you will wish you had at least a laundry closet upstairs.

Is budget a deal breaker? I looked at your proposed builder’s website and the Bordeaux is very similar but solves a lot of the issues proposed by posters here. It is about 200 square feet more but if you can swing the difference, I think you would appreciate the extra amenities.

I like it too. But I’m in the Empty Nest stage of life so the small rooms don’t bother me too much. Ranch house living is what I’m used to. Functional and relatively inexpensive.

The only deal-killer for me is the laundry room. But I think an architect of some talent might reconfigure the foyer/walk in closet/walk in pantry somehow to squeeze in a washer/dryer. The foyer, for one, could give up some space.

What’s that just to the right when you come in the front door? An architectural feature of some sort? I’d nix that, or at least shrink it. Edited to add: it must be a fireplace! Looks too big, though.

Too much packed into the space.

For example, the plans show a 30" wide table in the kitchen. 36" is minimal and 42" wide is standard.

There is not enough room for an island with seating and the table. At a minimum you need 48" between seating areas and that's tight.

The fridge against the wall won't open all the way.

The foyer is large compared to the space in the rest of the house.

The hall WIC is almost too narrow to be a WIC if you're planning on putting coats in there. Considering that coats, etc need 2' of space that means your aisle in the closet will be only 32" wide. Is it doable? Yes but it will feel like being squeezed especially trying to turn around.

As mentioned, one of the chairs shown already cuts into the "hallway" space so you won't be able to get as much furniture in the living room as shown.

Same with bedroom 3. That room will be very small. They are showing a full sized bed with a dresser. Ain't gonna happen. The room is 10'4" (124") A full sized bed is 54" wide. That leaves 70" total or 35" on each side of the bed. A standard dresser is 21" deep which means you'd only have 14" of walking space on that side of the bed. Only a twin bed would work in that room.

Bedroom 2 with the extra foot of space will still be too tight with only 24" of walking space.

I would hate to have to get around the bed in the master to go in the middle of the night.

Pocket doors on a bathroom that will be used constantly isn't the best idea.

The toilet room at 30" wide will feel very tight and almost claustrophobic. I'd ditch the idea of the closet for such a narrow space.

The 2 WIC closets in the master are both too narrow to be WIC's and there really only is room for storage and hanging against the back wall of both of the closets.

The winder stairs to the basement are a HUGE safety hazard in that they are too easy to misstep and fall down.

What is the width of the garage door? It doesn't look wide enough to allow 2 cars to enter.

As for the exterior, the roof is too high for the height of the house.

There are 3 exterior materials where 2 would be plenty.

All the gables add nothing to the overall look of the house.

The house as someone else mentioned would look a heck of a lot better with a gable roof and less forced gables on the hipped roof. In other words, simplify.

BTW: The second version you posted is worse.

In addition to what's already been pointed out -- much of which I agree with -- I'd like to add my 2 pennies, if you don't mind. :-)

If there's no way to have the laundry room on the main level, consider installing a dumbwaiter somewhere (I, personally, would probably carve room for it out of one of the closets).

Please also consider making the garage door 2 smaller ones instead of 1 large one.

Oh, and Penny #3 -- At least talk with a few architects first, before buying a ready-made plan. You never know what could happen. :-)

The garage itself may be wide, but some of that width is for storage/trash cans, especially between the door and the garage door. How wide is the garage door? Enough for two cars? And note that if you do park two cars inside, the steps from the house land smack at the passenger door, which could be a problem.

It's a cute, traditional plan, definitely reminiscent of the post-war houses in my area.

The designer needs to be a little bit less stingy with some of the floor plan spaces, and also more honest with this compact home: I'd get rid of some of the elevation bells and whistles (no purpose in some of them).
I like the layout in general

I think that without a lot of changes you could make this a really nice and livable plan:

Combine that WIC / Pantry area and turn it into a mudroom / laundry / garage entry. it may have to be widened, but the it would be super function with some built in storage. If you are single - you don't need that pantry - the kitchen has decent storage.

If you need to grow that area, you can reduce the size of the master bathroom. Ditch that tub and make a really nice shower.

Alternatively - stretch the house in the middle slightly and add the space to the main living / dining / kitchen areas.

Agree with simplifying the roofline. You could also straighten the entry and just put a porch / covering over the front door that would move your foyer forward and grow some space for the laundry / mudroom and gain a smaller entry coat closet.

Storage can be relegated to the basement so don't stress on storage on the main floor.

So while it's not "bad" - there are a reasonable number of changes, that, I believe, would make this much more suitable for you without cranking up the square footage.

The garage is nice and wide - it's great that there's the extra space on the right side in front of the door into the house. So it's a great size for one car, but it's only just wide enough for two cars - and that's if you like slithering in and out of your car (attached picture)

I like your house overall. With a square footage of around 1500 on the first floor, I would be looking at two bedroom plans. I would want the laundry upstairs. I would plan egress windows in the basement for adding additional bedrooms and also plumb for a bathroom. It also would be good to at least add one foot to the width of the garage. Building a new home can be an exciting time.

Thanks to one of the posters above on noting this plan. As mentioned it solves a lot of the problems. This is however a modular home builder and I will likely be going with a traditional home build.

That interior seems way better on all issues raised. Don't like the elevation as much (but in both cases, what's at the second floor??), but I think that's the right trade-off.

It blows my mind that people think you are going to put your furniture EXACTLY where it's shown on the floorplan; that you would buy EXACTLY those pieces of furniture in EXACTLY those sizes; and that you would NEVER rearrange the furniture in your rooms. lol

^^ some things are pretty indisputable though. Where else would you put a dining table other than the dining area? Obviously at least one bedroom will have a bed, and that bed will most likely be appropriately sized for one or two adults.

You could solve the table size issue by eliminating the island seating.

With a full basement storage is not an issue.

Again, in general I think it's a good floorplan, modest and sufficient for the needs of a family of 2-4.

Why can't a traditional home builder build something very similar to the modular floor plan that solves the problems mentioned?

What are your needs for this home?

If you are planning on a basement then that may solve some of your storage needs.

The narrow closet at the garage could be a narrow laundry room.

What I love is attention to storage. Big hall closet, walk in pantry, two closets in the master. Cute, well laid out, compact. I like it.

Something to consider when it comes to cost is a simple rectangle with simpler roof lines is cheaper to build than lots of jogs and gables. So you could if you simplified the structure be able to afford more square footage.

I think the second floor plan is a much better use of space. Have you thought about where this house will sit on your lot? It looks like the lot is 140ft wide, and your house is 76ft, which means is the house is centered on your lot, you’ll have about 20 ft to the property line on either side of the house.

Are you buying your home from the builder’s plans you’ve referenced, or are you just using these as a starting point?

I won't be buying from the plans I reference, just a starting point. Looking to build a ranch style home in the 1500-1800 sq ft range.

A few more I like

http://www.eplans.com/house-plans/epl/styles/ranch-house-plans-and-homes-and-ranch-floor-plans/hwepl76534.html

http://www.eplans.com/house-plans/epl/styles/ranch-house-plans-and-homes-and-ranch-floor-plans/hwepl76922.html

http://www.eplans.com/house-plans/epl/styles/ranch-house-plans-and-homes-and-ranch-floor-plans/hwepl76177.html

Pay attention to views and pathways. When you walk from the foyer into the Bordeaux house, straight ahead of you is, well, the toilet. And from the living room, you see the kitchen. That one's an easy fix, swap the kitchen and dining. But I like the Bordeaux better than the 3 eplans you just posted. In the first two, pathways go through the kitchen. The last one is the best, but still, the kitchen is tucked into an inside corner.

A house that is long and narrow might fit your lot better. This one might not be your style and changes would need to be made for a basement, but it’s just an idea

https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/northwest-home-with-open-floor-plan-36097dk

https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/craftsman-plan-with-front-porch-69261am

You're spending a lot of money on that completely pointless roof.

I would gladly give up the tub in the master bath, re-jigger the second closet, and put a laundry center next to the hall bath.

The front entry walk-in closet and the big pantry are wastes of space. I'd put the kitchen/closet/pantry where the living room is now and have the living/dining areas across the back.

Good design starts with the site. Any home should be designed with the site upon which it will set in mind. Terrain, vegetation, soil conditions, orientation, wind direction, path of the sun, wanted views, unwanted views, utilities, water features, vehicular circulation, wildlife, and adjacent site conditions all influence the design of a home. Without considering the site, you're just plopping a building on a plot of land and not taking advantage of what the environment has to offer.

Interview local architects and you will see what they can do with you for you.

None of the plans you posted are ideal.

Lots of ideas and concerns have been raised. I have only one to add. I would consider split windows in the master bedroom for the bed wall. Dealing with a window behind the bed makes it almost impossible to open for fresh air and cross breezes. It also makes it difficult for design purposes.

As for the garage its 23x27 (621 sq ft) which is enough room for 2 cars. It's just one garage door. That seems like a good size.

Huh, looks much smaller on the plan.

One concern mentioned that also concerns me is the width of the dining area and the one path to the back yard.

Something you might consider: Do away with the island seating /instead put upper cabinets on the "back side" of the island ... more storage, more space for the dining area.

I agree that the washer/dryer need to move out of the basement (so many unnecessary steps), but I wouldn't be willing to give up space in the modest WIC.

I think the majority of people here have a lot of STUFF. We don't. We even have empty closets in our current house, so there's that.

I really don't have too much stuff, but I am looking forward to having better-planned storage in the right spots in my new house.

But I’m in the Empty Nest stage of life so the small rooms don’t bother me too much.

The best goal is "right sized" rooms. I suggest that the OP measure rooms in his current house, other people's houses ... measure beds and dressers ... and after a while, he will have a firm idea of what "right sized" means to him.

I'm close to being an empty nester, and I agree that I don't need large rooms -- but I do want a guest room that's big enough for at least a queen sized bed ... and a bathroom with space for storage.

The designer needs to be a little bit less stingy with some of the floor plan spaces, and also more honest with this compact home: I'd get rid of some of the elevation bells and whistles (no purpose in some of them). I like the layout in general

That's a good sum-up.