Floor plan help for young family new build

6 years ago

I would love any input on the first draft of our plan. Our must-haves include a master bedroom, second bedroom and study on the main floor, a friend's entrance and drop off zone (will be added between the friend's entrance and garage door on the next version), vaulted family room open to the kitchen which must have a window, a bonus room and two bedrooms on the second floor. I will stop with that. Your insight is greatly appreciated! I have only lived in two homes, one rancher growing up and a very traditional house since college so I am seeking your wisdom.

Thank you,

Jen

Featured Answer

auntthelma

6 years ago

"lousy?" Why do people have to be so nasty? Critique can be helpful and not mean spirited.

Comments (86)

einportlandor
6 years ago
Jenn -- What a beautiful view! You're going to love living there.

Even though I've never built a home, I have owned seven and raised children in most of them. Based on those experiences I have one final piece of advice. Don't design your house for the way you live today, build it with flexibility in mind for the future. Life with two kids is different than one. Big kids are different than babies. Teens and young adults are another universe. Your needs and interests, too, will change over the years.

If this is your "forever" home, try to think what forever might look like. Imagine living with a couple of noisy six foot tall teens who eat huge amounts of food, play several sports with the requisite equipment, and whose friends like to hang out in your home. Believe me, you'll want a second living space for your sanity. And will that back door entrance still meet your needs? Imagine your parents aging or widowed. What then? Will the house work for them? And you?

Make the most of this wonderful opportunity. Take the time to talk with your partner about how your life will change as your family grows and everyone ages. Observe friends and family in different phases of their lives and know that your turn is coming. Design a house that will continue to work for your family for many years to come. Good luck! It's going to be great!
Jen thanked einportlandor
apetz
6 years ago
Good luck! This garden-web crew is not for the faint of heart. Many a poster has disappeared under the weight of the criticism, but I can tell you with certainty if you listen with an open mind you will have a better home because of it. I first posted here and my plan was ripped to shreds. We went to an architect and she blended the original "designer's" plan (with his knowledge so no copyright issues) with her improvements. We are nearly to drywall and couldn't be happier that we listened here and made changes. I knew in my heart that my plan wasn't quite right, but couldn't wrap my head around how to communicate it. In the end, I'm sure I'm breaking some "garden web" rules...BUT, it's things that I know work for me and my family and am good with it. So take all of these suggestions, but know in the end it is YOUR house and YOUR money and YOUR family that has to live in it. There is a wealth of talented and helpful people here and (most) mean well and can really help give you a better home to live in!
Jen thanked apetz
Related Discussions
New Contruction Advice / Floor Plan Help / Build Log
Q
Comments (35)
You've eliminated the dining room and created a small breakfast nook without its own windows. Even if future owners convert the office back to a dining room, they'd have to squeeze past that tight little nook just to bring food to the dining room. You seem to want to create a kitchen tucked away from the living room, which makes your retrofits of that space invariably awkward for most future buyers. (I know...it's your "forever" home. But a lot can happen over a lifetime. I'm on my 3rd "forever" home, and I sincerely believed each one was perfect forevermore...at first.) Try not to get too hung up on creating your dream vision...what you are doing to that kitchen/dining area may make the house into a white elephant that is difficult to sell. I know it would be a dealbreaker for me, unless my husband agreed to spend $80-100k to gut and rebuild the kitchen into something that probably would look like the original kitchen from the original plans. Lastly, you haven't left yourself any wiggle room for future needs. Having eliminated the stairs, you're obviously not going to have a second floor or basement. What if the kids want to play video games while you and hubby have company in the living room? Will the kids have enough room in their bedrooms for a desk and shelves, or will they need a study space? What about a guest room? A play room? An exercise room? Putting back the stairs and a basement would give you options for the future. What about storing the kids' bicycles and sports equipment? Where are you going to store your lawn tractor and accessories? How about expanding the garage to at least 3 bays so you don't have to build a shed that becomes a home to the mice and spiders that will take up residence over the winter? You're building 3800 sf of luxury home without any of the features that would make most people consider it to be luxurious. Again, "forever" homes rarely are forever, so building something others would want to call home is an important consideration, assuming you don't want to keep your house listed on the market for 785 days before that needle-in-the-haystack buyer decides your former home is his new dream home.
...See More
Floor plan feedback- young family living.
Q
Comments (17)
I've seen that house -- and its similar first cousins. It looks like a simple, economical house. It's not a luxurious place, but it should function well. My thoughts: I agree that I'd lose one bath. In an 1800 sf house, two bathrooms are enough. I'd scootch things around a bit in the girls' bedroom wing like this: Two equal bedrooms ... a simple hall bath convenient to the bedrooms, but also accessible to guests ... and a long shared closet (be sure it's wide enough to support hanging clothes on one side, shelves on the other side -- the girls'd love their secret tunnel connection, and it'd be convenient for you to save hand-me-downs for the youngest in a shared closet). Be sure to insulate the wall between the great room and the front bedroom; otherwise, that child will be able to hear the TV after bedtime. I have had a greatroom with this very same layout. We always kept our sofa parallel to the fireplace, so it sort of formed an entry and worked well. If space by the front door allows, I'd do a full wall of bookshelves on the wall to the left of the front door -- it'd look great and would provide so much storage. With five acres, I would not worry about privacy or breastfeeding in the living room. The UPS man and Girl Scout troops don't come by houses on acreage all that often. Definitely go with a door that includes some glass -- it'll get you some light in what could become a dark corner. Your eating area is not spacious, and it's bisected by the only door to the back yard. I'd definitely go with a built-in banquette to save space. I'd investigate the possibility of a sliding glass door, which wouldn't require an inswing. I don't particularly like that you must walk through the screened porch, then turn to reach the back yard. I'd lean towards making the whole thing one big covered porch ... and forget the screen. This, of course, is highly dependent upon your landscape. Your laundry room is pretty generous. I think I'd move the garage door so that you'd funnel family traffic through that room. Bring the coat closet into this room so that it becomes a laundry /mudroom ... and that'll keep your "coming home mess" in that space instead of in the hallway. Bonus: This would eliminate the problem of the basement door and the garage door hitting one another. Bonus #2: With the garage door out of the hallway, you could move the basement door/stairs farther right, meaning your steps could be less steep -- not that I know they're too steep now, but it's a common issue. The garage is okay, but it'd be nicer with just a few more feet of width -- 20x24 would be great without making the garage look "too forward" -- and it wouldn't affect the overall roof. I don't have much love for the master suite. The bedroom is interrupted by three doors, all far apart, which will limit furniture placement. The closets are too narrow to allow clothing on both sides, and the overly-complicated bathroom doesn't look like it'll function well at all. I'd say simplify the master bath. Something like this: Completely different thought: If you could flip the bathroom and bedroom, you'd have windows on two sides of your bedroom.
...See More
Basement Floor Plan - New Build
Q
Comments (17)
I thank you for your comments - all good. Fred S. - thank you very much for your visual explanation of the types of basement - very helpful! chicagoans - your advice regarding lighting is great bpathome adn rrah - I will look at the craft room. Will probably make it the room on the right and re-work the layout on the left of the family area. no bunk area bry911 - appreciate your opinion. I will just have to find a way to make it more inviting. Nice challenge once we get to that point Elle - thanks for the idea and I will surely do that. We have a good amount of time until we tackle this project. Mark and Virgil - no worries. GreenDesigns and all others who remarked about the window egress and no outside door access - Greatly appreciate your insight and we shall consider ways to address before we start the build in 2018. ==================== What I appreciate about Houzz community is their willingness to assist others. Happy New Year!
...See More
Building a new home. Not sure about floor plan
Q
Comments (39)
The fact remains that neither of those plans is good for a growing family for many reasons. So if you're planning for a family, you can do better. And neither is particularly conducive to the way I would imagine a couple with no kids will want to use their home. (admitting that I have only been part of that "couple with no kids" demographic for about 10 months lol) There is no room for entertaining friends, the first plan has good space for guest room/hobby rooms/office but the second doesn't. The second plan has a practical guest bathroom. In both plans you need to walk 30 ft before you get to a spot to hang your coat or put down the bottle of wine you brought! And good luck getting shoes on and off in that bottleneck.
...See More
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
einportlandor We do plan to live in this house for all of the foreseeable future and have tried to envision as you suggest. It is a challenge though! I am trying to stay open-minded and listen to those at different stages of life to incorporate ideas. I will keep this in mind, thank you!

apetz I began lurking a little bit ago and have almost finished Get Your House Right thanks to this forum. I became excited about beginning to have the knowledge about why some houses just don't look "right". I uncharacteristically decided to just throw myself out here. I still have a lot of searching and reading to do here but welcome all feedback. I am glad to hear of your successes! I will have to find your threads and hope to jump start my education here. How exciting that all your planning is turning into reality! Thank you!
mojomom
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Just a quick thought about the kitchen. You have plenty of room to move the refrigerator to the end of the wall with the range and scoot the range done just a bit, you can make the wall where the range current is a snack/beverage center. It would still have easy access to the refrigerator, you could add a bar sink, put the coffee maker there, etc. That area could also be used for extra storage -- I might do a relatively narrow tall cupboard on the end close to the garage and then cabinet with a bar sink and if you want to splurge a bit even an under counter beverage fridge with an ice maker. The nice thing about this is that it keeps the kids (and the husband) needing a glass of water, cup of coffee, juice, or a little snack out of your work zone. We did a smaller version of this, primarily a coffee and liquor station (remember we are empty nesters) and it works great!
Jen thanked mojomom
cpartist
6 years ago
I really like what gthigpen came up with. I think it fixes a lot of what was bothering me about the house.

If you don't plan on using a dining room in, don't put one in. No one will miss it if and when you go to sell. You'll have 2 spaces for eating (island and breakfast/dining area) and that's plenty.

I like how she came up with a larger mudroom/entry for friends and family.

With the bigger mudroom, I'd also flip the extra bedroom so the bathroom isn't on the outside wall so the bedroom gets windows on 2 walls. What I also like about the space now, is with the larger mudroom, it will make it easier for older adults if they someday need to occupy the space.

The width of your master area now is 15'5" so it would be very easy to have the closets in-between the bedroom and the bathroom. Figuring a It's such a waste of space for a closet to have 3 outside walls. Better for the master bedroom or bathroom. There are lots of ways it can be done.

What I particularly like about what gt did is how it now simplifies the roofline a bit.

Another thought is the one that janni suggested in going up which would also help simplify the roofline. Heck I'm not young but what DH and I did was we did go up and added an elevator. No need at your ages to add one now, but you could make a closet on top of a closet that if ever needed could become an elevator.

I would also consider making the entry of the stairway up opening from the foyer. My reasoning is as others have suggested if a kid is sick at night or needs Mommy, it's much easier from the foyer than trying to navigate around the rooms.
Jen thanked cpartist
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
mojomom The kitchen does need rethinking and I especially love your idea of the beverage center for the fam. I love to cook and want it to be very functional.

cpartist You have convinced me that the dinning room needs to go! i didn't want a nook and dinning room initially but had convinced myself I could re-purpose the space. The closet in the bathroom is my current set up and has always been ideal for getting ready but I would prefer more windows and light.

I have my homework cutout for me! I been drawn into so many threads!! Just a few:

thanks cpartist apetz Virgil Carter Fine Art mojomom and many others for the questions and wisdom archived here for others!

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3285825/what-makes-a-house-have-good-design?n=39

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4106638/designing-a-custom-home

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4482597/exterior-identity-crisis

http://mcmansionhell.com/post/148605513816/mcmansions-101-what-makes-a-mcmansion-bad

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3277808/these-are-my-plans-finally?n=24

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5056335/true-confessions-i-have-garden-web-no-nos?n=121

I am inspired to make it through a number of books, starting with Designing
Your Perfect House - William J. Hirsch Jr since it was so frequently recommended. Then, take a step back to gain a greater vision for the home. After reading apetz story I realize how important it is that the exterior is created alongside the floor plan.

Are there any other threads anyone would suggest to get on the right track?
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
6 years ago
Any discussion that reviews ArchitectRunnerGuy's designs.
Jen thanked Mark Bischak, Architect
Holly Stockley
6 years ago
Try not to give TOO much ear to what real estate agents insist on for 'resale' - or you'll end up with a bland, grey, chicken-wire infested "modern farmhouse." Don't make something SO over-customized that it would have NO appeal to someone else... but DO build a house for the way you live. Don't use a dining room? Don't have one. I've never had one, and I don't intend to put one in. A long trestle table in sight of the kitchen will fill the bill nicely.

You'll also find all sorts of opinions on whether your kids should be near your bedroom or far. Take them with the same grain of salt that you would someone telling you that you MUST do anything else kid-related. Mine are both special needs and both upstairs while we're down. This has been the case since the oldest was two and while the youngest was an infant. It works for us. If that's the way you want to do it, it will work for you, too.

Consider getting an architect. If you feel that's out of budget, ask them if they will do a "charette" - and go find ARG's posts on that service. It's often a delightful solution to getting a custom home that fits you and fits your beautiful view.

Mark^^ is designing our home. He's always to the point when he posts here, and worth listening to. Thus far, what we have is what we want - and something we could not have gotten from a stock plan. Even if I suspect he does a 'sinal salute' or reaches for the Tums when I'm not looking. ;-) There is a thread on our process [here[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/tales-of-the-great-architect-adventure-dsvw-vd~4395123).

Also listen whenever Virgil has something to say. It's always on point, and should at least be considered!
Jen thanked Holly Stockley
cpartist
6 years ago
Ack, not that thread of mine since my plans completely changed since then. That had the backyard facing west, and there were too many things that weren't quite right. DH and I regrouped, bought another half a lot so we then had 9000 square feet and redesigned the house so the rear faced south and the master suite is now a real master suite.

My Saga thread with all the house permutations, the final house design and photos of its progression can be found [HERE[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/absolute-final-plans-and-elevations-and-build-thread-dsvw-vd~4361032).

We fit an architect into our budget

Designing a custom home

Book suggestions

What makes a house have good design

Did you hire an architect?

Hiring an architect

House plan using bubbles

Questions on changing around a floor plan

How to Design Your Own Home

5 Rules of Thumb for Better Home Design

House Plans Using Bubbles

I Just Read This On Sarah Susanka's Blog

[Did You Hire an Architect?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/did-you-hire-an-architect-dsvw-vd~4464124)
[Aging In Place[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/what-to-look-for-in-a-house-if-you-plan-to-age-in-place-stsetivw-vs~82644128)

[Bath Aging in Place[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/11-ways-to-age-proof-your-bathroom-stsetivw-vs~60576589)

[Kitchen Aging In Place[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/kitchen-confidential-10-ways-to-promote-aging-in-place-stsetivw-vs~56039514)
Jen thanked cpartist
Anita
6 years ago
Just some uneducated thoughts...

I would want to have hallway access to a bathroom on the second floor so guests wouldn’t have to go through a bedroom or make a trek downstairs.

I currently have a window in my master closet and I do love the light but I also need to be careful of the sun fading the clothes. I currently have wooden blinds on the window but since I’m never in the closet long, I never take the time to open them. I have just bought blackout curtains to install, thinking they will be a quick open and close. Of course the sun intensity may be different where you are located.

My dream master bath would have two toilets, each enclosed :) Get rid of the tub if you will not be using it and have a nice shower. I would also consider a walk-in shower for the second main floor bedroom. I know the tub is better for young kids but the aging in-laws may need a shower they can walk into.

As others mentioned, I would look to maximize your view by moving more of your living space to exterior walls, moving and adding windows. Having said that, there is also comfort to consider. Lots of windows can also make the home colder in the winter and hotter in the summer. You know your area best and what would work for you.

Love the idea of moving the laundry closer to the master bedroom.
Jen thanked Anita
cpartist
6 years ago
Lots of windows can also make the home colder in the winter and hotter in the summer.

Actually if you consider passive solar heating/cooling where the majority of the windows are on the south wall, it will actually help with heating and cooling.
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
Mark - I was entranced reading the stories of Pensacola PI and mbauldauf as they were turned to the light. I will explore our options to starting with a creative talent as these folks did.

Cpartist - Thank you for all the links! I am thoroughly enjoying all the worthwhile knowledge shared here. I love the wings on your house plan, how much does building with such increased exterior perimeter affect the overall cost? I'm sure that is a loaded question but I'd appreciate any guidance on the matter.

Anita - I agree with it all. My current home has very little natural light and originally I made it a priority to include more windows but I think I have been worn down by looking at so many stock plans and cookie cutter homes that I thought there wasn't another answer.

Our home will be in a cove with mountains on the N E and W sides, and the street heading N - NW so I appreciate the advice to reconsider windows. I have lost sight of getting what I dreamed of by over-considering resale and settling for the builder norm. Thank you everyone! for your comments here and elsewhere!
PRO
JAN MOYER
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Do smaller, get better, is almost ALWAYS the answer. New construction is pricey. That means you concentrate on the eighty to ninety percent of daily living, not the "what if" of the other percent...and the two weeks of the Christmas thing.

Roof line matters greatly. You are a young family. Yes technology can afford hearing a child breathe from a mile away !!!......... but they are still stairs or steps away. Honestly, aside from windows and view, mudrooms and friends entrance, kitchen and baths........I would consider a "fuller" second floor, maybe with master and children on that floor, and limit myself to a first floor guest space just big enough to be comfortable and accessible!! Even parents appreciate the privacy, and nearness to morning coffee without disrupting the household.

It is admirable to think out a decade or more, , to mother in law suites and parents staying part time, or even forever. As long as you have the budget for all of it : )

A really good architect is the answer. Not cobbled together plan yanked from online. Simply put, it is the first and best money you will can spend
Jen thanked JAN MOYER
Holly Stockley
6 years ago
There is also this blog post I saved (and, IIRC, ARG is the guest-blogger, here?) that you can read through about the charrette process.

He'd posted it in another thread quite a while back so I'll just say that I thought it was an excellent introduction.
Jen thanked Holly Stockley
artemis_ma
6 years ago
I love your view, yes, enhance your appreciation of it by appropriate windows.

The kitchen is a bottleneck. If you want to teach your kids how to cook, or if you'd like one of them to clean as you cook (or vice versa) you'll be bumping into each other at the range and sink.
Jen thanked artemis_ma
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
Almost a month later and after a couple different options we are back to the floor plan I originally posted with minor changes. I do however, have an elevation. The biggest challenge has been fitting either a 2 and 2 or 3 and 1 garage while not obstructing views out the back and staying under 100 feet wide.

Changes underway: add sink in kitchen by window, removed breakfast nook and moving back patio toward kitchen, dining table will reside in great room and the traditional dining room will be used as a catch all playroom for us now.

The house will face Southwest. Any thoughts on the front? I know the garage appearance is unfortunate but a detached garage or garages in the back is not an option.

Thank you for your thoughts!
doc5md
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
With respect to closets with windows... they make film to put on them or over them to eliminate UV rays while still letting light in :)

I'm not a huge fan of the extra bumpout on the garage thus creating an extra nested gable. Just seems superfluous and takes my eye away from your entrance.

I also think the "bonus" space isn't really bonus space in the typical sense of the word. As it is laid out, it will need to be finished off as it is a hallway to the bedroom. Its more like "space we don't know what to do with" on the drawing. Perhaps you have a good use for it.. if not, I'd think about what to do with it.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
6 years ago
"I will explore our options to starting with a creative talent as these folks did."

What happened??
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
doc5md

Good tip on the closet windows. I agree about the bonus, we aren't crazy about that change but it is allowing for an attic space that will be utilized. I have realized how even when you are starting from scratch how many compromises you have to make.

Mark

I hit a lot of walls trying to go back to the beginning and bring yet another person into the mix. We have a lot in a development with a builder already involved. They have only one designer that they like to work with and insisted that we would stay closer to budget using their designer. Also, I was unable to find anyone here that was willing to work as described like a charrette process. Ultimately, I fear taking the risk of starting over only to find my dream house over budget, when I am okay with the layout after further consideration of our constraints. I will admit I am settling.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
6 years ago
You realize this house is going to be dark. The main living spaces are on the northeast side. Are you keeping the covered patio on the back? That will make it even darker. If the house is in Arizona, that may be a positive. In the northeast, it wouldn't be.
H B
6 years ago
:-( I’m sorry your builder sounds like a butt head. It’s your money, you should get what you want and it sounds like they are just shuffling your house plan off to Buffalo.
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
I am in the Tennessee Valley and have the sun set directly into my current living room so I thought this will be an improvement. The house will sit in a cove so getting natural light is a challenge.

The designer did explore options for us, each one had compromises and so far this is the best I have seen so while not perfect I am mostly satisfied. However, I am open to feedback and love to hear different perspectives because it isn't too late to make changes.
samarnn
6 years ago
find out before framing how much extra the custom base for that jog in the master shower is going to cost vs a standard size. Maybe different now, but 10 years ago I had to pay like double for similar, & I cursed it every time I took a shower as it really didn't make much difference.
Jen thanked samarnn
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
Samarnn - I will ask! We would love to find ways to save on things like that, thanks!
samarnn
6 years ago
what is advantage of recessed porch for rear entrance? I would put that space into a bigger mudroom, & steal a foot from garage as well. At your stage of life, or in any rational period, it is impossible to believe how much space school age kids sports stuff takes up! Even with computer textbooks, their backpacks are big enough to allow me to tour Europe for 2 weeks.
gtcircus
6 years ago
Comments on master bath. Why are you installing a bathtub you never use ? As long as you have a bathtub elsewhere why don’t you put in a larger two person spa shower that will be used? Also wouldn’t two separate vanities work better, giving you each your own space. And lastly this design of having to walk through the bathroom to get to the closet is just BIZARRE. I know there are plans where there is a his closet on one side and hers on another as you go toward the bathroom, but to have to walk through the master bath to change clothes is just beyond comprehension.
gtcircus
6 years ago
I would also do a jack & jill bath on the second floor so all bedrooms are en suite.
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
I decided to keep the tub in the master so that we had one on the first floor, and surprisingly my husband was against not having it. I know so many people agree with you on the closet placement. Our closets are currently in the bathroom and it has worked out well for when I leave for work before my husband gets up.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
6 years ago
You missed a great opportunity.
PRO
PPF.
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I played around with various roofs, without much success.

The bedroom showing in the front seems out of proportion, and do the 2 dormers have a function?

I was thinking the 2 2nd floor bedrooms could go in the back, and the front could be the bonus space.
Jen thanked PPF.
cpartist
6 years ago
So how is it that the closet in the bathroom works better since after you dress you still have to walk back through the bathroom and then into the bedroom to leave?

I agree with the others. You're settling. You could do so much better for all the reasons stated already.

Especially the fact that all your public rooms will be very dark and unappealing because of the lack of light. Meaning that they will be facing northeast. The best light is dedicated to a closet, a study and the garage. Yes you're in a valley so it should be even more important to try and get natural light into the house and to get the house designed and situated so you get as much southern light into the house as possible.

have the sun set directly into my current living room so I thought this will be an improvement.

If the sun is setting in your living room, that means it's facing due west. That is the worst direction.
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
I guess it is good then that I don’t know what I am missing.

PPF - wow! You’re centered addition is a vast improvement!! You are right about the pointless two dormers. The middle of the attic will be used space so one would be nice but that one on the right can definitely go.
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
Cpartist - the front of the house is right next to a steep slope with only a street in between. There is a shadow on the lot very early in the afternoon. We certainly could make better use of the south. We put a priority on having the kitchen and great room on the back of the house and this is what we got, it is hard to imagine anything differently unless the greatroom is at the corner of the house. We are unwilling at this point to move the master upstairs.
gtcircus
6 years ago
The point was that you should place the closet before the bathroom, not after. So to get out of my work clothes I have to walk through the bathroom and listen to and smell my spouses bowel movement? Or through a work area dressed in nice clothes past the spray of deodorant. You don’t go into the bathroom unless you have business in the bathroom! Why do you need a bath tub on the first floor if you do not take baths. You are making decisions not based upon needs and not based upon how one actually lives but on what? Something that will never happen or will happen once in 25 years? Or worse, something that no human being should be forced to endure, walking through a toilet room to change clothes. Sorry, but it is blatant bad design.
David Cary
6 years ago
Jen - lots of tough love on this thread.

We have designed a similar size house - 3700, first floor master. Just moved out from a larger house that we custom built. So I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

You haven't lived in a lot of houses so take some of this very tough advice from people with more experience than you even if it hurts and is frustrating.

Specifics from me.

Just moved out from a house of 8 years where our master tub was used twice. It was cleaned 50 times. My wife wants another. Marital harmony and all that but it is something to reexplore.

We had a friendship entrance with a side load garage. All the rage in higher end subdivisions around here. Functionally frustrating. Guests park in driveway. You can't see them. They enter through the mudroom. Front door doesn't get used as often as it should and it becomes a waste of a first impression. Now - new friends do come to the front door but then they don't. You still want to make a positive impression on old friends. UPS isn't sure where to leave packages so you have to check both doors each time. And in today's world, that is everyday.

I have a similar bathroom layout with master closet. It isn't the end of the world.

Your kids have a perfect escape route - as teens they will appreciate it.
Jen thanked David Cary
PRO
JAN MOYER
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The list of what is wrong here, is too long to list. Please get a real architect, better refine your wish list. As this plan exists, look forward to a pinched entry every time you pull into the garage, and a pile of back packs and shoes to trip over. That's just the FIRST thing. From either entry, btw.................

Please get some skilled help. A comfortable master suite, AND a first floor guest suite, AND a spacious dedicated study, AND a dining room all on ground level require more square footage and at least a nearly 2 million dollar budget, no matter where you live. If done well and truly livable.

This is not that. Up is less expensive than OUT with roof line. Either you are needing master on second floor, or the study is both study and a potential guest room, or you put an extra bedroom upstairs. But the attempt to do as you are doing.....with your current wish list , is fifty pounds of poop in a ten lb. bag. Or you will get what you now have.
Jen thanked JAN MOYER
Leslie Kursh
6 years ago
First and foremost, the half bath by the master is in a bad location. Half baths are ideally located by the kitchen or garage, so if you have been getting messy outside you don’t have to run across the entire house to get clean or use the bathroom if having a party outside. I would consider creating a jack and Jill bath where the laundry room is that can be shared with the guest room, kitchen, and outside. Take it out of guest room. Perhaps this can be achieved by flipping the study with the dining room, opening up the wall between current study and great room (corner columns for loadbaring). By opening it up this way the dining room will feel more open to rest of house. Where the current dining room is can be redrawn to be a study backed by a laundry room and a much needed coat closet that is central to both garage and front door. Good luck on your project!
Jen thanked Leslie Kursh
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
As for the closet placement, I don’t like that it takes up a corner of the house. I am saying that the placement in the bathroom,as it is in my current home, doesn’t bother me now. I get dressed after I shower, blow dry my hair, do my make up, all in the bathroom. The first floorplan we seriously considered had his and her closets you walk past to get to the bathroom and our interior designer was all against that. It is hard to imagine a solution when I have heard strong opinions both ways.

Concerning the tub, I bathe my toddler everyday and could put one in the other bathroom on the first floor instead but have no idea what I would do with the extra space. How big is a two person spa shower? When we were planning shower size I came across advice that indicated that a shower can be uncomfortable when too big. The point is we certainly haven’t lived to evaluate all our own preferences so I have tried to find guidance as I go. More often than not I find conflicting opinions so I fight some battles and let others go.
Leslie Kursh
6 years ago
We love our huge master steam shower. It is located at front of house with the bedroom towards back. It comes in handy when older people, dogs or kids need assistance in the shower. The large bench allows us to share the steam feature. The walk-in closet and toilet room are to the right and we don’t mind that we have access to closet only through bathroom. It provides much more wall space in bedroom which is preferable to us. Our tub isn’t situated in the typical manner or suitable for bathing kids, but we’re old so it works fine. Lol
Jen thanked Leslie Kursh
Holly Stockley
6 years ago
I'm not so fond of extra-big showers, myself, as I find them cold. YMMV.

Why can't you tell your designer just to ditch the tub in the master and rework the whole suite? That seems like a whole big wall there with no windows - maybe that could change, too? It really should be his/her job to determine what to do with that "extra space". Possibly you could shrink your footprint a little. Or maybe move the laundry so that you don't have to walk from one end of the house to the other, through a rather narrow passage in the kitchen, to get to it.

Some things ARE opinion. Others are bad design. The trick can be to figure out which is which. Tub/no tub? Opinion. I like nothing better than to soak in the tub with a good book. If you don't, then don't have one. Dragging laundry through that little tunnel? Poor design.

Though Mark's notion of grabbing a snack with each pass sort of negates any "fit bit effect" of the rest of the plan. ;-)
Jen thanked Holly Stockley
oracca
6 years ago
We also have the walk-in closet after the en suite. It really isn't that big of a deal.
Jen thanked oracca
PRO
PPF.
6 years ago
I'd prefer the refrigerator closer to the work area.

Here, I've moved the study out, opening up the hallway, and used some interior windows to help bring a bit of light into the space.

Also moved the back door.
Jen thanked PPF.
cpartist
6 years ago
While I'm not a fan of WIC in the bathroom, I realize many people like them. That's a personal decision. However like was explained many of the things in this house don't work because they are just not good design.

Here's the changes I made to the first floor to give you better flow and to put the things needed where they will work the best.

1. Since you don't use a bath, get rid of it! If you want a bath on the first floor, put it in bedroom 2.

2. Your master closet is actually now larger. However I was able to pull in the wall so it now matches the wall of the dining room.

3. Now you have a straight shot from the master suite to the bathroom to the closet. And then as an added bonus if you don't want to wake your spouse in the morning, you can now leave through the laundry closet!

4. Instead of the powder room by the master suite, I moved your laundry room there. Think of how easy it will now be to do your laundry.

5. I pulled the closet across to meet the study. Even though it makes the house a bit larger, it will actually save money because you won't have the extra bump outs.

6. Your study is the same size but by moving it down, you now have an actual hallway that creates a "spine" for the house, so you're not making a jog through your great room to get to the master suite.

7. By moving the powder room to where the laundry was, it freed up space so you now have a good sized entry from the mudroom door and the garage. No more trying to shove one another out of the way. Plus there's now more room to store all those kids things.

8. The powder room is now near the side where the kids will enter and it's convenient still to guests.

9. I moved around your layout for your kitchen too. It didn't work. Lots of space but not well used. I moved your cleanup sink to under the window with the dishwasher next to it. Lots of storage space in drawers now to the left.

I moved your fridge so it's now in the work "triangle". So now you take food out of the fridge, move it to the prep sink on the island to wash, then prep to the left of the prep sink, and then carry it to the cooktop to cook.

10. In the master bath, if you're planning on a glass shower enclosure, I would probably flip the toilet closet and the shower so the toilet isn't against the master bedroom wall.
Jen thanked cpartist
cpartist
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It appears PPF and I were thinking along the same lines! :)

One thing? The porch in my version has to come out further.
Kristin S
6 years ago
PPF and cpartist made this much better. One thing to note - you say the dining room table will be in the great room space. Have you laid out our furniture, to scale, on this plan to make sure it will fit as you want?
cpartist
6 years ago
One other change I would make. I'd move the door to the outside from the great room so it's opposite the front door opening. This way when you open the door and walk in, you're looking towards the light and the backyard.
Jen
Original Author
6 years ago
Wow cpartist and PPF, I may need to just hire you!

We will be buying new furniture for the main living areas but I did compare the area needed to a house that had used the great room as dining space.

here is a much more economical option they presented today. I could live with this plan if a study could be in the front left corner of the house instead of behind the kitchen. No elevation yet. We are meeting tomorrow to discuss everything again. I will bring many of the suggestions posted here, thank you!
Leslie Kursh
6 years ago
After reading again through all the suggestions you’ve received (my own included), all I would like to add is that you should always take into consideration the placement of furniture. Do you want your tv above the fireplace? Is there enough room in bedroom 2 for a bed, dresser and nightstand if you have that many doors? There are many things to consider when designing your dream home, and lots of varying opinions. What matters the most in the end is seeing YOUR dream become reality. Sit down with an architect and best of luck!
cpartist
6 years ago
I think this option is worse than the updated one I did for you. It is too similar to what you originally posted.
AnnKH
6 years ago
You've gotten so much terrific feedback! I understand how overwhelming this must be.

My only comment (that hasn't been addressed before) is the size of the garage. I would not build a garage less than 24' x 24'. My current garage is 22' x 22', and with shelving on one wall, it's all we can do to park 2 vehicles in there (we have a Toyota minivan and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, so average-sized). If you want to keep bicycles, lawn mower, and gardening tools in the garage, you'll appreciate more space.