Am I seeing correctly that the half bath opens directly onto the living/dining area? Oh. No. Sir. No one wants to be dining and have to succumb to a waft of hot gas odor coming through the door. The master shower looks tiny. 3x3? You are not going to enjoy it. No, dryer cannot be vented into the garage as far as I know. The kitchen does look "off". Would you consider a side entry garage? Did an architect design this plan?

Have you considered a split level -- an entry in the front and mudroom/laundry room in the back with steps going both up and down on the left and great room and a master bedroom suite on the right.

The children's bedrooms and bath(s) could be upstairs.

Downstairs you could have mini - great room on one side of the downstairs that could serve as a den and/or a home office. On the other side of the center staircase, you could have a bonus room that could serve as an in-law second master bedroom suite.

With a really wide back hall on the downstairs next to the embankment -- behind the downstairs rooms -- you could have the entrance on one end be your second "dirty shoes" mud room with its own laundry and plenty of storage room -- floor to ceiling shelf units with doors lining the entire wall between the hall and downstairs rooms -- including space along the back hall for office equipment and file cabinets on one side and canned veggies grown on the farm and an extra upright freezer or two on the other end of that hall -- which, in an emergency, could serve as a storm shelter.

Just a quick preliminary thought, I would give more space to the great room and reduce the kitchen size. The bouble island blocks good flow within the kitchen. Think about extending the kitchen along the entire side wall (prep area on the end close to the pantry and cleanup on the window end. Then go with a large longer rectangular (could have L shaped seating) island parallel to the cabinetry. I would scrap the breakfast table, simple because you have plenty of seating nearby. Move the fireplace to the opposite wall (on the other side of the wall from the powder room and put the dining table where the fireplace/peninsula are now. This gives you a more functional kitchen and much more useable seating space in the great room.

We didn't have any problem running the venting from a similarity situated laundry room, but you could always move the W/D to the outside wall. I agree with the distance from the master, but with kids etc., it may me a wash (pun intended).

I agree, I don't like the powder off the great room. Do you need two? Even if so, like one for guests and the other off the mudroom for family, how about off the study and close up the walk through on the mud room bath.

The living room is too small. The kitchen appears to be an awkward layout. I dont like the angled islands. They look very 1980's. I also would not want the powder room opening up to the living room. I would not want the garage facing the front. A side entrance would look better. I think the bathroom vanity could be bigger, but I cant see the dimensions to be sure. Where is the second mud room? I agree that this looks like a redo.

my family is coming to visit where are we sitting??

Lots of flaws.

Very few times I go with the "get an architect" line, but you definitely need a better one. Or a person of talent.

The layout needs a lot of work. The proportions are off (floor plan and elevations).

For the style of home you want, I recommend you to read "Get your house right".

Consider making the house more symmetrical, The main central body of the house and 2 wings (left wing for the master suite and right wing for the garage). With 75 acres, there is no need for a front load garage.

Good luck!

That powder room off the living/family/dining is weird. Ditch it and make that closet larger. Why can't your guests use the other half-bath near the kitchen?

There's more roof than house!!!

That's a monster of a roof, and it completely overpowers the house. Bad design.

And what Janecharlton said about the half bath. Besides the possible gaseous anomalies, what about the noise of bodily functions? The noise of the toilet itself? Plus, no one--ever--should have to go in or out of a bathroom in full view of other people. Ick. I can't believe that an architect would have done that.

Plus, plus, there's a full bath tucked away next to the garage entrance. Since you have that there, why can't guests just use that one?

Is that an oven backing on to the fireplace? 20 feet away from the stove and sink? You have no work space around the sink and stove (your huge island will get all the mess). The workflow is atrocious in that kitchen.

Four people in the home, yet the counter seating is divided 3 and 3. Why??? You'll never be able to use it as a family; you will always have to use the table (which is fine, but then what's the purpose of the counter seating?).

The study will, at some point be used as a guest room, I bet. But there's no way to get to the full bath that would serve it.

I don't know where you are, but all your master bath plumbing is on exterior walls--really bad idea in cold climates.

From your description, the views seem really nice, but you don't get to see them from the common areas of the house--just secondary rooms (MBR, MBath, Study, etc.).

Redo--from the ground up.

It's a long trek from the master bed to the toilet.

So to get to the laundry room you either haul your clothes through the kitchen, or through the entry and bathroom and mudroom. That would get really old really fast.

Are you sure you're using a licensed architect and not a "designer" draftsperson? I'm surprised an architect would come up with a plan like this.

Wrap the kitchen around the outside walls of that corner, lose one of the islands. Move that bathroom forward or back and make a hallway from the porch entrance to the laundry, with the bathroom door along the way.

You want the southern exposure for your bedroom, right? Would you consider going for the mountain view with your bedroom to the back? Then arrange the bathroom and closets so that the powder room opens from the foyer. In fact, add a guest closet there, too.

In the laundry room, well, just put the machines along the outside wall and the sink on the inside wall. No, don't vent into the garage, you will have encrusted lint and moisture all over the cars, and everything else. Trust me. Experience.

In the garage, move the pull-down stairs over so that it is above one of the bays. You'd have to back the car out to use it, but if you put it above any open space there will always be stuff in the way that's harder to move than the car.

The great room is not great. It’s tiny. Why?

Whoever drew this house must have thought you spent most of your time sitting at one of the tables or bars eating, rather than socializing or reading or watching tv or anything else one does in a great room.

You have 75 acres, not a small urban lot, so you don't need to have the garage sticking out like that.

I agree with everything said upthread about the powder room off the living/dining room, the kitchen layout (you should post separately at the Kitchen forum) especially the angled and multiple islands, the three separate dining areas, the amount of space devoted to the master br vs. living room vs. dining room vs. kitchen.

Also, is there no closet at front entrance?

The house will face due south.

I would seriously rethink that. Ideally the house would face north and the longer axis with the main living areas -- living room, dining area, kitchen -- would benefit from the southern exposure to maximize the natural light and for passive solar heating and cooling, which is a great way to save money on heating and cooling costs. Since you a live on a farm, you can also look into passive solar landscaping by planting trees, evergreen and deciduous, around the house; evergreen trees on the north side to provide a windbreak if necessary, and deciduous trees on the south side of the house to provide shade in summer and then in the fall/winter, after they lose their leaves, they'll allow natural light into the house.

3. Two functional mudrooms, one of which will be for dirty boots and coats coming off the farm attached to a full bath.

My family farms too. We're in western Canada, with long cold winters, hot summers with very long days, and spring is mud season. We're just finishing up our new house, which has both a mudroom and a full bathroom including shower in the garage, as the first line of defense to keep dirt out of the house : ) . We also have an older washing machine (a hand-me down from friends who bought new) in the garage to wash chore clothes, to keep those out of the house and out of the newer/better washing machine.

I generally try not to be critical but I find very little about this floor plan that is worth keeping. The kitchen is just awful. That is just the beginning.

Why do you want the MBedroom facing the 'front' st instead of the backyard?????

IMO you need a better architect and for sure a kitchen designer not the architect. You have 75 acres and the only place they could put the garage is a tthe front of the house not in my world. A good architect uses the land as s atrting point for a good design that mich roof is just overbearing there are too many things off with this design .

This is a Cape style house with "dog house" dormers on the front and a full shed dormer on the back. Our first house was a Cape and we really disliked the wasted space upstairs. You pay for the perimeter floor space and then lose 1/4 of your square footage due to the slope of the roof. The rooms with "dog house" dormers tend to be darker as the walls on the inside of the dormers will block some light.

Our current house has a badly located powder room, but not as bad as your ... and you put a pocket door on yours. Noooooo! Luckily we have another full guest bathroom on the main floor and that is where I tell guests to go. Usually I give them the choice of less private powder room or more private bathroom ... 99% choose the more private bathroom.

I live in a 1 1/2 story house. After buying it, we added a full dormer on the back, just as this house has. We do not have such a high, large roof. Don't know if that is good or bad - upstairs gets far hotter due to low attic. But I have less roof to replace when it must be done (done 3 times in the 34 yrs living here - once after on 11 months due to hail storm).

We bought it as we had one weekend in which to buy a house - school was not going to pay for us to come back from CA for another house search and we needed to be here in 9 weeks. I love my house and have made it into a lovely home. But if I could trade if for an equivalent full 2-story with no dormers, front or back, I would in a heartbeat.

First, thank you for the pull down stairs comment. Have the same issue in our plans and just made a note on them for our architect.

First, a few aesthetic thoughts...

Main level windows seem too wide. They s/b narrower.

Shutters should be sized appropriate for windows. Those look too narrow. And when you build make sure they are at least oriented correctly (and ideally swing hung, not applied to the siding).

Dormer walls are too thick. More on this later.

I'd ditch the middle dormer or make it much smaller. Too busy.

A lot of roof. Half dormers (Penn Farmhouse?) might look better. HOWEVER, proper functioning dormers are expensive to build and half dormers even more expensive. Functioning dormers are also quite energy inefficient. I'd think seriously about a standard two story instead. Even if a bit more expensive to build (location dependent), energy savings may provide a very quick payback and you'd have much more useable space upstairs and more appealing sunlight. You could still do false dormers (with proper thin wall dimensions) in the unconditioned attic.

The front portico being the same level as front eves may look kind of cheap. If you stick with this plan I'd either lower the portico or raise the eves or a little of both.

The portico roof should be same rake as others and in this case likely match the dormers.

I'd be cautious about rails on either side of the front stoop unless necessary or it is very high. Otherwise they can look contrived.

Chimneys might need to be higher both for aesthetics and function.

How wide is the shed in the back? It s/b, in most cases, no more than about 1/3 of the total width. Otherwise it looks contrived.

Dido comments on the sore thumb garage. At least push it back.

The garage peak should likely not line up with the east end of the structure.

Next, think about energy. How comfortable will it be in various seasons? Will the front rooms overheat? Will the back side be really cold? How well can it be cooled naturally (open windows) when appropriate? Will it cost more to heat/cool than necessary?

Three other items...
Why is the Dining Room (rarely used) in front of the windows with the view instead of the great room (where you'll spend your time) being there?

The Dining Room is 50 feet from the stove.

The TV on that wall will be unusable during the day because of the reflection of the 3 windows. You'll have to close off the windows with blackout drapes. What's the point of that?

My mentor in Home buying was my first mother in law. She always said to look first for a house with the living and kitchen area with southern exposure. You’ll appreciate the sun in the winter. Also, a kitchen garden would be better on the south side and so you’ll want the kitchen south to have access to a garden for herbs and such. Of course you may not give a wit about a kitchen garden.

Also, if you have 75 acres then the garage, or at least the doors shouldn’t be so prevalent.

Everyone else has made any other points I would have.

To quote the late Maya Angelou, “This sucks!”

Thank you so much for all of these honest and forthright comments. I appreciate the honesty and time you all took to look over these plans. When I get time, I will respond to each comment.

But a few quick comments.

Yes, this was a plan from an architect who was highly rated by several people we know and the builder we will be using. We have even looked inside a house that he designed.

While we do have 75 acres, there is only one building site with the views I described above. Much of the design orientation was based on that site specific aspect.

I am attaching the house that we almost purchased and which is the inspiration for this house. I am also attaching the picture of that house's inspiration which was built in 1760 or so in Williamsburg, VA.

The other house pic did not attach. Here it is.

"Dining Room (rarely used)"

Perhaps in the 80's and 90's. Millennials (and others) are entertaining and using dining rooms more similar to how they were used throughout history until 1980.

Yes, this was a plan from an architect who was highly rated by several people we know and the builder we will be using. We have even looked inside a house that he designed.

I'm sorry but for all the reasons stated the plan is bad and the exterior won't look exactly like you want.

His design shows he doesn't understand basic principles of older design. Even with the fact that his shutters would never cover the windows or that they're too squat and not elongated like your inspiration pics.

And the reason I question if he's an architect is because he put pork chop returns on the eaves. No architect worth his salt would do that!

I think both of the photos look much better aesthetically than the drawing. Both are proportioned more appropriately. Details matter.

The original is the George Barrard (Barroud?) house. IIRC it was one of the first houses to be renovated. Firstly, it is a much smaller house. You cannot simply blow up a house and have it work unless everything (doors, windows, etc.) is blown up proportionally and even that often doesn't work. Note the proportion of the windows, the shutters to the windows, the window+shutter combo's to the overall house. The dormers make up a much greater proportion of the roof than your drawing (though your drawing shows more roof than will actually appear from the ground). Chimney height.

On your inspiration house the link between the main house and garage is much smaller and so there is less massing and it does a better job of setting the garage off from the main structure. This house though, while better than your drawings, is still not proportioned properly.

This book has a great section on proportion:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-eighteenth-century-houses-of-williamsburg-williamsburg-architectural-studies_marcus-whiffen/587060/#isbn=0879351233&idiq=9360982

This is one of those things where, if done correctly, people find a house really pleasing to look at, charming, etc. But when not done correctly people will think it's off or not so appealing but don't know why.

IMO your drawing looks more 1980's tract home than architecturally designed custom home.

If you have the space, 8-over-12 double hung windows with the appropriate size shutters (on real hinges), will look better on the first floor and bring in substantially more light. I replace the two LR front windows and the one in the front library with these and it was as if my room just got 2 feet wider and far brighter! The windows on the 2nd floor need not be as large, but on a two story house, might well be.

Whatever you do, turn that garage to make it side-opening. First of all, it's safe that way - it can be open and no one is going to see what might be worth stealing inside. Second, it will not dominate the entire front of the house. I like the way the garage is on the same plane as the house, but the part joining the two is recessed, in your "inspiration" picture - far more attractive.

I agree with much of what others have said about your floorpan. I find it hard to believe a true architect would design this. If he did, his university should re-call his diploma. It's very poor design.

Am I seeing correctly that the half bath opens directly onto the living/dining area?

Agree. This is a complete no-no.

I also don't understand why you'd have two half-baths.

The master shower looks tiny. 3x3? You are not going to enjoy it.

Agree. 3x3 is do-able, but it's a bit summer-campy. I'd give up quite a few other things in order to have a more comfortable shower.
The kitchen does look "off".

The kitchen is "off" because it's broken up into fragments, meaning you'd have to walk from section to section to cook a meal. The space is here ... but the kitchen needs a complete re-do. Nice pantry though.

You want the southern exposure for your bedroom, right?

I'd rather have the prized southern exposure for my great room -- the room where I spend most of my waking hours.

In the laundry room, well, just put the machines along the outside wall and the sink on the inside wall. No, don't vent into the garage, you will have encrusted lint and moisture all over the cars, and everything else. Trust me. Experience.

You could easily run a long dryer vent along the length of the garage ... but why bother /why make it more difficult to clean your dryer vent, when you could easily move the washer/dryer to the other side?

General thoughts on the plan:

- I like this style of house very much, but I do agree with the poster who says that proportion is key.

- Imagine yourself bringing large furniture into the master bedroom. How are you going to make the turn from that small hallway?

- The master bath could be so much better. It's a large room, but everything's kind of "strung out" with a bunch of empty space in the middle of the room.

- If the great room were JUST a living room -- not a living plus dining room -- it'd be a nice size. But it isn't nearly big enough to house both.

- I love that you have a broom closet. One of the things I anticipate with the most joy for our new house is a cleaning closet ... where I can keep all my cleaning goods in one place. Don't neglect to include an outlet in this room ... you're likely to want to keep a hand-held vac and/or a stick vac plugged in here.

- You've included three eating areas ... all within a few feet of one another. Does this fit with your lifestyle? How often will you use the big dining room table? Where would your family of four eat dinner most evenings?

- The whole mudroom /half-bath area seems over-done /overly complicated. So many doors inside -- more than are needed for a mudroom, and they're going to be in the way ... I also don't care for two entrance doors on the front of the house.

- I do not care for the idea of a full bath near the mudroom (note that I grew up on a farm and own a working farm today -- I have never once wanted to come in and take a shower by the back door). Think it through: it's more trouble than it's worth: It's another shower to keep stocked with towels and toiletries ... and after you've showered, you're across the whole house from your closet /clean clothes. Two better options: 1) Put a foot bath outside the entry so you can take off your muddy shoes /come in with clean feet and walk to the bathroom in your bedroom. 2) Place the master bedroom near an entryway so you can go straight into your own bathroom, where you have all your stuff at the ready. Design the master suite so that you don't have to walk through the bedroom and the closet area to reach the shower.

It's interesting to know about the inspiration, but even if you get the outside correct, both the interior layout and the proposed siting remain problematic.

And ideally, you'd have an architect who would look at, consider, and plan the exterior, interior, siting, and even more, as a whole. Kind of like 3D chess : ) .

You need to look at some of the William E Poole designs. A lot of them have proper scale and detail. Below are two of his designs. The first one is of similar size to yours.

"I made an anonymous username for this so that all commenters would feel free to give their unvarnished opinions."

This is a curious statement. I, and I think most other posters, will give you what we believe to be the truth without your user name making one bit of difference. Some are more diplomatic than others to be sure, but your name is irrelevant to that.

There are a lot of problems with the plan as outlined above. I didn't see mentioned the lack of access to the garage from the backyard (though it may have been, I admit I skimmed). Basically I find the whole thing to be both bloated and cramped and any woman will tell you, that's miserable.

I agree with the poster who indicated that using an existing William Poole design would take you a lot closer to your goal than what th architect did. I wish you the best!

My house is a William Poole plan. We changed a few things, the biggest being going from 8 to 9 foot ceilings on the main floor. Widened a few doorways, and made the laundry area bigger by claiming space from a garage storage room. We have loved it for 21 years.

We had an architect do a plan for us originally but due to an issue with the county and set back disputes we had to scrap it and find a plan tout suite. We are on 12 acres and wanted a traditional plan to go with the area.

I love well done dormers and cape style houses and think they are charming. I have lived in three of them and their biggest downfall is that the upstairs in each one was very finicky to cool in the summer.

I agree with Anglo. I love the style but would much rather have a full second story, no dormers.

And with the space you have, a side entry garage is a no brainer.

If I were rebuilding my house today I might do a shed dormer instead of the three doghouse dormers. I could have done a big bank of windows in the upper landing.

So sorry to say...AWFUL plan. Really, really bad. Your "architect" has violated every rule of good design in both the interior and exterior. Please don't build this...it really is that bad.