I like it. Give it time, some of the experts will come in and give you some advice to make it perfect.

Thanks Becky and lhutch :)

I checked out the website you mentioned...good food for thought...thanks :)

We're very much still up in the air with what we are going to do (including just buying a home that's already built, lol).... I realize that getting an architect would be ideal, and I haven't thrown that idea out yet. Anything is still possible at this point. I've also looked at plans from Mitch Ginn, Don Gardner, Frank Betz and John Tee. I keep coming back to this one for some reason....because if we bought a house plan online it matches what we want most closely without many modifications. We need a main floor guest bedroom for my mom when she visits, we need a home office. I want all of the bedrooms upstairs, laundry upstairs and a playroom upstairs. We want an attached-side entry garage (we have 3 cars). I like the idea of using the dining room as a living room for sort of an away, more cozy room to send the kids when they are reading, etc. We want an unfinished basement, which this house has.

I did a little work in photoshop this morning to better reflect my ideas for modifications...added a few windows, closed off the dining room to make it a living room, enlarged and opened up the mudroom to the back of the house for the kids to go in and out, made the closet bigger in the home office (we have lots of supplies). I didn't see the need for an extra bathroom on the main level, and I'd rather have one by the mudroom anyway...so I took it out and added a coat closet.

Upstairs, I think if there were railing added to the stairs instead of a wall (and extra windows added to the bonus room) that it would add more light to that area as well as make it easier for me to check on the kids from downstairs. I also think that moving the closet in bedroom 3 makes sense to give more room for the laundry room and maybe room for a small linen closet. I thought if there were a frosted glass door on the laundry that would help lighten up that hallway as well. I'd likely put my girls in bedroom 4 so they'd need more closet space...so there would need to be a closet added there as well.

I really appreciate the comments here...and I love the honesty, really. We're getting ready to spend a serious amount of cash...lol...we need to be thorough.

I've also looked at plans from Mitch Ginn, Don Gardner, Frank Betz and John Tee.

That sounds like us a number of years ago. We looked at so many plans and even the "best" ones still needed so much tweaking that we decided to go with a custom plan, and I'm so glad we did.

That's quite a hike from the office or living room to the bathroom. And a long way from the kitchen, if you happen to be working there, to the living room to check on the kids. The mud room looks like it might be problematic with 4-6 people trying to get in and out at the same time. And I'm not sure what I think about a bedroom off the mudroom, or having that bathroom be a "jack and jill" type with the mudroom. If your mother already needs a main floor bedroom, she's going to need more room to maneuver than you've allotted with that bedroom. And the nook just isn't big enough for everyone to eat together at the same table, unless you plan to eat in shifts.

I would add in mock ups for your furniture, and also do what cpartist often suggests, using different colors to mark the routes/pathways for doing different tasks, like bringing in groceries or doing the laundry. This house seems bloated in some ways/places to me, and in other ways far too skimpy for a family with four kids.

Whatever you end up doing, definitely run the kitchen by the Kitchen forum to get their input. We have three kids and our kids love to cook. It's so much nicer having a kitchen where several people can work at the same time, instead of having a one-bum, or even two-bum, kitchen.

lessee....

Question - if your lot is "deep", is it also wide enough to accommodate the driveway swing for the side-entry garage?

Are you in a mild enough climate to make use of "bonus space" over a garage without standing on your head to keep it from being too cold/too hot or invaded by fumes from below?

When you say that this house would be a stretch for you, a couple things pop into my head:
Cost/sq ft. doesn't really mean a lot. Two houses of comparable size may have vastly different price tags, based on how they're built. Lots of roof, lots of corners, stairs, and other factors influence cost to build. So don't fall TOO in love with it without getting some sort of feedback from a builder on what it would REALLY cost to build.

Second thing - stretching for the square footage will mean NOT having leftover space in the budget for detailing and quality choices in trim and finishes. I'm going to second the recommendation for the Not So Big series because part of the thrust of them is to spend a larger proportion of your budget on detail and things that make your house LIVE larger - rather than sheer square footage increases. It will be harder to make her suggestions work with a stock plan than an architect, but if you are having modifications made to the plan it could still be done. Also, keep in mind that her "not so big" houses are actually fairly large. But her concepts can work well at many size points.

Is bedroom five supposed to be a "mother-in-law" apartment? Do you need that? because if not, you might skip this plan. The en-suite bathroom is, again, adding $$ to this plan. Kitchens and bathrooms are much more expensive per sq. ft than other areas of the house. And, frankly, entering this bedroom from the mudroom is just odd and would seem undesirable to me. If nothing else, the occupant is likely to be kept awake by the comings and goings of other residents. What is your plan for the bedrooms? Do you really want yourselves and 3 kids up, with one down? Or were you planning on using the 1st floor bedroom as the master?

This one looks great! I've been looking for something similar. I think it gives more definition the rooms which i think you sound like you prefer.

I have a TON of similar minded homes on my pinterest if you want to see others similar with slight variances? https://www.pinterest.ca/malorin83/alan-i-houseplans/main-floor-general-layout/

They are all between 2400 and 3200 sq feet.

Thanks Becky :)

"unless you plan to eat in shifts." ...lol...I really love this. I thought it was a bit small too...I wondered about extending backwards a foot or so, or having a built in banquette.

We'd likely go with pocket doors in the mudroom bathroom, which would add some space. It's hard to think about my mom getting older and needing more help :( She lives 4 hours away and I have a sister and brother that live near her, but we love for her to visit us and just wanted a place for her to feel comfortable when she does come (although it's not very often). The other people who would probably use the room the most would be my husband's parents who live a little closer and visit more. I felt like the location offered them a little privacy away from the main living areas if they wanted it, since a mudroom isn't really a place where people stay very long...they walk through and exit. ...although my kids can be loud, lol.

That's a good idea to think about furniture and routine pathways, etc....thanks for the suggestion and if we get any deeper into this plan, I'll definitely post in kitchens. :)

Thanks to you as well Holly :)

Yes...our frontage is 138 feet and this house is 57 feet in width....so I think the side entry will be okay.

"without standing on your head to keep it from being too cold/too hot or invaded by fumes from below?" LOL :) We do have 4 seasons, so this is a consideration, especially considering my agility ;) ...We talked to a heating and air man about bonus area for a different plan that we considered and he gave us some good ideas including using a mini split heater in the room, so we'd likely do that here to.

Just to clarify, Bedroom 5 is for guests. My husband and I and all of the kids would be upstairs, my girls would share bedroom 4. They share now and sometimes they complain...but they get along and like to play together now...and sometimes that's just how life is...it's good for them, lol. We do have room to expand into the basement, especially as my 11 year old son gets older. I hadn't considered the noise of the mudroom in Bedroom 5...thanks for pointing that out. Thanks also for your other suggestions and considerations...good stuff to think about :) Thanks!

Thanks again to you both for all of your help, ideas and comments...it's really so helpful to see a plan through fresh eyes :) ~ Rachel

It's hard to think about my mom getting older and needing more help :(

True, but things still happen. It can be as simple as you or your husband breaking a leg and needing crutches and being unable to use the stairs to get to the master bedroom. My mother developed arthritis so badly that she was no longer able to brush her own hair or manage the stairs in their retirement home, so they had to turn a main floor guest room into her bedroom.

They might be nice enough to not complain, but it's still not a very good location. And if they're that nice, wouldn't you want to give them better accommodations?

Another thing to consider, if the front of the house faces north and the back of the house faces south -- does it? -- is that you've just given prime location to a mudroom and a spare guest room. Ideally you would have your living room, kitchen, eating area spread across there to make use of the natural light year round and the warmth in the cooler months.

Am I losing my mind or did the picture of the rejiggered layout disappear?

We'd likely go with pocket doors in the mudroom bathroom

Pocket doors for bathrooms aren't the sturdiest, longest lasting choice. With four kids, I would rethink the design to avoid a pocket door or it will be on your repair list constantly.

Ha, Becky! I decided to delete the comment about my inlaws because it was lame but your quoted it first! :) :)

Hmmm...I didn't see that the rejiggered layout disappeared? After you just asked though I added directions. The house plan will need flipped, so yes the garage will face north and the front of the house will face west. Thanks again for your comments and help! :)

You need to find an architect to work with you to design a house that will work for you and your family now and into the future. Trying to find a generic plan when your family isn't generic and your lot isn't generic is just wasting your time.

Yes I know an architect is scary since it's nothing that's been done before, but would you rather have something that is perfect (or almost perfect) for you and your family or just something where you have to work around what is there to make it work?

Ha, Becky! I decided to delete the comment about my inlaws because it was lame but your quoted it first! :) :)

I took your quote out of my post, so you don't have to worry about it : ) .

My DH just worked with a guy who told him the following story. Wife was in labor on baby #3. GF came over to watch the kids so dad could go to the hospital for the birth. 125 Pound dog tackled GF in the backyard causing him to trip, fall and break his leg. Now dad has to get another baby sitter and GF to the hospital before mom finishes labor. Now, he bringing home a new baby and GF on crutches.

That's how life happens and you to plan for contingencies.

Interview an architect before you make any final decisions. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Did anyone else first think gf= girlfriend? Lol.

corwin, yes. I had to read it several times to figure it out lol.

No, sorry. Grandfather. I was referring to the grandfather.

Ha ha! I thought girlfriend at first too....

You'll never believe this...but my husband actually broke his leg in December (*face palm*) ...which made us seriously look at our original house plan with no bedrooms on the main floor. So, I guess we're moving in the right direction, lol. He actually preferred using our smaller bathroom because he could prop himself up better, using the vanity and tub to maneuver around supporting himself with his arms. HOWEVER....I realize that if we were ever to take on an aging parent...we'd need a bigger bathroom ;) Thanks again to everyone for the insights :)

When we were planning our new house, my husband decided he wanted two stories. Remembering what happened to my mother, I agreed only if we could turn the half bath on the main floor into a full bathroom, and add an elevator. There's an office off the kitchen right next to the bathroom that could be turned into a bedroom if necessary.

We learned our lesson about bigger bathrooms several years ago, when my husband, then 55, was recovering from prostate cancer surgery and was dealing with a post-op catheter which had to be kept scrupulously clean. The procedure took time and two pairs of hands, and our tiny 50s bathroom made a complicated, time-consuming procedure even more difficult.

Homechef, after reading it a few times I figured either good friend or grandfather, it was just more fun as girlfriend.