where would you put a window or windows Mark?

Looking at the overall house plan, it doesn’t look like yoh have a closet in the foyer?

How lazy are the people coming in through the front door? ;). My kids will hang their coats on the chair next to the closet and put their shoes in front of the closet door.

not mine.. that's why I have a mudroom over by the garage. my kids know better....

For the guest closet, I'd just move the existing closet to the side opposite the stairs. Here's why: rods that turn corners in closets are useless. By putting the guest closet in the master closet corner, you let one rod die into its wall. On the over side of the closet, you can have another rod (for your gowns?) or shelves/drawers.

Sapphire..if you post the plan it will be critiqued. Don’t feel too bad. Although it may feel harsh many of the critiques are often good and worth using.

i actually like your layout. Lots of great space in 2300 sq ft. The exercise room could be a bedroom. Put a window in your toilet space. Yes to the foyer closet.

My master closet has a door in the bathroom and one in the bedroom vestibule. A walk-through closet more or less. A brilliant suggestion by my architect that I’m very excited about.

I love to be critiqued. Keep them coming! and thank you ILoveRed! Originally the right corner of the master bedroom, the original plan was to have a walk out deck. We recently changed locations of the home (to be built) and no longer need the deck on that corner. So last night the plan was revised and the master bath was moved up into the deck space - then it allowed for a bigger master closet. I'm kinda concerned about the square footage, but we don't have a basement (should I move the bath back down and just leave the open space on that back . We do have a second story that is over garage with living space and 3 more bedrooms, the 2nd story is located over the den, kitchen, and garage areas. (i'll attach the plan that has the deck).. please tell me what to do.... :>

Would you use the deck off the bedroom? How would you arrange the furniture with that door?

i am jealous of your mud room, I keep trying to figure out how to get one in our house!

How big is your kitchen island?

Re: your initial question, most plan tend to have the entrance to the closet overlap with where you get out of the shower or the WC - that never made sense to me. Since your closet entrance is separate from 'wet' areas, it's not so bad =)

I see your most recent floor plan has some mod's to the kitchen - below is the approach I would take:

- clean-up sink + DW(s) on the 'upper' wall

- range along 'left' wall (can still have it flanked with windows if you like!)

- prep sink in island

Definitely not a fan of corner sinks

Which plan are you seeking comments on?

Unless you have some compelling reason to have angled or curved walls, get rid of them and you will have more efficient layout. Efficient layouts are cost effective.

Think about how you are going to be able to clean around a freestanding tub tucked into an tight alcove.

THE most important thing in designing a kitchen is the "work triangle". It is the geometric shape formed by the path one would take traveling between the sink, refrigerator, and the cooking surface. The "work triangle" should have three straight sides, and not too big or too small.

The kitchen work triangle principle is used by kitchen designers and architects when designing residential kitchens: No leg of the triangle should be less than 4 feet (1.2 m) or more than 9 feet (2.7 m). The sum of all three sides of the triangle should be between 13 feet (4.0 m) and 26 feet (7.9 m). - Wikipedia

If you look at your exterior elevations, anywhere you see a large expanse of siding is a good place to put a window.

We have had five homes and in every one of them you walk through the bathroom to get to the walk in closet. We have never ever had mold/mildew issues in the closet and have lived in some pretty humid areas of the country. Maybe this is a regional thing. We have always had a separate toilet room so I guess privacy wasn't as much an issue.

Not sure I understand the mold concerns. The bedroom itself is also off the bathroom. Is it at risk of being moldy? What am I missing here?

Mildew and musty smell more than mold for me. The bedroom is a big room that gets a lot of air circulation and natural light, and things like bedding get used and changed and fluffed around daily. The closet is often a small, windowless room that may or may not be accessed everyday, full of things that may or may not be moved in a year or more.

Air circulation is a deterrent to mould. Generally a bedroom has more activity in it to promote air circulation than a closet. If moist air is introduced into a room and left to accumulate, mould growth potentially happens.

Yes for us! We have had three and building our 4th all with a walk in closet that is off the master bath. We wake at different times. My husband leaves the house early. I like that he can go into the bathroom close the door and get ready for his day without disturbing me at all. We have never had any issue with our clothing being musty from steam. Nor has there ever been a privacy issue. Not sure if everyone is hanging out for hours in their bathrooms or what. Last I love that we don't have to give up any wall space in the bedroom for closet door/s. For me two doors in a bedroom is enough. Add your windows and it leaves you little room for beds, night tables, dressers and or a chair or bench.

Well, yes I do hang out for hours in my bathroom on occasion. But more often, I hang out for hours in my closet.

I like having our closet accessed from the bathroom. Same as reasons listed above....can shower and change without disturbing your partner. Our closet is just a couple of steps into the bathroom, so you don't have to walk thru the entire bath to access it. We have lived with this setup in our previous house for 11 years and had no issues with mold or mildew.

Our master closet has been accessed through the master bath in the last three house. Our clothes never seem to have gotten steamy. I guess that it is a little annoying to walk through the bathroom. Honestly, I really cannot bring myself to care much one way or the other.

If it's an architect, then why does it say on the plans that the "designer" is not responsible? A designer is not an architect.

You have an outside wall in the kitchen with no windows. Ditto in the bath. Are you in a rugged climate where you are trying to be energy efficient? I like the light provided by windows, so I am curious.

This type of thread comes up so frequently it reminds me of the toilet paper roll over or toilet paper under discussions.

In a design like this one, there is no reason to have access to the closet ONLY through the bathroom. A second door into that closet makes a lot of sense. And the argument above, that it loses 36" of storage space ignores the huge size of the closet; it's half the size of the master BR, you won't miss that space.

And the over/under toilet paper roll question was solved long ago. If you look at the embossed designs, they are right-side-up only if the paper comes off the top. Besides, it's easier for the cat to play with that way.

It’s an absolute must for me for many reasons. It eliminates one more door in the bedroom. I’ve seen a bedroom door a bathroom door and a door leading to the outside in some master bedrooms. Very chopped up. Too many for me. I’m in and out of the bathroom and closet as I get ready in stages. Would not want to have to continually leave one room repeatedly. Moisture has never ever been a problem. It’s just super convenient. I could go on and on but that’s a few points.

" Moisture has never ever been a problem."

Reminds me of the thought that went through the man's head while passing the second floor of the 50 story building he just jumped off of seconds before, "So far so good".

I had planned to have my closets through my bathroom as I didn't want all the doors in the master. With your plan, you don't loose any usable wall space by moving the closet door near the bathroom door. Ultimately, my plan has a vestibule space that has both master closet doors and the bathroom entrance. I think your bathroom could be rearranged to allow a small hallway (of sorts) that has a door on one side for the bathroom and the other side for the closet. You could even put a shelving unit in the space or a small chest.

If you install both HVAC vents and returns in the closet and bath, you shouldn't have any problem with moisture and it's friends mold and mildew. Living in the deep south has made me an expert on this issue. It's lack of airflow and humidity control that cause issues. Vents and returns will solve the problem.

What happens with most new construction is no one involves the HVAC guy early in the process and they are left trying to make things fit. Go to the extra expense and trouble of planning returns in every major room. HVAC needs airflow and to breathe in order to work properly. That's what the "V" stands for, ventilation. So many homes have only one return on each floor. That's grossly inadequate. Multiple returns are cheap in the long run because they allow the design to be efficient and effective.

You will want to run your plan past the Kitchen Forum. There are kitchen design specialists that can fine tune that area for you. Be sure to post the entire plan because they will want to understand the entry/exit and work flow design. The work triangle is a tried and true design tool that works well in a single cook kitchen. Today, most people live in households that have multiple cooks simultaneously working. Thus, the triangle has been replaced to a large degree with the work flow model. Let the Kitchen Forum sort that out for your.

Nope!

A few reasons:

I often am dressing or changing without needing to shower or whatever first. I don’t feel a desire to walk through my bathroom to just get a change of clothes when I get home from work.

I like to dress in my bedroom itself. It’s roomy and bright. I have much more room to move about. Easy enough to grab my clothes from closet right off bedroom and dress in bedroom instead of take them back through bath and if I forget something I don’t have to walk back through bathroom.

If my spouse and I are getting ready at same time - which is not that often but does happen, it is nice to each have our “private space” and switch off. I am someone who does not go between bathroom and closet as I get ready - I use the bathroom, then I get dressed. No need to have the two spaces in one space.

My spouse and I are very open with each other and have helped each other with things when necessary due to surgery etc but day to day we are a couple that prefer to keep our respective bathroom time private and not interrupt each other because we forgot our socks or whatever.

I keep most of my handbags in my master closet. Some are quite expensive ones. The idea of ANY added moisture, humidity, etc getting near them is very undesireable. Even with the best of fans, a steamy shower, and the moisture that builds up in baths, so close to them is not my ideal. I have seen on handbag forums stories of people discovering their expensive designer handbag was full of mold or mildew due to humidity. Not interested in taking the risk!

To me the “benefit” of showering and changing without disturbing my partner or him disturbing me is not relevant as if either of us is up and showering and brushing our teeth and all at in an attached bathroom it will disturb other. He is a lighter sleeper than I as well so it is a near impossible challenge to not disturb him if I go into an attached bath while he is still sleeping (as we have learned). I get up much earlier than my husband to go to gym etc and my solution is to put my gym clothes in another bathroom down hall from master and so when I get up I can creep out of master and shut door and go to “my” bathroom. In our new house I put a full bath with shower on main floor (our master is on second floor) so I can get ready for fun and come back and shower before he is even out of bed :)

Sapphire...I like the version better without the master deck. I know it makes the master suite huge but it is just more appealing and I can’t imagine really using that master deck.

i like Damarion’s kitchen with the sink on the back wall and the range behind the island. You definitely need to go to the kitchen forum. They will love helping you with this nice kitchen.

Really like your mud room. I don’t have little kids or I might be jealous.

I would have a door into the closet from the bedroom as well as the bathroom. The closet is large enough to handle this.

We are talking about a MASTER bath, right? How many people do y’all have parading in and out of your closet on a given day? :) I’m a pretty modest person, but even I have no problem with my husband accessing the closet while I am in the shower.

Yes, this is a space that belongs to only two people. I don't think privacy and modesty particularly play a part in this question ... but then, I don't have a modest bone in my body. I have a terrible head cold right now, and this morning I got into the shower to try to boil my sinuses into submission, then I blew my nose 'til it bled ... and the upshot was that I ended up in the living room (bathroom Kleenex box was empty) with only a towel on my head. Front door wide open. Didn't care a bit. I'm pretty cute for 51, and my husband was highly amused.

I loved it because if my husband or I was sleeping in, the other could close the door between the bedroom and the bathroom, get showered and dressed and not bother the sleeping partner.

Now this, I think, does matter. Ideally no doors -- either closet or bathroom -- would be near enough the bed that they'd disturb a sleeper.

I would personally prefer the laundry room attached to my closet.

This is a whole other issue, but -- yes -- a perfect closet set-up would open to either the bedroom /bathroom on one end AND the laundry on the other end.

I often hear the argument of mold/mildew but never heard of an instance of that happening when the closet is attached to the bath. Bathroom fans take care of that if you use it.

I was going to say the same thing: People seem to worry about mold /mildew ... but has anyone seen this situation turn into mold /mildew in reality? My bathroom is attached to my bedroom, and the carpet and curtains just outside the bathroom door are mold /mildew free ... should I think clothing would behave any differently?

I love to be critiqued.

I won't say I love it -- but I don't mind it either. If you're challenged to defend your choices, and you CAN, you know it's a good plan ... if you're challenged to defend your choices, and you COME UP SHORT, you know you need to make a change.

Last I love that we don't have to give up any wall space in the bedroom for closet door/s.

I like this detail. I want space for my king-sized bed to fit comfortably, but I don't want to waste a lot of space in the bedroom ... so simplifying the walls make sense.

Well, yes I do hang out for hours in my bathroom on occasion.

Yeah, we do too -- we are bath-taking people.

My personal thoughts on this subject:

- This is a personal choice, not a right-or-wrong item.

- When making this choice, you need to consider two things: 1) how you want to access your clothing ... 2) trips between the closet and the laundry. Both are equally important.

- A closet-in-bathroom can be done well ... or can be done poorly. I think -- most of the time -- the closet-in-bathroom works out best when the closet door is NEAR the bedroom /doesn't require walking the length of the bathroom.

In this layout the entrance to the closet isn't in the "wet" area. Adequate ventilation is critical in a bathroom. Much like homechef59, managing that moisture is critical in the South. Containing the moisture in the shower, running fans on a humidistat, providing dried makeup air, etc can manage moisture in a bath to reasonable levels.

In my case, I have a similar set up with the door to the closet accessible from the bath (also from the hall as alternate bedroom 4...) but my bathroom is open to my bedroom. So I am having to deal with moisture management anyway. The volume of the master bedroom / bath space is huge because of my open loft design - so more volume to absorb the moisture, and more overall air circulation challenges.

In your plan, I think your challenges are more around the 3 windows, managing light and fading, and layout for efficiency, than the entrance location - as your closet entrance is just right inside the bathroom.

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Nice Janni. What is Pax? Love your island/folding table. What is the enclosed space in the upper right corner of your master bath?

i like the duo entry into your bathroom. We also have two entries into our master closet..one from the bathroom. We have two ventilation fans..one in the shower, one in the bathroom and I’m putting in a ceiling fan (one with blades!) because I get hot when I’m getting ready to go somewhere.

Mrs. Pete...hope you start feeling better today.

Red -

Pax are IKEA closet units. All the clothes will be in freestanding modular units with sliding doors. Everything sized to accommodate the units. I can't WAIT for the folding table - it will be SO HELPFUL the packing for a trip.

We're working on as much makeup air in the shower as we extract and working to completely seal the shower and manage that moisture.

The space in the upper right is for dog sleeping crates, and a space to wipe paws. It won't be fully enclosed, but will have a short gate in the entry so I can contain the dogs there when we go in / out. Also - stubbed out for a future W/D if the hike to the laundry (clear across the house) gets to be too much.

And I totally agree on not getting too hot / sticky in a bathroom - nothing is more annoying that putting makeup in a face that starts to sweat. Or that the humidity is so bad you can't even TRY to do your hair.

I like the layout and design of your home. The simple solution for the closet, just move the door from entry in the bathroom to entry from the master. If you really want it in the bathroom, you can always have two doors.

I would personally prefer the laundry room attached to my closet.

Could it also be argued that a laundry room with the high humidity could potentially cause mold/mildew issues with the clothes in the closet? IMO, no but it follows the same line of reasoning that a bathroom may.

You could always bump the laundry out 2' & also bump the den out 2' to keep the same outside character.

Mrs. Pete...hope you start feeling better today.

You're so sweet! I am better this afternoon -- or at least better medicated. And fully clothed.

I have lived in homes with closets in the master bath for more than 15 years and there have been no problems with mold or mildew on my clothes even when we had to have mold remediation done in our master bath. My husband and I wake up at different times in the morning and having our closet in the master bath allows me to get dressed and ready in the morning without waking him up. We'd hate to have our closets in the master bedroom for that reason.

I personally have had both layouts. I FAR prefer to have the closet in my bathroom! It is SO much easier to get dressed after showering. Your master bathroom/closet layout looks great IMO. BTW - love the huge closet!

I actually love the floor plan you posted first, Sapphire. The only thing I would change about your master bath/closet plan is to place a door leading from the closet into the hallway. I'm a yes vote for the closet in the bath, combo. Ours is off to the side, with entrance/exit on both ends making it a walk-through. We get out of the shower, grab a towel and into the closet to dress. It's very convenient.

I would say the best of both worlds is as some people have described: giving the Master bedroom a foyer or entrance corridor off which the bathroom and closet are accessed. That way maximum wall space is preserved in the bedroom, both closet and bathroom can be accessed without going through the other, and someone can get ready while their spouse is still sleeping with minimal noise and light disturbance. It would be unconventional, but the actual bedroom space could even have a second inner door.

We currently have husband's closet in our large master bath, which also has a potty closet. It is awesome when he has to get up for work early and can get dressed without disturbing me. Never a mold or other issue. It is very handy for him. My closet however is in the master bedroom. Sufficient fan in shower which has never created any issue with dampness, mold or anything else. Isn't it great how some people love things and others not so much. We are selling this house and in our new home, two closets (his/hers) come off the master bath. I love that bath even more that no closet doors are on my bedroom walls.

We have separate his and hers closets in our master bathroom and we love it. If one of us sleeps in, the other one can go into the bathroom and close the door and get completely ready without having to go in and out of the bedroom. We have never had any problem with moisture and our clothes. I'd do it again - it seems crazy to me to put a closet in your bedroom now. I guess it's all what you get used to but we love the convenience.

My master closet is accessed through the master bathroom and I really like it. As others have said, it is very convenient when one person has to get ready while the other is still sleeping. It also reduces the number of doors in the actual bedroom which allows greater flexibility in furniture arrangement.

My new plans have an entry vestibule to the master suite. Off of this comes the bath, the closet and the bedroom. All nicely separate. No bothering DW while I get ready early in the morning. Very happy with this arrangement.

I much prefer the closet off the bath and easy access from the closet to the laundry. Ours is a walk though closet approx 15' x 7' 6". Doors opposite each other giving DH a space of a bit more than 5' x 7'6" and I have about 7' x 7' 6" on my end, so basically two decent sized, but not overly large walk in closets sharing a 3' walk through between the bath and my office (but steps from laundry). DH slept in this morning. I showered and got ready for the day, put up laundry, and dried a load of towels and put them up all without disturbing DH. During the day, I most frequently access the closet and master bath from my office. Very convenient.