How fortunate to live in beautiful San Diego and only a block from the beach! Nice!

My two cents: I like your upstairs. The bedrooms are large and have more than one window which will make them light and bright. I think it's a good idea to have a second access to the deck rather than just through the master bedroom.

IMO though, the downstairs could be better. Your kitchen is huge, but the living and dining area seems very tight. Could you make the kitchen a little smaller and use that square footage in the living room? I do like the window over the buffet - it's one of those charming things you used to see in older homes.

I think what your are saying is that you want a "walk-in" pantry. If you reconfigure the kitchen, it looks like you would have room to do that. However, walk-in pantries take up a lot of room because you have to have an aisle way in the middle to walk down. Since your downstairs is only 1,400 s.f., I personally think you would be better off with a cabinet pantry that will take up less floor space. I've seen some beautiful cabinet pantries on Houzz and Pinterest, you might want to do a search.

I'm curious as to what style will this home be? Modern, traditional, craftsman? Regardless, it looks like you are off to a good start - I'm sure with a little tweaking you will get a wonderful home.

Laurie - agree with the bathroom comment. Touche on sun and setting comment. :)

Alison - I don't have the budget to add a basement. Building costs in San Diego are very high...plus wood prices seem to increase by the day.

Virgil - I will discuss some options with my architect in pushing the front of the house to its setback. This would give us some extra space.

Mark - Grumpy or misinterpreted?! I have every intention of taking my revision ideas to my architect. I enjoy the perspectives of others. My architect is awesome, but he's not a parent who has built several homes for his family. This forum has a bit of everything, which makes it super valuable.

cpartist - My first comment to my architect was, "We don't need a fireplace."

I still want to see other options for stairs. And I think we can reduce the size of the laundry. We could even move W/D into the garage.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Overall, I really like your layout... it is a rare thing that someone posts a nice layout on houzz IMO.

I do agree the living room is tight. Could you make the 2 13'x12' bedrooms 11'x12' or even 10'x 12' and add more sq. feet to the great room? Getting rid of the fireplace would help... I can't fathom why you would need one in San Diego. I got rid of both of mine in the bay area because it isn't really cold enough.

Whatever side of the house -- sun heat and glare? -- clerestory windows instead of regular height.

"Clerestory windows set directly under the eaves of a roof can also make the roof seem to float and hover above the house walls."

Cathy Schwabe Architecture: "the clerestory windows open, and the screens are on the exterior. The windows are in swinging hoppers - hinged at the bottom with a latch at the top that one grabs with a long pole w/ a hook on it. Windows are by Blomberg. Great company."

West Dry Creek Residence · More Info

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All the way through - can alter alley look with great fence?

Something I don't get, or don't like about 'wasted space' at folding doors[?] back of kitchen...

Anya Lane · More Info

Anya Lane · More Info

Anya Lane · More Info

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/anya-lane-contemporary-living-room-vancouver-phvw-vp~2904000[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/anya-lane-contemporary-living-room-vancouver-phvw-vp~2904000)

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/anya-lane-contemporary-kitchen-vancouver-phvw-vp~2904016[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/anya-lane-contemporary-kitchen-vancouver-phvw-vp~2904016)

I'd install a nice-looking security gate and you might have the spot for it. You could sit privately in pj's on a chair there.

I can't tell in which room[s] do you want a view out? If part of the whole design, bedroom might have clerestory facing north.

can you see any ocean from 2nd story? if possible, would you want any 3rd?

If me, I'd probably pour over house plan after plan, and find more -- here's not stairs but something else in middle of house... get a special plan for indoor/outdoor living...yep.

Stinson Beach House · More Info

Stinson Beach House · More Info

In the future you might consider building a second story over garage or a third story room r even crownest, Planning now by adjusting stairs or halls slightly will save you headaches and money later.

Same for planning outdoor kitchen and outdoor space now, you don't have to do it till I have funds.. but setting up some plumbing etc in building process will save big $ later.

If if it were me, I would ditch the fireplace in the LR and build one outside.

I'd remove the half bath and make the full bathroom more of a square shaped room. So that side of the house can just be one straight wall. I'm not sure why there's a bump out in the side just more $$$

Every single house/apartment/townhouse we have lived in I was always the one who had to walk around the bed to get to the bathroom and it never bothered me. I never even thought about it until I read it hear.

In our rental, I have to walk around the bed. I have the bruises to prove it.

I still want to see other options for stairs. And I think we can reduce the size of the laundry. We could even move W/D into the garage.

I would not move W/D to the garage. Most people do not like the idea of bringing laundry to the garage especially since it means also going through another door. If you ever had to sell, that would be a negative for resale.

I personally would prefer laundry upstairs where most of the laundry is generated. Yes I'd have to walk upstairs to switch laundry etc, but I consider that exercise and I'd rather do that than lug baskets up and downstairs.

Instead of the fireplace, what about a built in bench with windows above? If the view is poor, the windows could be high windows to let in more light. That would give you more seating too.

Agree that the living room is way tiny. If you entertain, and you’re in San Diego, do you plan to do most of it outdoors? If so, be sure to keep the walkway from the front door to the patio behind the kitchen very open and clear of furniture. That will make your house seem bigger.

Great discussion. We'd like to keep the laundry downstairs since it (in theory) it will function as a post beach room with an outside shower next to it. We'd come rumbling in all sandy, wash off, and drop the clothes in the laundry room. We will certainly discuss the idea of placing laundry upstairs to create more room downstairs.

We don't have plans to make the garage a living space. We don't plan to use it for cars. So, mostly storage and perhaps a play area for kids when we are in the yard.

Windows above the cabinets would be amazing. I will check out different options. Architect is thinking through heights. We are fairly restricted at 25 feet, and we plan to have some pitch to the roof.

This is a forever home. I'd prefer to build things I like versus what would bring better value in a sale. Fortunately, what I like and what brings the highest sale price typically overlap.

Any ideas on moving the stairs?

In SoCal here, I do laundry in garage and actually like it as my work area, and getaway space! I could see kids spread on other side with those foam rug pieces.... drawing with chalk even.... in the SHADE!!!

We don't keep cars there.

I got an idea while at FLW's studio in WI -- he liked north-facing clerestory windows and designed a few roofs / bumpouts -- in effect lighting the entire long room... there are so many ways you could make it an ideal set-up.... keep investigating cause it'll be your home. :)

I have been gathering ideas for a while now, for some future re-do here. With his north idea, I picture our stairs having 1 wall with upper-floor glass facing north... idk how. As you said, it might require a slant roof for part of house....and why make it hot.

I don’t understand why you have all the lopped off corners, such as the corner of the bedroom downstairs, the laundry. And then it lops off some of the bedroom space upstairs. Seems like you could square things off and gain a few feet of space in many of the rooms by doing that. And could you bump out the wall in the living room and bring the patio forward?

I agree with it being an overall good plan and perhaps doing away with the powder room, unless you plan for that bedroom to be someone’s dedicated room.

As for a walk-in pantry, can you do one under the stairs? It would depend on ceiling height. We have one under our attic stairs. It is a bit narrow and has shelves down one side and at the end. The ceiling does slope toward the back but the shelves at the back are great for small appliances, and other things. And we have small narrow storage racks on the other side for small items, plus hanging hooks. You could still have a narrow wall of cabinets as shown, I think.

You should have a soffit at the landing of the stairs? Correct? Use that space for a closet or pantry. I don’t think a pantry is needed but people like different things. I would combine you half bath with the laundry room or put laundry on the second floor if you could find space by reducing bedrooms by a little. I would change the entry to the garage to have it off the kitchen. If you eliminate the pantry then could enter from there. Also on the second floor you could gain room by changing the entrances to the bedrooms. It may not look as nice. You have the stairs so you would need to extend the wall in order to enter the bedroom. I’m not an architect. Went for Engineering but ended up installing HVAC. Went into business with my brother. I have seen lots of layouts and worked with architects. One thing I always notice is they never show the mechanical room or location of heat/a/c. I would have to contact them alomg with the developers and inquire about where they would prefer to put the unit. If putting in central a/c and/or forced hot air, I recommend putting one system in the attic and another unit in the basement. Do not zone. Get two systems. You didn’t ask but just in case..

Wait! This is not a 'forever' home unless your idea of forever is full-bodied healthy forever. Seniors don't 'do' stairs, and you won't need all these bedrooms. Don't harbor the idea that you'll use an upstairs or want to pay taxes on it. Plan for today and the immediate future. (You mention playing with kids.)

If this isn't a 'garage', why call it that or build it as one? (20 X 20 is a darn small garage anyway.) You need more 'living space' -- and closets in the house itself.

Windows idea: 3 above kitchen cabinets [south]

2-3 skylights in center 'kitchen roof' -- 1/2 of shed roof with ceiling beams, making open look [on more north area]

Not a U staircase but straight - and with glass stairs or high windows: light streaming down.

Triangle windows above 8' on east and/or west sides.

Is there no way to lengthen the home towards the patio some, to create more living room space? What will be under the stairs? Are you limited to 2500 sq feet by budget or code? Is that a nanawall for the living room and kitchen? I think those can get very expensive. Maybe you could install arcadia doors and put the savings towards more square footage to increase the living room space?

Great discussion. We'd like to keep the laundry downstairs since it (in theory) it will function as a post beach room with an outside shower next to it. We'd come rumbling in all sandy, wash off, and drop the clothes in the laundry room. We will certainly discuss the idea of placing laundry upstairs to create more room downstairs.

Instead use the outdoor shower, then make the bathroom open to the outdoors too. Have a basket for dropping wet or dirty stuff in and folks can change in the bathroom. Then the basket can go upstairs.

I have my guest room upstairs and that's what I did so that visitors have use of our downstairs powder room before dripping upstairs.

Remember still the majority of towels, clothes and sheets will still be upstairs. Lots of shlepping.

Windows above the cabinets would be amazing. I will check out different options. Architect is thinking through heights. We are fairly restricted at 25 feet, and we plan to have some pitch to the roof.

I was restricted to 30' so understand.

My neighbor built a contemporary house and put windows at the ceiling line.

This is a forever home. I'd prefer to build things I like versus what would bring better value in a sale. Fortunately, what I like and what brings the highest sale price typically overlap.

Build a good house that's well designed and you'll be able to sell it if ever needed.

If you are building this as a forever home, then you also need to think in terms of how in your golden years you'll get up and down those stairs if ever needed. The ideal solution would be to create a large closet both upstairs and downstairs that could be retrofitted with an elevator if it were ever needed. Hopefully you won't need it, but if you want to stay in this house, it's worth thinking through now.

Any ideas on moving the stairs?

I really don't see another good spot for them. If you move them to the south wall, it cuts into your bedroom and also cuts the light from the best source of natural light.

Get two systems. You didn’t ask but just in case..

I wish we had known this before we built. Sigh.

Living room is too small for a family, much less for entertaining...

I think the living room is okay, but the dining space is cramped.

Sorry I have never heard the expression drywall pantry . IMO the most efficent pantries are pullouts

I've never heard the expression either, but I think its meaning is clear. I absolutely love walk-in pantries and find them far superior to pull-out. A pull-out cabinet is expensive to buy, whereas a pantry with plain white-painted shelves is quite cheap. A walk-in pantry keeps all your things in a compact space, whereas a loooong pantry cabinet (such as the OP has drawn in) spreads your things out. A walk-in pantry allows you the option for some pegboard space, which is a great place to store things like cast iron frying pans, grilling implements, etc. A walk-in pantry can (with planning) include a second refrigerator or a freezer.

Admittedly, a walk-in pantry can be done badly, but it's hard to beat a well-planned walk-in pantry.

Also agree with Laurie that a guest bedroom could share a bathroom with those downstairs.

I was going to say the same thing. There's no point in spending money /space to build a guest bathroom, which will sit empty most of the time AND a powder room for downstairs use.

I've never had an issue with someone walking around the bed to the bath in the middle of the night. Never even thought about it. And I'm almost 75 years old. To me, this is just not an issue.

Perhaps the size of the room and the location of the doors make a difference, but I prefer the bed to be placed in such a way that both spouses have easy access to the bedroom entry door AND the bathroom AND the closet WITHOUT circumnavigating the bed. Is it a make-or-break? No, but creating a longer route is not ideal.

There is no office or basement so that one room is literally all your living space.

Hmm ... with this in mind, I would make the guest bedroom in to a den ... but include a sleeper sofa or a Murphy bed. That second living space /"away space" would be used every day, which seems better than letting it sit empty most of the time.

"Without any windows, this kitchen would be dark, despite the white cupboards.

Could the kitchen essentially be "flipped" so that the work space is towards the "inside" of the house /against the stairs, while the walkway to the dining and living room is against the exterior of the house? This would allow a whole wall of windows.

What's the big deal? if you want a focal point like fp, do it. So what if you hardly use it!?

A fireplace is such a focal point that I can't imagine building without one ... even if it's barely used. You could go with a vintage fireplace surround filled with candles in the winter /flowers in the summer, though somehow I don't think that's in keeping with the overall theme of this house.

I would not move W/D to the garage.

I wouldn't say absolutely no ... but this is something you expect to find in entry-level houses, and this house doesn't have an entry-level feel.

We don't have plans to make the garage a living space. We don't plan to use it for cars. So, mostly storage and perhaps a play area for kids when we are in the yard.

This makes no sense. If you need storage, build storage. If you want the kids to have an enclosed outdoor playspace, build a playhouse.

Remember still the majority of towels, clothes and sheets will still be upstairs. Lots of shlepping.

Yes, I believe in the laundry being placed where the majority of the dirty items are generated and stored.

My thoughts:

- Those remove-the-wall doors are super cool, but I don't particularly like it on the front side of the house. Seems like a backyard thing.

- I'd think about the exterior doors in the guest room and the laundry. Seems like doors that'll rarely be used /will be easy to forget and leave unlocked.

- I'm not clear: are you harassing the space under those large stairs for storage? This'd be half-height storage, so it's not ideal for the walk-in pantry you want, but it would be great for seasonal storage ... or it could open towards the garage ... but don't let all that space (for which you're paying) go to waste.

Nano doors? next to could have nano-type windows over lowers / east wall...really cool.

My Houzz: Full-Tilt Reinvention for a 1950s Ranch · More Info

"...Living room is too small for a family, much less for entertaining..."

"...I think the living room is okay, but the dining space is cramped..."

For normal use, not only is the living room too small (it is filled up with a sectional which can only seat three people without playing kneesy-kneesy with two of the people), but the dining space is too narrow, and the kitchen has abundant space which is not being used efficiently.

And then there's the OP's statement, "... We enjoy entertaining..."

The design would be improved if the living room exterior wall and the kitchen exterior wall were both expanded by at least 4-feet each.

You can also retrofit your house for a stair lift vs an elevator. There are options. Alternatively if you cannot do stairs you could move your bedroom to the main floor bedroom and the upstairs for guests and kids and their families. Lots of options.

Stair lifts work IF you can get yourself up and down onto the seat fairly easily or if you're NOT in a wheelchair. Otherwise they don't work. My mother (and later my dad) were too unstable to be able to use a chair lift but could definitely use an elevator. And neither were in a wheelchair.

I can't forget your house. I think your staircase could parallel south wall, about in SW corner - tv could go 'in front' of drywall of stairs. No direct sun either. Me and northern light: if shed rood were oddly 'short' -- north clerestory windows directly above stairs, to stream indirect sun.

Open or closed:

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Caselli Residence · More Info

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Tv on wood? stairs face either way -- depends if you want to see tv some, from dining/ kit. Tv where chair is, etc...

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upper deck [covered by the same roof] for ocean view. Sliders facing east for a loft effect, to look over the lower level.... sort of this shape, but the deck is covered by the shed roof.

Upper area where photo's railings are-- I picture as a open deck or room -- with sliders either 'where railings are' -- or sliders at west wall.

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everdebz, I'm honestly not understanding all your photos and how they relate to the OP's build.

cpartist: I've tried to explain it as fully as I could - Maybe OP gets it, since he/she said they're considering an angled/shed roof [said once]. Also that windows above cabinets are good. I love windows too, and because in SD you don't want hot, I posted 'directions' to look into. etc... ask me more if you want. Why stairs on south wall, idk, but I tried to post stairs on south wall, but with non-hot clerestory "high on the wall" windows. Ask more if you want, I don't mind. I'd sketch and post if I knew how.

Depending on family size & guests... you have a lot going on for 2500sf.

The laundry room could loose a cabinet row, having sink & W/D on same side.

The power & guest bdr bath could be combined.

The pantry could extend under the stair landing, which I calculate at 78" head height. The cabinet pantry could be built as wall pantry behind doors.

Dining area (1 of 4) - pretty but will you use it or would a larger island and larger family room be more effective? In SD I'd spend a lot of meals on front or rear patios I'm thinking.

Do you think you'll use the front patio much - since it faces west? Maybe it'd be nicer to shift the southern-half of the floor plan forward (west-ward) to create a larger space in the back patio instead

With 'strange' roof angles, an ocean-facing deck [or enclosed room] could be on west side / "deck" can be under the roof.

That could create a tall dr/kitchen with loft overlooking [from west side] -- or not tall dr/kitchen walls / 'add in' the west room [I'll call it] along with other second-story bedrooms....

Did my simple drawing get to your notifications? I suppose I invited you to my ideabook showing it.

Here is version 2 of the floor plan.

Key changes:

-Reduced SF to under 2500. This is a requirement due to city code.

-Moved stairs to back corner of house. They are no longer a key feature.

-Removed 1/2 bath downstairs. Now the guest bedroom shares a bathroom with downstairs guests.

-Bigger pantry, not a walk-in but close

-Extended kitchen island and moved D/W and sink to island...to open back by 5 feet.

-Pushed entire house forward 3 feet to allow more space in the back.

-Add skylight above kitchen island since we can't fit in windows above or below the cabinets.

The biggest trade off of moving the stairs is upstairs bedrooms. It pushed the bathroom across the hall and now backs up to the master bathroom. Arc says this will have an impact on framing since the wall is no longer one long line. Arc doesn't think it's a big deal, but I'm glad he mentioned it since I want to focus on my budget.

I'm ambivalent on the deck on the second floor. It seems like a pretty feature that will be used infrequently, but cost a lot of extra money. I need to consult with a builder and get a more accurate estimate of cost to build a deck.

Any feedback? Which floor plan do you prefer and why?

Idk about decks or building -

on top of 1st floor's 'ceiling' the open deck/room has correct flooring / same roof as the rest of the house, possible? ... railing, the chairs facing ocean view, safe in the shade a lot of the day.

But stairs at back of house! I just know I'd want a place like that...

One thing is I wouldn't want any open exterior decking over closed downstairs space.

Clerestory: somebody's learned a new word, it seems. Those rooms are horrid, with no views to the outside. That first, barn-like house is a disaster for the inhabitants.

Clerestory windows have a purpose, but they are not the go-to window that you seem to think they are. Even on a tight, narrow lot there should be places to put windows in standard configurations.

If you're one block from the beach does that mean there is view to be captured from the maximum height allowed?

I keep this house in the back of my mind as an efficient plan that I like that could maximize our view. Someday. Ours would be a tear down as well. It's the Method Homes Option Series.

Photos: http://grouparch.com/portfolio_grouparch/phinney-ridge-prefab/

Floor plans: https://methodhomes.net/homes/option-series/