Me? A procrastinator? Just because I put off until now reading this? I started to read it on Thursday, but after just a few words I saw a bad word! EXERCISE! So I didn't read any more. So here I am. So far today I have: read the paper, had my oatmeal and tea, made the bed, fussed at the cat for getting on the new chair, checked on Eagle Cam, Africam, Gorilla Cam, and lucked out on Djuma Cam and spent a lot of time there, had a banana and more tea, watched a few minutes of 20/20 that I taped last night (will finish that later) played around on photoshop, started a letter to a friend (I'll finish that later) and now here I am back at the KT. And it is time to fix some dinner, or I could do that later. Oh, well, guilty as charged. Think I'll watch the news. Sue

I wasn't going to respond to this thread because there is so much negativity on it (people want bigger kitchens because they think they will use them but don't, people are too fat, etc), but I can't help myself so here goes. First off, I reject the premise that kitchens are much bigger today. There are many large kitchens on this forum but I don't think that they are at all typical. I grew up in the LA area with houses built in the 50's and 60's. Most of the houses in my current Sacramento area neighborhood were built between the 60's and early 80's with infill and replacement houses built since 2000. There may be regional differences - I've only once seen a house in either area with a basement and these are suburban houses without out-buildings so any storage is in the house or sometimes in the garage and perhaps that led to the average kitchen being a bit bigger around here. The kitchens I see in the new builds are in the same size ranges as the kitchens I recall from growing up and the older kitchens around here. Many of my friends have remodeled their kitchens but most did it within the same footprint of the existing kitchen. I think one expanded significantly. We kept pretty much to the same footprint except for going a few more inches on one leg of the L. What has changed over the years is house size in general. In the LA area, there were neighborhoods of small houses - typically 2 br, 1 bath with a den that could be a third bedroom at around ~1100 square feet. I don't see any single houses being built now that size. (I guess condos fill that niche now.) A house over 2000 sq ft was considered large. Now someone above classed their planned 1888 sq ft as small and it seems a house has to be around 3000 sq ft or bigger to be large. When I considered a job move to Orange County in 2005, we looked at houses there (all pretty recent construction, some brand new). The kitchens were often in big rooms (family room and breakfast/eat-in area) but the actual kitchen area footprints were almost always small, tending to be smaller than around here in the same size houses. It was hard to find any with double ovens. Perhaps a regional variation due to lots of dining out, take out and grocery store prepared food? Our son's house built just before the real estate bubble burst in the East Bay Area also has a relatively small kitchen footprint - only about 8 linear feet of counter space. Secondly, while a lot of people do some take out and prepared foods, most also do some home cooking. I can and did make good food from scratch with smaller kitchens in previous homes and even from my make-shift temporary kitchen while remodeling but it is easier and more fun to cook in my larger one. It is particularly nice when we have 2 or 3 or more working on food prep at the same time. As far as efficiency and larger kitchens - am I the only one who finds standing in one place for a long time to be more stressful than if I sometimes take a few steps. I've got an ankle that sometimes flares up with tendonitis and standing for long periods seems to be what sets it off, not walking. So I don't mind if once or twice during preparation of something I need to go 8 feet to a cabinet on the other side of our L or off to the pantry to fetch what I need. It keeps my ankle happy and adds little or nothing to prep time.

Unless your doctor has told you it is carpel tunnel it may be other things. I have a tendon in my wrist that ruptured on my right wrist. It forms a knot ever so often and can cause tingling etc. My left hand has a pinched nerve somewhere in my should that causes the three outside fingers to have the same problems. I do have carpel tunnel problems on the other finger and thumb on that hand. I had to stop gardening because of the pain in both hands. Talk to a hand surgeon to see what they suggest as it is one of those you can do it now while it is not a major problem or wait in pain until you have even worse problems.

The first thing that jumps out at me is that the roofline is angled on one side and square on the other side. Why don't the two sides match? I mean, really. Look at it from the back. Doesn't it look wonky on the right side? Secondary bedrooms look okay ... though the closets are small. Will children use these rooms? If so, I'd replace the French doors in that back bedroom with windows. Be sure to include a small /high window in the bathroom for some natural light. I can't read the numbers in the living room, but be sure you have ample space for furniture ... after leaving a 3' walking aisle around the edges. What's up with the French doors in the living room? Why do they appear smaller than the ones in the adjacent bedroom? Oh, wait ... are those casement windows? This would be the best place for a door. The dining room has TWO exterior doors ... doors that don't match ... two exterior doors that won't be easily accessible once you place a table in this spot. Get the living room doors right and skip the dining room doors. You don't need multiple ways to access the back door ... within arm's reach of one another. Remember that doors are more expensive and less energy efficient than windows. Your kitchen is rather small ... note that you're only going to have 3 good-sized lower cabinets and 1 skinny lower cabinet. However, the adjacent pantry looks nice. If you don't cook often, this might be okay ... but only you know your habits. The kitchen and living room will receive little direct sunlight, so they won't be nearly as pleasant as they might be ... if they had direct windows to the outside (and if those windows weren't blocked by the covered porch). The door in the master bathroom is awkward ... it forces you to make a 90 degree turn upon entry. If you move the door just a bit to the right, you can walk straight into the bathroom, AND you have space for a linen closet in the bathroom. Actually, I'd opt for open shelves to avoid a problematic door-upon-door. I'd downsize to a single sink so you could have a stack of drawers on each side /allowing more storage. You say this is a 6' tub? Are you tall? I'm not, and I wouldn't like a 6' tub ... I'd "slide down". If you went with a 5' tub, you could opt for a separate shower. ... though I'd be hard pressed to choose between a separate shower and a linen closet. I don't see a good location for the bed in the master: - First picture -- you walk into the bed as you enter the room /no space for nightstands /anyone entering or leaving the room disturbs the sleeper on the left. - Second picture -- anyone entering or leaving the bathroom disturbs the sleeper on the left. - Third picture -- you have a smaller space for the bed /no space for nightstands /you don't see the bed upon entering the room, and the sleeper on the left is kinda squished against the wall. I think the real theme is, Don't be the sleeper on the left. Consider bringing furniture through that 90 degree turn into the master. Large furniture -- like a king sized bed or a large dresser -- will be difficult. I like that the laundry room is near the master, but do consider how the dryer will vent, given that it's not on an exterior wall. The small stairway-to-bedroom hallway in the basement is kinda awkward with the angles. It's going to feel small and uncomfortable. It'd work better all around to have the stairs open directly into the family room and place the bedrooms on the left side of the basement. This means guests could go direct to this downstairs space ... without passing by the bedrooms. And the stairway entry problem would disappear. The sleepers in the upper right bedroom will hear the toilet flush at night ... if you could flip-flop this bathroom (meaning, just place the three bathroom items on the left wall instead of the right), this problem would disappear. It would also open you up to having a door between this bedroom and this bathroom. You have three bedrooms on the main level ... with two kids, do you really need two more in the basement? This really is a small kitchen. With the large pantry (which is very nice! I'd want pegboard on that side wall.), it might be okay ... if you're a minimal cook. It's very attractive, but it is apartment-sized. I like your granite choice -- is it Alaskan White? I like the arabesque white tile too. I question the dark cabinets in a windowless kitchen. you should tear the plan up immediately and go hire a local architect!(the AIA marketing force is strong in this board :) I never say that. I have no problem with stock plans -- but this one needs some work. master bedroom has no view of backyard. instead that goes to the closet and bath Good point. This would allow you windows on two sides of the master. Could you flip-flop the master and the bath/closet? Additionally, this would bring the closet and the laundry room closer together. Unless it is a million dollar house, most houses here only have brick accent in the front of the house. So, the running-out-of-money look is common here hehe (enjoyed reading that comment, thank you!). I'm caught between saying, "It makes sense to be consistent with what the rest of the neighborhood's doing" asking "If everyone else in the neighborhood jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" Wish I could make the master bath and closet bigger, but $$$ You're building a three-car garage and five bedrooms and a living space to be finished later ... but skimping on your own closet. Consider, too, that this house has a complicated perimeter and roof, which are expensive choices. You are driving the bus here. You are the boss of what gets built. Is that how you want to allocate your limited funds? You can help the closet problem by making one side hanging space and the other side 14" deep shelves and shoes ... but this is a bandaid /not a fix for a 6' wide closet. Since there is no landing space below the MW, I'd suggest flipping the layout. Most MWs open right-to-left, so it will be easier to use the counter to the right as landing space, rather than worry about the open door being in the way. That will also put the fridge closer to the dining area, and if you flip the island layout, the DW is closer to incoming dishes. You could almost load the DW from the table. :) Good catch on some important details! We have a 3yr old and a 10 month old. They are very active and I suspect they will destroy stuff. My son already put a few holes in the drywall in our current home. Wow, things I missed by having all girls! Are you sure you want to build while they're still so small and destructive? Building in South Dakota...tornados, extreme cold, extreme heat, and heavy rains. Okay, so the basement is a necessity. We are doing coffered ceilings. Otherwise, I agree...not a huge fan of plain trayed up ceilings. Yeah, I have no love of tray ceilings; however, coffered ceilings can be added later ... you might consider using that money for a larger master closet. Good quality windows should not need constant covering by curtains. I know you live in a brutal climate, but I’d still want lots of windows. Everyone does!