OK, you can see the titles by zooming the browser at 200%(right bottom) Some notes about the plan Dining room: draw the table (scaled) and walk (with a pencil) from the foyer to the kitchen. In this way you will confirm if the space is enough for the large table, or if you've too much circulation. Perhaps, you should consider large arches (curved or not) for the West and North walls Powder room: I see an issue with the door opening and the staircase wall. The door doesn't appear, then check if there is enough space for it. Small garage: perhaps you should move the front wall in the South direction and make a communication with the main garage. In this way, you don't need to go across the Guest room to enter into the house Wine room: I'd prefer a bar with space for a wine rack. Foyer: I'd suggest the addition of a closet Garage / utility corridor: I'd suggest the addition of 2 closets (West / East walls) Hope this helps! Patricia

Moved the master bath shower to make the closet bigger , and move the water closet to the back of the bathroom . Since I am recently divorced I don’t need the two closets or two vanity sinks . I’m a hairdresser so I had them use the study as a utility room so I could put my hair station in the same room as the washer and dryer and made a storage closet in the hall that I will use as a workout room . i’m Not sure about the design to make the dining room a guest room , I’m afraid it will make the living space look smaller when you walk in . What do you all think ?

We are currently GCing our first home. It should be done in a couple of months. Someone else posted that it was WAY more work then they had expected and I would like to second that. It is like a second FT job for my husband. A guy we met who is a GC said it like this: General contracting is mainly babysitting and cleaning up after your contractors. The might what to think about what your knowledge base is on home building. You are the only person who will REALLY inspect the quality of the work your contractors do so it's a lot of pressure. The city will inspect it to insure it meets code, but that is all. It's also hard to figure out every tiny thing its worth spending the extra money on. We have spent countless hours researching the "best" way to have things done and what is "typical" for things you don't even notice in most homes. After not seeing my husband for 6 weeks straight I just wished the thing would burn down (ha!ha!) If you can afford it and you aren't just looking for the experience I would hire someone. It's not worth the time you'll miss with your family. Not sure if you were really wanting an opinion on the GC, but thought I'd share my experience. As far as the house plan goes: We hired a draftsman. It was cheap and worked great. It only cost us $1200 (in IA). You can usually find one at a local lumberyard. They will have all kinds of ideas on how to work the plan. Here are some recommendations: Walk-In pantry in the kitchen. Since you don't have that much area on the upper level it might not be worth the cost to add a second story vs. sticking with a ranch. The stairs cost quite a bit and the hallway will be unusable space you're paying for. We started out with a 1 1/2 story and ended up with a ranch. If you have a walkout basement (not sure if basements are common where you are) you can add another level without much cost. Walkouts with open staircases are popular out here right now. It might also be nice to have 1 huge room instead of the separate living room & den. It would also be nice for large family gatherings to have a place where everyone can be together. Lastly; our draftsmen convinced us to separate our laundry and mudrooms. He said many women complain about doing laundry where everybody's shoes have been. Let us know what you come up with when it's all decided. I love to see peoples floor plans even though mine's already done!

That stoopless shower sounds like a good idea. I'd been wondering which direction the house faces. BTW, just for the record I was suggesting closing over one of those west windows to install a wall, which in itself would be reversible, not moving it. (Regarding easy answers for eldercare, they may be in short supply in future as more and more people live long past their ability to live independently. I suspect we may see a comparatively large-scale return to multigenerational living. How else are we going to pay for it all? The public dole? The pot we all pay into isn't bottomless, as we know all too well. And finding adequate quality of care, any care, is already a real issue for many anguished families. Also, people don't get to go on public aid, not legally anyway, without essentially bankrupting themselves, i.e., no inheritance to keep in the family. In future, as demand grows, our government's probably going to be a lot more able and interested in hunting down hidden and transferred assets, with laws written to assist. Carrots as well as sticks. And when assets really are finally gone? My 102-year-old aunt in Spokane's been paying $6-9K per month for her SNF for the past several years (her choice, she was invited to live with us and others). The facility still requires family watchfulness to avoid some neglect, but at least we've never had to forcibly rescue her from misery in the kind of institutions profiteers too often produce. Now, though, it's looking like she will outlive her investments, finally brain damaged from stroke this last year but still healthy, and one of her Washington relatives who is able to stay home with her or share daycare will get to take her home. It's about time for the decision.)