The most efficient layout is fridge (ice), sink (water), generous counter/prep area (stone), cooktop/stove (fire/heat). With your fridge located where it is, anytime someone wants a snack or drink, they will be in the working aisle of the kitchen. Did you consider flipping the sink/window and the range?

I would avoid that corner cab area (personal dislike of corner cabs) and simply make a straight run of cabs there. Corner cabs are more expensive so there would be some cab savings.

I would be bothered by the lack of landing space on that fridge/oven wall.

Is there a reason for the step down in the family room? I wouldn't like that for the trip risk for the young/old/clumsy/distracted. For resale purposes it could also be a problem - my cousin has been house shopping, and step-downs in main living area were enough to rule out houses, as she has young children.

I also agree the kitchen flow isn't ideal, and the lack of landing area for the oven is at best an inconvenience and at worse a safety risk. Perhaps post the kitchen in the kitchens forum for some expert advice.

1st thing that stands out to me is to add an island prep sink, your main sink is far from your fridge.

You are losing a lot of space in your living room. The circulation paths and steps are very poor design.

Sectional sofas are also very wasteful of space and provide comparitively little seating, compared to regular sofas and lounge chairs.

Your drafter doesn’t understand kitchen workflow theory. Or that people occupy a 30” circle moving through the space.

Pretty far far from any final.

Get rid of the step down on the main floor and upstairs.

Unless someone is building on a hillside and they are forced to follow the slope, there is no need for changes in elevation in main living areas.

Like Kristin's cousin, I would not buy a house with sunken rooms.

Kristin S- since we are keeping upstairs as Reno, the ceiling height is 8 feet. I can “add” a foot by digging down. The options are step down to entire room from hall or do the landing (which helps since my in law is in a wheelchair so could “sit” high...

also same problem woth dining room. Only 8 foot ceiling there. I COULD do a step down from kitchen but worry about tripping hazard when holding food. Opinions?

Chiapa- the concern is that we (as renovation) are keeping upstairs bedroom and bath (hence the step down). I want high ceilings so the only option is to carve OUT ground in family room and dining room . The step down alternative is to do a step from hallway to tv room and other option is step from either kitchen to dining (seems to be unsafe carrying food) OR step from dining to TV room .

Your house is already at a disadvantage with 8 foot ceilings and you are adding another negative with the step down.

If you are happy with the plans and aren't worried about resale or recouping remodel dollars, then it might be the right changes for your family, but take note that it was the first things that several individuals noticed about your plan.

I don't understand why you would have a "step down" anywhere in your home if your in-law is in a wheelchair...it doesn't make sense! Do you also have a ramp somewhere so s/he can get around your home?

Without measurements, it's difficult to tell whether this rough rearrangement will fit, with proper clearances and door widths, but it cuts the island corner out of the prep path, and puts the fridge closer to the sink. The only space I could find for the wall ovens is on the bottom wall, so in this plan, a range might work better. If the beams in the kitchen ceiling aren't structural, I rearranged them to frame the range hood, which is also framed by the hall entry.

The cabinet with the ? could be part of kitchen storage, or mudroom/entry storage, or a drop zone. I've seen pics of a neat feature--a hatch from the garage to the pantry, but the door would have to adhere to fire safety code.

the home I grew up in had a 'family room' which had a step down from the living room, the kitchen, the hallway with the bedrooms and bathrooms. Then my Mom developed MS! They needed to sell that house (which almost broke my Mom's heart) and purchase a different home which had totally level floors. At the time Mom was still able to use a walker to get around - later she was in a wheelchair or on a battery operated 'scooter'. No step down if you expect anyone with walking or balance issues to enjoy visiting your home.

What a waste of 300K. Sell that and buy something else.

In addition to what others have already stated, things that look "wrong" to me:

-Toilets on the same wall as living space

-A/C units on kitchen wall. You will know when they kick on and off.

-Tiny 2-car garage.

-Water heater accessible from the outside only?

-This is not a design with accessibilty at the forefront. I hope you have a ramp at your front door, because that's the only way your wheelchair bound parents will be able to enter the house. And I hope that their path from the driveway to the front door is protected from the elements.

I think it’s interesting that you get so much negative feedback for the sunken living room. It’s such a small percentage of your floorplan and it’s perfectly workable for a wheelchair bound person to participate in social events in this living room as the space right next to the sofa is not stepped down. It will certainly improve the feel of the room because it’s taller.

The wheelchair argument also applies to every house with stairs but somehow it seems to be less controversial.

About the tripping hazard: I’m amazed that non wheelchair bound people seem to have problems with steps. Sure it’s a higher “risk” than with a flat floor but it’s not that hard for the average person to handle, I would think.

The taller ceiling at the expense of having a sunken living room is not worth it...IMO. I haven't done one since the late '80s. I feel bad for the people who had to live with it!

Well...I don't think the concerns expressed about the sunken living area are so negative, or universal...I think that in this particular application it's simply bad design decisions at work.

The OP has said that the purpose of the sunken living room is to increase the overall head height and sense of volume/space in the living room. It's a good goal.

But in this case the sunken area is so small and oddly configured (in one corner of the living space) that it's unlikely that the sunken area will add much in the way of visual added volume to the space. If the space was considerably larger, then the strategy may be workable to meet the OP's goal.

To see this, one must be able to see and visualize floor plans in 3-dimensions.

IMO, depressing the small area of the living room will not accomplish much in the way of added visual volume, but it will certainly limit the access of wheelchairs and walkers.

If it was my house, I wouldn't do it.

Virgil makes a great point. The only time you'll experience the taller ceiling will be when you're in the sunken area.

If your lot allows for it, do an addition that's taller. You'd probably be surprised by how little difference in costs between the new space vs. sinking the living room. More importantly, and addition will increase the value of the home. The sunken living room will likely decrease its value.

Too many ceiling heights on the main level. It will always look as if there are add-ons. Ceiling up, ceiling down, ceiling up, ceiling down. 8', 8'5', 9', 9'2', Also, I agree with everyone else that the drop down living room is an unnecessary hazard, and especially rude to your wheelchair bound in-law, who will probably say it's ok. The reason a small drop in the floor level is so dangerous is that (1) people are not expecting it and (2) they are not looking down, but rather straight ahead into the room.

Also, kitchen layout isn't ideal. No landing spot for oven; fridge far from sink and if someone is cooking at range, obstacle.

"I think it’s interesting that you get so much negative feedback for the sunken living room. It’s such a small percentage of your floorplan and it’s perfectly workable for a wheelchair bound person to participate in social events in this living room as the space right next to the sofa is not stepped down."

In most cases, stairs lead away from the public rooms -- upstairs bedrooms, basement, etc. So they are not an issue -- unless the wheelchair-bound person lives there. Then, most people do one of two things:

• Have a first-floor bedroom & full bath
  -or-
• Install a chairlift on the stairs or an elevator (the chairlift is what my aunt did when my grandmother moved in with her)

Neither the chairlift or the elevator are viable options for a "step down"!

Also, you are now isolating the wheelchair-bound person from full participation in family activities -- it's like saying, "you can participate if we're on the same level, but if we're in the sunken room, you aren't welcome b/c a taller room is more important to us than your presence." While no one probably means it (at least I hope not!), that's still the unconscious message being sent.

.

"I’m amazed that non wheelchair bound people seem to have problems with steps. Sure it’s a higher “risk” than with a flat floor but it’s not that hard for the average person to handle, I would think."

Lol! Everyone has issues with steps now and then, especially when carrying things that block your view of the floor immediately in front of your feet and the difference in height isn't great enough to trigger your unconscious "warning" internal sensor! Older adults and young children have more issues, but everyone does to some extent! (Also, when absent mindedly walking anyone can stumble. Or, if you slip off a step. I can go on!)

A ceiling height of 9' is not a mountain and a ceiling height of 8' is not a molehill. I'm more bewildered by need for 4 different ceiling heights on the main level of the house.

The entire design is suffering from a false first premise that this will be cheap and easy to do. And that it would yield results that someone down the line would be willing to view as an "improvement" for which they would be willing to overpay above a similarly "non-updated" home. That is entirely false. It will an expensive waste of money for poor, undesirable, results that will not even provide pleasant or accessible living to the current owner as a result.

You need a much larger budget than you think you will for this. The first thing that the expanded budget should be spent on is an architect. After consulting with a real estate agent about what you could purchase should you sell that home and add the several hundreds of thousands that you can expect to spend on that house to do all the projects that you want.

My two cents. I agree with posters above that the step down living room really confines your furniture placement and creates a lot of space that can only be used for walk ways. My last house that I lived in for 20 years had a raised entry with a step down to the living room on one side and a step to the family room on the other. We were so used to it, that it used to surprise me how many people stumbled over that one step. When my folks got older, I had to help them up and down or I was a nervous wreck worrying about them falling. Even though it didn't bother the people living there, it sure was a hazard for our guests.

Also, the only way to get to the outside porch is through the dining room so you will have to walk around the table. Maybe you could put a door from the living room on the wall where you have the exterior TV and move the TV somewhere else.

One last thing, listen to the experts above and have someone look at your kitchen layout. It's going to be such a big, beautiful, kitchen that you want to get it right.

I think you are off to a good start with your plan though :-)

Thabks for the ideas! I THINK I have doors from TV room to patio as well but now I need to recheck!

The step down livingroom is a bad idea. My SIL's father was at a neighbors house who had a step down livingroom. A house he had been in many times. He ended up falling forgetting that there was a step down. He cracked his skull open, was in the ICU for a week with a brain bleed. He is now in nursing home and there's a good chance he will never return home. Last I heard he still wasnt walking.