Main floor will also be handicapped compatible. This is our last and forever home!

The plan is illegible.

OP: Forever home? Man plans and God laughs. Is this a house you want to live in NOW?

It sounds like you want to build a duplex. Is that permitted in your area? Do you have an architect already?

As a 67 yr old woman, the last thing I would plan for in my forever home is a bathtub in my master bath. And that's a long hall to the MBedroom. Measurements look questionable. How old are your in-laws and can they do stairs?

@Mark Bischak, Thanks. I'll hand draw it. @Lisa.. no, its over 2 years out. @apple-pie, it would fall under the category of a 4 bedroom house. 2 bedrooms on the main floor, two in the basement. @Ma in Michigan. Master bath has a handicapped accessible shower. We are making everything handicapped accessible for us, .. down the road. All of our in-laws are deceased. @ Daisy S... oops. I had a 1/2 bath on that floor just for that purpose. accidentally deleted it. Thanks!

@apple-pie. No we dont have an architect. We are considering using SIP walls and are using a structural engineer in the VA area.

@Mark Bischak is this better?

Can you show the house on the lot? It's best to stop your designing at the property lines, not at the exterior walls.

What may I ask is the advantage to NOT having an architect? From the recent "plan" I would say there is no advantage. A structural engineer is not an architect. He just makes sure the bad house won't fall down.

What is unconventional about your two-level, 4-bedroom house?

As shown, your floor plan sketch is simply unworkable, not to mention poorly designed. For example, many room and closet sizes are simply to small and poorly proportioned.

Hint: when one attempts architectural design it's best if one designs holistically, looking simultaneously at site planning, interior floor planning including all floors and stair placement, and exterior massing, including roof plan. One simply cannot design by simply doing one floor at a time until "perfection" is achieved, and then moving on...

I live on a suburban lake near Minneapolis and it is very common in this area to have homes with walkout basements and bedrooms spread throughout 2 or 3 levels particularly in homes trying to make the most of a view in a narrow lot. You may find some ideas in stock internet plans for homes with walkout basements. I used to live in a home described as “rambler with walkout basement” and now I live in a two story with a walkout basement. Many of these plans divide up bedrooms and common living spaces and can live very comfortably. My guest room is in my basement with a window and a sliding door to walk out into the backyard.

There is nothing unconventional about that house so not sure what you mean. There are many issues with this so called plan, get an actual architect and a KD if you want to really do this very conventional looking house.

@ Mrs Pete. great suggestions . Thanks. I call it an "inlaw apartment " simply because its for additional guests.. Should just call them guest rooms. However, my elderly brother and his wife may end up living there.. so for lack of a better term, I just called it an inlaw apartment as it will be a self contained apartment (kitchen, living area, etc). All good suggestions . Thank you all!

The site is 8 acres. 300 feet of road frontage. Acreage closest to the road is flat , then descends gently into a forested area. We are working on a really tight budget.. After looking at architect fees (I would love to be able to afford one) I dont see how its possible. Attached is a survey that was done by the previous property owners. Site needs to be resurveyed , but we have to determine the exact house location first, etc.

I have looked at various architectural firms in the VA area..The ones I loved are full service architects and its definitely out of our budget. Are there other options besides full service architects (ones that oversee the project from start to finish)?

Hey guys— I’m typically over on the kitchens forum, although I lurk here a lot. I suggested my mom post her design here as I know I’ve seen some great feedback in the past. Some of the comments are a bit rough for a first time home builder, who has never been through the new home build process.

Could anyone suggest some alternativea to a full services architect that she could look into to help her with a plan or some premade plan listings that might help fit the home style they’re envisoning?

So you're planning three guest rooms? How often do you have guests /how long do they tend to stay?

If you're really likely to have three rooms full of guests at once, I don't think your living room /dining room are large enough.

If you're working on a tight budget, I'd say put all three guest rooms in the basement. That'll allow for a smaller footprint /smaller budget.

If your brother is elderly, will he be able to handle the stairs?

How set are you on a second kitchen in the basement for the brother? That's a huge expense.

No survey showed up. It need to be a JPG so maybe you need to convert.

Thank you Mrs Pete. The smaller footprint is exactly what we are looking to do. It will be a walkout basement to a parking area (does not need stairs ... ) We had a food processing business a while ago and still have all the working appliances, etc.. so the second kitchen , cabinetry etc is already take care of.

We have guests fairly frequently. One idea we are kicking around is AirBNB the downstairs.. But thats several steps down the road. We are located amongst Civil War battlefields, near several historic sites, and about an hour outside of DC.. but that project is down the road..

Have lots of friends and close family in the area.. And we are also looking at resale value as well. 4 bedrooms will sell better (in that area) than a 3 bedroom.. Lots of ideas on the table but need to get a layout and construction costs estimated first before we do anything else.

I want to keep the stairwell off to the garage side of the house.. It will be a utility stairs for the time being. Basement area guest rooms/living area will be situated under the Master bedroom side of the house. I was trying to consolidate the major plumbing (septic) as close as possible.

I can read it. Now that I see the site, agree that I don't see what's so unconventional about it but that's really no matter. Agree with the others about the long hall and no foyer. And it doesn't have to be big. As little as 4'x4' will do. Transition into the house is important. You need that for the garage/house connection too.

There is a hard fast rule for designing in rural areas, and that is that the house is located upwind from the barn and animal pens. Site design comes first.

@Mark Bischak.. thanks! We previously have had a working farm with large animals (horses). Totally on board with that thought. This barn will be turned into a woodworking shop and storage for our tractor, etc. Sorry, no large farm animals on this property. :)

@Architectrunnerguy.. I think we'll go back to the drawing board.. We have done so many iterations on this house and this was the first one that both of us (hubby) liked. I agree.. the rooms may be too large, although they are the size of rooms in our current house.

On budget - square is cheaper than a long rectangle.

Front porch is costly with little practical value

You can do architects and designers from a distance.

Do you have a builder yet? They would have access to reasonable priced designers/architects. At least it is a place to start.

In some markets, the basement bedrooms lose a lot of value on appraisal. So you would be "unconventional" in that the you just have 2 above ground bedrooms.

Are you sure you have the proper slope for a budget walk out basement? It will always be cheapest to build closest to the road and you describe that as flat. Then you describe "gentle" - that doesn't spell walk-out to me. Clearing forest can be expensive. Long driveways are expensive. Big front yards are expensive to landscape and maintain. A driveway to the back with another parking area is expensive. Especially if your slope isn't just right already.

Not trying to burst your bubble but just consider all the expenses you are taking on yet are trying to design the house yourself. A designer/architect could save their fees with proper planning.

The majority of houses built have significant design flaws - don't duplicate them....

@David Cary.. thank you! Lots of valid points that we have been looking at. Husband did a rough survey on the property a few weeks ago (former geologist using survey tools) to ensure slope. Flat area near the road is already cleared. Then it starts a fairly significant slope downwards. Originally we were going to build in the woods did estimates on infrastructure costs (road, electrical, plumbing, drainage, septic) and it was a budget killer. Thanks for the "square" idea and the thought that 2 bedrooms in the basement may devalue a house. Had not considered the 2 bedrooms downstairs as a detriment to the house.

Where I live living space in a walk out is treated the same as the main level so no devalue to that space .I think if you find a builder that you have seen and liked what they do that should be your first step. As mentioned they have access to architects .I would for sure put guest space in the lower level , that would be in the same space as the suite you might need. I think the suite could be more like a studio apartment .I honestly do not see the point in a large seating area in a master we hardly ever use the one we have, it looks nice but if I was building I probably would not have one.If saving money is an issue the rooms could be a lot smaller . The DR for sure does not need to be 30’ in any direction a well designed kitchen does not have to be huge , in fact huge kitchens are very often very poor functionally.FYI I am 72 yrs old and have a bath everynight so no tub would not work for me. I really will say an architect would be worth every penny to make sure you get the best possible home .Check out 2 storey homes with walkouts to save construction costs.

Thanks Patricia Colwell Consulting.. definitely revamping this design. My husband is an amateur chef, so the kitchen stays.. We cook a LOT... 6 burner stove, about 200 knives (and counting); you get the picture. This kitchen is the slightly larger than the one we have now.. (not by much) and we absolutely love it. Totally with you on the bathtub! That stays! Hearing everyone's comments about the Master Bedroom! Going to get rid of the sitting area.. and just settle for a beautiful view of the forest. I'll probably end up going with an architect but want to make sure we have a clear vision on what we want incorporated. Taking baby steps. We are not in a hurry to get this done. I want to think this through very carefully. It will be our last major investment (we hope) in our lives. Thank you everyone for your helpful comments!

"I'll probably end up going with an architect but want to make sure we have a clear vision on what we want incorporated. "

That would be a list, NOT a drawing.

@Mark Bischak.. if we do go with an architect I will be not only bringing a list but a lot of pictures of what we are envisioning. I'm not good at verbally telling (as you can see by this thread) someone what we are envisioning.

Yes, virtually no architect of any experience and talent needs a consumer to bring a hand-made floor plan to show "what they are thinking". After all, that's what an architect is educated, trained and experienced to do far better than most any consumer.

The best things a consumer can bring have long been itemized and discussed here: a list of needs and wants; a site plan; budget; and some photos if its helpful for the consumer.

The architect is experienced in talking with consumers and getting the critical information needed for design.

And while many architects will say that they don't mind consumers bringing in floor plans, the same architects will also tell (if asked) that it generally takes more time and money initially demonstrating the shortcomings of consumer floor plans, illustrating why and where they don't work, and getting to the point where one clears (and opens) their mind and starts fresh with important ideas and sound architectural solutions.

A common consumer response to this is "I don't want to spend a ton of money on an architect, only to find that I don't like anything they do!". And that is certainly a rare possibility. But the alternative is for the consumer to be willing spend a considerable sum of money and take a considerable amount of time (whether they realize it or not) for the demonstration of the weak points of their own design, and the demonstration that it's often ultimately unworkable and a waste of time and money.

Sorta like taking a Google medical diagnosis to your family doctor.

Thanks Virgil Carter. Good points

When you go with an architect, be sure to make notation on the images of what in the image you like.

"I'm not good at verbally telling (as you can see by this thread) someone what we are envisioning."

A good architect will drag it out of you.

I disagrre with the comment that no architect wants to see a had drawn plan . IMO the more insight the architect has from the start the better. I will comment on the kitchen function I am a chef and run a catering biz from my home . Kitchen design is my design background both commercial and residential. Large does not always make the most sense for function. I have a large island with back to back sinks and 2 separate areas one for prep near the fridge and one for cooking on the other side of the island .I have moveable drawer cabinets in stainless with butcherblock tops so that they can \be moved out of the kitchen area for certain tasks . I put a huge amount of thought into this kitchen since it will proably be my last one.I will tell you that 200 knives is abit excessive but they will need a home in that design. I alwys tell my clients when working on kitchens is to imagine making a simple meal and how many steps it will take to make the meal , everyone has what they think is the perfect kitchen in their head but function is the first part of kitchen design.

Thanks Patricia.. Was being facetious about 200 knives. He has about 15 to 18 that he uses on a regular basis. They are stored in a drawer on a metallic knife holder.. the rest were gifts and are in storage. Husband also had a specialty food processing business (we had a separate building for that business. ) that he also designed the workflow. We both come from foodservice backgrounds (He worked at Cornell Dining as well as Red Lobster and had his own business for many years.. I'm a Penn State Hotel grad) so designing kitchen layouts for the way we function and cook wasn't incredibly difficult. Totally agree; larger does not equate to efficiency. Our present kitchen includes an eating area.