Looking for input on preliminary floorplans - please help :)

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Good Morning. My husband and I are in the process of working with a builder to create floor plans for our dream home. We have 1 child and are considering having a second down the line. We purchased a 2 acre lot in NW PA and were looking for a home with the following criteria: open floorplan, must be a ranch, have at least 2 living spaces, 2.5 baths and we like the master and guest bedrooms to be separated. The builder showed us several designs and we liked this one best, but we have some concerns and are looking for some feedback or advice on how to improve the floorplans.

We are already having them shift the sliding door to the right wall on the dining room and will be adding 3 windows where the door is currently located. We are also adding a fireplace in the great room which will eliminate the middle window. The garages are also going to be extended an additional 2 feet to make the smaller section (which will mainly be used for storage) roomier.

These are our main areas of concern:

Master bathroom: my husband doesn't like having the master closet accessible only through the bathroom. I know there may be issues about ventilation, but this doesn't really bother me. We don't see any way around it with this design without shrinking the master bath and putting the entrance to the closet in the hall near the computer nook entrance. We also are worried about the layout of the master bath in general. For instance, where would we hang our towels when taking the shower since the only nearby wall space is next to the toilet. I think we are so used to having the shower against the back wall. My husband also thinks we don't need such a large vanity space, but I think the extra storage may come in handy. I wouldn't mind losing some of the vanity for a more functional design.

Great room: We're worried that it may be dark with the only lighting coming from the dining room windows, 2 windows along the back great roowall and windows from entry door. Also concerned about furniture placement, since my husband does not want to put the TV above the fireplace.

Kitchen: Again, we're worried it may be dark and I'm concerned that there won't be enough cabinet space. We're also worried that the pantry may be too small.

Guest bathroom: Worried that this is too small, but don't know how we could make it any larger without giving up space in the sunroom or already small guest bedrooms.

We would really appreciate any feedback on the plans! Thanks in advance!

Featured Answer

PRO

Virgil Carter Fine Art

5 years ago

Your worries about MBR closet, lack of natural light, a poor kitchen design, as well as a snout garage dominating the appearance of the front of your house (despite having more than enough room for other designs on a 2 acre site) are all telling you that this generic design is simply not a good one.

I hate to have to be the one to say this...but your best bet is to start over. This plan isn't fixable. have you seen the elevations and roof plan?

Good luck on your project.

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Comments (16)

PRO
Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
5 years ago
Okay here are a few notes

-Can you swap the kitchen and dining room locations? The kitchen has a lot of traffic paths through it. The corner pantry is also less than ideal and personally I prefer nothing on my island. You actually don't have much countertop space either with that layout.

-Make sure you're okay with the laundry room backing up to a kids room. It might be too noisy for them if it's running, especially a baby

-Think through furniture placement in that great room

-Swap the closet and bathroom locations, you may have to eat a little space from the computer nook but it should be fine

-I'd be concerned that the great room will be dark. Only two windows isn't enough IMO. If it can't be changed invest in more lighting
sfrench0621 thanked Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
Migraine Craftsman
5 years ago
I like your plan, plenty of windows and I like the fact that the master is on the other side of the other 2 bedrooms. The kitchen if it was my house I would adjust the island is not symmetrical my OCD would drive me crazy lol, and the corner pantry I would get rid of and get a regular tall cabinet pantry on the south wall of the kitchen. The fridge location is rubbing me the wrong way, but I'm still half asleep need to drink some coffee.

Thumbs up I like it.
sfrench0621 thanked Migraine Craftsman
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Oh, golly, golly, I'm so thrilled that you all have taken the trouble to read my tome and offer comments! Thank you, dianalo, rhome and bmorepanic! I really appreciate the suggestions and will give all of them some thought because that is exactly what I was hoping to get: fresh eyes that haven't been over and over the same old thinking, as I have by now. A few quick thoughts: rhome: It's a good point about the small size of the counter to left of the sink (between DW and sink). I gave it that space just as elbow room in case I do have the DW elevated above the counter. Without that space, I thought it would make it feel like you were doing dishes with the sink nearly touching a wall because of the vertical side of the raised DW cab. I am definitely not wedded to it, nor to the little 6" space on the other side of the DW. That's probably going to evaporate, anyway, (except for an inch or to of framing to keep the DW door from being slap against the wall) because the room is about 2.5 inches out of square in that corner. Odds are on that I either a) won't have any DW or b) will have it at normal counter height merely to use as an expensive dish drying rack. I plan to set up the finalized "test" kitchen, and work it, live with all appliances and water installed, before we go too much further along. It'll be ugly as Hell, but I've lived with inconvenient and ugly for years. So getting it down to just one annoyance in the name of making sure I've got it right seems like a good trade-off. Since both rhome and bmorepanic have identified issues about the corner pantry area, that obviously needs more thought. The 30" door is fairly fixed in position; it can't move south (it may be possible to move it north) because this is a timber-framed building and its southern edge is right against an unmoveable framing member. That's what the small box with an X in it signifies. (Note the similar one on the opposite side behind the range; that one controls the placement of the stove vent hood.) I thought the diagonal step-in gave me more storage space than truncating it by running it straight across. The little closet is just a niche to store the fire extinguisher and emergency supplies. My current fridge probably won't last too many more years and then I thought a FD model would give me more useable space in front, which is why I'm planning for a larger appliance in that space from the start. bmorepanic's mention of the grocery-to-house pathway brings me to an admission about one of the driving forces of my plan. The grocery arrival path is actually through the sitting room door at the top of the drawing. One of my biggest issues with this house is the traffic flow from the outside to inside. It's a direct collision of three things: a)I live in a region of the country where no matter how formal the house, nobody except dead people in coffins ever uses the front door of farmhouses; b) even if I could manage to change this deeply-ingrained cultural pattern, the classical "front" Greek Revival facade of my house - complete with double door flanked by side and transom lights and appropriately dressed with columns and pilasters - is inaccessible to anyone who arrives by car; and c) it makes me ab-so-lute-ly nuts not to have a distinct, graduated, intimacy progression from outside to inside. This is the one thing (perhaps even more than the non-functional kitchen) which is at the root of this upheaval. I figure since I can't change either the people or the surroundings, the one thing I can change is the pathway they follow. So I've decided to alter the room functions to match my sensibilities; when people approach the house (by the inevitable backdoor entrance) they will find themselves, whether they like it or not, in my public reception rooms, leading to my formal rooms (sitting room, office, etc.). Buried deeper within the house are the rooms I consider more private, like the kitchen. It goes against the modern grain, I know, but to me kitchens are personal workspaces, truly the "heart of my private home", which is not something that I like to share with visitors. And definitely not where I want to entertain casual visitors from the census taker to local politicians stumping for votes to the man who comes to see me about the fencing. Right now the kitchen is the first space inside the house. Meh! It's not like I want to show off to my visitors or them feel uncomfortable - even my "formal" sitting room is very low key and approachable, and relaxed. But I so much want - and need - that step-wise gradation of intimacy, that I'll do anything to get it. I have gone and back and forth and back again weighing this. But in the end I have decided that if I can arrange my rooms to satisfy how I like and still leave the structure largely changed (because it is so old and I don't want to make structural changes), I'm willing to make some sacrifices: such as I'll have to bring the groceries in through the sitting room (actually the current kitchen) to get to my new kitchen. The additional the distance is only about about 6 feet longer (immaterial at a farm where the cars are stored in barns at least fifty feet away, not in attached garages), and it's unlikely it will be embarassing to us to haul the groceries through the sitting room, since we'll be the only ones present while hauling! I will put some more thought into the corner step-in area and see how it can be improved. Your observations are very useful to my planning. I truly appreciate the time and trouble you have taken. I'll post some updated sketches in this thread rather start a new one. May I also say thank you for your kind words about my amateur drawings. I have struggled to the point of tears trying to use computer room planning software. And because so many people who ask for advice have mastered this, until now, I have been too abashed by my lack of skill to post without a computer drawing. Back soon, with another version(s) of the corner pantry area. Anybody else want to put in their two cents? Nancy
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Wow you all are amazing! Beautiful ideas! Thanks for all of the thoughts. You really have my wheels spinning now considering what a difference incorporating the sunroom makes. I am going to take some pictures of the sunroom structure (including underneath the structure) tomorrow and post it in case anyone is able to draw any conclusions from it. But until then, I can answer a few of the questions you had. The basement does have an exterior door, which is located under the sunroom (you have to walk up a few concrete steps to get to grade, at which point you can either exit into the yard or take the stairs up to the sunroom). The rest of the area under the sunroom is just a storage area where I keep bags of mulch, firewood, etc. I will check for more detail tomorrow,but the sunroom is supported by posts anchored into cement piers. What I don't know is whether those piers sit on a foundation or are just free-floating. I thought of two other things which might bode well for it being a well-supported structure which we could expand to: 1) our inspector told us he believes the sunroom is original to the house, so I would then assume it was built on a foundation (?); 2) the sunroom holds up the roofline - aka there is normal roofing above the sunroom, which makes me think the structure is strong enough to support the second story and roof and thus should be expandable (?) PS - Intriguing idea about moving the hallway to kitchen to the other end of the house and moving the doorway to keep traffic and noise away from the bedrooms. Currently we use back bedroom as a spare room and the room off the dining room as an office. Someday we will use one (probably back room) for a kid's bedroom. Thanks again and feel free to keep the creative juices flowing :)
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If you move the powder room to the mudroom, all your guests who use that powder room will get to see your mudroom. At least in our house, the mudroom is the messiest room of the house and not meant for guests. I'd at least move the pocket door over to the left to the entry of the hallway instead of the end, so that you can close off the mudroom if you have guests, while still making the bathroom accessible. I would hate the playroom being open to the foyer. If I'm working in the sewing room and the kids are playing, I wouldn't want them right next to the front door. I would almost look into extending the BR hallway down and pushing that front bedroom over to meet the bath exterior wall, to accommodate the hallway, placing the door of the playroom in the hallway. It would also work well for the possibility of it being used as a future BR if necessary. Only downside is you will be gaining a few sq ft and I'm not sure how set you are on the current footprint. Great point on the pantry door smacking faces, as well. I'd consider a pocket or barn door there instead.
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PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
5 years ago
With the amount of changes you are considering, start from scratch with a local architect. If you want a Mercedes, don't start with a Chevy.
roccouple
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Are there more bedrooms upstairs? You keep referring to the bedrooms as guest bedrooms. Are these kid rooms or guest rooms?

If these are for guests and the kids sleep elsewhere, do you really need 2 guest rooms? I ask because the kitchen and powder room are very small. There may be better uses of this space unless you have a lot of guests.
bpath
5 years ago
It's not bad, pretty nice flow, and could work (with some tweaks) for a regular neighborhood lot. You have two acres! You can make the house longer and avoid the dark great room, the corner pantry, the protruding garage (me, I don't mind front-facing, but not the garage-with-a-house-behind-it), and maybe even solve the master closet problem. I like Sina's idea to put the closet between the bedroom and bathroom; there are several ways that could be done.
sfrench0621 thanked bpath
sfrench0621
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you all for the input. We honestly do like the flow of this floor plan a lot and I think with a few tweaks this plan will be perfect for us. I am going to look into Sina's idea of shifting the master bath and closet and will definitely be looking into reconfiguring the kitchen. We don't mind the front entry garage, as all of our other homes have had this feature, and we actually like the look of the exterior of the home based on the drawings and checking out the home that was built based off the original floor plan. As for the bedrooms, it will only have 3, as most of our family is local, so we won't really be having many guests. Again, thanks for checking out the plan and providing your feedback!
cpartist
5 years ago
It's not a good plan. It will be dark and dreary and the snout garage is bad on a house on 2 acres.

A front load garage is fine if you're on a narrow city lot but you're not.

Why are you having the builder design the plans? They are builders, not designers. Find a person of design talent. One who understands that a house should not have rooms deeper than 2 deep. This house is 3 and 4 rooms deep which means most of it will be dark. Rooms in the best designed homes will have windows on 2 or more walls in all the main rooms and in the bedrooms. Only the sunroom and master bedroom have that.

In fact you have the master closet on an outside corner taking up valuable space that could have a room with natural light.

Think in terms of having a house designed in an L, U, T or I shape.

Additionally the kitchen has a lot of poorly designed space for a good working kitchen. And lots of useless counter space.
bpath
5 years ago
So, sFrench, apart from changing the master suite, what will you change to alleviate your worries about the dark kitchen, limited counterspace, too-small pantry, and dark great room?
CLC
5 years ago
Some good “food for thought” comments already. We have a similar master bath/closet layout, and we both love it. I enjoy having natural light in the closet from the windows, too. ventilation has never been an issue. I would consider where you can hang towels, because that could be a headache. perhaps on the door of the linen closet?

Looking at the floor plan (and having kids of my own), I definitely would want a larger mudroom and kids bathroom.
sfrench0621 thanked CLC
Lynda
5 years ago
sfrench, regarding comments of the kitchen and great room being dark - my kitchen and living room are similar and we have no issues with darkness. In fact, I usually have my blinds semi-closed as I dislike all of the light. My brother's home is all windows and they spent a fortune on blinds and keep them semi-closed half the time. Everyone has different likes and preferences. If anything, I would have tall windows/french doors in the great room, glass panel front door with side lights, and add another window in the dining room.
sfrench0621 thanked Lynda
Mrs Pete
5 years ago
With two acres, your house doesn't need to be a square with a dark center. Aim for more of a rectangle ... it'll make a big difference.
Holly Stockley
5 years ago
I agree with Mrs. Pete. You need to sort of stretch that into a longer, narrower plan. Windows in a kitchen will make it a much more pleasant place to work. In general, this plan would benefit from a greater window:interior space ratio. I know you "like the floorplan." But there are probably a lot of plans you would like. And, with the right person designing, you could have one that gives you more light, passive solar features, and still be economical to build.

I suspect you have a builder who is used to working on suburban lots, so in designing this house he is defaulting to what usually works there. But what works there doesn't necessarily make for a good "country house."

I'm going to link here a series of threads where other folks came with designs that, like yours, didn't quite work. And in these cases (because it's Houzz) they ended up working with someone of design talent here on the forum for something much better. Most of these are "after" threads, so make sure you visit the original thread when they link back, which they often do.

Yes, a lot of these are 2 stories. I assure you that architects also design ranches. It's just that in each of these cases, the second story suited the inhabitants. So, please go read:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5287971/doug-arg-designed-our-home#n=115

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5374287/please-comment-on-our-home-plan-another-arg-incredible-design#n=26

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5536903/modern-farmhouse-conceptual-by-arg-doug-please-comment#n=57

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4674826/house-plans-designed-by-arg#n=24

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4384605/new-and-much-improved-plan#n=39

And, since you are working with a builder who does some "design," you might be an ideal client for an architectural "charette" - where the architect meets with you (and this can happen remotely in some cases), and provides the concept for you to take to your designer to have made into full construction drawings. It might be worth asking ARG or Nick on these forums if they have time to take on your project. :-)

Good luck!
sfrench0621 thanked Holly Stockley
Holly Stockley
5 years ago
A few more. (I'm pretty sure that ARG speaks other architectural languages than just "farmhouse", but one must concede their current popularity:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4565569/new-house-plan-reveal-a-la-arg-hooray#n=25

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5444226/arg-works-his-magic-again#n=27

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4750003/nc-home-created-by-arg#n=19

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5081457/our-future-farmhouse-another-arg-work#n=42
sfrench0621 thanked Holly Stockley
sfrench0621
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you all for your feedback. The links were especially helpful, Holly. My husband and I are in touch with a local architect and are going back to the drawing board. I appreciate all of your input!
PRO
Flo Mangan
5 years ago
Just read this and came to you are talking to an architect. Start with meeting him/her at your property. Most important to give a flavor for the property possibilities. Glad you have come to this point. As I read through all your concerns, I thought yikes. This is a start over. Keep us posted as you develop a plan you love. Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect plan/house. So between site restrictions and your budget you will get a lot of what you want but probably not everything. Be kind to yourselves. It is a daunting experience.

Looking for input on preliminary floorplans - please help :)

Virgil Carter Fine Art

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