Yes, but it is the other two attributes that get you.

If the reason the porch is there in the first place is no longer valid, then it should be removed or altered to meet the current or future need.

Mrs. Pete,

Thanks very much for a whole lot of helpful thoughts. It is certainly useful to see multiple people raising the same issues.

There seems to be a consensus that more window(s) in the bedroom is a must. Blackout curtains are a thing, so I guess that is the answer.

Judging from the comments so far, I'm thinking that moving the bedroom to the Southeast corner would be a good idea, which would allow her bath to move towards the center (for an east-facing window, which seems desirable for a bathroom). That would also put his and her baths closer, potentially allowing for some type of Jack-and-Jill arrangement to cut down on the duplicate expense involved in having two complete, separate bathrooms. I agree with Mrs. Pete and others that the bathrooms could be reworked to be more efficient, and it is an aspect of the design I have struggled with throughout.

Regarding the lot - it is extremely desirable due to location, setting aside everything else about the lot. It's one of the last large chunks of undeveloped land next to a golf course. It's also close to work and otherwise well located. The lot is one thing that isn't going to change.

However, the lot presents a challenge - having South uphill is the reason that the garage is on the South side, which would otherwise be better for living spaces. It's hard for me to see a way around that one while keeping the garage on the same level as the rest of the living areas. I'd certainly welcome feedback on that issue.

I take it the garage is on the highest point and the upper right corner is at the lowest. Is that right?

You're ok for light in the early morning (which you don't want) then lose it because of the closet and bath until late morning and then suddenly lose it in the afternoon for the rest of the day.

The house is on a large site with two vehicle access points but its sited backwards all because of the slope. I would get a surveyor (and/or an architect) to walk the site with me and look for alternate house locations.

Honestly- this is not good.

• You are building up in the air for a potential future need for a MIL suite - but - no elevator. And bad stair design.
• There also seems to be no space set aside for mechanicals. This is critical in a walkout basement plan, and possibly one with split systems, etc.
• You are completely losing any decent connections with the outdoors with that deck. Why not take advantage of the slope and have your bedroom and living area at ground level and the "other" rooms and basement (if you really need one) in that walkout area?
• If you want 2 masters, you should have them. But.... how about the bedroom in the front, your bathroom WAY in the back, your wife's bath "above" the bedroom and a connector closet that is more like a "jack and jill" long and skinny accessed at each end?
• Do you really need that basement? what about a granny flat at a later date? you have the room. Maybe one that could have a connector to the main house. Or - how about looking at some plans that have 2 entrances and are marketed toward multigenerational housing?
• Dining room - no - it won't ever get used.
• With a little planning - you can have no steps to the front door and no steps between the house and the garage. I've seen WAY too many houses that lose a significant portion of their garage because of the stairs / landings, etc.
• Have you had a tile / ceramic bench in the shower? I am NOT having one. it's just weird to have your naughty bits slapped up against wet tile. No, just no.
• I don't know what you are planning to do in the shop - but sometimes the basement isn't ideal (ask me how I know) You are probably much better off with an outbuilding that could be divided and uplifted for the in law apartment in the future.
• You have some unique needs, and want to do some future proofing. You are honest about how you live, which would allow you to sit down with someone with design talent and design something that could allow spaces to shift their use with the (easy) addition of some walls / doors, etc. It's hard enough to design a decent house when you are a family with 2.5 kids, 1.2 dogs and plan to be there for 7 years.

Dave,

your 8'3" front porch will block a lot of sunlight. There is also the thing that most people dont use a front porch so if you are most people, save money and delete it.

Also, delete the his bathroom. You said its only two of you. Just use the guest bathroom and you dont have to disturb your wife. you can keep the closet and laundry or open that side up with windows

Your entrance will be on the same side where the garage is, right? So the porch and deck on the long sides of the house will get used.

If you like your bedroom dark, why not place the master suite on the northwest corner? That way the morning light won't wake you before you're ready. I can see this working, anyway. Then you can have move the living room over, with a dining space in between, and still have two bedrooms at the far end, set up that they could be an inlaw suite (with bathroom and closets acting as a noise buffer), but also easy to use a room as a den/home office. I know you are usually at your computer desk, but even in this day and age there is still paper to be stored.

Did you happen to get my hint about using an architect?

Did you happen to get my hint about using an architect?

Message received and understood.

I'm cursious why you propose to site your house as shown in the aerial photograph. In that location the house is closer to the street on the right of the photo than the dead end street on the left of the photo. Your drive will be very long, expensive and maintenance may be a bit of a challenge if you get much snow in your area. Why are you proposing that location?

Why are you proposing that location?

This is an old photo from the dead end street in the West. If you look past the dying tree and bush, which have now been removed, you'll see a ditch running from North to South. That ditch is about halfway between the end of the street and my contemplated site. In other words, I think there would be a massive drainage problem there.

A more recent shot from the same location:

" . . . a MIL suite - but - no elevator. And bad stair design."

If you think about it, that could be a result of careful planning.

Looks like the dead tree is on a high point and an ideal location for a house, from a drainage perspective. What is the house is the far backgound?

Looks like the dead tree is on a high point and an ideal location for a house, from a drainage perspective. What is the house is the far backgound?

That house is across the street on the east side of the lot. You can actually see a dot with his address on the site plan I posted in the first photo. Incidentally, his house is typical of the neighborhood, which was subdivided from a farm and developed in the 70s. Lots of ranches and split levels.

@Dave Bundrick --

If the master bedroom and bathrooms were to stay where they are in your original plan posted above, you could easily solve the "having to exit the bedroom to access your bathroom" conundrum. I don't have software (what is it that everyone here uses?) to draw it up, so bear with me.

Right now you walk out of the bedroom and turn right to walk a 6-foot (?) hallway to your bathroom door. You pass by the washer/dryer, that are behind bi-fold doors. Leave that entire area as it is, and get rid of the door into the bathroom - make it a solid wall. Turn the washer/dryer so that they back up to the wall that used to have the door into the bathroom. The opening that is currently the hallway would become the door into the laundry room. Making this a separate room gives you more space for some storage cupboards, and perhaps even a rack to hang clothes as they come out of the dryer.

The door from the bathroom into your closet could stay where it is, but straight "down" from that create a new doorway into the closet. So, you'd walk through the closet to the actual bathroom. Yes, you'd be losing several feet of clothes rod for hanging clothes, but you could make up for that by extending the closet depth a bit (where your shower is). The shower, to maintain size, could move to the other side of the room (along the wall separating the bathroom from the deck). The vanity and toilet would be relocated, too. The vanity could be partially under the window, perhaps, with the toilet to the right of it (as you look at the drawing), or the toilet could even be where the vanity currently is (with the back of it against the porch wall) making the shower more of a rectangular shape.

Dang, I wish I had software to draw this up.

"Dang, I wish I had software to draw this up."

Do you have a HB pencil and some paper?

Dang, I wish I had software to draw this up.

Thanks for your suggestion. I think I know what you're saying.

Here's a previous draft:

I changed this because that is really not as wheelchair-friendly as it looks. My intention with that bathroom was to make it truly accessible. I don't think every bathroom has to be designed for wheelchair access - neither of us needs a wheelchair now, and I hope we never do. But I wanted one that was unequivocally useful for someone in that situation.

This draft has a much smaller vanity and is quite a bit smaller in every other dimension. Certainly some room could be stolen from the laundry area to open it up. I also think the door to the master would be problematic so close to the shower, although previous commenters are giving me pause about curbless showers.

A friend of mine has a wheelchair-bound brother. He has other mobility issues as well. When someone falls in a bathroom and needs help getting up, an extra foot here or there doesn't go amiss. You have: 1) the person who fell, 2) a wheelchair, 3) two people helping him up. That fills a bathroom quickly. I've learned that the minimum guidelines about accessibility are just that - minimums.

Some of the comments here make me wonder about the wisdom of having the bathroom down a hall, as drawn in my first post. I've actually never had an en suite bathroom in my life, but people seem to have a clear preference for them.

One doesn't need two bathrooms so as not to wake ones spouse. Do what we did and arrange it so the bathroom opens to the hallway and the master. You can arrange it so there's a door between the closets and the master hallway to the closets so as to close the door and not wake your spouse. Conversely if your spouse stays up later than you, she can come in through the bathroom (which is what I do) and then enter the master.

This works for us who are on different schedules. Plus if you're looking for a way to save money, two separate bathrooms is not the way. Bathrooms and kitchens are the 2 most expensive rooms in the house.

Otherwise, I agree with most of what MrsPete and Janni said with these exceptions:

Consider instead going with a MINIMAL CURB, which is only 2" high.

I disagree. Go curbless. My mother had parkinson's and even a 2" high curb was like climbing a mountain for her. Curbless are being done more and more.

The roof. I’m just not crazy about hipped roofs.

I have a hipped roof. The problem with most hipped roofs is not the roof but their pitch Here's mine. It's a 5/12 pitch so that it doesn't overpower the house.

I also agree with the suggestion to get an architect. Unless your background is in design, and even if it is, an architect can design something that will work well for your wife and you, cost you less in the long run and take less of your valuable time.

Generally speaking, a sound residential design begins with a site analysis and exploration of various site planning/development concepts.

One of the most important of these concepts is to orient the major public spaces of a house to face south and incorporate passive solar and natural light strategies for the house, or at least the major public spaces of the house.

Floor plan concepts and alternatives are typically derived from this initial strategy.

It appears here that the OP has developed a floor plan using a CAD system and plopped in on the site. It's a backwards approach which is evident.

The other significant issue here is that the OP's criteria are so personal and so "extreme" as to significantly compromise the house for any sort of future resale.

In the case of concepts and personal criteria, it's possible to do so much better by following CPA's advice. The OP simply doesn't know what he doesn't know.

Good luck with your project! :-)

I'm not in the "get an architect" camp but what happened to the professional here?

A previous comment:

"I personally found playing with the software fun and I think it helps you visualize what you want. However, I've recognized that I don't have the skills necessary to do this by myself. So, I hired a professional. Even then, the software has also helped me provide feedback." Dave Bundrick 10-21-18

A "professional" what??

Well, whatever. Just curious what happened to the referenced person.

Would you hire a builder who had the tools and software but no training or experience in actually building a house?

No, you would want a highly trained professional who had successfully built numerous homes.

Why would you not want this same level of expertise and experience in the architecture of your home?

Good design is not cheap, but considering what you will invest in building your home, the cost of potential mistakes, and the impact your home will have upon your entire life, good design is an incredible value.

Since you asked,

This was my experience interviewing professionals to design a house for me. In chronological order:

Architect 1: $???. The only active residential architect in town. Works for the most expensive design/build firm in town. Like, famous for being expensive. Services included in the cost of building. If things go south, design belongs to him, not me. Walked the lot with me. Clearly very smart and creative; he spit out three good ideas the moment he got there. Brother of a friend of mine. References included some awesome houses, but I never called the owners. Firm has a great reputation.

Architect 2: $???. Spoke to me once, then didn't return a phone call and we never talked again. Retired, but referred by a commercial firm in town.

Architect 3: $1/square foot, but unclear what you get for that. He was the next closest architect to my town, about an hour away. Architect is a partner in a design/build firm. Sent a flunky to the meeting. Flunky didn't seem to know what I meant by "program," and was obviously not used to the creative process often described on this forum. Clearly only interested in the "build" part of design/build. High end houses on their website, but they were geared toward commercial stuff.

Designer 1: $8,000, including allowance for review by an engineer. This was for full construction drawings, interior design, and construction supervision. Until recently, worked for Designer 2. Recommend by a friend who hired Designer 2, which then had this guy provide all the services. Smart, creative guy who also loves Kandinsky. Former chef specializing in kitchen design. Married to a high-income professional whose job may have required a move in the near future. On my coworker's adult kickball team, and they won the championship!

Designer 2: $17,000, for full construction drawings and interior design (although that seemed like an afterthought). Well respected firm with lots of staff, but no architect. They've designed some really nice stuff, including an in-progress prairie style in my neighborhood that I watched be constructed. Great house with some glaring flaws (but you never know what was a client demand). Head guy was really sharp, but seemed like more of a number cruncher than an art type. References were provided, but I didn't call them. My wife knew the owner of the prairie style house and they were satisfied.

Designer 3: $1/square foot for full construction drawings. Works at a commercial architecture firm in town. Moonlights as a designer, supposedly with their permission. Has designed and drawn at least one really high-end home in town, and showed me construction drawings of other work that seemed good. Knew a lot about construction; referred by a friend in the business. Walked the lot with my friend who referred him. References provided, and I drove by their houses but didn't call them.

Architect 4: $1/square foot for remote design (actually he may have quoted two to three grand, I don't remember). That includes rough floorplan and sketches; I would then provide these to a draftsman at my expense. Semi-retired, and clearly knew his business.

I hired Designer 3, wasting four months and half the fee before firing him and throwing his design in the trash. It was a bad experience that I'm not inclined to detail here. Nor repeat.

I think design professionals serve an important purpose. But they're not common in this area, nor are their services free.

In a low cost of living area, professional services are cheap too. For reference, actual prices for some of the things pointed out as expensive earlier in this thread run:

Basement - $50-$60 grand more than a crawl space. For comparison, a stand-alone two car garage would run $30-$40 grand.

Basement finishing is $25-$30 per square foot for basic framing, carpet, paint, and electrical.

An extra bathroom runs $10-$15 grand.

If anyone knows a residential architect in Western Kentucky, please let me know. Nashville is two hours away and the only nearby big city. It's also one of the hottest real estate markets in the country.

I know a number of people who've built houses and none hired an architect. They looked at plan books, made some changes, and built their houses. And unlike me, they live in houses they like.

Anybody got an HB and some bumwad?

Search Houzz's "Find Professionals" for an architect. I know Architectrunnerguy does some remote designs, then (I think) the home owner finds a local draftsman to execute the construction drawings.

It is typical for the architect to retain the design rights, that is a complex subject as you may know.

Make your budget clear to the architect. Wear a t-shirt that says "My Budget Is $563,254.44" (insert your own budget figure) to each meeting you have with them if you have to.

Good book. I have a first edition, and no, I did not buy it new when it first came out, although I have had it a long time.

Sometimes a design needs a lot of changes to make it work right. To make those changes would require time, some designs require a lot of time. Engaging an architect would free up time for the home owner to spend their time on other things. Also an architect brings a vast amount of experience (experience may vary) to apply to any project. To encourage one to spend exorbitant amount of time away from other pleasures or responsibilities of life could be detrimental. Everyone has the responsibility of managing their own time.

That being said, not all architects are the same, and as in every profession, finding a good one could be a bit of a task.

Without reading all of the comments, as a potential buyer of this home, I would really be put off by the lack of room for a dining room table. What you have indicated as a "dining room" is a bedroom space. Not everyone wants to sit as a counter eating their meals while facing a messy cooking area. I could only see eating at a counter for kids having lunch, not for adults, and especially not for adults as they are aging.

I think you need to start over, and since you've got all of that land, why not hire a professional to help you? I would go with Architect 1. He gave you three good ideas on your first walk-through. Don't nickel-and-dime your house.

D E,

I'm confident everyone is trying to be helpful. And I appreciate people taking their time to give a stranger advice. Like all humans, I will take and reject advice as I see fit.

Indigoheaven, I think those are good points all the way around. A room should be what it is, not something else. On the other hand, banks aren't going to loan money for less than three bedrooms. I've definitely run into "square-footage creep" while doing this.

If anyone is still following along, here is my thought after the feedback I've received. It presents some new problems and needs a lot of work (looking at your coat closet, Mark, and I can't find a place for a fly-tying room). The garage on the low side of the slope would be a major problem. This design would obviously require major rethinking of the foundation/basement.

Select the site location and house orientation as a part of the initial house design.

Don't try to preconceive a house design and plop it on the property somewhere. Your CAD program is defeating your design efforts.

Thanks!

It's a great site which presents some problems. That's probably true for a lot of sites.

As mentioned earlier, I don't think this topo is really accurate, but here it is:

Which way is north? From the topo, your house site appears to be 14-feet +/- below the deadend road on the far left of the photo. You would save a great deal of expense by using access from the road on the right, at the approximate elevation of your proposed construction. And the drive would be shorter.

If I was picking a general building site, just by looking at the contours, I'd pick in the center area where the lightest color and widest contour spread is located. I'd follow that contour to the right to intersect the road to create a driveway.

Are those erosion marks in the right side of the propery, close to and paralleling the road on the far right? If so, that's another site improvement expense you will have to address.

Thanks again.

North is up in that photo. I think those are erosion lines, but I haven't seen any evidence of it in the two years I've been mowing it. Grading and landscaping will be massive expenses on this project. My hope is that a well planned driveway can mitigate some of the drainage issues on the lot.

Incidentally, the place you mention is about the same place the basement guy suggested last week, roughly 30 feet south of what I depicted on the first photo I posted.

Have you purchased the property? Before doing so, I'd certainly check with the local building department to see what sort of drainage and site improvements they will require before issuing a building permit. The property is large and has the potential to adversely affect a large number of adjacent property owners. My guess is that there will be extensive site improvement requirements.

Are you in an area with expansive soils? If so, your foundation design will probably require soils testing and recomendations from a geotechnical engineer for proper foundations.

Yes, I have purchased the property. Yes, there are expansive soils in the area.

I believe the light color on the building site is a shale deposit, although I don't know what that tells you about its suitability for building.

We're in a low-regulation area, to put it mildly.

Builder and basement guy express no concern about the site. I will be hiring an engineer.

Famous last words from construction guys and realtors, "Nothing to worry about!".

Are you in an area where basements are very common? I wouldn't be thinking about a basement if they aren't common in your area.

With that strong downhill slope from the south, any basement will need excellent quality waterproofing (not damp proofing), perimeter drainage tiles and proper grading to keep all upslope drainage and all roof drainage away from the house perimeter.

And since you are in an area with expansive soils, you will need the recommendations of a geotechnical engineer for proper foundations for a basement or whatever you wind up doing.

You are building in a very challenging location. Do it right at the beginning or you will have more problems than you can count.

Thanks very much for a whole lot of helpful thoughts. It is certainly useful to see multiple people raising the same issues.

Glad to be helpful.

Regarding the lot - it is extremely desirable due to location, setting aside everything else about the lot.

Okay, married to the lot ... so that means you must design the house to fit the land you have. Since you're starting from scratch, nothing's stopping you from placing your public spaces in the most desirable solar orientation.

Even if you don't intend to go with an architect, you might do well to pay one for a single hour's consultation walking your actual lot.

There also seems to be no space set aside for mechanicals.

This may be a regional thing. I'm also in the South, and my "mechanicals" require the bottom half of one 3' closet. Heat pumps go outside ... water heaters go under the house. Sometimes these things are placed in the attic or in the garage.

Or, it could be a matter of "you don't know what you don't know.

You are completely losing any decent connections with the outdoors with that deck.

Agree. I have a slightly sloped lot now, and we use our covered porch ... but we rarely go out into the yard beyond; whereas, my daughter has a big straight-to-the-flat-backyard door, and at her house we're outside all the time.

Dining room - no - it won't ever get used.

But you do need an eating area. No, the island does not count.

You have some unique needs, and want to do some future proofing.

Eh, I haven't heard anything all that unique yet. LOTS of people want 3 beds/2 baths and potential for an in-law to move in.

There is also the thing that most people dont use a front porch so if you are most people, save money and delete it.

Agree, but since the front porch is often such an integral part of the design, I would keep it small /modest ... but not delete it.

Also, delete the his bathroom. You said its only two of you. Just use the guest bathroom and you dont have to disturb your wife. you can keep the closet and laundry or open that side up with window

Eh, planning for him to walk across the house ... forever ... doesn't make any sense. What does make sense is planning a single master bath with acoustical privacy so he can use it without waking his wife.

changed this because that is really not as wheelchair-friendly as it looks.

Nothing on this plan looks wheelchair-friendly.

I don't think every bathroom has to be designed for wheelchair access

Agree. The chances of one person in the household needing a wheelchair is quite small ... the possibility of both of you needing wheelchairs is really tiny. Plan for the things that're more likely to befall you ... I discussed some above.

However, the ability to bathe oneself is one of the first things people lose as old age really sets in. I've mentioned my now-RN daughter who worked home health in college ... the #1 thing she did was help people bathe, and many of them only needed help because their bathrooms weren't elder-friendly.

Things to consider about aging and bathrooms:

- If you can't get through the door (pocket door, hallways with sharp turns), nothing else matters.

- Plan for grab bars ... everywhere. You'll need solid wood behind the drywall or tile. You can choose a pole by the toilet or a pull-down bar by the toilet. They even make toilet paper dispensers that double as grab bars.

- Be sure you have space to reach the toilet, even if you need a cane or walker. Put an outlet behind the toilet in case you want to install a washlet /bidet to help with ... um, bum-cleaning. You may need storage at the toilet ... imagine adult diapers, hooks upon which to hang colostomy bags, etc. And, of course, even now you need storage for toilet paper. Better to have this storage space and not need it than not to have it.

- Plan for a good-sized shower with a hand-held shower head and space enough that a hospital shower chair could be brought in later.

- Consider storage and hanging space for towels.

- Consider your trash can, hamper, and storage for extra toiletries.

- Will you keep medicines in the bathroom? If so, consider where.

- Consider space for a helper in all areas.

- Consider that since you're only in your 30s, chances are good you'll remodel this bathroom before you're elderly ... I mean, bathrooms have lots of moving parts, and they don't tend to last 50+ years. So adequate space probably matters more than anything else at this point; the rest can be added in your now-I'm-getting-old remodel.

I've actually never had an en suite bathroom in my life, but people seem to have a clear preference for them.

Oh, yes! A private bath just off your bedroom is far, far superior to a down-the-hall bathroom. Since it's just you and your wife, it may not be such a big deal for you (for example, you probably wouldn't feel bad about coming out into the kitchen in your towel ... or even naked), but -- yes -- an en suite is a worthwhile endeavor.

I preach moderation on this board on a pretty regular basis, but I'd give up a whole lot of things before I'd give up my own bathroom.

The problem with most hipped roofs is not the roof but their pitch Here's mine. It's a 5/12 pitch so that it doesn't overpower the house.

I can buy that. I do agree that the problem with hipped roofs tends to be the lack of proportion /the "overpowering factor".

On the other hand, banks aren't going to loan money for less than three bedrooms.

I hear you, but banks also aren't going to loan on a house with no eating area. You're not going to fool them by pretending this space is both.

Looking at this "tweaked" layout ...

- The dining room still does not work ... not on any level. A dining room needs a connection to both the kitchen and the living room; that is, the rooms need to work together. Here are some randomly chosen examples ... note that, in every case, if you were working in the kitchen, you could see someone in the living room (perhaps even watch the living room TV). Dining rooms are "on display" areas ... not tucked away as if they were laundry rooms. You have only a few steps between the kitchen and the living room (no going through a door). You say you don't entertain often, but if you did have a group of people over -- say for the Super Bowl -- you could set out snacks on the dining room table, and people could carry them to the living room ... without going into another part of the house. Or you could seat people in the living room, then move them to the dining room table. Often the island /peninsula could work as a buffet area.

A nicely laid-out house will have a connection between these three main rooms ... and a dining room in the first door down the bedroom hall just doesn't work.

I drew a sketch to give you some ideas about incorporating reasonable bathrooms and a dining table -- obviously I didn't put too much time into it; for example, I note that I didn't give you a refrigerator ... bad, bad, bad. But I was trying to put in what I hear you saying you actually need:

- It's a two-master house, which would work well for you and your mother-in-law. (Imagine you're elderly and forced to leave your beloved home /go live with relatives ... are you going to be happy in a child-sized bedroom with a child-sized closet?)

- The larger master is on the left ... do I understand correctly that this is the best lighting? You enter the suite in the middle, so you don't have a long walk to the various parts. The closet provides a sound barrier for the mornings so you can be as loud as you please in the bathroom without waking your wife. You have a large shower which will be elder-friendly. Sliding glass door provides light and fire-safety. By the way, those are king-sized beds in both bedrooms.

- The smaller master also has a large closet, which could open towards the bathroom, if she preferred. She has a sliding glass door for light and fire safety.

Your mother-in-law's bathroom is split so that guests can use the powder room without entering her more private bathing space. This space is plenty big in case she uses a walker or needs a helper. The mudroom space could be made smaller so that the powder room could be accessed without entering the mudroom.

- The mudroom contains a two-way coat closet so you could use it from the front entry OR the garage entry. The dryer vent can be run down the inside of the garage, so it won't be "hidden from view". You have space for another closet or open shelves.

- The kitchen is about the same size as the one you drew.

- That's a pretty spot for a hutch or built-ins behind the front door /across from the kitchen.

- I put in a small dining table. It's nothing special, but it is connected to the living room and the kitchen.

- I didn't draw the entertainment center nearly as large as yours, but you have the space. I didn't care for the way you had a computer table plopped out in the middle of things ... so I drew it in as a sofa table /placed behind one of the sofas; it'd give you plenty of computer space, you could have outlets placed in the floor, and you'd have a view of the TV from this spot. This layout kind of "anchors" the desk to the rest of the room ... and you could move the big office chair into a bedroom /out of the way on the rare occasion people come to visit.

- These living spaces aren't particularly large ... but you're only two people (possibly three).

- The basement stairs are tucked away between the living room and the in-law suite. You have ample space for more bedrooms in the basement.

That's a lot of topo-lines! I just checked a topographical map of my 45 acres -- I have two topographical lines. Two.

Wow, thank you so much, Mrs. Pete. Really thought-provoking stuff. I will be studying your post and your drawing. Again, I can't thank you enough.

Wow, thank you so much, Mrs. Pete. Really thought-provoking stuff. I will be studying your post and your drawing. Again, I can't thank you enough.

Oh, you're most welcome. I don't expect you to like all of it, but I hope parts will be helpful.

I'll throw in one more bit of advice: Don't rush yourself. You're very young in this process. Changes on paper and searching for ideas are (mostly) free. Don't commit to actual brick and mortar until you're SURE and have been SURE of every detail for a while.

You generally have to pay good money to get Mrs Petes level of advice.
Her floor sketch is a very smart, efficient layout that does everything your current plan does, at maybe 25% less total building cost.
But I think it can get much better.
I've been following, but maybe I've missed it: Where is the plan for the walkout?

If this were me, and it is, because I'm doing this with my walkout basement - I'd have it be an in-law apartment. I have mine designed to have completely separate living spaces. The only thing shared is a common mudroom going into the basement. It's difficult to have it that closed off with regards to stairway placement/entryway, but I figured I may want to rent it out sometime if I have to.

Spec for at least 8', maybe even 9' ceilings and it's no different finished than any other floor.
Concrete is expensive, wood is cheap. It's not easy to design but you can step your foundation and make the slopes pony walls, lower half concrete, but the rear wall should be entirely wood framed regardless.

A design goal I wasn't able to achieve was 3 exterior walls in the main living space for windows. A necessary trade off for another goal I had.
You have the ability to do this.
Here's a cute plan I saw awhile ago, that could work well with a walkout basement, and has the main living areas with 3 exterior walls. Just to give you an idea.
This is in a similar vein as Mrs Petes, but ditches the 2 master's on main idea (put the other in the basement)
https://www.builderhouseplans.com/plan/1408-square-feet-2-bedroom-2-00-bathroom-2-garage-sp213638

Whether you're cooking, watching TV, or eating, you can look around and see brightness and 270 degrees of your beautiful property.

We're still waiting to hear from the OP if basements are common in his area. With the strong gradients and expansive soils which he has described, basements may be potential trouble-makers and very expensive to properly construct.

In this site condition, a basement is not something I'd preconceive. I'd do a lot of investigation and exploration to see what will be necessary to properly construct one, before deciding yea or nea.

The contours of the propery do suggest a more linear house design to minimize cut and fill and to follow the contours lines.

Matt,

Thanks for the input. At times I have drawn a living room with windows on three sides, and I think it is a good idea if it can be done without compromising other aspects of the design.

My intention with the basement was to have the most basic bathroom and kitchenette built now, with the possibility of upgrading it at some later time. As a practical matter, we just don't need that much finished house at this time.

I have focused on having all of the living space we'll really use on the main floor. As others have pointed out, a lot of square footage could be saved by moving some of it to the basement. I just think that conflicts with the concept of aging in place.

Throughout this process, the idea of a mother-in-law suite was an afterthought. Basically speculating about something I might need one day, but have no current need for. Yesterday we learned that my mother-in-law may have Parkinson's. It's going to cause me to rethink some things.

I liked bpath's suggestion of shifting the master suite to the northwest, which would allow you to move your dining room and extra bedroom to the east.

Your garage should probably stay at the highest elevation in the southwest corner. Because you plan on approaching the house from the west, you might as well expand your side porch and hall into the "front entry", so your front door isn't hidden somewhere behind the garage.

If you have most meals at the island and don't plan on using the dining room often, I think it's okay to have it a short walk away. However, I would make the living room long enough so future owners could squeeze a dining table in between the kitchen and living area in case a third bedroom is needed (see second plan).

https://imgur.com/a/hjQc6VG

https://imgur.com/a/vDT61yD

Throughout this process, the idea of a mother-in-law suite was an afterthought. Basically speculating about something I might need one day, but have no current need for. Yesterday we learned that my mother-in-law may have Parkinson's. It's going to cause me to rethink some things.

My mother had Parkinsons. I'm sorry to hear about your MIL. Not something I'd wish on anyone.

Parkinsons is quite debilitating in later years and it's not only the physical. In 50% of the cases there is the eventuality of Parkinson's dementia. The best thing your MIL could do to fend it off for as long as possible is to keep exercising if she already does, and if she doesn't, to start an exercise program. As long as my Mom was exercising she did fine. She had to stop for several months because of a wound that wouldn't heal and that's when she started to go downhill.

My mother was able to live in her house up until the last six months of her life because her house was one floor living. She didn't need a wheelchair until the very end when she was in a home, but she did need a walker for the last 2-3 years of her life.

If you'd like, feel free to message me.

Nick, look at the contours and terrain fall between the dead-end street on the west and the OP's desired location for the house. There's a fall of approximately 14 feet or more, making site access from that direction very challenging and expensive. It's why I recommended access from the other direction paralleling the contour lines.

And the contour lines make it challenging to design and construct any sort of house which doesn't parallel the contour lines, for example an "L", "T" or "U" shaped plan such as you suggest. It can be done, but it fights the terrain and will be costly, with a lot of exposed foundation on the low side of the house.

This is a very challenging site.

You generally have to pay good money to get Mrs Petes level of advice. Her floor sketch is a very smart, efficient layout that does everything your current plan does, at maybe 25% less total building cost. But I think it can get much better.

Mrs Pete, I have noticed your helpful posts on other threads as well. You obviously put a lot of much time and effort into your advice, so nice to see.

Aw, y'all're gonna make me blush.

https://www.builderhouseplans.com/plan/1408-square-feet-2-bedroom-2-00-bathroom-2-garage-sp213638

At a glance, I'd make a couple changes, but it's not a half bad plan ... if you add the basement. Without the basement, it's a bit small.

We're still waiting to hear from the OP if basements are common in his area. With the strong gradients and expansive soils which he has described, basements may be potential trouble-makers and very expensive to properly construct.

Yeah, no one in my area has a basement, and it's not happenstance. They just don't work here in my part of the Carolinas. They're not the money-savers that they are up North, where the frost line and the soil make them cheap.

Throughout this process, the idea of a mother-in-law suite was an afterthought. Basically speculating about something I might need one day but have no current need for. Yesterday we learned that my mother-in-law may have Parkinson's. It's going to cause me to rethink some things.

First, something we say around my workplace: Don't bleed 'til you get shot. That is, don't put loads of worry into something until it's verified. Twice in my own life I've been told, "I think you have ___", and it's turned out to be false. Wait for the tests before you go overboard with worry.

Second, in terms of housing, I don't see that this diagnosis changes things. You were already considering a space for her in your home. Whether she has Parkinson's or not, you need to think through a space that'll be elder-friendly, and that tends to go hand-in-hand with illness.

I'd say either plan a second master suite for her OR plan two bedrooms /a bath that would allow her to use one as a sitting room /one as a bedroom ... but be sure everything's accessible.

Last thought on a spot for your mother-in-law: We are also planning for aging-in-place, and we're doing a two-story house (actually 1 1/2 story) ... the idea being that everything we NEED on a daily basis is on the first floor, and the second floor (two bedrooms + 1 bath) will be for our youngest child, who intends to come home after college for a few years. When we're old and may need care, this upstairs space could serve a child /grandchild who comes to live with us, or it could be for a paid caregiver. We're putting in larger closets /a nicer bath than are typically found in children's bedrooms -- not crazy big, but large enough for an adult. We're thinking that a space that's set-aside /provides some privacy would be more appealing.

f you have most meals at the island and don't plan on using the dining room often, I think it's okay to have it a short walk away.

Do consider that island-seating doesn't tend to be elder-friendly.

Of course, this could vary. I have the nicest bar stools, which my husband bought used -- 3 for $25, and my mom loved sitting at my peninsula after her hip replacement.

As long as my Mom was exercising she did fine. She had to stop for several months because of a wound that wouldn't heal and that's when she started to go downhill.

Parkinson's or not, this is so typical of an elderly person: He or she is doing fine -- moving more slowly perhaps, but perfectly capable of living alone, etc., etc., etc. Then something happens. A fall seems to be the most common, but a wound could have the same effect. For my grandmother, it was a stroke. Then things snowball, and the elderly person just can't "get back" to where he or she was before.