My current house is "reversed" as well. It's 3-stories/five levels to maximize the ocean views. First level is the foyer/garage, half-flight up is the master facing the ocean, half up from that are two guest rooms facing the street, half up is a story-and-half great room facing the ocean (over the master bedroom footprint). Half-flight up from that is the kitchen, dining room and library, all with ocean and street views. Every morning, looking at the sunrise and dolphins in the waves I know it's worth it to carry groceries all the way up!

Your floorplan is very similar to ours. It looks like yours is designed for a more formal lifestyle, but other than that, it's the same basic concept. :) We have a much more casual lifestyle (no paid staff, unfortunately) so my responses are based on MY lifestyle. If your lifestyle is different, you take take my comments with a grain of salt. FIRST FLOOR (1) Will you actually dine in the dining room? Who is the cook in your house? Does he/she enjoy carrying hot dishes 28 feet across the house? Even if you have household staff who cook and serve your meals, it's quite the distance. (2) Your pantry is not easily accessible from the kitchen. Will the cook in your house be okay carrying food/appliances 21 feet from the pantry to the island on a regular basis? Will your kids put their cereal boxes back in the pantry, or will they be left out on the counter due to the 42 foot march back/forth to the pantry? (3) Ensure your garage is wide/deep enough for your needs. Our current garage is about the same dimensions as yours and it is a nightmare for two cars, plus garbage/recycling bins and some tools. Once we added the baby stroller into the mix, we pretty much want to throw things every time we navigate our garage. (4) I envy your screened porch. What a delightful space that will be!!! (5) Do you play billiards often enough to justify having a dedicated space for it on your first floor? We don't play billiards, but I would keep this room because it would make a great play room for children! SECOND FLOOR (6) Of the two bathroom options, I prefer the "optional" one. I hate corner bath tubs because they are a pain in the butt to clean. (Again, we don't have paid staff. If we had a maid I would probably have a different opinion.) (7) The master closet door placement makes it difficult to place furniture in the master bedroom. I see only two walls (one for a bed, one for a dresser). If you plan on keeping most of your clothes in the closets, I think this isn't a big deal, just something to think about. (We are minimalists and keep all of our clothes in the closet, so a dresser isn't a priority.) (8) I'm confused about the Bedroom 3 bed and layout. Is that a nook for a dormer window? Is the bed one of those L-shaped bunk beds? (9) I personally wouldn't want a bathroom for every single bedroom in the house, mostly because I hate cleaning toilets. Even if they are not used, I hate cleaning them because my least favorite thing to clean is dusting around the base (which gets dirty whether it is used or not). Again, I don't have a maid...I'm sure having a maid would change my perspective. :) You don't say much about your family make-up, but based on your floorplan, I would assume that your household consists of one man, one woman, 2 teenaged/adult children living at home, and a part-time maid/cook.

I am putting in Durock. My friend also told me to take the extra 15mins, and put a blocking row of flat 2x4s between the studs on the top & bottom, so the Durock can be secure to those as well. It helps with stability because the Durock is about 1/2" above the tub...basically right at the lip. The reason you do put the Durock right there is to prevent water going up the Durock IF for some reason the calk goes bad. So, he recommended putting 2x4s in even with the lip of the tub, and flush with the studs to help with stability. He did say it is a little overkill, but, if you have the time (which I do, spend the extra $3 and do it). For the top row of 2x4 blocking, since Durock is 3'x5', they will be at 3' above the tub. From what I have read, use a modified thinset as the "joint" compound, and yes you need to use a speical mesh tape. As for greenboard under Kerdi..don't know. Haven't heard of the HD stuff..but IMHO, I would stick with what Bill says to do.

It's a very pretty plan! But the kitchen could use some work and the dining room looks a little small. Are you sure you want to pay for stairs and all the extra living space on 2nd floor, just for a loft? If you eliminate the bedrooms, your roof lines sound like they would be changing. And where is the 4' you plan to add to the great room going to go in the front of the house? Bigger foyer? Have you considered taking these plans in as a starting point and having someone draw up a new home plan....just for you? It might be better in the long run. Also think about the kitchen layout (which could be better) not to mention the corner range, the angled island and what looks like sharp corners. My hips hurt just looking at that kitchen! Sorry, but I'd be banging into those island corners all the time :) My advice...take this plan over to the kitchen forum, before you do anything else.