Please review our preliminary plan for one level home

4 years ago

I’m new here but have been reading for awhile with interest. We are planning to start building a home in the summer/fall. Some background: two empty nesters, DH is retired, I work PT from home. We currently live in a large 2 story on a farm in Virginia. We want to build a one story, 3 BR, 2 ½ BA home with unfinished basement in the 2300-2500 sf range and will be in the same area. We have a 10 acre, partly wooded lot with a slight hill that is where we will locate the house. We’re hoping to build a “simple” but comfortable house with minimal stairs and as low maintenance exterior as we can—brick.

Over a year ago we went to an open house and toured a new home that we really liked, except that it was not in the location we wanted. We liked the layout, mostly, and the finishes on a spec house we thought were very well done. We contacted the builder and saw several more homes he built and get along great with him. Our house will face south-southeast, so we wanted the side garage on the rear and the master bedroom in front which was the opposite of his plan. We found an online plan that we like a lot. We met with the builder and showed it to him, he has indicated that he can make the changes to the interior that we want. We're about ready to purchase the plan.

Changes we'd like: The 2 guest BRs will be set up differently, with a short hallway and bathroom between them. You’ll enter the bath from the hall, not J&J. (See my crude drawings) The office will lose the hall and large closet and become larger. There will be a small coat closet in it from the foyer, and a small closet adjacent to that for the office room. We will lose the 3rd bath in the center, giving that space to the living room. There will be a door and hall set up to get in from garage, not in the DR. The entry from the garage will be into a mud/laundry area. Sorry it's split in 2, I was trying to scan for a better photo, doesn't look like I got it.

The major changes will be between the garage and master BR. First, we will straighten the offset line of the house on the garage side. That adds approx. 3’ to the MBR and the rest of the area. We don’t like the closet access from the bath, so will switch the closet (and I thought about 2 closets, not sure) to enter from BR. We will have a shower only, no tub in bath & might expand the size of shower and bath. We want a ½ bath coming in from the garage. Builder suggested making a straight basement staircase instead of double. I’d like to have the washer, dryer, sink and water softener on the outside wall, also a closet for cleaning supplies somewhere and maybe a pantry. We need an area for the dogs to eat and get cleaned up when they come inside. There’s a lot of space in the area I outlined in red, which is at the top left of the 1st drawing, just not sure how to arrange it, suggestions welcome!

We’ll shorten the length of the front porch and probably the rear one too, but we do use our porches currently and will continue, I’m sure. The front is only 6’ deep; builder said easy to make it 8’. Also, we will be reversing the plan from right to left but I left in in the readable format; my drawing is reversed. Our garage will be on the NW corner.

Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far. Would love critiques, suggestions, any help!

Featured Answer

cpartist

4 years ago

Why wouldn’t you want your major public spaces facing south?

Why do you want that dysfunctional kitchen layout?

Why do you want that long dark entry foyer?

Why do you want to walk past your master bedroom when you come in from the garage?

Why does the office open off the living room?

Why do you want guests to walk past your master bedroom to get to the powder room?

Why do you want people sitting in the living room able to see into your guest bathroom?

Comments (12)

mountain_mist
Original Author
4 years ago
Forgot the photos of front & rear--
sheepla
4 years ago
I think the changes you are proposing are good improvements to some problem areas.
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No stairs going downstairs /we don't live in basement land. A real window would be fine . . . if it were to fall in the closet, but I'm not sure whether it would bisect the staircase itself. If your landing is around the 5' mark though, I'd assume a (small) window would fit into that closet. I'm thinking that it could be a small, non-functional window -- after all, we'd never want to open it in the closet. I think the dining room roof overhang will end up being a BALANCE between letting in enough light for the sun-filled space I want vs. overheating. Perhaps we should go with a ceiling fan above the table. I have several pictures of dining rooms in this style that I love, but this may be a weak point in the plan. Yes, I count 12 floor-to-ceiling windows. We had them in our starter house (though only four of them), and I LOVED THEM. They're something upon which I'm willing to splurge, and I like the idea that we'll have a wide-open view of the pool. However, if we check the price and find them outrageous, I can see a couple possible downsizes: - On the back wall of the living room I've placed a bank of three. That could drop to two. Considering we have a single door there, perhaps two is the "right size" anyway. - I could go with standard-sized windows flanking the bed. - Perhaps the study windows could become standard-sized. However, even thinking about them being a big splurge, I wouldn't give up the floor-to-ceiling windows altogether. I loved them too much in our old house. They brought in so much light, and the cross-breeze was wonderful in the spring and fall. The garage isn't particularly drawn to any scale -- it's just stuck in there. I can't say I've much thought beyond, "Yes, we'll store pool things there". I should investigate just how much space is necessary for these items. We recently ditched our lawnmower and other yard tools and have no plans to replace them. We're done doing that ourselves. I do have rakes, hoes, etc. for flower beds, but those don't take up much space. We're Southern, so we don't store our patio furniture in the winter. We're still using it. Similarly, HVAC units are all located outside here. I'm imagining it behind the pantry, enclosed by a trellis box and surrounded by flowers. However, in reality, the HVAC guy will tell us where this should go. He might say it should go along the side of the house. I feel out of my element on this one. I don't share the concern about walking through the study. That was the last part of the plan that came together for us: We tried all types of staircases in the space that's now the study. Tried bumping the entryway forward to the edge of the bedroom. Tried all sorts of things . . . 'til one day we thought about the staircase going to the corner, and it was a EUREKA MOMENT. We both like the arrangement very much. We think we'll like that the bedroom will be more private, and it provides a nice small entryway, while keeping the stairs out of the way but visible from the living room. Yes, I can see that everyone wouldn't like it, but I think this is one of our favorite parts of the plan. I'm trying to work on an upstairs . . . but while I think I have a pretty good eye for one story things, I find myself unequal to the task of "going up". The problem is that I'm set on a 1.5 story, and I can't visualize how far everything should scoot "in". I know exactly what I want upstairs: A small seating area, two bedrooms joined by a jack-and-jill bath and good closets. And I want to keep the plumbing roughly somewhere over the kitchen (or somewhere we already have plumbing -- I want to keep it somewhat consolidated). I'm still playing with upstairs layouts, but I'm not feeling very successful at all. I suppose the best choice is to draw out my best and throw it out here. Y'all do make good suggestions, and even when I don't care for the ideas, they often make me think, which is good. Thanks, folks! I'm enjoying the ideas you're sending out.
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Overall I like the general concept of the floorplan. As far as your concerns: 1. It can be fixed with pantry cabinets, but these are typically tall cabinets and I don't see a place that you can put them. 2. How long is you master double vanity? You can perhaps put a tall cabinet between the sinks to store towels. The bigger issue is that the laundry room is too small. You don't need a linen closet in the master bathroom-we don't have one, but there's no place to fold laundry or iron in the laundry room. A sink in the laundry room is also nice. 3. 14' can work but 15' would be better if you are willing to bump out the house by a foot. I would get graph paper and draw out your furniture to ensure there's space for everything. If you bump out by a foot, this might help your laundry room situation as well. There's bit of wasted space in the upstairs hall. 4. Fridge next to wall can work- you just need to make sure you have the appropiate filler piece to allow the fridge door to open. Would you consider forgoing the bar seating, closing off the dining room and changing the Kitchen to a U design. Put the fridge in the kitchen right at the end, next to the breakfast room. That allows easy access for guests and kids without getting in the way of the cook. You can also put tall pantry cabinets on the remainer of that wall. 5. The master closet is not bad, but can't you just make it a bit longer? Also, is there a way to take advantage of that square footage above the garage?
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Thank you all for your comments! The weather is getting cold and I hope everyone stay warm and safe. Littlebug- For UPS person or guests, I expect them park on the N St and walk up to the front door. The bottom right corner of the house is close to the community gate. There are about 30 houses on N street and only 10 on W street. So people entering the subdivision will see the front first. In case we do not have enough parking spaces there, they would find a spot close to the front door on the W St. Since the sidewalk is adjacent to the curb (without any grass between the curb and the sidewalk), the walk does not seem too bad. I understand the current layout with garage in the back is not ideal for guest parking. The lot is too narrow (70ft x 130ft) for front-or side-loading garage. Annkh- Yes. Very good suggestions on the window sizes. On the east side, the wall to wall distance is less than 20ft. The current neighbor does not have a single window. We currently have three windows in the bedrooms and one in the 2nd floor kids bath. They are for lighting and ventilation. On the wall facing the west street, we had small windows to limit heat exposure in the summer as we are building in the hot climate of deep south. I went ahead and did some changes. On the east side, the bedroom window sizes are increased from 2050 to the standard 3050. On the west side, I added two 3050 windows (one in dining and one in garage). I feel good about the window addition in garage. Just not so sure about the one in dining. Other than heat, it may cause problem for furniture placement. In addition, the small game room windows on front and west have been increased from 2010 to 2020. The two windows in the kitchen have been enlarged too. I made some small changes to the window header height. Some of the windows on the elevations look too close to the eaves so I moved them down about 6”. Not sure if that is that is right. I will verify with the designer and talk to builders. The current design has two small kitchen windows below high cabinets. I proposed to move them up to allow better lighting. Kirkhall-That is an important point and very good question. I always think that the front is on the N street as that is the front setback at on the plat. It is an empty lot in an established subdivision so we have our address already. I need to check with the city to find out where the house address would exactly be located. Or shall I also check with the post office? Lavender Lass- Thank you for your continued support and wish you a very happy new year! We are moving slowly. Just started to get cost estimate on the build. The W street is not busy. There are only about 10 homes up on that street. Our house is close to the sole entrance gate. No through traffic. Windows on the west side wall are limited and relatively small as we are concerned about the very hot summer climate here. Yes. Guests are going to park on the street in front our house. The house has a front setback of 20ft along that side so I think that is supposed to be the front unless we apply for a variance. AnnieDeighnaugh- I appreciate your comments. We have struggled a lot regarding the kitchen layout and tried different designs with help from people in the kitchen forum. I understand that the up-down island orientation would make a lot of sense in normal situations. In our case, the area is about 15ft by 16ft which is limited by the walls supporting the second floor game room. We need another 1-2ft to rotate the island 90 degree. The sink is placed on the corner so that we have more prep area to the left of the sink and in front of the fridge. Based on the prep sink size, we would probably about 2’6” landing to the other side of the sink behind the cook area. I was first worried about the island as a barrier between the cooktop and the fridge too. Just hope the problem won’t be that severe as it does not cut into the traffic much and we do have about 4ft island clearance both ways. Yes. There is a potential problem with the oven door and the pantry door being open at the same time. We may change the swing door to a pocket door to the pantry. The game room has windows along three walls. The ones on the back provide some views to the back yard and the rest are just for lighting/ventilation/exteriors. I did increase the small windows of 2010 to 2020. The front elevation needs a lot of work to make it look right. I have no idea about the front door-pediment-roof pitch proportions. I would bring the issue to the designer and certainly appreciate any comments here. Many Thanks! JF Attached are elevations with some changes to the windows. I did it on the CAD file from the designer just to illustrate some of the ideas (more windows, larger windows, lower window header, front door with vertical panels). Front Back Left Right
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A couple of reason I was asking.....First, never stop designing at the exterior walls. Think of the site and house as one. That's why it's important to have a drawing that connects the house to the site. It gives the complete picture. And second, while I can see the motives for a rear loading garage, it not only makes for a "tacked on" look to that part of the house, it creates that poor master bedroom entry. And interestingly, the back wall of the garage (which faces the front) doesn't look all that great!! Not to mention that the form of the "garage wing" looks entirely different than the house. If a side load hides all the doors anyway, what the point then for a rear load?? And you get a much better geometry to work with in the master bedroom. Finally, I generally don't like to come into a house and be looking at a wall. If the sight line goes clear through the house it not only connect the house to the site better, it makes it seem BIGGER. I while back I threw in some examples into an idea book for some one else to illustrate what I'm talking about. Look at how all those houses are drawn with the floor plan on the site. You need to do the same thing. Also, look at how in all of those houses we're looking through the house from the front door to site features beyond. And coincidentially, look at the modern farmhouse example there. That garage is detached but the roof forms play off of the house, it not something totally different like your house is. If it helps look at this thread http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3285825/what-makes-a-house-have-good-design?n=39 and read my post there 23 post down. Pay attention to #9, 28,44,52,61 and 62. But good luck with your project. Exciting times for sure!!!
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mountain_mist
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks, cpartist, for your questions. Currently our LR & DR face south and become very warm in the summer. We have AC, but prefer open windows when possible. I kind of like switching those 2 rooms to the back.

Not sure yet what we’ll do with the kitchen, will have help there. Do you mean the size/shape is bad or the actual layout which isn’t settled? I like the idea of looking out the window at the sink, beyond that don’t know where anything will go.

Don’t love the long foyer either. We talked of opening the office from that side to break it up. Would that be better?

As far as the hall, we liked it in person—2 of the builder’s homes we saw had that arrangement. How could it be better?

And looking into the guest bath, the builder’s home had a linen closet centered on the door opening. I thought about that too, and slightly offsetting the door to the bath. I was trying for a direct shot, for any future walkers or wheelchairs, I guess, but agree it’s not a great look. I’ll try to rearrange that.
Snaggy
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I wouldn't want my bedroom that close to the kitchen and I would want somewhere to put my coat in the hallway as well
cpartist
4 years ago
Have you considered looking into working with an architect to design something wonderful? As for south facing, if done right it is the best orientation. Done right means large overhangs and siting so you get the winter sun but not the summer sun. I’m in SW Florida and my main rooms face south with a lanai, and it’s been excellent. Now that we are coming into summer my main rooms get indirect light. In winter the sun streams in warming the space
loobab
4 years ago
Hi mistover-

On the one hand- I do see that you want a larger office and larger master bedroom.

However, losing a large closet and a bathroom will not help your resale value at all.

Rather than cobbling together an already made plan, why not do as cpartist suggests and consult an architect?

You can still show the architect the plan you already have as the type of thing you like and say what you like and don't like about it and go from there.

And you can still work with the builder that you like.

You don't know what you don't know, and you don't know what is available and possible until you hear the suggestions from the architect.

After all, you are sinking a whole lot of money into this, and this is your forever home.

Don't you think you deserve at least a consultation with an architect to know what is possible?
Jmint
4 years ago
I would definitely not put the kitchen next to the master bdrm
tatts
4 years ago
No one should EVER be seen from the public areas of a home entering or exiting a bathroom Ever! And people using a bathroom should never have to worry about making noises (or smells). This is basic Architecture 101.

A plan that puts a bathroom right in the middle of a home's public spaces is garbage.

Your kitchen--one of the most-used rooms in the home--will be a cave; 20 feet from the south windows and one window opening on to a north-facing covered porch. The dining room, on the other hand, will be bathed in light during the day (when nobody uses it) and look out at inky blackness in the evening (when it is most often used).

Lousy layout from a cheap plan mill.
PRO
Summit Studio Architects
4 years ago
After quick glance at your sketch I think you improved on some of the issues of the original plan... like the entrance to the master from inside the kitchen. Front and back porches on farmhouses are important features that engage the interior space with the exterior to create inviting outdoor living space. These porches seem more a design element to make the house look good than real, functional outdoor elements
mountain_mist
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks to all who weighed in!! Lots to think about. We did speak to 2 local architects. Sadly, both were way out of our price range for a similar house & their lead time was quite lengthy. We’d love it to be our forever home, but it might not be and adding in their costs (both similar) we’d be hard pressed to recover our initial investment.

Snaggy – we’ll have a small closet in the foyer and one in the back coming in from the garage, if I can figure out where to put it.

tatts – there will be no bath in the center of the house, unless you mean the guest bath on the hall. Also, the kitchen windows – probably 6-8’ wide - face south.

Summit studio – I agree the long, shallow porches on the plan are artificial looking, we plan to shorten the front one & center on the entrance, making it deep enough to sit comfortably. We sit on our current porch a lot. We have mountain views to the south and often have coffee and lunch there. The rear will be more of a gathering space, I hope. We'll cover only a part of it and have a patio for grilling, etc. We get our strongest winds from the W and hope the garage will shield us a little. The rear looks out to the meadow beyond and will have my gardens just off of it.
cpartist
4 years ago
Get in touch with architectrunnerguy who is a member of this forum. He’s an architect who will work with you remotely

Please review our preliminary plan for one level home

cpartist

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