As an IP attorney, I'm going to chime in here with a link that anyone who is even THINKING about allowing their builder to redraw a copyrighted plan from off the so they can use it without a license should read... JeffinTx - This is not the kind of thing that most lay people would know about so I'm not knocking you. But your builder OUGHT TO have KNOWN better and it bothers me that he would have suggested this. You might want to ponder this question. If your builder is willing to steal the intellectual property of other to "save you a few dollars," what other kinds of corners will he cut in building your home to save HIMSELF money? Here is a link that might be useful: Million Dollar Verdicts! Why You Need to Know Who Owns the Copyright to the Construction Documents

Nice to hear all your thoughts! Lots of good things to think about. And yes, I totally realize that the garage is not going to work as it it - that was one of the "rough" parts that needs more work! :) We're not opposed to it being detached either and we've considered the breezeway idea too. We'll work on that! That small triangular deck will be fixed once we figure out the garage, too. It's not meant to be any kind of entertaining area - just a back door and a way to get out to hang my laundry and such. I picture most of the outdoor living space to be on the south and front side of the house, so we'll make the decks bigger there. We'll reconsider the bump outs. I was thinking it might be nice to see out to the east from the bedroom and office, but maybe that's not the best solution. We don't plan on having any dressers in the bedroom, just a couple nightstands by the bed, so we're okay with a small bedroom. It seems to me that the closet is plenty big enough for all our clothes. The laundry room is sort of a multipurpose room. I plan to have my extra freezer in there, along with some storage, cleaning supplies and such, so it's just as important to me to be close to the kitchen. Thanks for pointing out the tight kitchen too!

Does anything stand out as unusual or impractical? It's almost double the size of an average American house. Your main floor has a large family space plus an away space ... why the whole basement as well? It'll be at least a decade -- and probably another house -- 'til the kids want to be separated from you. One thing we're wrestling with with is our kitchen island size I think you're falling victim to "this is what nice houses have" syndrome. Why do you need a breakfast table (not a nook -- nooks are tucked away spaces) PLUS a large island with seating ... located literally within arm's reach of one another? And I'd venture to guess another outdoor table only steps away. How many eating spaces do you actually need? I'd say choose one or the other ... if you go with the island, enlarge it a bit /make it really nice, not stools lined up so no one can talk comfortably ... if you go with the table, shorten the island to allow for circulation (and don't neglect the space you'll need when chairs are pulled out ... this table is in the center of your floorplan, making it a major thoroughfare. Our breakfast table is 3 1/2' round -- definitely go with a round table in this area -- and it's ideal for 4-5 people. We never put food on the table; rather, we serve plates from the stovetop for casual weekday meals. Don't forget that you want to be able to reach the back door. Currently it sits 6' from the stove so we can move it over at least a foot to 5' away 6' between the stove and island seems to be too much. 4' would be better. Another question is whether the master shower at 5' x 6' is just strangely large. Yes. In my opinion (and I spent several years measuring friends' showers and hotel showers to develop this opinion), showers shouldn't be more than 3 1/2' - 4' wide. Why? Because once you pass that width, you're kind of out in the middle of a too-big space, which feels uncomfortably exposed. If you one day need grab bars, the walls'll be too far apart for them to be reachable. However, this is an easy fix. Just reduce the size of the shower and center the tub on the open wall. Overall, I think a lot of your things are over-optimized. This may not be just as bad as under-sized, but it's a problem. You don't want over-sized ... you want right-sized. Have you measured friends' houses, etc. to see what sizes you actually prefer? The laundry room is on the second floor adjacent to the master bedroom. I'd bump the machines to the left /make it easier to vent the dryer. I personally would leave the laundry room door open most of the time, so I think this is a good spot for a pocket door. I'd also double the window in the laundry room so it would allow more light into the hallway. If you're going with modern front-loader machines, which are pretty deep, this laundry room isn't any too wide. Someone commented on the double doors to the mbr, are there issues with double doors? They seem to be common on mid to higher end houses around here. Again "this is what nice houses have" syndrome. Things that are common aren't necessarily desirable. Double doors require two hands to open ... and the light switches must be placed either behind the door or too far from the door for comfort. And what's the gain? Nothing. Well, if you're working with a small space, you might want your doors to "park" in a smaller area, but that doesn't seem to be a problem ere. In fact, I'd consider a 17' long master. What are you going to do with the space at the foot of the bed? Nothing. It's just empty space. Imagine you put a TV on the wall ... it's 17' away ... too far for easy vision, and you have to turn up the volume. Do pocket doors wear over time? We would prefer to keep them closed so the mud room to kitchen area would be closed most of the time. Yes, they do wear out, and they're harder for little fingers to open. I personally would go with a pocket door here anyway ... because I'd keep the door open most of the time. An alternative: A swinging door. Other thoughts: - I understand that you like to cook (and you will again once the kids are a bit older), but a larger kitchen is in no way a better kitchen. This much cabinetry is going to cost a fortune, and much of it is likely to end up as clutter-space. - Is that a pantry in the middle of the house? Again, this would be a good place for a pocket door. Note that your standard hinged door covers up a big portion of your shelves, meaning you'd have to go into the pantry /close the door to access these items. OR, this might be a place for double doors on swing hinges (swing hinged doors don't require hands to open). - The dining room isn't exactly close to the kitchen -- it's not absolutely ridiculously far, but neither is is conveniently placed. Consider the steps that'll be necessary to transport food, plates, drinks to the dining room. The butler's pantry half-way between is a good place for a buffet set-up ... be sure to include a few outlets there so you can run a crock pot in this area. - Is that empty room across from the stairs a half-bath? If not, it should be! You absolutely need a bathroom on your main living level. - Upstairs you're over-bathed (plus another full bath in the basement and what I think is a half bath on the main floor). You'll run yourself ragged keeping these bathrooms clean /keeping toiletries and toilet paper in them each. And only one of the upstairs baths (the one that shares a wall with the laundry room) looks to be adequately sized /comfortable. The others have minimal sink space, meaning no storage for the kids as they grow older. I'd go with ONE nice-sized bathroom open to the hallway. So much less money, so much less work.

Mrs Pete For the master bath layout we are looking to do something else here possibly. I see what you are saying there for the bathroom, we are looking for a “toilet closet and two vanities” but I do see how we could get rid of some of that wasted space. The front porch isn't. Yeah we were not looking for a “Porch” just a little inset to keep the sun and rain off the door. Or as you put it a nice place to stay that is well light to lock and unlock the door. We use our front door on our current home about 10% of the time anyway. For the master bath, is it important to you that you see the free-standing tub from the bedroom? Not really, I think it looks really nice but I have seen many other layouts I like just as well. The kitchen is too big. The overall kitchen flow doesn’t bother me too much but I do see what you are saying about walking all the way from the “dining room” to the sink, that would be a daily hike. I suspect you enjoy cooking and were thinking, Yes I enjoy cooking and having people over for the holidays. But can see the overall flow that people have pointed out. I would like to see the dining room closer to the kitchen. Consider carrying all the dinner plates, etc. to/from the dining room. Consider walking back and forth to refill a glass, to get the catsup, to carry the dirty dishes the length of the (oversized) kitchen to reach the sink /dishwasher. Kitchens and dining rooms need to be close together. Yes I see what you are saying here, I had not thought about that. In the great room, I'd move the backyard door to the edge of the room /near the kitchen. Why? Grilling out -- you want your door near the kitchen. Furniture placement -- you want your pathway to the door to be at the edge of the room, not behind the sofa. Another good point here. Thank you for your input, there was a lot of well thought out information here. Thanks again.