Thanks for the feedback. I don't think I will be able to relocate the laundry/mud room area as I would then not have a dining area. The idea of having the Island position the way it was was so that it could overlook the Great room. Do you think it would make more sense to either move the Sink over to the island, or somehow move the Refrigerator over to the rear wall (with the window)? My concern with moving the sink is that I'm not sure if it would look awkward with just a window and countertops below it where the sink originally was? What program did you use to do your rendering?

I must have misunderstood, as I thought the kitchen area will be 14.5 x 23'. Does the 23' include the breakfast/dining area? Or did you want island seating and a table in the kitchen?

I use Paint with a grid I downloaded from the internet.

Ideally the island would have space for informal eating on one side. The 23' does NOT include the breakfast/dining area.

If you leave the garage/MR entry door in the original location (small red rectangle on the above illustration), and keep the island in the original orientation (larger red rectangle), when anyone enters, he runs into the island. I guessed at the door location since it isn't noted on the plan.

As Kristin S mentioned, you're going to be doing a lot of extra, unnecessary walking in the original layout, every time you go from sink to fridge and fridge to cooktop:

I have seating on two sides, I was just too lazy to draw the stools:

So would you move the sink over to the island, or move the refrigerator closer ? What type of cabinets would you run in the 'L' area if the sink is not there?; Taking into account the rear window, which could be shifted if necessary. The location from the mud room is noted as "Sliding barn door"

At a minimum I would move the refrigerator over the the end of the sink wall as mama goose shows, even if that means shifting the sink and the sink window down a bit. I would also really listen to the rest of her advice - it doesn't look like your plan is to scale, and you may end up with some surprises (i.e. entering and being immediately blocked by the island). Plus, mama goose is really good at this :-).

Also, I'm pretty sure she's not taking from your breakfast room for the mudroom, but rather from the cabinets there, and also from the very, very wide walkway (10'?) you currently show between the refrigerator wall and the island. That's 12' to work with, and more if you flip the island like she recommends. And you'll get much better flow.

Here's an idea with a peninsula. I think it would allow you to have a wider mudroom, or a wider dining room, or a longer peninsula. Quick and dirty:

Move the M. bath to the interior.

Light on Two Sides of Each Room

http://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/aplsample/apl159/apl159.htm

When they have a choice, people will always gravitate to those rooms
which have light on two sides, and leave the rooms which are lit only
from one side unused and empty.

Therefore:

Locate each room so that it has outdoor space outside it on at
least two sides, and then place windows in these outdoor walls so that
natural light falls into every room from more than one direction.

What is the area you have outlined in Red? I believe that is currently where the Mudroom entry is. We prefer having the mudroom in a separate area near the garage entry, but I think we could still use the rest of your ideas. We definitely would like to have an Island as opposed to a peninsula.

Kristin is correct on all counts. Yes, the red rectangle is where I estimated your garage entry on the original plan. But ***poof*** the inside mudroom and laundry are gone! Even if you put a prep sink on the island (white part 6' for three seats but you can have it longer/red rectangle), you will be running all around the kitchen just to prepare a meal, and the entry is in your path from fridge to sink and range.

Yes I see what your saying. In my mind the island wouldn't be blocking the path from the mud room, but I admit my drawing is not to scale. I liked the idea of having the Refrigerator on the separate wall with the pantry, but I see how that could cause the extra traffic you were mentioning. Thanks for the suggestions!

The garage entry might be farther down--I was just estimating by looking at the scale of the drawing. Do you have plans that show the exact distance the mudroom is from the corner, and the dimensions of the mudroom? If the entry is farther down--enough to put the fridge on that wall, then you'd have a nice prep triangle with the island sink. But the fridge wouldn't be as convenient for folks coming from the living area or the bedroom hall. It's going to be difficult to find a spot convenient to LR, dining, and prep sink, though, since it's such a large space.

To fill up some of the floor space, you could make the island deeper, with extra cabinets for storage, and seating on two sides--but I think it would look strange to have the island extend very far past the edge of the fridge. You could have a deeper reach-in pantry on the dividing wall.

I realize you said you just want comments on the kitchen, but I'd recommend you rethink the master bath too. As mentioned earlier, if you move it to the interior you can get more windows in the bedroom. But mostly, I'd not want the toilet to be directly across from the, unless you always keep the door closed even when no one is in there. (Who wants a view of the toilet from the bed?) I'd also skip the 2nd sink in favor of a bank of drawers. The sinks are so close together that you probably won't be comfortable using them both at the same time, and I think you'd appreciate the counter and storage space if you have one sink + drawers.

mama goose I really like this last design! I do need to get more specific dimensions but this looks like a nice layout as long as we can fit the fridge on the wall adjacent to mud room. I think I can move the entry to the mud room over 1-2 feet toward the front of the house that would hopefully accommodate this. are the appliances/counters in your last drawing to scale?

So here is a partial re-work of both the Kitchen space and the Master Bedroom area. In the kitchen I have shifted the entry of the mudroom over as far as possible, moved the Refrigerator over to the opposite wall and moved the Pantry to the opposite corner, next to a Computer Desk. In the Master bedroom I have flipped the location of the Bath and Walk in closet to allow the bedroom to be in the corner. What I'm not sure about is Window placement in the Bedroom.
Where would you place windows with now having 2 exterior walls available? We will need to stick to a maximum of two window openings in this room to help stay within budget. I'm not crazy about the Master Bath layout either, but it is a narrower space to work with (approx. 6.5 feet wide). I have more questions but that's enough for now? Thanks again for all the information!

The scale of my drawings is 1sq=6", with the measurements marked in feet along the margins. If you are going to continue to draw by hand, then use graph paper to keep everything in scale. I'll add the graph I use at the end of the post. It's very easy to change with Windows Paint program--you just draw boxes.

In your latest plan, with only one sink, the DW should be to the left of the sink because your primary prep space will be between the sink and range. Not only will the DW be out of your prep space, but it will be easier for a helper to load or unload it, or gather dishes to set the table, without entering your work zone. That also leaves space to the right of the sink for the trash pull-out, which should be under the prep counter.

You still have wasted space in that corner by the pantry and desk. Consider a walk in pantry in the space where I had the MR and laundry, with the desk against the wall. You could have the MW and snack center there, near the fridge but not in the work area.

ETA, you could also have a butler's pantry, for a shortcut from kitchen to DR:

Or:

The area you have designated as "snacks" is what type of cabnetry? I am having trouble envisioning what this would look like. Do you think would this layout there would be enough space for a separate Cooktop and Wall oven Vs. a Range?

On the topic of prep sink in the island or not. Just wanted to mention that part of my kitchen layout is similar to mama goose's sketch - I have the sink along the L by windows, and then the island is pure counter space, the other side of the L is the stove. I originally planned to have a prep sink in the island and the last second took it out. I'm so glad I did. I really don't need another sink (on occasion it'd be a nice to have, but not on the regular) and it keeps the island as wide open counter space which is SO valuable!

I haven't any ideas about cabinetry--just trying to give you layout ideas. (ETA, use as many drawer bases as possible.) I drew a MW in upper cabinet, but that could easily be a wall oven/MW stack, or MW could go elsewhere. In this drawing it's a drawer in the island, across from the fridge:

You say you've settled on a house plan and want to make modifications. Are you building on your own land with a custom builder or is this a tract home? If it's a tract home, have you checked to see if you're allowed to make such modifications?

We will be building on our own land with a custom stick builder.

So why take a generic plan and plop it on the property? Why not work with an architect to create a house that will truly make use of the land and any special features and will be exactly what you need?

Also how large is your property?

Aside from the few layout/wall changes, we like the plan and square footage and don't see the value in needing to develop something more custom that would only add substantially to the overall cost.

The house will be built on 20 acres of land.

My first thought was that you are not gaining square footage of cabinet space even though you are gaining floor square footage. That is a lot of walking if you are the one cooking. Are you planning on parking cars in the garage? If you move the door into the laundry room, you are losing space to park a car. I think the door is in the correct place on the original plans. The bifold doors in the laundry room will make that room look smaller. No one but family will go in there so you could get rid of the bifolds which would make it easier to put an ironing board next to the W/D. Also, make sure your washer and dryer will fit in the space. Some newer models are huge.

Do you need the small linen closet in front of the hall bath? I would get rid of it, and you could make the hall bath larger. The X in the hall bath is wasted space since it is inside the walls and unusable. By moving the hall bath wall to the right, that X could be the new linen closet and room for a laundry hamper. That means your bedroom door would move to the right. Check loading bearing walls on any changes.

If you move the other hall closet with bifold doors to make it a bedroom closet, you will need a place to keep your pillows, blankets, vacuum cleaners, luggage, etc. I would rather have a hall closet for things like that. Make a list of everything you store out of sight in a closet. Are the stairs for a basement?

I disagree about the bedroom needing two windows. I have always had only 1 window in my master bedroom. A double window usually. Having more windows means less place for dressers and it changes where you can put your bed. What size is your bed? Currently, I have a 28 ft long wall of windows and that means the whole wall can't be used because of the windows. Plus a lot of windows means a lot of sun that can fade the carpet. The previous owners of my house had their furniture in the same place for years, and once they moved out, we could see how much the oak floors had faded because of the windows. How much time do you spend in the bedroom to enjoy the windows? I think you need to plan and measure where all of your furniture will go.

As far as having two sinks in the master bath, will there be two people using them at the same time of the day? Two sinks are not that important unless two people are in the bath at the same time. I would go bonkers if my husband and I had to get ready for work at the same time. I want the bathroom by myself for the 15 minutes it will take. I would not want the toilet beside the shower. What are the dimensions of the master bath? Can you leave the toilet by the sink and bring the shower out into the room instead of losing part of your closet? How much space between the toilet and shower?

Our living room, dining room, and kitchen is all open. When my husband gets up early, he loves cooking onions with scrambled eggs. He never turns the vent hood on. The smell and the mess he leaves is open to anyone who walks in the front door. This is the hottest kitchen I have ever cooked in. The single window gets the late afternoon sun in the summer. It is very difficult to cool the kitchen, living room, and dining room since the thermostat is in the small, narrow hallway. Which way is your house facing? Will you get the morning sun in those two bedroom windows or afternoon sun. (Or the kitchen.) Think about summers in your state.

As far as the island with a sink, who does the cooking? Watch how the cook uses your current kitchen. I hate preparing food and kneading bread, etc., when there is an upper cabinet by my head. I would rather prep food on the open island where I can see into the living room. I do not have a sink on my 8 ft island, and I do not miss it. I use a cutting board anyway, so I just turn and dump the scraps in the trash.

Do you really need a desk in the kitchen? Maybe you have kids doing homework there or will it seldom get used? A butler's pantry walk-through wastes a lot of space. I love my microwave drawer in my island, but my microwave drawer opens differently than a countertop microwave. I worry what happens when I need to replace it. I may not be able to find one that exactly fits in the same spot.

If the dryer is in an inside room, where does it vent? My dryer has always been on an outside wall. I like the room that mama goose drew, but I would make it a storage pantry. The washer and dryer will bring lots of noise and heat to the living room. By the way, with an open plan, pay very close attention to which dishwasher you buy. In order to have a super quiet dishwasher, I spent about $1,000. (Bosch 41 db) With the TV on, we do not hear it and it is about 20 ft away. With the TV off, we can hear the beep when it is finished, but that is all we hear.

Do you want an island with tall barstools or chair height? All of the drawings are speculations without dimensions. Mama Goose did a great job without knowing the exact measurements.

Developing something more custom doesn't necessarily add to the overall cost. Think of it this way - right now you're paying for some things you don't actually want (that space in the center of the house that was a super wide walkway and now you're trying to figure out what to do with, for example); with a custom design, you can instead pay for exactly what you want and now what you don't.

That said, even if you don't go with a custom design, you can do better than this plan for a fully-custom build on a 20 acre lot. This house is designed for a narrow city lot; that means it's square and compact; from a cost perspective, it means it has a big, expensive roof. From a livability perspective, it means the center is dark and the layout is less than ideal. Those things are sometimes necessary trade-offs on a city or suburban lot, but they're not for you.

Look at this plan for comparison. I suspect it's more square footage than you want, though I can't fell for sure. But either way it is a good example of the sort of better layout you can get. Notice how by stretching things out you can get a lot more natural light to all the spaces (especially if you were to add a window in the kitchen)? And the bedrooms have a nice buffer between them via the bathroom (which I would change to a hall bath, by the way) and closets? It's far from a perfect plan, but it gives you an idea what is possible when you're not constrained by a city lot.

https://houseplans.co/house-plans/1258/

I think we may perhaps have a different philosophy regarding our wants vs. needs. The home plan you showed is 2,800 square feet, so yes it is going to feel more open, and no doubt cost quite a bit more to build. This plan we like is 1,900 square feet, which is way more than my wife and I even need, but will future proof our living situation if we ever have children. I would much rather build a home and be able to pay for it entirely than take out a mortgage on something that big that at the end of the day still serves the same purpose for us. I think taking the few suggestions we've received on here from mama goose (that have been very helpful) we can easily make this a very nice space to enjoy.

Your island does not need to be a rectangle. Here are some ideas.

We put a chair height table on the back side of our island. The three top island drawers pull out over the top of the table. We keep extra napkins and silverware there. Drop a fork? Just open the drawer. Plus when people are sitting at the table, and I am in the kitchen, I can see over the heads of people to see what is happening in the living room.

Loft Condo Renovation · More Info

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Right, as I said, I wasn’t proposing that plan for you, but using it to illustrate a point. You could have a layout that would share many of the same characteristics (Natural light, good flow, etc.) in your 1900 sq. ft., likely for the same cost.

I think it is critical to inject here the importance of natural light on the human condition and architectural design. Admittedly there are many factors that effect size and placement of windows in a home, but when faded carpet takes precedence above one's health and well being, it raises question of priorities in the creation of domestic shelter.

Kristin S, would the original plan have a hip roof? Is that why the roof would be more expensive? So a gable roof like on a ranch would be less expensive? I may be way off base.

Yes, I agree that natural light is critical to have, but we were talking about a bedroom. I don't know if you read all of the posts first, but the OP does not have children yet, so they are probably at work during the day. I do not spend my day in the bedroom when I am home. I would rather have natural light in the living and kitchen areas than the sleeping area.

But with 20 acres, why choose between natural light in the bedrooms and natural light in the living areas? Why not go crazy and build a house with natural light in all the rooms?

Contrary to apparently popular belief, good design is not correlated with cost or size. A 10,000 sq. ft. house is often no more likely to be well-designed than a 1,000 sq. ft. house.

I just discovered this website, with some really lovely small houses. There are others out there. It's easier to have one designed for you, but if you're set on a stock plan, better ones are out there. Without increasing your size or cost.

Good design isn't for "other people" unless you want it to be.

Ah, the best of both worlds! Perfect!

I do think the original design could be a lot better. But, I assumed the OP had already bought the plans. You are right that there is bound to be a plan that has a lot less to change.

Welcome to Houzz! My favorite posts involve stone slabs. The last time I looked there were so many slab questions that it completely filled up. Then a 2nd and a 3rd were filled up. Very interesting posts. I believe a geologist named Karin_mt helped answer most of the questions. Fascinating to me. I can't remember what the posts were called, but I will find it. It has been several years since I looked at it.

Old Garden Web forum... They are up to #6 now. Everything a home owner needs to know about stone slabs: marble, granite, soapstone, quartzite, etc.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-let-s-talk-about-rocks-some-more#n=743

Okay, after an hour spent on a mainstream plan site, I'm depressed. They really do make it seem like good design is for other people, because there are a whole lot of terrible plans for sale.

I think you'll find the best plans on sites like the one I linked, or Allison Ramsey, or a handful of others. That said, you might also check out this one. It is much like your original plan, but with some notable improvements. It eliminates the few little jigs and jogs (which add cost and roof complexity), it puts the master bedroom in the corner, it puts the closets between the bedrooms for a sound buffer, and I think it streamlines the mudroom and laundry room entry. It's smaller, and could be even smaller by eliminating the breakfast room/pantry bump out. I'm guessing it's also less deep, which means natural light will penetrate better and you'll have less roof, which helps with costs. Oh, and it's designed for future expansion into the attic space, should you ever want more space (if say you have those hypothetical kids and they grow to hypothetical teenagers and bring a whole pack of friends over daily to hang out.

You'd still want to rework the dining/breakfast/kitchen area to give you windows in the kitchen and a single eating space, but in general it seems like a good option.

https://www.houseplans.com/plan/1865-square-feet-3-bedrooms-2-5-bathroom-country-house-plans-2-garage-23548

If you're building on 20 acres why is the garage stuck onto the end of the house blocking light and views?

Natural light is important in any space humans occupy.

What direction will your house face? That should determine the orientation and placement of your living areas, garage, and private spaces. Will you have a basemen?

Just want to point out that the plan posted by Kristen S is actually deeper than the OP’s original plan, and still requires a complete rework of the garage entrance and kitchen layout in order to have a kitchen window. Other than locating the closets between bedrooms, I’m not seeing how this plan is any improvement over the OP’s revised plan, which has the master bedroom in the corner and has a much improved kitchen layout with window. The comments re better light penetration and less roof are not accurate.

I REALLY like the most recent floor plan Kristen S just posted for you. I think it has great potential to meet your needs!!

The entry from garage is so much better. And there is a wall in the laundry room where you can mount a row of hooks for coats/etc - potentially even a small bench there. You don’t have kids yet but they suck at hanging up coats in closets ;)

I think this plan gives you so much more of what you want!!

I didn’t see the dimension on the original plan and so was guessing. Once you eliminate the breakfast room bump out, they’re actually just about identical. I had thought you might gain a little more width since the bedrooms are stacked width wise rather than length wise, but breaking even is not bad.

edited to add: actually, the plan I posted is shallower, as I realize their 49’ dimension includes the 8’ and 10’ porches front and back, which could be eliminated for better light if needed (or at least back could - I’d probably keep the front).

The front of the house will face west, and we will have pretty nice views through the rear into the mountains around us. The garage does not obstruct the view at all. The garage has to be on one end or another so I don't write understand the comment about why the garage is on one end. I think it would be ideal to add one more window in the master bedroom, but I don't want to add several more windows as that will alter the budget significantly.

But with 20 acres, why choose between natural light in the bedrooms and natural light in the living areas? Why not go crazy and build a house with natural light in all the rooms?

I am on a 9100 square foot lot in a small city. My downstairs is just under 2000 square feet with a master suite and what could be considered a second bedroom. It would have been easy to add a third bedroom and shrink my kitchen/dining/living area a bit if that was what I wanted and needed. And guess what? I have natural light from 2 walls in all public rooms and in the two bedrooms downstairs.

If I can do it on a measly 9100 square foot lot, it certainly can be done on 20 acres in a 1900 square foot house and without blowing the budget.

The front of the house will face west, and we will have pretty nice views through the rear into the mountains around us. The garage does not obstruct the view at all.

No but it obstructs the best light for passive solar heating/cooling of the house. If you haven't read up on passive solar heating/cooling I highly suggest you do so now before you go further.

Working with the sun both summer and winter can help cool your house in summer and keep it warmer in winter.

And the absolute best orientation is south, but you have absolutely no windows coming from the south. This is where someone who is experienced in home design would be a major help. Over the life of the house, orienting the house correctly will also help save with heating and cooling bills.

I think it would be ideal to add one more window in the master bedroom, but I don't want to add several more windows as that will alter the budget significantly.

Windows are several hundred dollars a piece. If adding a few windows will "alter the budget significantly" in your mind, then it sounds like you're cutting it way too close to build.

Windows are also less energy efficient than having an insulated 2x6 wall in place of it. When your building on a property that requires a 15k Septic System, 6k Private well, and propane supply installation than you can see where your costs are significantly more than a city lot that can tie into public utilities more easily, and therefore is why I am being conservative with significant changes. Because of the way the land slopes downward from south to north, the best view will be with the house facing west. The home will have a hybrid heat pump and high efficiency gas furnace system so the "passive heating/cooling" effect is not as important to us.

I agree, Kevin. We built in a 20 acre "pasture" once. Very expensive. Took us 3 years to get water on the property. It was close by, but water department was fighting with a builder. They wanted him to pay for upgrading lines for his new housing addition. He didn't want to pay, so the water department would not let us have water either. Finally, we found the original engineer who went to a meeting with us. We got the water and could build the house. Glad we did not have to dig a well. I think we are all looking at different things. Designers, architects, and home owners. Choose what you want and enjoy your house.

I've been thinking about the first plan I posted, with the interior laundry and mudroom. I still like it. If you put the laundry/mudroom inside, you don't need anything in the garage but a couple of steps (between the garage bays, where the steps start on the original plan), so it shouldn't interfere with parking. Moving the door down, across from the MR door, would allow you to have a ROTS pantry beside the fridge, and you could also have shallow storage cabinets beside the entry door. They could be used for extra pantry storage, brooms and cleaning supplies, extra mudroom storage, candlesticks and linens for DR, etc.

You wouldn't need to carry laundry through the kitchen, but the W/D are still close enough to monitor while you're cooking. Likewise, laundry isn't lugged back through the kitchen.

I incorporated the front entry closet into this version, and it's all included in your 14.5 x 23' space. There's a stub wall beside the oven, so the profile view from the great room is uniform. If you feel that the oven would block light from the great room window, the sink window could be widened.

Of course, if you use a different plan, or have an architect design a custom home, this is moot. I just wanted you to consider all aspects of the interior laundry.

Mama, how far from an outside wall is your laundry area suggestion?

Straight back to the kitchen wall 15' with 2 90's where the hose comes off the dryer. Of course, I don't know which way the floor joists run.

The International Residential Code (IRC) SECTION M1502 CLOTHES DRYER
EXHAUST guidelines states that a dryer exhaust duct should not exceed 25
feet from the dryer to the exhaust vent in the wall or roof. However,
that 25 ft. length is only if it's a straight line from the dryer to the
exhaust, which it rarely ever is.

In any dryer vent line installation,
there are always bends that restrict airflow. For every 45-degree bend,
you have to deduct 2.5 feet from the total length. For every 90-degree
bend, deduct 5 feet. (NOTE: the maximum length of the exhaust vent line
doesn’t include the transition hose, the short length of duct that runs
from the dryer to the wall).

What If You Can’t Get Your Total Dryer Vent Length Down To 25 Feet?

If there’s no way to get your dryer vent line down to 25 feet or
less, you’ll need to install a booster fan on the line. These fans
ensure dryer exhaust in the vent line actually makes it to exhaust vent.
An automatic pressure switch starts the fan up when it detects the
dryer is running.

It seems to also depend on the dryer brand, and the standard might have changed to 35' maximum in 2012. HandyMac posted this link in the linked discussion--scroll down for manufacturer specs: Appliance 411

One discussion--long dryer vent run w/ links