Assuming this is the plan you're talking about, so people can see it -

The House Designers 7208

How many flat roofed houses do you find in Indiana? How does this design relate to the site?

I would need roller skates to cook a meal in that kitchen.

Ten (10) ft island. Stove needs to be moved to another side to form proper work triangle. IMHO

Front

Back

> How many flat roofed houses do you find in Indiana? How does this design relate to the site?

Few, not many. Back of the house faces west unfortunately.

Zone 5 Indiana, seeking opinion on the overall flow. The hallway on the left 3'-8".

We are aware that the plan has way too many corners. And the flat 15 acres infield lot would have to be regraded to make it work. For us it is not clear it is build able in the norther climate. It includes "crawl space" foundation ... probably to be replaced with shallow frost protected foundation. Live load is 20 psf, dead load is 10 psf (we will bump it up).

Concerns: 1/12 Pitch, also plenty commercial structures with low pitch - they are also using still decking. Hubby concern over dew condensing and rotting all roof decking.

Thank you so much.

KateT

I recommend contacting a local architect to design a home with you that is for you and not try to fix someone else's.

Impossible right now and I am still recovering from a "gift" from China.

Glad to hear "recovering" is attached to the "gift".

Since you have a flat lot, maybe look for a plan that doesn't have a walk-out basement? And one that has a roof that works in your climate? And that doesn't have a huge wall of windows facing west?

On a 15-acre flat lot, you should be able to spread out and orient the home to maximize natural light. My house in ND faces SW, which means the living room gets lots of afternoon sun in the winter, and little direct sun in the summer. A patio door and deck on the SE side mean we get great winter morning sun, but can enjoy a shaded deck in the afternoon in the summer.

Plopping a house on a lot without regard to terrain and direction isn't going to give you the most livable home for your buck.

Looking at the plan again - one thing I've learned about here is sight lines. When guests enter at the front door, ideally you want them to see through the home, or at least into an inviting space. Your guests come in to a wall, turn to see the kitchen island and probably dining table. If it's later in the day, they will enter a living room with window coverings drawn, to keep out the glaring sun.

I think you can do better!

A T shape is good, allows light for every room. I'd move the laundry room to the left side of the house, perhaps between the master and secondary bedrooms. Closer to where most laundry is generated and put away, but still convenient for kitchen towels and linens and for switching loads during the day.

Not sold on the two entries from the garage. You enter with groceries by the pantry, but what about your wet weather gear and purse? Or you enter at the mudroom to shed your gear, but what about the groceries?

Not sure if you'd use the glassed-in wine area, but left open, it could have cabinet storage for, say, specialty dinnerware and patio ware.

I'd keep the utility room on the right, adding a door to a back stoop.

Will you have a basement or will you do the walkout?

Thank you bpath, we were going to use wine area [don't need that many wines] for kids computer desks, drop two doors; or may be in the future do a cold storage room - DH loves engineering projects and we have like acres and acres we can plan with free water.

I understand you’re recovering from covid (and most cases in the US actually came from Europe) and I wish you a speedy and complete recovery., but i have to ask what does that have to do with hiring an architect? Most will work remotely in this day and age

Back of the house faces west unfortunately.

:-O

Oh, man. :-( Looks like this plan was designed with a backyard-facing-south orientation in mind, so that the Garage and Laundry absorb most of the western heat, and the morning sun wakes everyone up (all good things for my family, lol).