Our architect designed a long narrow L shaped house for us. Most rooms in our house have windows on two walls, both the north and the south sides of the house. We get a wonderful amount of light. We have one hallway leading to the secondary bedrooms but no corridor running the full length of the house by any means.

Its a waste of time and effort to think about why internet plans are not good; the answer is the're designed to fit on subdivision lots (fat with garage doors in front). Find a good lot and a good local architect and design what works best for you. Good luck.

There are more strategies to get sunlight into a house than just window placement in a "flat" house. Clerestory windows, changes in floor and ceiling heights, light wells. I'm sure you can find some examples on-line once you get past all of the stuff being pushed for sale.

My house is a U shaped house and every public room and bedroom has windows on at least 2 walls. The main living/dining/kitchen runs east/west so all day long those rooms get north/south light. So do the bedrooms and offices. It can be done and it doesn't necessarily have to be done as just a rectangle. However that is where a person of design talent is invaluable.

A hallway along one side isn’t uncommon in MCM houses. Not the canned MCM plans you can find, but custom designs.

Just call it a gallery!

I happen to own a MCM ranch that is 72’ long and 25’ deep with almost all the windows in the living space along the south wall we put in patio doors off the LR and DR because that is the side we have our outdoor kitchen , DR and seating. I is an amazing way to live where I am. The house has huge overhangs that allow the light in but not the heat in the summer and in the winter the sun is much lower and heats the house. I also live in Canada we get bit hotter summers than you do but I love my house and the thing I love most is the simplicity of the design. MY suggestion is you get an architect to design what you want IMO not that difficult to do what you want .We do have a walkout basement because our house is on a hill so we have lots of space without going to a 2 storey which I don’t like much.

If you want sunlight, ANY light and most of the time? Think height. Height of ceilings, height of windows, Daylight is not highly penetrating light. You can face dead south, and low windows, and lower ceiling height will afford sun, but mostly in a winter sky.

Either way, your best result will come from an ARCHITECT and a personal consideration by that person on the site.

You can't design your own home, any more than you can drill your own teeth.

Here is the plan of the Howard Anthony House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It currently sets among mature trees, but when I was in the house (early afternoon) it did not lack for light in any of the rooms.

Well, now I want a house with a laboratory.

In 1935 Howard Anthony purchased the Heath Company and needed a "laboratory" to tinker in. Personally I think my laboratory would work better with the entrance behind a bookcase.

I saw that Anthony was a birdwatcher, so Wright designed him a great viewing opportunity. The benefit of an architect.

BTW, Mark, have you heard anything about the houses, many Dow houses, that may have been damaged in the flood, and if there are decisions by the owners about restoring them?

I have not heard anything about any of Alden Dow designed homes being effected by the floods. I certainly hope they have not been damaged or at least very little. I have been in a few of them and helped design an addition (with one of Alden's retired partners) for one of the Dow family members, but not in Midland.

Sunlight should be maximized in the rooms that are used the most, or where it is most needed or enjoyed. I can't see that a hallway meets those criteria, so I prefer a house with a central hallway. Place the larger rooms at the ends of the house, with large cross-breeze windows to the south and east, and to the south and west. East facing for your morning activities like getting ready for work. West facing for evening relaxing. South facing for any time, especially an office if you work from home.

Thanks for all the comments. The general sense I get is that placing a corridor to the front of the house is not a bad decision in and of itself, and could make sense.

The plan of the Howard Anthony House is definitely interesting, and there are some great ideas here such as the use of clerestory windows.

I will of course hire an architect when it's time to take the project more seriously, I never said I was trying to do the architect's job myself. But I still like to think about it and see what I can come up with... if that's OK ;-)

" But I still like to think about it and see what I can come up with... if that's OK ;-) "

Of course it's OK. Someone posted this here a while back when the issue came up "Is it inherently wrong to tinker with floor plans for fun? So only those who can paint like Rembrandt should pick up a paintbrush? "

Just don't get too attached to it. Have fun!

Just don't get too attached to it.

When someone is a chronic DIY house designer, it eventually becomes obvious: Each "new favorite" plan is proof that there are several ways to approach a home, so attachment to The Plan(s) is lessened over time, with each subsequent idea. The mind becomes more flexible and the heart doesn't get broken. At least, that's been my experience, anyway, lol!

I agree; I try not to get too attached because I know my potential plan could be completely scrapped. I've already made about 4 possibilities, and I still want to try a few more different ways. I guess I'm used to it since my job is already related to design.

It's really fun though, can't wait to build my dream house!

Seating near the window, which is a good objective, is harder to do when window space is in a hallway which doesn't usually have chairs. That's why I'd make the house 2 rooms deep with a hallway in the middle, and exclude any designs that are only one room deep. .

There are many good examples of residential architecture designed to incorporate natural lighting. They don't have to be simple rectangles.

One good source, among many to study are the floor plans and interior spaces of Frank Lloyd Wright, especially his smaller houses.

Every room can benefit from sunlight - possible idk. I was impressed with Wright's work studio in WI. For more consistent light, roof features jutted out and peaked, with its glass windows facing north.

I love natural light and living in the pacific nortwhest, have grown obsessed with design that maximizes it. my last apartment was a highrise with floor-to-ceiling windows in all rooms. it could have been a boring box of an apartment (built in 1983), but those windows took it from blah to stunning. I miss that place so much. even on rainy days it was cheerful in there.

I find that modern house designs maximize natural light much more than older ones. it fell out of favor in the 70s during the energy crisis. but since then, there have been so many improvements with insulated glass, high efficiency heating and cooling, and renewable energy.

I also noticed that there's a lot of midcentury architecture that really showcased light too. floor-to-ceiling windows, clerestory windows, corridors full of light, passive solar design. I love all of these styles.

sorry, I realized that didn't really answer the OP's question. more of an "ode to big windows", and also pointing out the fact that there have been many styles through the years that did prioritize light.

new build homes that have smaller windows (or windows not facing south) may be for price / practicality. triple glazing and high efficiency heat/cooling systems are very expensive. maybe the house needs to be cooler in the hot sun without breaking the bank. or to be quieter and/or have more privacy on a busy street.

This house shape is based in a couple of rectangles. It has the hall across the front. I happen to have the plan in one of the architect's books.

French Country style house by R A.M. Stern Architects

You can have windows in all the sides of the house, even on the west, just smaller and hopefully to places like the garage, closets, or a bathroom. Ideally they should be short and placed high.

I usually place the most windows on the south, then north and east almost equally (morning sun is good for us), and the least on the west side.

You suggest you to read about passive design/architecture.

The forum would roast the Howard Anthony plan. Just look at all those angles!

https://plans.susanka.com/

In reference to an earlier comment, this is what a broken dam looks like.

The topography of your plot of land may influence the design of your home.

Topography is an important factor in site analysis. If a site is flat, topography will not affect the location and layout of the building. But on a sloping site topography is a significant factor. The slope of a site or slope of an adjacent site will affect the access of sun & views..