Hi!

First of all, roughly where in the world are you building? :-D

Second, which direction will the house face? How large is the lot/parcel of land?

Third, what kind of changes can be made? Is this a tract/production build, or a fully custom build?

Lastly, are you open to stretching the house out a bit, so that it's only 2 rooms deep instead of 3? :-)

We are building in Ontario Canada! The house will face east and the lot size is below. The developers offer several plans and those plans are open to changes we would like to make. I am not opposed to stretching the house. Thanks!

Can you share your favorite things about this plan, and what you are looking for in a home?

I suspect you will not be able to stretch the plan so to speak. Your house looks like it is in a development with homes to be planned on either side of you and likely your home is filling the buildable space. It cannot really widen across the frontage much or it will be too close to the edge of your lot.

You might want to clarify what they mean by open to changes. You might be imagining adding square feet and shifting the footprint while they mean a half bath vs full or reversing where kitchen and living are. You need to find out how much control you have in this.

Do you own the lot or does the builder?

Thanks for asking! I love the “cottage” feeling of this plan. The lot is across the street from a lovely river. We would definitely want to add a fireplace to the great room. I like the den option as it gives us an option for a third sleeping area for visiting family. We are a retired couple so the one story option is a plus. I would also love built-in bookshelves but have a hard time visualizing where they could go.

A S. I understand what you are saying about our building limitations. We don‘t expect to add square footage. We will definitely have to stay within the limitations of the plan‘s square footage. We are buying the home and lot from the builder. Thanks.

Then you will not be able to stretch the plan as suggested. You will need to work with the footprint provided and likely make interior changes only. Is that how you understand it too?

“The lot is across the street from a lovely river.”

So views of the river will be from the garage, foyer, and den?

I can picture you sitting out front on the porch looking at the river, reading in the den and looking out, or simply going for a nice stroll over to it. I could see bookshelves on either side of a fireplace in the great room or bookshelves in the den.

I suspect you will not be able to stretch the plan so to speak. Your house looks like it is in a development with homes to be planned on either side of you and likely your home is filling the buildable space. It cannot really widen across the frontage much or it will be too close to the edge of your lot. [....] Then you will not be able to stretch the plan as suggested.

I'm not getting this impression, necessarily, lol.

Assuming the builder allows it, the house could be stretched top-to-bottom, not side-to-side. :-D

"Stretched" could very well mean a significant re-design, but I don't know what is possible, so I'm not really sure what to suggest....

Hi Mark. Unfortunately the river is across the road and down an embankment! Luckily we will have access to the river via walking trails. The lots backing onto the river are above our price point.

A S. Yes. That is my understanding. Thanks!

Would you be able to move the kitchen to the front, so you can see the lovely river? I love my front-facing kitchen! I can see family or deliveries arriving.

I‘d move the garage door into the house to the foyer, not the laundry.

bpath. The lovely river that I mentioned is down an embankment accessed via walking trails, lol. The home owners who are lucky enough to own the lots backing onto the river will be rewarded with the views!

Well, I still like a front-facing kitchen here, you can look at something besides a wall. As it is now, the den will just be a “parlor”, something you furnish and never use, The family room can be where the dining is, and the family room can have a den, maybe with double doors to the family room, for a quiet space or for spillover when you have company over. Do you have children with families?

edit, I just see that you have visiting family.

You might like a little bit, but not too, big, master bath, can you steal a bit of space from the other bedroom?

If you move the garage entrance from the laundry to the foyer, then the laundry can become he guest bath, and the hall bath can become the laundry.

Great ideas, bpath. I do have children with families and hope they visit often!

If you can make major changes like where the kitchen is then yes you need to look at all options. Perhaps check with builder?

Can you move the master bedroom door to open off the family room, by the stairs? That would let you move the closet over, and expand the bathroom a bit.

Whereabouts in Ontario? Not near Peterborough by any chance, are you?

bpath. Campbellford! Very close to Peterborough. You know the area?

I have a couple of inlaws around Peterborough, it’s a pretty area. We took a tour boat of the locks on the Trent, and last time we were there we all had a lovely walk along the riverpath. We saw the signs for Campbellford, when we drove to P’borough from NY,, but usually we are coming from the west,

Such a small world! We have actually lived in Niagara, where my husband is from, for 37 years but I grew up in the Campbellford area and have always wanted to retire there. Now is the time! The river I have referred to above is the Trent!

Phoebe - I don’t want to rain on your joy, but I do want to give you insight before you sign on the bottom line. Track builders have business models that keep their costs low to sell lots of very similar homes. Making changes is very limited and will be costly for sure. They price upgrades high to discourage them. So you can usually pick from 3-5 choices they have set up for you. So, a couple of key things. 1. Get everything detailed in writing in contract. 2. If the builder uses “allowances”, shop to ensure you can stay within those estimates. Many a project has been overrun and relationships between buyer and builder strained by lack of getting very specific about everything. I have a “New Building Checklist” I have developed that could be helpful. If you email me at manganflo@gmail.com I will email it back to you. No charge and no additional emails from me. I just like helping people avoid mistakes. It is cute house but small so make sure it will meet your needs.

Thank you Flo. I really appreciate your advice. I will email you!

One more observation. I note 9’ ceilings on first floor are optional. 9’ is standard in today’s market so find out how much more this ceiling height will add to your bottom line.

Are you planning to build the second floor bedrooms?

bpath. Not presently, perhaps in the not-too-distant future.

The main shortcoming i see is ...not enough windows...if you are going to have even small outdoor living space... a view or ...if you like natural light.......also turning the island can give you the feel of a u-shaped kitchen...with out blocking access into the kitchen...and creating another gathering spot for family events...like holiday dinners.....otherwise i think the plan gives you a lot in the amount of space you have....the only space that is available to shift might be the master..the long sort of hallway space could be shifted into the great room to make it roomier for furniture arrangement and when you have a houseful...this really depends on how you plan to use your master...if you need it to be more like a retreat...or just a comfy spot to sleep and/or watch tv..also the den/ study may be better closed off with a door..(maybe double glass doors)so you have an multi purpose room to use for separate tv watching..or even an extra sleeping room ...sticking close to the plan will save extra expenses and leave room for little added luxuries you may want...such as a pantry for the kitchen..something most people really appreciate in a smallish kitchen...

Virgil. Thank you for that perspective which I was unaware of. I will absolutely look into lots where the public spaces will face south.

btydrvn. Very useful ideas. Thank you! The master will be used just for sleep. I like the idea of enclosing the den with glass doors. Also, the pantry idea is one I hadn’t thought of.

@bpath , that looks like a proposed basement plan and not a second story. Does OP even have a walk-out lot? If not they would need large light wells to allow for bedrooms in the basement with emergency egress through the large light wells.

Ah, yes, now I see that it's a basement. If they are guest bedrooms, the deep window wells are okay. We stay at my in-laws not far from the OP with the guests bedrooms and a family room in the basement with window wells. As guests, we aren't in the bedrooms long enough to need a view, just a little natural light to wake up to.

Being in the South we don’t have basements. I am really good with that! I too didn’t realize the unfinished was a basement. A better use of space and construction costs, is to “build up”. So I would look for a plan with a story and a half. That way you get a bedroom and bath and walk in storage at least. You can get the infrastructure in while building but leave finishes to later if needed budget wise. You might check on plans that are story and a half.

Bungalow types with basement are very common in Ontario. Guest rooms downstairs also common and totally fine.