I don’t see an issue with the entry from the garage. In fact, you could create a nice sight line by staging the corner of the dining room created by the stairs. Potential issues I do see.....1) toilet accessibility - if the shower needs to be wheelchair accessible, wouldn’t the toilet also need to be accessible? 2) furniture layout in living area....you really lose the space along the dining room wall for anything other than display, as it’s a main corridor. Will the opposite walls be windows or doors to the outside? That will determine whether you can put chairs on either side of the fireplace. I’d spend some time figuring out what seating you need in that space and how it will fit relative to fireplace, TV, and walkways.

You need to go back and find the central organizing idea of this design because it appears it got lost. I don't believe any amount of shifting of walls is going to make it work.

The stairway seem to be the central organizing element yet its not clear how it will be seen. Will there be a view to the living room from the intermediate landing? Will the ceiling be high enough for that? Will it be enclosed?

One big disadvantage is the stiff yet imprecise CAD drawing. You would be better off tracing over it by hand.

I would start by straightening out the stair and kitchen peninsula and then trying to get the kitchen to an outside wall. If you're going to have interior windowless spaces let them be the pantry. closets and laundry that now occupy an entire side wall of the house.

I assume the front bedroom that shares the master bath is a study or office.

I would add a powder room for guests.

IMO if you have a person in a wheelchair you sure do need ADA complaince ,where is the elevator unless you have 2 wheel chairs one at the top of the stairs then I guess you could use a stair lift. Back to the drawing board IMO for many items. I assume the person in the wheelchair is the one using the master so all the doorways need to be changed there is no way this plan works without being ADA compliant. Too many doorways making 1/2 the house not even useable for a wheelchair.

Thanks for all the responses.

Yes there will be a wheelchair but due to her disabilities, there will not be any independent or semi-independent tasks such as personal care or assisting in the kitchen. Her bedroom will be the front bedroom. We added her access to the bathroom for ease of her care and also so we could get to her quickly during the night if needed.

RES, we probably didn’t have hey central organizing idea that you may be referring to. I think our main goal was to have the powder room, kitchen, laundry, and basement stairs easily accessible from the garage entry and also have a quick access from the master bedroom to the front bedroom/study. The look we were going for with the stairs was to have the first two or so visible from inside the dining room. The left side of the stairs could use a little thought. Maybe the landing to be visible from the family room.

We found it a little challenging to keep the kitchen on the exterior wall and reasonably close to the dining room.

What do you have for elevations? What is the lot like? The exterior and interior need to be developed in concert with each other. Unfortunately home design is not like a game of Tetris.

You need to have the help of an architect who can create something that will work with your special needs. Designing a house is as millworkman said, more involved than just moving boxes around. You don't know what you don't know and you have added issues.

The ADA only applies to buildings normally open to the public so many of the rules attempt to accommodate all kinds of disabilities. If someone in your household is in a wheelchair you can do whatever you like to accommodate their specific needs but you are not obligated to do so by law.. It will make a big difference if the wheelchair is motorized and how the person wants to transfer from it.

You need to add which direction all the doors swing as that will make a difference in many of the rooms.

I don't consider a 17x17 family room large.

I will tell you exactly what various people here told me:

1. If you can afford an architect, just do that. Don't spend time trying to work out the design, just figure out your wants and needs.

2. If you can't afford an architect, you might consider whether you can actually afford to build at all.

3. You can use a design build firm instead of an architect, but you FIRST start with the lot, then you find a builder in the area who will build in your price range, and then from there start working out your house plan with the help of their designer. Because as much as we want it to work the other way around, your area limits your choice of builders, and your builders limit what you can do at your price point. But in all cases, you need to do all that before you worry about your design. Even though the designing is the fun part. :)

If it were mine...I would do these changes and then talk to architect: Move front entry to the right. Move laundry where entry used to be. Move pantry into laundry's empty spot closer to kitchen. Put dining room into corner where pantry was-add a window. Let the architect figure out the stairs and views and spacing. In most cases laundry comes from bedrooms not from pple coming in from the garage, stripping down and running through the house naked. I think. Unless we're doing it wrong.

Once you have those spaces grouped it'll be an easier conversation about what's important to you. When we talked to architects it helped to have spaces on paper to help discussion but not as a suggested actual spot. It just facilitated ideas. Make sense?

I've never seen a master WIC like that before. I actually really like it LOL.

We have the lot - 160' wide and we've met with the builder who shot the land with transit - falls 5' over 70's span.

We're also working with a designer but we have to have something to give him to get things going. We sketched out the left side (to include the family room, stairs and dining) to how we felt it would work out best with our daughter. The designer did the remainder which we liked but felt the kitchen was too far away from the dining room so we're trying to provide him with a better idea of what we want.

I realize we're burning up some of the exterior walls with the pantry and laundry but to keep the dining/kitchen/family room kinda close. We planned on having several windows at the breakfast nook to let light into the kitchen and also one in the powder room for the mud area. Window on the left of the fireplace and door on the right.

On average, how many times do homeowners and designers go back and forth with revisions? We mesh will the designer and value his work; we're trying to cut out some of the back and forth and gain the thoughts of others.

Do you think you’d like fewer corners and less furniture-dodging to get from the front bedroom to the family areas?

I think the corners will be manageable since the walk ways are wide enough but I do foresee furniture dogging. I originally wanted a walkway between the chairs and stairs but it would be too tight. I probably have blinders on the only solution I see would be to move the dining room and stairs forward a few feet.

We're also working with a designer but we have to have something to give him to get things going.

No, if you're working with a designer who needs you to have something to give him, then you're working with a DRAFTSMAN. Big difference. You need a real designer with talent or an architect, not a draftsman. Someone who will work with you to create a plan that will work for your special needs. Your guy is not it.

On average, how many times do homeowners and designers go back and forth with revisions? We mesh will the designer and value his work; we're trying to cut out some of the back and forth and gain the thoughts of others.

I worked with a draftsman who also called himself a designer and because of him it took me almost 6 months before I was happy with it. However, I have a design background so could send him changes in a CAD like program and he would still not follow what I wanted. If I had listened to him, my house would have been a hot mess because he didn't know the first thing about good design and good flow.

Just like your guy has no clue and since you don't either, you really need a true architect or designer. I understand you like the guy, but liking someone doesn't make them a talented designer. Sorry for being harsh about it, but if you're spending 6 figures of your hard earned money, shouldn't you get something that will really work and be good for your family versus something that will be difficult to live in daily? And that includes the way it's laid out with the laundry, etc.

And if I had worked with an architect, I probably would have cut in half the number of revisions and the time it took to get a workable plan. As it is, I wanted a craftsman style home and he didn't even have a clue what that meant.

without delving too much into your daughter's issues: do you currently (or in the future will you) need a 'lift'? If not now, at least consider the future need and plan accordingly (my Mom had MS for many years and I am familiar with lack of mobility). Wide enough doorways/halls; few corners to need to 'turn', enough room for person and helper, furniture placement, future needs that you might not yet even think about, they all contribute to the planning.

At some point in the future we will probably need a lift or some sort of track system so we plan on looking at different manufactures to see whats required for installation. More than likely just adding blocking in the ceiling.

Don't know if we'll get that far though. Seems like the entire homebuilding process should be more fun than this. I just about want to sell the lot and buy a house.

Well, if you buy a house, you’re going to end up remodeling it for your needs and be in the same situation. Take a deep breath, define your needs and wants, accept that it’s not going to be perfect. You need close enough - there are always compromises that will need to be made.

That said, there are very opinionated folks here, and every experienced folks who have “been there, done that,” so it’s still worth engaging even though you may not agree with everything said. And some of the suggestions will be out of your budget.

Take the time to get it right. My life right now is consumed with damage control as the plumbers and electricians and HVAC guys are roughing in because I didn’t study the plans well and made a lot of assumptions.

I think it’s worth building ADA compliant. That’s what I’m trying to do while using an inexperienced builder, so I’m having to force things along. It’ll be a valuable asset if we ever rent or sell, which we are not planning on. And who knows what the future holds, but we‘ll be better prepared.

If your designer is worth his salt, he can design your ADA bathroom. Make him earn his payment. Because you will hate that toilet stall very quickly.

Good luck!