I love the pocket office idea. I could put that to good use. Also love the toy closet, and that's awesome linen storage in the basement, although I'm not sure that's a very handy location. I really like a lot of things in your floorplan. We have a large and busy family, and I think this could work for us, which I can't say about very many house plans I see. We have 9 pocket doors in our new house...in 4" walls. I don't find them flimsy. We got good quality sets, so maybe that helps. Obviously they do limit wiring, etc. in that area. I've seen pocket doors I didn't like before that seemed chintzy, but I think ours with solid core and 10-light doors, and heavy enough hardware are nice. In our house, where sq footage is at an absolute premium, it was very helpful to not have to add door-swing space. I am worried about just a couple of things. The master toilet space looks very narrow...I wouldn't have it less than 3 ft, and it appears narrower to me. The other thing is in regard to a couple of the closets. I think you may want to sketch in the width of hanging clothes, which will be close to 2 ft. Once clothes are hanging in bedroom 3's closet, I don't know how you'll get in there to find things. Bedroom 4's is almost as bad, but a little better. Best wishes. Looks like you'll have a great home.

LL, I'm thinking the hot tub in the corner is the right move. It will give a better sense of enclosure, and use well the space that will otherwise be underutilized. Having the edge of the deck available for a seating arrangement or small table will be nice, because your view will be much greater from that spot. And if you have a lot of rocks on your property, putting rocks beneath the floor can help use that space as a heat sink. I'd recommend you look into setting that up, to give some extra heat to your house in the evening after the sun goes down and it radiates heat absorbed by those rocks during the day. Summer probably has knowledge of how to design the greenhouse to give some payback to you. I think the greenhouse idea will be a great addition. I'm always for a plant space. I'm going to point out something to you about the star jasmine though. It will provide you an evergreen plant inside like that, BUT IT ONLY BLOOMS IN MAY AND JUNE. I would suggest that you get a couple of nice blooming begonias in pots, or geraniums in RED, to brighten up the space. And I also have a potted (not hanging basket) bougainvillea which will end up climbing by its long thorny limbs, and IT WILL BLOOM ALL YEAR ROUND. They come in yellow and hot pink, and mine is a white and pink combo. I cannot wait to get it into my Teahouse. It likes heat, it likes moisture, it likes lots of light. Keep it watered. And if you want a spectacular large tropical plant, look into a MUSA species of banana. They can be hardy at your latitude indoors all year. Incidentally, I just love your house, and the more you tinker with the plan the better it gets. Sarah Susanka says that most people just design the rooms with no selection of furniture spots, but you are doing the whole deal. I think you are about ready to CHOOSE THE SPOT FOR LIGHTS AND SWITCHES AND PLUGS. AND DIMMERS. Dimmers are part of it too. Go for it, lady, you have the right ideas to choose from.

1) Move the dishwasher to the right of the sink. The counter between the sink and the cooktop is the best prep area in the kitchen. If the dishwasher is to the left of the sink (as pictures), it's in the middle of your prep area. This means no one (including the cook) can open the dishwasher while someone is cooking without being massively in the cook's way. If you move the dishwasher to the right, you could could an entire meal with the dishwasher open, and it would never be in your way. 2) Swap all the base cabinets for drawers except the sink cabinet. You might also want to leave one slim base cabinet for cook sheets/casserole dishes, but that isn't necessary if you are going to put those items above the fridge or double ovens. 3) Swap the locations of the fridge and the double ovens. You want counter next to your ovens so you can put something hot down quickly and with little chance of bumping into others. Ideally, you want counter near the fridge too, but carrying something hot across the room can burn you or other. Carrying some stuff from the fridge across the room, while a bit annoying, is not a safety hazard. The fridge is also more often used than the ovens are. The fridge where it is currently will block the doorway every time it is open, which will be often. If you move it to where the double ovens are, you no long have the fridge road block. Also, the typical action flow of a kitchen is: fridge (get the food) --> big prep counter with adjacent sink (wash the food and mix/chop/peel it) --> either the cooktop or the oven (cook the food) If you swap the fridge and ovens as I have suggested, that puts your appliances in the same order as the actions in the kitchen. Namely, fridge --> sink and big counter between the sink and cooktop --> cooktop or ovens. This creates a good and efficient work floor. 4) If you move the double ovens as I suggest, make sure no one entering that doorway is likely to run into an open oven. Ovens are open less often than fridges, but it's a lot worse to walk into an open oven, so you don't want to risk that. I am hoping that doorway is to a pantry so this isn't an issue. 5) Is this kitchen going to have three ovens? Or is the range in the picture meant to be a cooktop? If it is the latter, then you want drawers under the cooktop too. 6) I wouldn't go for 36" + 10" stacked cabinets. I don't think you'll ever use the 10" tops of those cabinets, so really you are paying more for 36" of useful storage space when you could pay less for 42". I agree it'd be better for cabinets to go to the ceiling, so I'd ask how much for molding or whatever would extend the 42" cabinets to the top.

In response to you wondefully, thorough post Mrs Pete: - You're using all your exteriors on windows /glass doors, which will allow for wide-open spaces and lovely natural light ... but where are your bookshelves? Your artwork? And you have little storage downstairs. Great point! And we do want book shelves and I have quite a bit of art. But I think once the architect is told that the study and tv room must be separate rooms completely it might bring in some more walls. - Is someone going to live full time in that staff room? If so, it needs to be bigger. I mean, the person'll want to have at minimum a TV and some books for evenings. Staff room is way too small! - How wide is that scullery /laundry room? I'm assuming it's going to fulfill the function of what we'd call a "mudroom" -- meaning, a place to hang your jacket, take off your shoes, children could leave their backpacks. I think it might benefit from a bit more width. Note that when that door opens to the courtyard, it blocks off passage through this room; a slider would be more practical. I think it's 2.2 metres but it needs to be at least 2.4 m wide (I measured our current one we're living in now which we like) - What's your thought process on the Lounge + adjacent TV room? With no doors between, you're not going to have acoustical privacy. I think these rooms might be more functional if they were separated ... how about flip-flopping the TV room and the guest room? - What's your thought process on the Lounge + adjacent TV room? With no doors between, you're not going to have acoustical privacy. I think these rooms might be more functional if they were separated ... how about flip-flopping the TV room and the guest room? Definite no go! TV room must be separate and with a close-able door - The feature staircase isn't going to be much of a feature if it's encased with walls on both sides. I'd think you'd want to open on one side ... maybe to the TV room. Haha! Great point! Wouldn't have noticed that myself. Thanks! - Why go with a hall bath right next to a guest bath? Inch for inch, bathrooms are the most expensive rooms in a new build ... I'd definitely eliminate the hall bath and have guests use the guest bath. As said we are planning to host a lot and so privacy is quite important for our guests. But yes this one definitely is up for debate! Initially I said no guest toilet but now I've changed my mind. I'll let my wife decide! :D - Upstairs, the linen closet is very deep, but that isn't useful. If the door is any indication of the width, you'll only be able to have shelves on the far end, and that's not much storage for such a large room. Yup no need for a walk in closet - Ditto for the study ... if you widen it just 1', you'd be able to include floor-to-ceiling bookcases, which would be useful for a study. This is supposed to just be an open plan desk and shelves in the passage way for the kids to do homework. Something like this - I hate the idea of walking into the master suite and immediately seeing clothing storage. Is that a folding window wall at the foot of the bed? Yet it goes to nowhere? You're planning two sinks, but note that they'll have no storage -- not even drawers underneath. Where will you store towels, toilet paper? Where will you hang wet towels? Note that to close the door in this toilet-closet; because of the door swing, you'll have to squish yourself between the wall and the toilet. This suite needs a complete re-do. Completely agree about walking straight into a closet!?!? Well spotted? Where does that bedroom door go to? I'm not sure about the bathroom sinks but generally they have cupboards underneath them? So storage is sorted. Will double check what his thinking is with the door and the toilet and shower?! Great spot - The kids' bedrooms look nice, but their bathrooms are quite minimal, especially the sinks -- note that, like the master bath, the kids' have no storage at the sink. I'd rather go with one nice bath for them to share instead of two minimal baths -- especially since your teen isn't there full-time. Completely agree. Also we need a bath to bath the toddler. Will cut one bathroom. Although in the luxury end of South Africa the craze is currently all bedrooms to have their own bathroom. So I'm fighting a little bit against the market wishes here. - Overall, I think you're over-bathed. Three full time residents /one part time resident don't really need 4 1/2 baths. I'd focus instead on making the baths themselves a larger /nicer. I'd give up quantity for quality and space enough for hampers and storage. - I'm not into all the double-high spaces, but that's personal taste. I will say this though because you mentioned hardwood flooring. We once rented a lakeside cottage with lots of this very-open double-high space ... and it was LOUD because everything was hard: hardwood flooring, ceramic tile, glass walls. We agreed that it would've been more livable if it had contained some softer materials /something to absorb some sound: carpet, window coverings, etc. I have a feeling this house could fit into the same category. Yup! Totally agree! But I think we need it for more light as south facing houses down here can be very gloomy! And I hadn't thought of the noise. Thanks! Thanks so much for your input!!