Where do you like to hang out? I never spend time in my bedroom, so I prefer the main living area to have the best views.

(not a pro) Where will you be more often during daylight hours when you can see the view? Where will you spend time with family and friends? More likely the family room, so I'd give that the best view.

Most of the time spent in a bedroom is unconscious.

During most afternoon daylight hours your west facing windows will have the blinds, shades, curtains, shutters drawn. Ask me why.

On the other hand, if you are worried about a view to the outside from your master bedroom, you may need to rethink a few things.

@Mark Bischak, Architect not when the relationship is new. Kidding.

I’d want the best views seen from the family room.

I currently spend a lot of time in the family room cause I have four kids and I like to be out with them during the day. I hear this may change and I may spend more time in my room as they get older (and once they've moved out?) But as I can't see into the future, I don't know! I have so much fomo! 😄

One general mass layout (there are a few things missing here like a hall and stuff, but I'm more interested in thoughts about the view and general layout. The view of the gulley will be at the bottom of this picture, to the right will be a view of the city below.

Second option. Again, view of gulley is at the bottom. View of city is to the right.

Make the best views from the public spaces, that way the most people will benefit from the view.

My uncle's home set high on a hill above Bismarck, North Dakota and had spectacular views of downtown, day and night. It was a great feature of the house and it was designed to optimize the views.

The family room and dining room should be open to the views and windows. The bedrooms will lose the view at night. Your second floor plan looks vastly superior to the first, as you can have windows on basically 3 sides rather than being dark, interior spaces.

Over the last 30 years, from babies to toddlers to kids to teens to college to fully functioning independent adult children...we have never hid in our bedroom...it is solely for horizontal bed related activities. With the curtains closed. Give the best views to the public rooms.

Who is designing this house?

The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling

The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped and are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case.

The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls.

Thebest houses do not if possible put mechanical rooms, pantries or closets on outside walls

The best houses keep public and private spaces separate.

Thebest houses have an oraganizing “spine” so it’s easy to determine where to go

We have an architect designing it. We're juggling a weird lot... To the south are traffic lights (it's right at an intersection) and a busy road, the city is making us build an average of twenty feet away from any 30% grade (restricting view and how big it footprint is, also the footprint goes further north as you go west.. We basically get one room that sticks out for view on that north west side), and entry has to be from the east. To the west is partially a view of the road, but also partially a view of the city. We are also going for net zero and budget is limited, so we are trying to be efficient with the space.

We also asked for an open great room, so that factors into how rooms are laid out as well.

Isn't the second option L shaped?

Panorama from the northwest corner where the best view is... Just realizing that it's split on the best view 😄😄