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Thanks @Mark Bischak, Architect. I already expressed that concern with the architect and builder- that because I'm so set on the keeping room/breakfast area, we probably need to buy it regardless of how much we change.

So, from an architects perspective, can you tell me this - If we buy the plan for our architect to make modifications - is asking to reduce the sq footage in some places possible/is it a HUGE undertaking and going to ruin the exterior - one of my other favorite parts of the house? Do you think we'd run into big problems trying to do that? I guess if we do we can always revert back to the original plan, but I found with the architect I was making soooo many compromises because she couldn't make what I wanted work, and I don't want to turn around and do the same thing by buying this plan and getting 200 square feet I was trying to avoid. I'm a minimalist - I hate wasted space, and these bedrooms are too big for my taste but I sure love the breakfast/keeping/kitchen and everything about the exterior.

1. I think the dining room is too far away to be often used. The breakfast room is too small for a table and chairs and walkways.

2. I think bedroom windows onto a porch are uncomfortably non-private.

3. I would put the master bedroom on the corner and the bath/closet where the MB is to create some privacy and get a bedroom with windows on 2 walls.

4. Covered porches block sunlight, and the house will also block light. The living room will be dark.

5. If you get rid of one bathroom you could move the laundry room over by the bedrooms. Shift BR3 down in line with BR2 and make that bath the laundry. The current laundry isn't big enough to store baskets, and since you'll be hauling it across your house it might become onerous after awhile. Also note if you get a front loader, the washer needs to be on the left.

Em...did you ever share your general location?

@anj_p Good feedback. I think I'd use the dining as an office and the keeping as more of a dining/casual entertaining space. We don't need a formal dining.

Interesting thought on the breafkast area - I thought it'd be big enough for a four person round table but it's so hard to tell without true detailed dimensions and knowing what exact "lines" the dimensions on the plan refer to.

@ILoveRed ah, yes, that was one other thing that bothered me but I was okay since the breakfast area is right there with windows. I am honestly so out of hope. I don't feel like I can get a custom one that I like this much but know it's not perfect. I feel like I likely just have the wrong architect but am feeling at an impasse.

Would you have the stairs going up? if not, you could have a nicer laundry room with room for cleaning supplies and for small household necessities, and extend the kitchen cabinets all the way to the outside wall.

So would you never have guests? This house is not small for 4 people, especially with the multiple living and dining spaces. I wouldn't want to cram my family into a corner for meals.

9'-10" is the width, and that's to the island and to the far window. You'd want to be able to walk around it. Small table for 4 is 3' round. You want 3' all around that for pushing back your chairs/getting in and out, so that leaves you with 10". You'll be snugged in, but I guess it can work. For a house this size I would want an actual dining space, but that's me.

The dining room is a nice size for a large gathering, and a bit large for an office - unless you need a large space for laying stuff out or you have actual product you need to stock.

Of course you can get a custom house you like better than this one. You're already making concessions with this plan regarding windows in the kitchen and changing a dining room to an office. I feel like you either have a communication problem with your architect or you need a different architect. But if you really like this plan, show this plan to her and tell her what you do & don't like about it and what you want to change about it and see what she comes up with. A lot of people don't start from scratch.

For example, does the breakfast-kitchen-keeping need to be in an L shape? Do you need/want the wall between the kitchen and living? You can move the breakfast nook, either between keeping & kitchen or between living & kitchen (maybe making it big enough for a table that can expand to fit more people when the need arises), shift the kitchen over, and get windows in all 3 rooms. Unless you want a front & center office (many people are starting to hide them in the more private areas of the home), you could also look at making it smaller and making it less visible from the public areas of the home.

If someone came to me with a preconceived design, I would do a site analysis (as I do without a preconceived design), determine my client's needs/wants/wishes (as I do without a preconceived design), and then look at the preconceived design to see how it fits the site and meets my client's needs/wants/wishes. Since the preconceived plan was made without the knowledge of my client's site or my client's needs/wants/wishes, there is a real good chance changes would have to be made. If the changes were minor, I would wrestle with preconceived design to try to make it work. If the changes were moderate to major, I would design a home from scratch keeping in mind the site and my client's needs/wants/wishes and the architectural style of my client's wishes. People should not be hermit crabs.

Why buy a plan with so many features you dislike? I understand pushing a wall a couple feet here or there but your desired changes aren't minor. Building the wrong house to avoid paying architect's fees seems like false economy to me.

Just to clarify - I wasn't suggesting your architect would just draw up this plan, but you can use it as a jumping off point to stimulate communication and get things going in the direction you want them to go. It sounds like your signals are crossed, so a visual may help.

FWIW, our home was a "from scratch" design - and it changed considerably from the beginning to the end. In the middle there was some frustration as well, when things were just not working, and we couldn't seem to get our ideas from words to paper. But I'm glad we stuck with it and pushed through because the final version was pretty great.

@anj_p I’m kind of thinking thats where we are now and maybe I’m giving up too soon!