First, thanks for some honest feedback while we can still make floorplan changes. We're aiming for a long-term home that suits our lifestyle but would not make future buyers say, "They can't really be serious." I had to laugh and cringe, david_cary. We seem to be walking the knife's edge. homey_bird, I'm afraid what you see here is the result of hours of stewing. We drafted the initial plan and want to work out all the specifics before we send it for bids. As everyone knows, one change affects so many things that we stay up late and our heads start spinning. We will seriously consider all feedback. At the risk of TMI, I'll attach the original elevations and floorplans. This second floor plan doesn't include the deep tub or larger shower in the master bath. Trying to fit those items has been a problem. Creek_side and alabamanicole, thank you for your feedback and your interest in the bigger picture. We've also been thinking about how we use the master bath. My dh likes to spend an hour locked in the bathroom each morning (?) so I would really enjoy a vanity in the hall dressing area. I don't think we would use two sinks in the master concurrently. I was hoping a vanity would help resale too if we put only one sink in the master. So what is the room between the master bedroom and bath? Good question. A vanity which could also function as a seat for dressing, an east-facing window (view of the wetlands behind us), a small triangular closet, a longer reach-in closet, and some built in shelving. I've looked at our wardrobe and realized that we need half our closet space for hanging and half for shelved items (folded clothes, shoes, purses). The previous walk-in closet plan seemed too tight for a seat or vanity and the window was small in order to minimize damage to clothes. We are open to any suggestions to get an attractive, functional, reasonably priced dressing area. The one foot deep storage in the bathroom is our attempt to get as much storage as possible in there for soaps, shampoos, toilet paper, towels, cleaning supplies etc. We could give the bathroom a foot from the closet area for deeper storage in the bath. We assumed that the shower door would be 2-3 feet wide (out of five) so the bench could wrap around and we could still open the shower door. I'll attach a rough view from our home planning software that requires a lot of imagination. The tub is just 40 inches in diameter and would be positioned near the window with the internal seat facing toward the east window/view. The rest of the deck would be tiled so we could step on the bench, sit on the tile deck, and swing our legs over into the tub. That's the theory, anyhow. We put in a pedestal sink to give us more room near the bath and to approximate art deco style. The window above it is a transom for more light at the sink. There is a mirrored medicine cabinet directly in front of the sink. We have been partial to east facing windows (top of floor plan) because that is our view of a wetlands. The master bedroom also has transoms to the south (right of plan) because we have 1.5 story neighbors on that side and would like as much sunlight as possible. Thanks for the comment about the toilet area and corner windows, creek_side. We can cut adjust those. Please feel free to throw us a comment about anything else on the plan as well. Now's our chance to fix it. Liz

I like my first idea best as far as use of space. I know people say not to put toilets on an outside wall. We had one in our last house in Iowa, but we had 2X6 construction. I don't know how high your window is, but I'm guessing the toilet would fit under there. The shower would be 5 feet long or shorter if you want a wider space to get to the toilet. (kind of tight the way I have drawn). You could do a 5 and half foot long shower and do an angled door at the left end to allow room between the shower and toilet. The vanity would be about 7 feet long, unless you do a 60 inch vanity with a linen cabinet at the door. I would reverse entry door swing if you do that.. The second top right could work and you would still have a small closet. The bottom left plan would require waterproofing your front window. Hopefully someone will give you other ideas. The bottom right plan is bigger, but no closet. Each square equals 1 foot.

The bathroom is spread out so much ... by simplifying that space, you can get the two separate doors you want, enlarge the closet so you have ample space for the make-up area in the closet. Consider: - The tub and shower work well side-by-side because they're the same depth. - The vanity would be about 8' long, so you could arrange it in multiple ways ... I'd put in a narrow linen tower or closet. - The toilet tucks in behind the vanity ... possibly behind a pony wall, which is so much more functional than the toilet being smashed into a closet. - You have a window as a sight line dead-ahead from the door. - With the bathroom more compact, the closet is enlarged, and the bedroom door now has space to "park" against the wall without covering the closet door. - I placed the make-up area straight ahead of the closet door ... presumably you'll have a large mirror here, and it'll make for a bright sight line upon entering the closet. Since this is placed against the bathroom wall, you could have a small sink here without big expense. - This closet is large and wide, and you could arrange the hanging rods /drawers in any number of ways ... and with all this width, you could have a seating ottoman (with storage inside) in the middle of the closet.

Do you have another bathtub in the house...for bathing kids? Unless you or your spouse enjoy baths...maybe eliminate the tub in the MBA? I am glad I have a linen closet in my MBA. I agree with eliminating the reach-in closets and adding windows. Also think about how you dress; a walk-in closet can hold all the things people used to store in dressers. (You really don't *need* a window in a closet, although Mark gave it one.) I agree with him about losing the (dated) double doors -- and creating an entry, rather than plopping right into the living room. If you'll eat at the kitchen island a lot, consider seating that's not all-in-a-row. It makes conversation difficult.