It refers to a ranch style house with public rooms on one side and private rooms on the opposite side. That's the definition of a typical ranch, as opposed to a split ranch, in which the master bedroom is "split" from the secondary bedrooms. but the community we're planning to build in has some architectural requirements that keep the roof pitch above a certain minimum which forces the dimensions. Another house with different dimensions would work with this roof pitch -- I suspect this requirement is in place to push you towards a two-story house (though if that is the goal, I don't see why they didn't just say two-story). A two-story with this same pitch would be able to fit living space under that big, expensive roof and wouldn't look out of balance. - but my wife likes the kids having their own ensuite bath. I also like the idea of a jack and jill between the two bathrooms, but you can do it better than this long, narrow, lots of little compartments layout. If so, then the best light for passive solar energy is being lost because you want the longest part of a house to face north/south and the shortest to face east/west. You want the most windows on the south side and you want to shade as much as possible on the west side. I think you're describing a house with lots of windows oriented towards the West. Yes, I have a friend too who has a house like you describe, and it is beyond miserable. What I really don't understand is why she doesn't install some heavy window treatments and plant some trees to block the sun. If you do some reading on how to orient a house, you'll find that you want your main rooms /biggest windows to face either South or East. You can find plenty of write-ups about the angle of the sun, etc. You're looking at a typical suburban layout with the main rooms oriented to the back of the house, so you'd probably be happiest if the back of your house faces South or East. And, yes, you really do want to pick your lot first and then work on your house plan. Regardless of which lot you pick, you can design a house to play to its strengths, but without knowing, you're just guessing. The roof is so top heavy it's pushing the house down. That's it exactly! And young children certainly don't need their toilet in a toilet closet. Just think of if the child is sick and you're in there with the child trying to hold their head. Gross thought but it happens. Not just children. My 18 and 21 year olds both had the stomach bug over their Spring Breaks, and I was up with them. Multiple times. It doesn't matter how old they are, they still like you to bring them water and wipe their faces and necks with a cold washcloth. Yes - we've talked about a breeze-way....but my wife would prefer 'attached' garage for those cold winter days and mornings.....we do get snow here once in a while. I suggested we could add a breezeway for the 2nd set of 4 garages.....if that ever happens....ha. A garage attached by a breezeway IS an attached garage. It's attached by the breezeway. Several of my family members have this arrangement, and it's quite nice. Gives you a sort of half-indoor/half-outdoor space, keeps dirt from coming into the house -- and by separating the house from the garage, you can often include more windows on the house. mtspete - Why do you say 'everyone likes banquet seating'? Is that just for your family? I personally hate shuffling down that type of seating, and the inability to sweep my feet back under my seat would drive me crazy. Well, most people seem to love it -- they're discussed fairly often on this board and always in positive terms. Given the choice, a whole lot of people will opt for a booth instead of a table at a restaurant -- this is essentially the same thing. Remember that half the people at the table will be seated in chairs facing the banquette. And if the seat is designed properly, you can sweep your feet back into a comfortable position.

How fun - I actually really like the layout, and think you can absolutely make it work :) Do you particularly want a separate living and family room section? If you don't frequently have guests over to watch movies/sports, you could easily put a tv on the wall where the red leather chair is, and make that your living/family room. Then you could slide your dining space over towards the "family room" area on your diagram (Unless the hard floor vs carpet makes this too awkward.) I bet you could add a lovely reading nook in the corner or desk/workstation (by the window next to their tv station) while still leaving plenty of room for a dining area. If you have to leave your dining where it is because of flooring transitions, or if you want separate living/family room sections, I'd still put the tv in what's labeled the "living room," while in the "family room", you could have an L-shaped seating area in the corner with the seating against the wall (instead of curling in the room middle like their white leather sectional is). That'd open up the room a lot, leaving a good walkway into the "living room" Seating in the "family room" - Like this, without the chevron chair

April, I think that one thing (at least) that you and I have in common is that we are very verbose. When I was a teenager, I had pen pals (because I lived on a farm in central Texas and went to a rural school until high school), and I would write very long letters to some of them. Fortunately, they would write long letters back, and they were my best friends when I was in junior high (as it was called back then). Generally, I prefer to use texts only when I am not at home and need quick short answers. Right now, I need long detailed messages regarding my new work project, and so trying to put that into a text causes frustration for me. I talked with my partner just now, and she will call me in about an hour to have a conversation that we can both be comfortable with. As for AD, I should try to find the issues that have my work in them so that I can scan the pages. The first one was December 1999, I believe, or sometime around then, and showed a chandelier that I had designed that the editors especially liked.

I think you need a designer to help . Since you are buying new most good furniture stores have a free service so start there As for actual layout we need a to scale floor plan of the space , all measurements clearly marked , some clue as to your style . Is this the only place for a TV? How many seats do you need usually? The mor einfo we get the more help you get .I did have apeek at your idea book and see a ton of sectionals so I will give you my opinion on that type of seating. I think they are the most expensive way to be buy the least number of comfy seats since comfort comes from arm rests so 2 peope comfy all the rest lined up like on the centrer seat of a sofa not mention awful for conversation. A sofa and 2 chairs are a nice combo with 4 seats that are comfy .Stay away from loveseats since really they are a seat for one. This looks like a really nice open space I thin there are great opportunities to make this an awesome room If that is a fake tree head it out to the garbage . You have great natural light do real plants . If at all possible also post pics of that whole area. Do not start another post just add info in a comment on this post.