Is this the existing or proposed floor plan?

If this is a remodel of an existing house, what does it look like now? The adjacencies between the rooms with corners of some rooms shouldering into others seem every awkward. It would be helpful to know what you are starting with and what needs to stay. To remodel and still end up without an obvious place to put the bed in the master bedroom, for example, is problematic.

Yes - you are right. It's basically an issue of budget. I don't think I mind the bed being half against the window but may end up adjust windows in that room to make it less awkward.

We are flip flopping the master bedroom and the kitchen and sticking within the footprint of both rooms. The new master and bath and closet takes the place of the existing kitchen and dining area. The powder room and the cabinets in the kitchen that abut it is the current master bathroom.

This is the proposed floor plan.

One final point to add - the screened in porch and front porch are additions.

Here is the existing floor plan

Is that stub wall in next to the LR in the existing plan necessary? It looks like you are trying to retain part of it in your new plan.

I believe that the stub wall is load bearing, which is why we need to retain something there. But to answer your question, Mark -- yes, and the only walls we are moving are the front of house (currently that wall is all windows so is not load bearing) and the walls around the current master bath which will become a powder room and part of the kitchen.

It is best to 'know' about bearing walls and not rely on beliefs. The windows will have a structural member called a header above them which transfers the load above the windows to the sides of the windows. If the dashed line on the drawing that shows the existing layout denotes the roof overhang or second floor cantilever, there is a real good chance the wall that those windows are in is load bearing. Getting a local architect or structural engineer involved in your project as soon as possible will save you time and money and headaches.

Thank you Mark - I am working with a local architect, which I why I am making assumptions about load bearing. I haven't specifically asked that question as I expect that he is taking that into account with the plans. I have made some tweaks myself to reflect what I am hoping for with the bathroom and powder room.

Have you shared with them your budget?

Are they a licensed architect? (all "architects" are licensed, but some people call themselves architects (illegally) because they design buildings)

At some point a remodeling project grows in scope to the point where the owner is better off tearing down and starting new. Make sure your project has not reached that point.

Given the housing costs in this area, and the construction costs, the budget is something we have weighed carefully and have shared and it was a factor in our decision to purchase our house and remodel. Anyway - yes our architect is licensed and we would definitely not be better off tearing down.

I would avoid having to walk through the closet to get to the main bathroom, and especially avoid a pocket door to the bathroom.

Why would you want the powder room guests visiting for the day will use right next to your private space (meaning your master suite?)

Also is that the living room you have to walk through to get to the master suite? (It's too small for me to read.)

Hi LH CO/FL - why avoid a pocket door to bathroom? Is it because of humidity, which could cause warping ... i know that could be a problem. We don't have to have a pocket door there. The closet is a larger space, but there will be doors on the clothes area.

Cpartist - the lifestyle at this house is quite casual. It's in a beachy community and we have a pool. The powder room is meant to open to the outside for easy pool access as well as inside. And yes, the living room we must walk through to get to master suite.

Pocket doors are just harder to open and close completely and they're noisier in the middle of the night, and are less efficient at blocking noise, odor and moisture. It's the humidity next to your clothing/shoes, etc. that's the issue.

I would keep the second sink on the island. it can be a smaller sink. If you don't have a sink closer to the refrigerator it is a long walk to the sink (around the island). Think of the far sink as your clean up zone and the island sink as cooking/prep sink.

So the powder room opens onto the patio and into the back hallway? That location is probably the best for this function. I live in a city of very small footprints (Try 11 foot lot lines and some narrower) and a first floor powder room is often put where it fits which is often opening into the dining area or kitchen despite the less than optimal location, so I get the various tradeoffs.

I feel like the master bath is problematic and it is a size that makes it awkward. It's kinda too big to be small and too small to be big. I usually start out with the plan of the old standard 5x7 or 6x7 bath template in the location I want it and then expand it from there. Is it likely that you will both be using it at the exact same time? Honestly if I had two bathrooms across from each other I would probably be using the powder room to brush my teeth and such rather than be in the same room at the same time.

I think I would completely separate the clothes from the bathroom because of humidity and such.

Thanks all - good points about pocket door. And, I have come around on the 2nd sink. I do think I need it for the reasons stated by leah8173.

Palimpsest you put it well - the bathroom is too big to be small and too small to be big. We are working around existing windows and trying to fit in a large shower area, two sinks and toilet. This layout just seemed to work but requires entering via the closet. The closet reads like a WIC, but the clothes will be behind walls of doors, so it's more of a "dressing area" outside of bathroom. While we don't often use the bathroom in the morning at the same time, we both like to have our own sink area - hence the two sinks.

What do you think, if we collect some of the ideas from the forum and I pass it on to a 3d design?

For this I would need more information, especially measures ........

I invite you to look at some of my designs

INSTAGRAM

For a direct contact click on me

WhatsApp

I think one of the things that bugs me is that the living areas don't engage the pool and patio areas very well. The patio seems to be most well engaged by the master bedroom and it sounds like the bed will go against that wall.

Where I live pools are a strictly seasonal thing so they are often not a centerpiece for the house because who wants to look at a pool cover for nine months, but I am assuming you live in a warm weather location. I feel like I would want to mark out where the existing plumbing and load bearing walls are but experiment with putting the kitchen in various other locations and trying to engage the outdoors more.

It is a real conundrum - but when you are in the space, I think it actually will feel more engaged with the outdoors. Currently, the master bedroom is where the new kitchen will be -- it is the biggest, brightest room in the house while the current kitchen (where the master will be) is the darkest room. As well, the front of the house will have a very nice green space that is sheltered with large evergreens all along the perimeter of the property (once we move the parking area), and the house is set back from the street quite a bit. I am adding our survey because I think that helps the plan make more sense.

The idea is that the patio, kitchen, screened in porch ... and another patio area outside of the screened in porch at the SE end of the pool ... will give us lots of outdoor engagement. As well, the house is on long island in New York -- so definitely 4 seasons!