I probably should have given more information up front. It will just be my wife and I living in the house with 2 small dogs and a cat. We will be in south east Alabama as I had said so there may be some things done differently in building down here then where others live. We are close to Florida and close to Hurricane possibilities and tornadoes. We want the whole house to fit under a symmetrical hipped roof. These types of roofs stand up better to the high winds, plus they are cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain and have less places to fail or take damage or leak. Also we lived in a house almost exactly like this (minus the garage) for four years and we very much enjoyed the floor plan. That is why we are looking at creating the same one for our forever home. It was said that there are better floor plans out there. I was wondering where you might find one that had a simple roof like this and an open lay out? If you could direct me, I would appreciate it. I have not been able to find any that don't have multiple roof lines and that have the guest rooms separated from the master. The garage does need to be smaller. We want to keep the size of the house down since there is just two of us. I had thrown a big garage on the end because I like big garages, but you are right that it should be smaller. It will be the same depth as the rest of the house and the walk door will now be on the side of the garage for better curb appeal although we don't need curb appeal because we are building in the middle of our 120 acre wooded property. I suppose when I wrote this I was actually thinking people would give me ideas of ways to better make use of space, but most the recommendations have done the opposite. That would be okay if the house was very large, but not when it is small (I know the dimensions were not clear in the picture, but I did say the halls were 4 feet wide and all doors but one was 3 feet wide so it would be relatively easy to interpolate the general size of the house from those measurements. Pocket doors save space. Having the closet doors behind another door saves space. If you were to flip the closets as suggested you would lose 12 feet of usable wall space. So for us, they don't have the same problem, but rather they have the same solution. We would rather have usable wall space than easier access to closets. The master doorway being where it is also saves us space. It allows us to put a wood stove (the dashed lines next to the master door and master closet) in the corner where it can be better seen and positioned to radiate to the whole living, dinning and kitchen area. The door to the hall provides for energy efficiency and guest privacy. The only people staying in those rooms will be guests and being able to close that door allows them to separate themselves from the rest of the house while still being able to use the bathroom. When it is just the two of us as is the usual, we can leave the door closed so that we only have to heat and cool the main area that we are using. By having the HVAC in the attic we can have shorter lines to the vents and have two returns, one in the hall and one in the main area by the master, allowing us to more efficiently cool the house even if the door to the hall is closed. When we don't want to cool beyond the hall door we can close the vents in those rooms and close the doors and limit the flow of cold air and return air to and from that area. When we are just using the wood stove the door keeps the heat in the main area if that is where we want it. Concerns of the HVAC leaking are the same as if it were on the first floor over a basement. If it were to leak it would damage the ceiling below it in either case. In the attic it is set on its side in a metal pan that will collect any leaks and has an auto shut off switch if too much water were to build up. Having the water heater in the attic saves space and would be similar case with the HVAC if it were to leak over a basement as I mentioned earlier. We will not have a tankless water heater. We will have a propane tank water heater because we prefer the faster supply of hot water to the faucet when you turn it on. With a tankless you have to wait longer for hot water at the faucet. We also prefer the consistency of temperature from a tank when hot water is being used at multiple sources. Tankless water heaters can have significant temperature changes when two faucets are drawing hot water at the same time. Also, even though a tankless water heater only heats the water when you are using hot water, it requires much more energy to provide that hot water than it does to just keep hot water hot in a tank. Probably around three times as much energy, and propane is very quick to reheat water in a tank. The up front cost of tankless is more and it ends up using about the same amount of energy so there is potential depending on how you use it that you could spend more money up front and more money over the long run. If you were to save money on energy it would not make up for the up front costs. I lived in a home for 6 years with a propane tank water heater and I lived in a home for 4 years with a propane tankless water heater and I watch my my energy consumption very closely. The master closet is a hurricane and tornado shelter so it would be expensive to widen and we are frugal people with not much need of a large closet. It can be very hot and humid in AL and there are lots of insects and critters so we do not keep our garbage in the garage. We compost all vegetable, and fruit waste as well as replant it. Any meat or non compostable food products are kept in a container in the freezer until trash day and other trash products are put in the garbage next to the sink. Once a week on trash day I take the trash to the large can and the county comes to get it. Also, walking 20 feet from the garage door to the refrigerator is insignificant to us. Our kitchen table is only 4 feet by 6 feet at its largest. The island is 4 feet by 6 feet just to give you an idea of spacing, so it should not interfere with getting to the utility room or bedroom when it is fully open, but it is normally only 4 feet by 4 feet when it is just us. In the spare bath we will keep both sinks but expand the vanity to 6 feet wide vs 5 feet wide and make the linen closet 2 feet wide vs 3 feet wide. We think that would be a better use of space. We like to have two sinks in the spare bath because the people using it are our guests. Whether it is just a husband and wife visiting or a family, we generally all tend to got to bed at the same time and the two sinks get used at the same time every time. I think I covered most things and our reasons for doing them. I appreciate everyone's input and anyone's future input. This post was edited by ReinitoDePiedra on Mon, Dec 8, 14 at 14:38

Where do you walk out on the first floor to the outdoors? Where are the windows? You don't have enough room for an island in a kitchen that is only 11' deep. The living room/dining room is narrow. The stairs are an afterthought instead of being considered another room. What do I mean? You're walking up staring at a wall. It will be dark as opposed to walking up and walking towards light. What is the property width and length and what are the set backs? Minimum sized powder room should be 5' square. The main floor bedroom closet is barely large enough to put a single dress in, let alone more stuff. The rental kitchen/living area is only 16 long? Not very conducive to living. And only 1 closet in the whole downstairs space? Where in the master would the bed go so you're not walking around the bed in the middle of the night to get to the bathroom, or not straining your head to one side to see to the deck? Angled walls to me say the person doesn't know how to design a house. The master is narrower than 7' wide which means you can only have hanging along one long wall. You need 2' for each side for hanging plus 3' for an aisle for a total of 7'. Laundry appliances stick out 30" if you get full sized appliances. That means on a 72" room, your standing and sorting room is only 42" deep. And if the laundry room is that small, there is no room for things like brooms, linens, etc. In fact where downstairs is the broom closet or other closets? Where upstairs are the linen closets? There is a reason architects go to school to learn this stuff for years and then have to apprentice for another 3 years before they're even allowed to be licensed.

I am a CAPS Designer, and I have some concerns about your home plan. The first concern is translating a stock plan to a non stock site. The approach to the home, both the front door and the garage entrance, need to be assessed for elevation changes. That is a BIG issue when a home is not designed for the site on which it is built. This is where your architect or home designer needs the site plan showing the elevation changes, and then shows you how that will be handled regarding entry into the home. Ramps take up a lot of space because of the required rise and run. 1” per 1’. If there is 14” of elevation difference between your garage floor and interior surface, that needs a 17’x 9’ section just by itself, for the needed ramps, switchback platforms, and landings. That takes up an entire garage bay, and that is if it’s a traditional two steps into the home. There are platform lifts that take up less space, but they also need to be space planned into the home’s electrical etc. Getting into your own home, out of the weather, and with zero to minimal assistance is what creating a home that fosters independent living is all about. Your home should also accommodate visits from any friends and family who may also have mobility issues that could be more restrictive. That means assessing the front entrance as well. For the master bath, tall vanities are contra indicated. You need one at which you can be seated, with knee space, and scald protection. Since you are not seated full time, a split vanity with a taller one for your standing height, and the shorter one for a seated position are probably your best bet for varied abilities. The current plan with the toilet area has no room for a caregiver to assist. The shower is less than ideal as well. The entire master needs to be reworked. Definitely plan for a bidet toilet seat, plus room for an aide if needed. That clearance can overlap your shower area, and the clearance to turn with a chair as well. Combining needed clearances is how to keep the bath from becoming overly large, and still appear spacious and comfortable. Your closet should utilize the pull down double hung hardware available from many sources. I like Hafele. You need the 5x5 turning space in the middle as well, and a proper tall height mirror for seeing yourself standing and seated. Plan for blocking in all of your walls now, for potential grab bars if they are needed at a later time. Wet areas should have them now. They need not be unattractive and institutional. Many are available that look like towel bars and serve as that function. I’ve used them on ends of islands for those who may be just a bit unsteady, and they make great spots for kitchen towels. There are many ways to plan an accessible kitchen, depending on how you use your kitchen. If you cook, rather than your caregiver cooking, there are significant changes that need to be made to accommodate that activity, and I’d be happy to gone to more detail if you need. If you do not cook, and don’t plan to try, then a few smaller changes will allow you to be comfortably in the kitchen with the cook and your family. Widening the hallways has the unfortunate ramifications of taking space away from the already small rooms. I would suggest using the second floor space for the caretaker, as that would be much more private for them, and allow for better space distribution of the downstairs space to family space only. You could have less cramped rooms, and a better plan for everyone. I also have concerns about the designer that you are working with, and the obvious lack of experience in creating accessible space. I would suggest that they obtain the free Home Fit Guides packet from the AARP, as it is one of the best free resources on the market about creating an accessible home. https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/home-fit-resources-worksheets.html  I’m concerned that your project may be moving faster than your design. That is a precarious and expensive issue, because it results in change orders. I’d suggest that you involve better and more local assets in the design process. There should be CAPS individuals there, and your Occupational Therapist should absolutely be on your design team. Good luck, and thank you for your service. Slow down to go fast. Get it right the first time.

senthil-I think you may like what my plan on my kid's rooms is. They will be in a walkout basement versus 2nd floor. I can post a photo tomorrow as I just changed it some and don't have it on my computer. The beds are basically in an "alcove" so that the main bedroom space (11*14) can hold a desk/tv wall as well as a seating area. Basically their own mini-suite. Is Guest 1 * Guest 2 the in-law suite? Not sure how big your lot is, but if there weren't any limitations, I would prefer to see the in-laws each have their own private balcony space...preferably not facing the front yard. I think you could also do more for those spaces regarding a separate office/study/craft/reading space. Swapping the garage location for the in-laws rooms location may give spaces better views. For the space of the pantry, I would rather see it a little wider than 12 ft so you can fit a huge island in the space. Currently, there is 8 ft between cabinets. Another 2ft would give you a 4ft wide island with 3ft walkspace around. I would make the family room or the living room "off" or "hidden" from the other spaces more. A nice TV space where someone can go to have some quietness. Both these rooms are too open to the main space in my opinion. You could do a lot more with the spaces! One of you has a nice study space off the master bedroom. Even though there is a prayer space, kids? office/study space, theater room, and gym, it seems that one of you is missing a truly private office/craft/whatever space of your own. I personally don't like straight staircases that face the front door like that. I always feel like I'm walking into the stairs when I enter a home like that. If you prefer those staircases, great....if not, find out what you do like. For me, it was a switchback staircase. Lots of other great options too though. The garage seems to dump into a narrow 24ft long hallway. Not sure which vehicle will go in the space closest to the hallway, but that is a long walk from stall 2 and 3 to the in-laws rooms as well as everywhere else. Most people wouldn't like the kitchen being on the opposite side of the home, but I planned mine like that to keep the kitchen from being a drop zone....and also based on where my views are. Really visualize how the spaces relate to each other. For me, the view standing at the kitchen island is important to me. In your plan, you have a long space between the island and any view outdoors...and also no view of a beautifully set table. Your entry walks into the dining table with a long way until much other view.