You are going to get close to an even split of votes for/against the fireplace!

My previous house was in a warm climate and it had 4 fireplaces. We burned 4 fires in 2 of them during the 10 years we lived there and it was only for looks during a party. We lived in the northeast before and I wouldn't build there without some back-up heat, which our 2 fireplaces provided during a 4 day winter power outage.

I'm building in a warmer climate now and we never considered adding a fireplace. My DH is always hot and even runs the AC in the winter, so the last thing we are going to do is light up a fire!

Do what works for you. Life is too short to build based on some future mythical buyer!

We opted for no fireplace in our new build. I see 100s of posts across Houzz and the FB design groups I belong to with people puzzled on how to make a large TV and fireplace work, and I didn’t want to end up another statistic, lol. We may add one later down the road when we redo our basement if we decide we really want one.

I have to agree with Mark though…the house plan doesn’t look like it allows for much natural light. So many of the exterior walls are taken up by storage and rooms “off to the side.” We had a screened in porch covering the only light into our kitchen and it did not allow in much natural light at all. There is someone in these forums who posts a “the best houses” list with best practices for house layouts. If you can find it it’s really insightful. All the items in the list start with “the best houses….”

Hi Mark Bischak, So with the house facing South, you dont feel with glass in the front door & side lights, large window in the dining room, window in kitchen, and a wall of windows in the great room (vaulted ceiling in great room and adjacent screened patio) that it will be enough light? Thanks so much for the insight!

I feel the light that makes it through the covered porch, through the door and sidelights and dining room window, through the entry and dining, will not illuminate the living area and kitchen to a point where you will not need to turn on an electric light in the room to be comfortable. Neither do I feel the light that can make it through the screened patio into the great room have much impact.

And the views from the great room to the outdoors appear to be minimal in any direction.

Thank you Mark! Appreciate the insight!

I am also building a home that facing south, in Florida. We get pretty nice light from 4- 8x 3 windows and a 10 foot front door w 3/4 glass. Originally, i wanted a northish facing front w a southern back yard but i found a beautiful large lot on an existing culdesac so we went with it. With every decision we made as far as finishes and extra lighting came with the idea that my home may be dark. Now that its sheetrocked w primer, you can see that the light does do a good job extending into our greatroom. You dont want to not have enough artificial light so maybe you should consult with a lighting specialist. We also used a light travertine in the lanai and around the pool in an effort to maybe reflect more light into the GR through a wall of sliders. Think ahead and really plan and you can make it work. I also went with an electric fireplace that ill probably only use around christmas lol best of luck

Thank you M Riz! Appreciate the thoughts. My first house was south facing and I loved it. It has so much natural light compared to an east/west facing house, so I’m super excited. Yours sounds like to it will be beautiful!

We are designing in warmer climate and while we likely wont use the fireplace much, i opted for one gas fireplace in event of power outage....

Regarding light, i felt the same way about my great room - the covered porch may not allow adequate light into great room. I have opted for two sun-tunnels to help with that...

i live in Southern CA and use my gas fireplace almost every evening in the winter. Enjoy your new home.

Thanks so much for the feedback! I saw on a different thread that adding a couple of sky lights to the back vaulted ceilings in the screened porch would add some light, so I think I will do that. I may also make it slightly smaller. Then, I have removed the front porch in front of the dining room windows to allow full southern light exposure.

Oh, and as far as the fireplace, I am still on the fence. I love the look, but I am afraid it would not be used very much.

That might help a little, but if you really "want as much natural light as possible" you are falling short. Once the plan is drawn to scale with wall thicknesses to may want to change in a few things your layout.

Idk, I already described my situation with a home thats set up in the front is similar to yours. I also have a ” dining room” that will realistically function as an all purpose eating area. I do have giant double glass doors that may help, i dont know the size of your windows. I do think getting rid of your porch will help a lot. I dont know about Texas, but in Florida during the summer, people are blocking the light, Shutters, trees , anything to stop the blazing sun from coming in and heating up the house. By the time October comes around and you start opening the blinds, shades, and shutters, the southern sun is a bit lower and penetrating deeper into homes that lasts until March or April. I have a courtyard entrance, meaning i have 2- 2 car garages and a tall covered entry that blocks some sun and there is still very good light penetration into my home. If the amount of sun shining into your home pleases you thats all that matters. I can tell you though i do have a darker area in the kitchen right where your pantry entrance is. Install plentiful led cans .

Interesting, I find the typical house actually has more light if oriented East/West.

Remember, the north gets no direct light so the typical South facing house gets zero direct light from the rear of the house where most of the windows typically are.

Also, when the sun is high, very little light comes through south facing windows. But, even when the sun is high (ie summer), you get plenty of light from East and West windows.

But "typical house" may mean different things to different people. Also, you don't necessarily want a lot of direct light in Texas. I suspect that you are so used to not getting direct light because it is designed away in Texas or tinted away that it is a different experience.

I long to not have a fireplace..... but we actually use ours to the tune of 10 nights a year - gas.

I too think your great room will be dark. And is not well connected to the outdoors. Are you designing the house yourself?

Don't ever waste a south facing wall with a closet or pantry if you can avoid it..... A bright kitchen is very important and yours isn't.

If the back of your home is facing north, those front facing windows will do little to add brightness to your main living areas…and your kitchen will be quite dark. That little flagstone area is surround by walls allowing for very little light into your kitchen and the fact that the window faces north is a double whammy. North facing rooms are very different from south facing rooms even on an overcast day with no sunshine….a south facing room is substantially brighter even on a sunless day. If you’re at all concerned about having a brightly lit interior, this is not a good plan. To some, it wouldn’t make a difference and their idea of a light filled space is very different than mine…..their brightly lit homes are dark to me. So, I think it’s important you know what you mean when you say that you want as much natural light as possible….. your design doesn’t accomplish what I would consider a brightly lit and cheery interior.

I lived in Florida for a few years, and honestly, the rooms on the south side of the house were so much more pleasant with their bright interior and I had zero need to block out the sun due to heat…it just wasn’t a factor…..and I’m originally from the north and like it COLD!

If you don’t like TV’s above fireplaces, and want a wall of windows, there really isn’t much of an option for a fireplace here…..I agree with the poster who said not to design the home for some future buyer (within reason).

I also want room for the Christmas tree every year.

If a Christmas tree is important to you, I suspect a fireplace hung with stockings might be important too.

The wall with door to patio has gone through various changes (windows and single door to 2 sets of french doors with fireplace in between), meaning no room for TV.

If this is the layout you end up going with, I'd place the fireplace on the back wall flanked by glass doors; fireplaces look great in this set-up. This will give a visual divide between the living room and the screened porch room, and you're going to get little natural light through this area anyway.

Also want as much natural light as possible.

This is your real miss. You've designed a house that squeezes the living spaces (where you'll spend all your waking hours) into the middle of the house, assuring that you'll have a dark living space. You could hardly have less natural light in your living spaces if you tried.

Here's a visual of where light will pour in and give you what you want. To change this, push the closets and pantry towards the interior and your rooms to the exterior -- and move either the secondary or master bedrooms so the living spaces have an exterior wall.

Thanks Mrs. Pete. I appreciate the representation! I also removed the front porch by the dining room. That room will have 1-2 large windows and also considering a dormer. The back wall out to the screened patio will also have either 2 sets of french doors with larger transoms above or several large windows with a glass door. The front door is also glass and will have the 2 glass side lights. Transom above that as well. The pocket office has one more west facing window. I cut the floor plan off, but the master bedroom has 2 east windows as does the master bath and the laundry room. I do like your idea on pushing the closets toward the center. I am a little constrained on the width of the house, so that can't be too much wider. I thought about the stockings. The tree will likely go in the corner of the great room, so I think I am good on a place for that. Thanks for your thoughtful review though! I will definitely take another look...It will only be my 759th look ;)

Thanks to everyone for all of the comments on my floorplan. Maybe I should not have mentioned wanting natural light. Lol...The floorplan is not final. I plan to work with my architect to ensure it has the look I want. My experience after living in a South facing home (with next to no windows on the front) was a very bright home. The structure in the back off the great room is a covered patio (with a vaulted roof - possibly with sky lights), so those are not walls. ;) The other structure on the flagstone patio is a grill - also not a wall. ;) All doors into the home will be glass. Thanks again All! Still unsure of the fireplace issue, but I guess I will figure it out. :)

Yellow highlights are the exterior walls of the structure….that is what I was referring to as walls…..which will definitely block light coming into the kitchen.

Nidnay, The yellow lines on the left are not walls. That will be open or screen. I added the lines for size representation only.

Got it, but for all intents and purposes, I promise you, no light will be penetrating through those screened panels into your kitchen window :)

Nidnay, Got it. Thanks for your thoughts.

If you add a fireplace, the flames will add a little light.

Mark, Ha Ha!

Are you supposed to be a ”pro”?

Most of our clients want a fireplace. It's such an integral element in traditional design. Even our clients that want contemporary or transitional homes want a fireplace as well. It provides a focus in a room and, often, provides a logical starting point for laying out furniture.

Thank you Norwood Architects! Appreciate the comment.

Even in a warm climate, I would opt for a fireplace in the great room. Otherwise, the TV becomes the focal point. Also, how else does Santa visit?

In case the OP is still around, I will post my list for her but i can tell her this house will be very dark!

Anything in bold is what does NOT work because of your layout:

The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling

The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped.

The best houses are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case.

The best houses make sure kitchens have natural light, meaning windows so one doesn't have to have lighting 24/7 to use the kitchen. (And no, dining areas with windows 10' or more from the kitchen will not allow for natural light.)

The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls.

The best houses do not if possible put mechanical rooms, pantries or closets on outside walls

The best houses keep public and private spaces separate.

The best houses do not have you walk through the work zone of the kitchen to bring laundry to the laundry room.

The best houses do not have the mudroom go through any of the work zones of the kitchen.

The best houses do not use the kitchen as a hallway to any other rooms.

The best houses do not put toilets or toilet rooms up against bedroom walls or dining areas.

The best houses do not have walk in closets too small to stand inside.

The best houses have an organizing “spine” so it’s easy to determine how to get from room to room in the house and what makes sense.

cpartist:

Wow, you took either a LOT of time to criticize someone's plan with your OPINIONS or copied and pasted another's opinions. The BEST houses are ones that are loved by those living in them. While a couple of your "thoughts" make sense, some are just out of touch or old fashioned.

Cheers! ;)

Where in TX? I'm in N. Texas and we custom built our home and having a fireplace was a must. It can get quite cold in the winter. It was my favorite feature in the house and used it a lot in the winter....came in especially handy during last year's freeze. We sold the home in March and the fireplace was one of the features my buyers fell in love with.

Ksewell01- I cant stand that list that gets attached to anybodys question about floor plans. You hit the nail on the head when you say ”The BEST houses are the ones loved by those living in them.”. I havent heard it said better. The list is tiresome, although there are some valid points, it comes across as condescending and elitist. Not everybody has the resources to go through that list and meet the criteria of the ”perfect” house. Perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Best of luck with your new home.

@ksewell01 I'm not sure if you're question is based on fashion or function but I can suggest an option witch gives both PLUS a 26% tax credit. Right now there is a 26% tax credit on the purchase and installation of a highly efficient wood or pellet stoves or larger residential biomass heating systems.

The most efficient biomass heating systems are Masonry wood heaters and would qualify for the rebate and they look great, and will heat your entire home all day with just one load and burn a day. No smoke coming out the chimney or creosote to worry about because of clean efficient burn process and the configurations and styles are endless. No electricity required so the next time the Texas electric grid crashes you'll still stay warm without worry. These heaters are common heating sources in the coldest climates in the world and I wouldn't give this a second thought If I was to build new. Do yourself a favor and read up on Masonry wood heaters and the tax credit I mentioned before you decide.

M Riz - Thank you! The first flooplan I posted a few months ago has evolved and changed a little bit. I kept the fireplace after all. It was kind of funny since after speaking with two builders and my architect, everyone liked the plan! I also compared it to professional plans and many of the "list" items are not even featured in those plans.

Txponygirl - I did keep the fireplace! The thought of the grid crashing again solidified my decision. :)

A Netflix video of a fireplace would be better than an electric fireplace IMO.

For good natural light you should be able to see the sky from the great room and kitchen.

The Idea of installing an electric fireplace as a backup if the power grid goes down makes no sense to me, so a Netflix video would do just as well.

Agreed Kevin9408. When I first mentioned the electric fireplace, it was not meant as a heat back up. Ultimately, I am going with wood burning.

For resale I would say include a fireplace. If this is your forever home I would leave that decision up to you. I agree with other posters that the screened porch will intercept light and will obstruct views but, if you use the screened porch often it may be worth giving up light and views from the living room.

I say yes to fireplace especially if it’s a gas one. Im in Texas (houston area) and we have a gas fireplace in our current home that we never used for years. By chance i finally had it serviced and thank jeebers because Storm Uri hit a month later. That gas fireplace kept us warm for 4 days without power (and no busted pipes either). Our friends and family with wood burning fireplaces ran out of wood quickly and it was impossible to find anywhere. I understand the appreciation and authenticty of a wood burning fireplace but the convenience and practicality of a gas fireplace won me over. just my two cents.

ps- And i dont mind a *darker* home. I like openess and windows but direct sunlight and natural light can be its own set of problems. The Texas sun can be a beast on a house. i’d rather have a screened in porch i can sit in (less mosquitos!) than just a bank of windows that allow natural sublight and bake the inside of the house. there is no true pretty solution that ’solves’ that problem. Maybe i am part vampire but i really appreciate indirect.

Thanks Looki Lu! No gas, so it has to be wood burning. Agreed on keeping warm if we get another whopper storm! I agree with the screened porch comment. I had one before (same orientation) and my house was not dark at all. I also used it a lot!