I would like to see people realize how important it is for the design of the house to relate to the site. To take the best advantage of the views, terrane, sun's path, prevailing winds, site circulation, vegetation, and all the unique features of the site; and reflect the individuality of the owners. Some people settle for vanilla, while others achieve greatness.

I like looking at plans for ideas and perhaps for new construction but when it comes to remodeling/renovation will definitely need custom design.

Houses that follow the following:

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, living or family rooms 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.

When I was browsing house plans I eliminated 90% of them immediately because they didn't have a pantry and the main entrance lacked a closet (I want my family to use the front door every day, so I need mudroom functionality)

Those that were left were largely eliminated for not having a clear indication of which wall was south facing, having walls with no windows at all, kitchens with no natural light, main rooms with windows on only one wall, laundry rooms far from the bedrooms, or long dark hallways.

I looked for ages and found lots of inspiration for room sizes and relationships between rooms, but never found a plan that suited the way we live and the site we were building on.

I agree with everything cpartist listed. I would add, that there should be a entry that does not allow vision of the kitchen.

The house we have now has a kitchen totally visible to anyone coming to the front door.

I would add (our house is in Florida) straight walls! They seem to have a thing in Florida with angled walls. Totally ugly and useless! I am planning on having our kitchen wall moved to make it square.

Jane

"They seem to have a thing in Florida with angled walls. Totally ugly and useless! I am planning on having our kitchen wall moved to make it square."

Isn't that funny, because I love angles and curves and am uninspired by the look of ordinary, squared-off straight walls. Different strokes.......

I had never realized that there were house plans available online, until I saw this.

I'd like to see more houses that are designed for what people actually need rather than what they have been told they want by flashy mags and influencers. There has to be a limit to consumerism somewhere, especially when it leads people into debt.

Excellent point jmm!

The house my kids grew up in was my fantasy house. Big living room, dining room, family room, playroom, etc. I had dreams of dinner parties, etc. Yep the operative word. Dreams.

Reality was eating in the too small kitchen with the family, the living room being used only to open presents on holidays and birthdays, and us living 90% of the time in the family room together. So that big (3600 sq foot house) really only used a few rooms and I only did a few sit down dinner parties in the 18 years I lived there. In fact I can count the number on 1 hand.

When I went to build my new house, I realized my idea of entertaining was putting everything out buffet style and everyone sit where they want. My new house reflects how we actually live and every room in the house is used on an almost daily basis. Our living room opens to the lanai (we are in Fl) and before covid, we did lots of fun parties. Even Thanksgiving was buffet style but then we all sat in the dining area off the kitchen. (The exception is the guest room/exercise room but only because I instead go to the gym. But during shutdown it was used a lot.)

I'd like to go back to spaces where you can shut a door either for privacy, sound reduction, or to keep the cooking smells from reaching every corner of the house.

I'd also like to see a come-back of big, surrounding porches.

I look at online house plans for fun. I'd like to see plans that have the kitchen on an exterior wall so that a window can go over a sink and it's easier to ventilate. So many online plans, and plans people share on this site, put the kitchen in the middle of the house. That makes for a dark kitchen.

Homes without multi gables and a mish mash of window styles (not to mention siding). Many of the newer plans (and development homes) are just butt ugly! I miss some of the simpler, but attractive, John Bloodgood & BH&G type plans. Just moved to IN and the developers seem to think that it's attractive to throw brick, stone, siding and maybe a dash of shingles on a house to make it upscale -- UGH!

Would like to see some home plans with 2 small office areas rather than one larger one. One or 2 vaults or raised ceiling but not a barn like place with a huge open area with a 12 ft ceiling. I don't want to feel like an ant nor heat the ceiling! A laundry/service area with room for a sink, folding counter and freezer, not just a closet. Decent linen closet and coat closets. Some plan variety of orientations for view and sun so you can choose one to match your lot. Moderate size main level with a wide straight stairway to a lower level that includes living areas and storage.. More than one outdoor sitting area so you are not baking in the sun. Overhangs to help block summer sun

I want a window over the kitchen sink and to be able to see a tv easily while cooking. a large family coat closet. a front entry area separate from living area with a place for guests coats. and i dislike plans where you must go through the master bath to get to the master closet. space for a tv next to a fireplace but not over the fireplace. lots of windows. a second floor living room. a relatively simple roofline. jack and jill baths where each bedroom has its own sink and toilet. high ceilings in at least part of the house but not just the entry - thats just wasted space. i also like to be able to see all the way through the house to windows when you walk in the front door.

What I really want to see is floor plan first, elevations later.

For one thing, I'm function-before-form. I live inside a house much more than I'm outside gazing at it.

For another, I've seen plenty of plans with different names that vary only by, say, a window versus a door, or a gable versus no gable, or whether a room is a bedroom or an office.

I’d like to see 2 offices, an in-law apt in a plan. A carriage house with one or two apts above would be lovely.…….a pole barn or a big garage with a kitchenette, removable interior walls for party usage could be handy.…….maybe a rooftop patio/garden…….a walkout basement with large glass windows/wall for a greenhouse……….an entrance with glass walls , glass roof , have a small tree or a fountain in the center of fhe space…….

Since I've discovered them, they've become part of my "fantasy shopping" pastime....What I'd most like to see on those sites is the ability to negatively select options, for instance only looking for plans that don't have a formal dining room.