I'll say that reading your edit placing this in Chicagoland really surprised me. When I first came across the original thread I saw a national builder's plan for a modern style house in Florida, one that can be easily converted to "Americana" or whatever style they can market. Then I saw a basement and thought hillside in California.

I would have probably started schematics with a version of this:

Working this scheme (or others), there are just too many things I would rethink. The garage is way too small, the shower on the first floor isn't needed with an elevator, the maze at the Master, the shared bath, some basement items, etc so I'll just stop here.

I'm curious that this plan has a wine room you don't want. It makes me think that this a an adaptation of an existing plan -- not drawn from scratch for your needs by a licensed architect to be built on a lot you own -- to be erected by a contractor you hire -- after receiving a build permit from your municipality. If that's not the case, tell us what constraints exist. For instance, where's 'north' on this plan.

I never understand the logic of an elevator in a private home. If you're building for imminent or future disabilities, you will be happier in a one-floor home.

I agree with earlier comments. There's too little public space here for a 4-BR house. The garage is too small. The basement layout is weird -- BR at one end and bathroom at the other, and exterior 'service stairs'?...to the rec room?

That is really odd to put a wine room on that corner where you are losing what could be light from windows. Wine room would be better served in the basement.

Not a huge fan of the upstairs master area. The closet seems oddly placed.

We have a 3 car garage and right now we do have three cars and it's kind of cramped with the snowblower (which I assume you have in Chicago), lawn mower and all the other odds and ends a garage holds. If you have a seperate building or shed for this stuff that would help.

I'd forget the elevator idea and build a ranch style if mobility is an issue.

For the first floor: how would you redesign the kitchen dining area?

I would definetly not want to pack groceries from the garage thru the entry to get to the kitchen. no way.

and i really dont care for all the doors in the entry. not one place for a console table, bench or anything.

One thing to keep in mind with an open concept plan is that you will be watching TV and eating meals in your kitchen, eating meals and cooking in your living room, and watching TV and preparing meals in your dining room.

There are several things with the plan that I avoid.

I agree with the comments about the open floor plan, but we would like to keep the square footage low. Ideally we would like more separation for the kitchen, but just do not know how to achieve it

Open floor plans are lovely. We have one and love it. Yes when someone is cooking it impacts tv watching but then that person can go downstairs just like in your plan.

If this is custom:

• don’t put in a wine room if you don’t drink wine
• make the access to kitchen easier from garage
• make garage bigger
• no Jack and Jill bathroom, just hallway
• do you need an office and a library?
• consider swapping the gym and bathroom in basement for ease of guest access

Can you share the site plan so we can see how the house will sit on the lot?

" . . . we would like to keep the square footage low."

Consider shrinking the kitchen, size the 'Family Room' to fit the furniture layout, eliminate 'Wine Room', single door to 'Library", eliminate "open to below", do not turn a corner with base cabinets in a laundry room, only have one door to enter a bathroom, eliminate the gas chambers, if a room has an exterior wall put a window in it, have all bedrooms have a reach-in closet where the door opening are no more than 12 inches less than the width of the closet, keep the basement guest bedroom for guests you do not like, when you tell the designer to start over and try again.

Nothing wrong with a basement guest room. Hardly a big deal and actually quite nice to essentially have a floor to them self

Ask the architect how to redesign the plan, isn't that his/her job?

Diana this whole forum is crowd sourcing for additional ideas! If people just did their jobs and no one asked questions we would see zero plans and posts here.

Yes, I know that these design dilemmas are asking questions, like "which pillow/tile/floor/cabinet style/curtain rod/ sofa/lamp/etc. do you like better?" I've even responded to questions on furniture layouts with a quick sketch. But to ask for a complete redesign of a house, when you have a professional working on it is a bit much.

Where does it say “I want a redesign of the whole house?” I saw “any help is appreciated.” It’s pretty standard for floor plans to be posted and worked on here especially in the building a home section which this has been tagged in.

19' wide is not nearly wide enough for 2 cars in a garage.

4' deep is NOT a walk in closet considering clothing takes up 2' and you need 3' of space for walking.

You walk into the master suite and the first thing that hits you is the bathroom?

Below is a list I constantly post. These are some best practices and a lot have already been mentioned. Anything in bold are things you might want to reconsider when it comes to this house.

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.

If you read through the comments, as well as cpartist's post above, there are so many problems with this plan that it's been suggested to start over. The OP has asked for how to "redesign the kitchen dining area," and "we want more separation....but we don't know how to achieve it." For that you need the architect working on the plan. Crowdsourcing is good for some ideas, but it also can lead to a frankenhouse, with too many cooks etc.

The design is the second try and we only have three tries according to our agreement with the builder. We are very frustrated as we cannot communicate well what is wrong with the plan. Crowdsourcing really helps us to organize the thoughts and we really appreciate all the help we can get.

Why is the builder dictating anything? When you work with a design professional you normally work through it till you get to the result that works. If this is not even close to what you want and you get one more revision that’s a serious problem.

I think the biggest problem is the designer of the house is working for your builder and not for you.

If the builder represents them as an "architect", check their license with your state.

The architect has her own firm in our state. We have an agreement with the builder to use her as an architect but she has been working with other builders and quite successfully, -has an award for designing a bigger house. We have 2 conceptual revisions and 2 small ones. The builder said it is a standard agreement and we did not think we will have problems. We can continue revisions but we have to pay extra to what we have already paid and she is not cheap

Did you say you want an open concept home? What parameters did you give her about your family’s needs and wants?

Yes we wanted an open space concept with some separation - did not specify how much hoping the architect will offer some ideas. The constraints were: 2 car garage, first floor space less than 1700 (not including the garage). The mudroom should be easily accessible from both the garage and the foyer, The first floor should have an office and the bathroom with the shower. We asked for the placeholder for an elevator, We wanted the sairs to be attached to the exterior walls, but that was not critical. That's it, really

But does she possess a license to practice architecture? That information comes from the department of state government that issues occupational licenses. If she owns a firm, or whatever the builder calls her, or if she has won awards, or designs bigger houses, has no bearing on whether she is license to practice architecture or call herself an 'architect'.

Does she communicate directly with you or does she work through your builder?

She communicates with us, but the builder is cced/present in all the communications. We do not question her credentials - she is quite visible, has been featured in the local magazine, 15 years of experience,

So you can safely say you didn’t get all that. It’s not a huge list.

She hasn’t really given you what you asked for.

Consider sacrificing half of the foyer closet so the mudroom can have a second entrance/exit. So when there’s more than one person coming or going, there’s not a bottleneck. Have the architect figure out the master suite. Making the upstairs bath into a hall bath should not be difficult.

Oh, and definitely bigger garage

Only three "tries" allowed? We met with our builders and their reps countless times before we signed on the dotted line. This is your home. They don't get to tell you when the planning time is done, you get to tell THEM.

Well they do get to tell you what’s in the contract and hold you to what you signed. OP said they can revise more but it costs more

Imagine trying to get furniture into the master bedroom. That maze of doors...yikes!

For the master suite we would like to get privacy and two ( his/her) closets. I agree with previous posters the halls in the master area look weird, but cannot think of a better design unless we give up something

Do you own the lot your building on or does the builder?

You keep defending the design studio but do you know for sure they are LICENSED architects?

Why are you stuck using them and not your own?

When we built our house, we went through more iterations than I care to remember until they got what WE WANTED.

And if your "architect" is that good, then why does this house have so many issues? If she is a licensed architect is she doing the actual designing or is she pawning it off to someone less competent in her office?

We own the lot. We signed the contract with the builder and paid the architect through the builder. According to the contract we can only use the builder with the design offered by the architect. We are trying to be constructive as we do not see other way to improve our situation but with clear communication of what we like or do not like in the plans. Unfortunately we are not experts in the floor plans or houses in general and hence we are here.

Alexey you are navigating a complex situation. People on this forum love to pick apart things with only bits of info to go off of and one of the favourites is trying to see if someone is or isn’t an actual architect.

You have options and it’s up to you if you want to take them. You can stick it out with the team you have if you believe they will get you where you want to be. It can work. Since the start has been rocky maybe it’s worth a meeting with all to get communication on track and clear the air and level with one another. They may drop you or you may decide to drop them. Or you might find a way to work together.

You also can cut your losses but that costs you. I’m sure you’ve paid deposits and that would be gone plus this plan, which isn’t all bad to start again. There are stories of people starting over after a poor start with someone else.

Only you know all the variables about how invested you are and what you are willing to give up and tolerate vs fight for and stick with. This forum can be harsh and judgemental when we don’t know all the facts and it really sucks and feels awful when it’s directed at you, but it also has loads of really talented people essentially offering free advice and feedback.

I can only share our journey. After our first few run through at plans we felt defeated. Constraints on height, size, location on lot really messed with what we thought we would get. We ended up having a super intense meeting with builder and designer, yes designer not architect, and really hammered out a number of things. Our house is amazing and we love it. Was it a perfect journey, no way, lots of big bumps, but end result worth all of it. You have to decide what you want and make it happen.

@WestCoast Hopeful I think you were responding to me on a comment, and I get that the OP signed a contract but he is not happy with the plan and only has "one try" left. Sorry but I saw that as a huge red flag. My home wasn't even a full custom home, and we worked with the builder's designer on the tweaks we wanted, yet noone made me feel pressured to OK the plan until we ALL felt good about it. I don't think becuase he (or she) signed a contract for "three tries" that he (or she) should settle before he's happy.

He doesn’t have to settle at all. He has three major revisions as a part of what has been paid and can do more if he likes but needs to pay. That’s the reality of what he signed up for.

We own the lot. We signed the contract with the builder and paid the architect through the builder. According to the contract we can only use the builder with the design offered by the architect. We are trying to be constructive as we do not see other way to improve our situation but with clear communication of what we like or do not like in the plans. Unfortunately we are not experts in the floor plans or houses in general and hence we are here.

So basicallly what you're saying is the architect works for the builder and is designing the house to make it easier on the builder.

Did you vet your contract first with a CONSTRUCTION LAWYER? I sure hope so because it sounds like you're in an intenible position with what you have.

Basically you've used up two of your lifelines and according to this builder, you're only allowed one more try. Even if the architect doesn't listen to your needs. Hopefully it will work the third time out, but i honestly think there's a much better design out there and your architect will not be giving it to you based on what you've posted so far with either version.

Frankly an architect who doesn't even know that to have hanging on two sides you need a minimum of 7' width of closet space doesn't speak well for them.

An architect who puts a pantry and a wine closet you didn't even ask for on an outside wall doesn't speak well for them.

An architect who thinks 19' wide is wide enough to comfortably fit two cars in a garage doesn't speak well for them.

An architect who sticks the guest bathroom far from the guest bedroom in the basement doesn't speak well for them.

There's a lot more but you get the idea. And if she can't even get these things right, I hate to think of the major things she misses or gets wrong.

Hope third time is a charm then.

Didn't have time to read all the comments, so someone may have already mentioned this, but your guest room in the basement is not a legal bedroom without a window for egress.

@RappArchitecture I had the same thought when I first looked at the plans. However, I think that the little bump out to the right of the bed is an egress window. If not, it should be.

It has a window well. It’s fine

@cpartist, I am with you. However our main concern at the moment is the wasted space as we want a small house and every inch should be accounted for. I guess small houses are very hard to design

Ok let me try again. My post didn't go through

Yes designing a smaller home can definitely be harder to get correct because every space has to have a purpose. In reality, this isn't a small house. It's larger than my house which is 2870 square feet but my lot I'm assuming is wider so I was able to spread out my downstairs.

For example, I just took another look at your kitchen and from the end of your island to the left wall where your fridge is, is almost 7' to the front of the cabinets. WHY? And the problem is, the more I look, the more I see that could be better consolidated and better designed.

I keep harping on getting a construction lawyer to look over your contract to see if you have any options because what you're dealing with right now is not realistic in terms of designing a custom house with only 3 tries. Especially with an architect who seems to be less than stellar in terms of their skills.

Additionally, a construction lawyer in your area would probably know of your builder and know what can and can't be renegotiated or even if there are other issues you don't know about.

I see the window well now, so the basement bedroom is legal. Mea culpa. But I still wouldn't want to sleep there.

As for any limits on changing the design given the contractual situation, my strong advice is to NOT stop making revisions just because they will cost additional $. This is your house, you will be the ones living there, and whatever it costs to get it the way you want will be worth it.

We have a basement guest bedroom that is similar and it’s great for what it is. A one off. We rarely have guests for more than a night or too. It gives them a nice big bedroom, own bathroom and a rec room for quiet away from us if they need it. I’m glad a guest room doesn’t take up valuable floor space on our main floor or upper floor, both of which had restrictions in height and floor space. Basement are very common where I live and a guest room in the basement is too. Gosh we even have a basement suite we rent out on the other side of the house and those folks live there all the time.

So let me get this straight:

You signed a contract with a builder and architect as a package deal.

The deal allows for 3 houseplan tries by the architect.

The architect does not seem to be providing what you want nor listening to your concerns.

A fourth houseplan try will cost you more money.

Not too hard to figure out what’s going on here.

We do not plan to finish basement now- may be in the future if we expand our family

Not too hard to figure out what’s going on here.

Yes she's getting royally screwed and if they don't give her what she wants, then they make more money with continued revisions.

Hello Alexey,

We were drawing up suggestions for your furniture layout in another post called; help with the furniture placement is needed, pass through living room. But it seems as if it no longer exists. Is everything okay? Did they pull it on you? Please let us know. If you would like to contact us directly we can be reached at callmaeday@msn.com We will gladly help you in any way we can to figure out a furniture layout for your living room. Please let us know what happen. You kept your word about the agreement you signed. You didn't post pics as promised. This is the first time we have seen a post go away like this.

Marcie at MAE Day Designs

Here is another suggestion for you living room furniture layout.