When I ran into this problem: I cut out a hole in the cabinet back about 12 by 18" high. Doesn't need to be neat but stay 2" away from sides and bottom of cabinet. Cut off the drain pipe about 5" below the existing Tee connection. Glued on a new Tee. glued a ~6" piece of pipe and coupling to connect to the outside cleanout located at the top of the drain pipe. Cut a neat square piece of 1/4" birch plywood to cover the hole in the cabinet. sanded edges and spray can varnish job. and of course a hole for the new drain connection. Attached the plywood with 4 screws at the corners. Took about 1/2 day altogether. It's a little cramped working under the sink. Don't compromise on getting the sink you want just because it's a little work. It's very difficult (impossible?) to change an undermount sink later.

Many of the small house designs of the 20s-30s are wonderful lesson in how to live well and still live small. There are many books and web sites with lots of these plans. They make wonderful looking. In your case, however, you are trying to fit and retrofit a "lot" into a "little"--25 pounds into a 10-pound box! For example, I believe the original house has one small bathroom on the second floor serving three bedrooms. Probably not a desirable 2016 solution, but there's little available room for a second bath. The adjacencies, sizes and locations of the rooms in your first floor sketch plan really don't work very well. As others have suggested, it really takes some creativity and experience to design small well. Anyone can design a large house, but a small one takes so much more ability. Do you have the land for your proposed new house? Or you trying to design something which will fit "anywhere"? It seems, from your description, that the new design must be organized and positioned in a certain way, but it's unclear why. My recommendation is to stop trying to design a "solution", and make two lists: 1) Must haves; 2) Like to haves. Gather some photos of the architectural character and features which are appealing to you. Thereafter, find an experienced and creative architect or other professional in the single home business and ask them to meet with your for a 2-3 hour design "charrette", to explore design concepts and options which can then be used as the basis for preparation of full design and construction drawings and specifications. Until you have the design concept worked out and confirmed for your specific site, none of the hypothetical plan sketches have much meaning. Good luck with your project.

I think there is a lack of storage next to the front door - but I don't know how often you would use it, and being in Florida your guests are unlikely to have bulky coats. I'm in the South and don't own big, bulky coats ... but I still want a small coat closet to store family coats. They have to go somewhere, and they're space-hogs, if they go into the bedroom clothes closet. there is not a good bathroom location that's acceptable for guests Good point. the guest bedroom on the main floor accesses the main house through the kitchen. Yes, often I'm not opposed to this set-up; for example, I think it's fine if the pathway to a bedroom lies between the kitchen and the breakfast table -- but in this case, the pathway cuts through the heart of the kitchen. It's a complete no-go. I think there should be more windows on the sides of the master bedroom. Yes, both downstairs bedrooms could have windows on three sides -- they could be wonderful. It take longer to get down the slide than I would think. Yes, the slide's going to be a cool thing -- and it'll be expensive and space-consuming. Don't hide it in a corner by the mudroom. You've drawn the shower to be as big as the King size bed. Seriously? The toilet is at least 6 feet into its closet. Yes to problems with proportion. Start measuring things. Things in your house, things in friend's houses, even the half bath at the dentist's office. This'll help you develop your own idea of "right sized". Just want to note, things we store in our front “coat closet”: coats, lots of shoes, umbrellas, dog leashes and poop bags, packable stroller, market cart, beach towels...not just for coats, people! Good point. Right now my small coat closet houses coats and also the vacuum and many of the same things BB mentioned above. I am very much looking forward to a separate cleaning closet and a dedicated pet storage space in the mudroom. For example, if you have an electrician in your house to fix something, what bathroom would he use, if needed? I agree you need a spot for guests, but this particular question is so unlikely that I would not worry about it. Other thoughts: I'd flatten out some of the jigs and jogs around the edge of the house. They're more expensive to build and add nothing to the quality of the house. Stairs can be such a lovely part of a house ... and you're building a large /expensive set of stairs ... yet they're going to be hidden behind a wall? No! Open them up! How wide is the walking area in the pantry? It looks narrow. Look at how many gathering spaces /public spaces you have. How do you plan to use each one? I ask because I suspect you're over-doing this portion of the house ... especially because every family member also has a personal bedroom. I think I'd flip-flop the guest room and the guest room's sitting area. Why? Because you're awake when you're in the sitting room and can enjoy the view. Also, this would allow you to have the closet right next to the utility room /I'd open a door between this suite and the laundry. Also, I'd consider making this the master. I'd rather be able to come home (thought the garage) and have my room /my bathroom /my closet RIGHT THERE for me. Extra windows on bedrooms have already been mentioned ... this room -- not sure what it is -- but if you were to move the closets to the interior wall, you could have windows on two sides. I think I'd make this room into the laundry room ... it's probably big enough to carve out a laundry AND a half bath. You really need to pay attention to the windows; no other single thing in your house will add as much to the quality as natural light. The hallway to the master bedroom is less than ideal. It's a long walk, and it's going to be dark. I do like that you put a closet /bathroom door halfway. Actually, the whole master suite is bloated; you could have everything in this suite ... in a smaller, more efficient space. Upstairs bath: I'd downsize to one sink, which would allow drawer storage for the boys. Kids never use sinks at the same time anyway. I'd add a shelf /ledge at the end of the tub /bump the tub itself to the right ... something like this, which would give the boys storage in the tub:

@Em I think that your current plan is much better. If you think that you want a single-story, then you need to ask your builder and architect about the additional costs, if any, to build relative to a two story. It may make sense given your legitimate concern about achy joints. A 1-story home, of course, has more roof and foundation, but I think that you should at least explore the that option so that you can make an informed decision. Again, I'm not a pro...just guy with an opinion going through the process just like you. Perhaps you do a larger lower level and a partial second story. For me, single-story living is significantly better than other options. You're not wasting space on stairs and they feel less cramped and if, heaven forbid, you become disabled and need to be in a wheelchair, then you retain use of your entire house instead of one floor. I think that if you have the right architect, then they can make spaces work harder you and your future.