Thanks everyone for the comments so far. I really appreciate it. We do own the land already, but are on a very tight budget for the house. We're trying to find ways to save money and at the same time figure out how much house we can afford. CamG: You make a very good point about the nook being too small. We were concerned about that. DH would like to enlarge the nook somehow. I also really like you're floorplan. I like the idea of eliminating as many corners as possible, but am worried about messing with the front entry area too much. We walked through a ton of homes and this was the only one that we loved as far as the flow of the main living area. Dekeobo & Chicagoans: I'm glad you mentioned the mud room. I think that will be a very big issue. I'm going to mess with the floorplan and try to redraw it to incorporate many of the changes mentioned here. lavender_lass: It's funny that you mention adding 2'. Initially we wanted to use the larger floorplan below, but thought it would likely be way over budget. It's hard to know whether to start with a smaller plan and size it up or start with the larger plan and size it down. Both plans are very similar and created by the same architect. We do have a flock of chickens that will move with us to the property right away. They are "city chickens" right now, which has been interesting. We plan to have a large garden, hay fields hopefully and one or two larger animals. So the extra bathroom would definitely be a help. If we can come under budget, I'm going to try to incorporate a 3/4 bath into the plans somehow. Nicke360: Really like the plan that you posted.It gives us some great ideas for tweaking the floorplan to fit the acreage better. The architect has some already created plans and our hope is to use one of these and then modify appropriately. He will charge us around $100/hr for modifications. Should we combine the mudroom/utility room or add an extra space in the modified garage for a mudroom and leave the utility room smaller? Also, we're planning to omit the slab rear porch shown in the plans and have a wooden deck instead that we can extend. All the property views will be on the same side as the back porch.

There is no way in hell I could buy a house as nice as the one I am building for the amount I am building it for. Ditto here. Every locale is different, and not everyone who is building lives in a depressed market where it is "always cheaper to buy than to build." It really irritates me when people here make that blanket statement. It is certainly not true where I live (if you already own the land). Worthy's idea is worth pursuing. Depending on where you live, you also may want to check out modular/pre-fab builders. Many of them will customize a stock plan for you (included in the overall cost), and the cost and route may be in line with your needs. Before you scoff at modular (this is not mobile/manufactured), check out the link at the end of the post. Haven Homes was one such company on the East Coast (but they are now out of business). We were going this route a few years ago and got pretty far into the process, but ultimately decided that it didn't work for us because we had too many property restrictions (wetlands, setbacks, land coverage, engineering, variances, etc) that the company didn't understand how to deal with. That being said, I think you might be starting in the wrong place - looking at online floorplans. You need to start with your land -- where will your house sit, which direction will it face, how does the light move, etc. Develop a program of your family's needs, wants, dreams. Do the Sweeby Test. An architect makes this vastly easier, but you can do it on your own as well. You say you are reading books. Which ones? Two excellent books that helped me through the early process are Designing Your Perfect House and Patterns of Home. These books address those things you say you don't understand - like "flow" and "feel" and space, room sizes, room relationships. Also, you say this is your forever home, but you don't seem to be anticipating much about how your needs will change over the years. My needs/wants/tastes are much different now than they were 20 years ago when we were starting out. It is very frustrating, I know. I am STILL frustrated with the whole process, and I am using an architect. Going solo with a custom build when you have little experience or background is like flying blind. You may not need an architect, but you do need a program. Also, visit open houses. We met our custom builder at an open house (an existing house that he bought and essentially rebuilt). He introduced us to our architect. You can also get great ideas about how houses "flow" and "feel" by walking through multiple open houses, especially if you're a visual person and somewhat spatially-challenged (as in, can't get a feel of interior spaces from a 2D floorplan, like me). Here is a link that might be useful: New Old Green Modular homes

I found your chat in counter in front of window very helpful. But I cannot add to it. Can anyone help us about a kitchen design dilemma. We want to add a set of small washer dryer in the kitchen (about 10ft x 11ft). But it’s an old 1930 old apartment with two wall of low windows (three old Harvey window on one wall and two on adjacent). Right now all kitchen appliances/fridge are on the two walls without window in L shape arrangement. Would appreciate any advice on how to add the washer/dryer and perhaps more counter space to this design dilemma without losing natural light from the windows?

What I noticed when looking at the photo of the house. All the windows are framed in dark brown. The door is not, which is why it looks so barefaced. I would recommend replacing the center panel, painting white again. But the small strip around the door should be dark brown. And, I would go with a good hardwood sill, and paint the facing edge dark brown also. However you finish the rest of the sill, you need the same look for the door frame as the windows all have. Since the door frame shows hinges for a screen door, I'd look for a wood worker who could make you a screen door in dark wood. Whether you request inset screen to change out with glass inset is your choice. Most people have no use for a screen door with glass. Unless you like the extra light it could afford you. These may be decisions you can make later. Drive around, see if there is another home with your style and see how the front door is done. Glass inset screen door, or just screen? Give that one some time. Good luck on your door, am happy to see you want to do it right.