And what will you do in your great room? The more you do there the larger it will need to be…

How much $$$ do you need to cut? More than about 10%, ”trimming” will not do it.

Well, my great room is 35x26. It’s too big for us empty nesters. We have friends with 4 young children and it might be the right size for them.

However, if you’re trying to reduce the cost of your new home, simply shrinking rooms is not a good way to do that.

What do you mean by "reign in our new build"?

You make your 'great room' the size to lodge the functional kitchen of your dreams, dining space to accommodate your closest friends, and a living area to make your family and friends comfortable.

Making a great room smaller will not reign in the costs. Eliminating bathrooms might reign in a bit, but what does the design look like? A well designed house or a McMansion?

28x40 with 10' ceiling.

Define the term "great room"?

Is that just a fancy name for family room or does it include kitchen and a dining space?

Depends on the size of the house. Popular open plans essentially combine the living, dining and kitchen space into one "great room". As in the reno below.

Before

After

Context is the key.

Thank you for comments. The great room is a family room open concept next to kitchen. We enlarged it from 14x15 in first design to 19x17feet in current. It’s just my husband and I and our two adult children who will launch soon hopefully. With second floor the house is coming in at 3600sf. We’d really like to chop at least 500-1000 sf off. We’re going to tidy up mudroom area and that will give us about 400. Instead of a dining room I would really like an eat in kitchen so I was thinking of shifting the whole kitchen down towards the front of the house putting a table where the sink wall is. Perhaps rotating the stairs so they back onto the front of the house. The upstairs consists of a cat walk connecting two bedrooms and a shared bathroom with an upstairs ensuite. We’ve decided to get rid of the upstairs en suture bathroom and reduce the bedroom size of that room. On the other side are two bedrooms and a bathroom. I’d also like to eliminate the front bedroom. Perhaps make upstairs a half split loft. Any further thoughts? I was hoping to reduce great room dimensions as don’t want a huge vacuous space. I’m wondering if going to 19x 16-17 will be ok. I’d appreciate any thoughts.

Is this a custom home? If so lots should and could change to reduce costs and the great room isn’t really it. Decide on your actual needs and wants and dramatically trim this house down if you are over budget. Our great room is 20x20 and that’s perfect for us but we are also a family of five in that space. Your costs will be high because your home isn’t simple. It’s got tons of bump outs and extras that are costly but don’t add anything. I’m not an architect but I doubt that roof is cheap.

The entire thing is bloated and badly designed. It simply is not an inexpensive plan to build. You cannot ”cut” your way out of the issues either. That only makes the deficiencies more glaring.

Look at 2200 square foot plans if you need to be smaller. But since all square footage is not a linear price progression of costs, focus on eliminating bathrooms, and reducing kitchen size. Those are the most expensive rooms. Ditch the double height anything. That is full of loads of expensive dollar bills to create and heat. With zero payback but a cold unfriendly space. Eliminate at least half of those covered porches. They are not free to build, and are making for a very dark interior.

In other words, trash this, and find a different plan.

Also eliminate fakery for the sake of “adding interest”. If you need fake dormers above a garage, it needs to pay it’s construction weight by having real living space there for real dormers. All rooms need to pull double duty. Fake anything doesn't justify it’s creation with a function.

Read ”The No So Big House”.

Are you trying to build your retirement home or a family home where you hope your adult kids and grand-kids will come to spend every vacation ... which usually doesn't happen once those grand-kids start school and sports! And if your adult kids are males, the grand-kids will probably go to their wife's parents' home for those vacations. Are you building for future resale, because your area also has young families?

Who are you building for, that is the question?

As far as the family room, in my previous house it was 21' x 21' but that included 3 isles, so the real available space was 15' x 17' which I found to be a bit small. In our current house, which we built, I made the family room 22.5' x 26.5 with 2 isles. Gave the space quite a bit more breathing room. I used the same furniture in both houses so very obvious how much more room there is.

On your plan, does the family room space include the 2 isles? Make sure you draw out the space on graph paper and add in furniture that is the same size as what you have or would buy. In general, the furniture in home software seems to have undersized seating options, so the spaces look larger than they will be in real life.

That is very far from a retirement home. Zero aging in place considerations are included.

It's a poor design Just on the outside I count 30 bumpouts/corners. That alone ratchets up the cost.

Also you said it's just the two of you plus your two grown children who you hope to fly the coop soon. If that's the case, why do you need 4 bedrooms? And 3 1/2 baths?

. Perhaps make upstairs a half split loft. Any further thoughts?

Yes, you need to start over. You can't just change it by subtracting without it becoming even more of a mashup.

Plus that house will not be good for aging in place. Far from it.

Also who designed this?

I post this all the time. Anything in bold really needs to be looked at and rethought.

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. (this is so the house has lots of natural light which this house you posted will NOT have. It will be dark.)

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.)( I also bolded this because a covered porch outside the kitchen window will not give you 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 do not have diagonal interior walls making for odd spaces.

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. (Even more importantly your access to the exterior backyard is right past your cooktop. That is just dangerous)

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

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

The best houses have separation, such as closets, between bedrooms and between bedrooms and public rooms.

The best houses do not have roofs that are overly large, and dominate the exterior of the house.

The best houses do not have stick on exterior materials only on the front façade.

I'll add that the best houses don't have fake dormers.

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. Meaning they don’t have meandering circulation paths.

Regarding costs. How did you decide on cutting "500-1000" sf? Its better to discuss $ that needs to be reduced & getting suggestions from local builders.

Common myth is that costs are determined by living space.

Add the total construction footages:

• Living space
• Basement
• Covered decks, porches, patios
• Uncovered decks
• Garage

All these spaces will run $150-200 (depending on local costs) per foot to build the unconditioned space plus (some examples)

$50-100K for the kitchen

$15-50K per bath (you have two master baths)

$15-25K per laundry

$________ more for the 2 story areas

$________ more for the structure over garage (future storage?)

$________ more for wood windows

$________ etc.

Depends on location & level of finish this could be a $275psf home or a $500psf home

You will live on the main level. The master deck is near useless. The kitchen is pretty great, garage is awesome, lots of single exterior doors... are these $500 per or $1500 per?

When this is complete in 2025, the upstairs will be awaiting return visits from your kids.

It just seems like there are so many sf lost to entryways and hallways in this design. i’d start over to cut 1000 sf. your master closet gets prime corner space with enough room for my kid to do gymnastics. meanwhile dining and kitchen are stuck under porches. i’d move kitchen/dining to corner locations to improve light. i really think you could both cut sf and make your living spaces more pleasant at same time. personally i’d ditch 2 story great room too but that may not be popular.

Holy Cannoli!! What a complex, expensive-to-build house. Not at all what I was expecting when this thread started with “rein in my new build.”

Maybe the cost is of no concern to you, nor issues of conspicuous consumption. But you should be concerned with Retirement Issues. Will you have a live-in housekeeper to manage this huge home, and a caregiver if your health fails? Sure, you may be hale and hearty and in fine shape today but that can change in an instant. And you’re (sadly) only going to get older. Building a house should not be ”good for now” but ”good for the long term.”

Plus, the multiple changes you already have in mind for this plan tells me it’s not the right plan for you.

And you’re (sadly) only going to get older.

It's better than the alternative!

In agreement with what what everyone else said, but in particular, the jigs and jags are the worst. Not only for their expense and waste of space, but they also make the interior spaces funky and hard to decorate. If you live in a cold climate, all those roof lines are just an invitation for ice to get in the many crannies and have freeze-and-thaw cycles throughout winter leading eventually to leaks.

I feel like someone is trying to sell you this house plan in order to charge a whole lot to unsuspecting home buyers. Start over, not only with a new plan, but with entirely new architect group. Fire whoever designed the one you've posted. You may have given them a retainer, but this is such a bad design, that it's better to lose the retainer than have to live in the house, or have to force changes that will be even worse.

Well, the people have spoken. We decided to scrap that plan altogether! Ouch, but better than building a megopolis. We decided to go with a raised bungalow. We feel so relieved, as hurtful as it was, it was the nudge we needed so thank you. This design better suits our needs, age, area and pocketbook. We are considering this design by The Plan Collection. It seems to give us everything we want with a few changes.

I would really appreciate any comments on the plan. Our concerns are as follows:

1. the great room dining area seem a bit vacuous… thoughts? Swop kit for dining? Put a two way fireplace in middle? Buy nice furniture?
2. reduce the master bedroom length (20ft too much!) and amalgamate washroom complex and go w one WI closet. I’d love a small office in that area.
3. some people rearranged the pantry to make it more squared off
4. We will not do a second floor. Flank fp w built ins
5. stairs to basement could remain behind the fireplace or move to where the laundry room is and put Laundry near master suite or mud area near garage.
6. To conserve our lot we’d rotate garage to 90 degree angle to house.
7. Possibly eliminate one of the washrooms in bedroom wing
8. Add mud room hooks bench possible laundry to garage junction
9. Smaller covered roof over great room. We back south but it’s a forest so we will likely not get hammered by sun

I welcome all reasonable comments. If you have a floor you love please share a sketch or photos.

Why are you not wiling to work with a talented architect?

You have the angled garage which will jump up the price again.

And the only rooms that get natural light on more than one wall are the master bedroom, master bath and GARAGE!

There is a 6' x 9' master closet which shows clothes on both long walls. Won't work. Clothing needs 2' of hanging space which leaves you with a very narrow 2' aisle for walking. Never mind it's on an outside wall.

Why do you want to be cleaning 3 1/2 bathrooms when it will only be 2 of you by the time this is built?

And the laundry clear across the house from where the majority of the laundry will be generated? The master suite? Do you really want to keep hauling laundry across the house? Especially as you get older?

What is the purpose of angled walls/cabinets in the kitchen?

This really is no better. Here is my list again with all the issues again in bold.

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.) (See above how covered porches which will limit light into the kitchen count as "rooms" when designing a house to be light filled.)

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 do not have diagonal interior walls making for odd spaces.

The best houses keep public and private spaces separate. (Bedroom 2 up against the living room wall?)

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 public areas.

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

The best houses have separation, such as closets, between bedrooms and between bedrooms and public rooms.

The best houses do not have roofs that are overly large, and dominate the exterior of the house.

The best houses do not have stick on exterior materials only on the front façade.

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. Meaning they don’t have meandering circulation paths.

the great room dining area seem a bit vacuous… thoughts? Swop kit for dining? Put a two way fireplace in middle? Buy nice furniture?

Once you start with the idea of swapping rooms, it would be better to hire the services of a talented architect to create something just for YOU.

reduce the master bedroom length (20ft too much!) and amalgamate washroom complex and go w one WI closet. I’d love a small office in that area.

My master is 13' x 16' and is plenty big. i had a 20' master in my 1898 house and it was more than I needed. However YMMV.

some people rearranged the pantry to make it more squared off

We will not do a second floor. Flank fp w built ins

stairs to basement could remain behind the fireplace or move to where the laundry room is and put Laundry near master suite or mud area near garage.

To conserve our lot we’d rotate garage to 90 degree angle to house.

Possibly eliminate one of the washrooms in bedroom wing

Add mud room hooks bench possible laundry to garage junction

Again, changing all that, and you'd be better off working with someone to get it right almost from the start.

Smaller covered roof over great room. We back south but it’s a forest so we will likely not get hammered by sun

You won't get "hammered" by sun anyway. In winter, yes sun will enter the south facing rooms, but in summer when sun is higher in the sky, you won't get direct sun into south facing.

I welcome all reasonable comments. If you have a floor you love please share a sketch or photos.

This is our house. Obviously it wouldn't work for you because it was designed for us and our narrow (90' x 95' if I recall correctly) city lot.

We are retired. Well I still "work". I'm an artist. My studio is upstairs and for now I consider the stairs good exercise. We have an elevator just in case one day I can't do stairs.

My studio also doubles as a third bedroom if needed, We've been in the house 4 years, have 4 adult kids between the 2 of us and only used both guest bedrooms at the same time once in the four years. And since we had guests, I wasn't drawing at the time.

This house works for US. It has everything WE need and nothing we don't need. This house also allows us to entertain informally indoors and out. (We are in SW Florida)

The back of our house faces due south.

My DH's office could be used for grandkids to sleep. The guest "suite" doubles as an exercise room. My studio also holds a sleeper couch. All rooms were designed to be right sized for us. What is right sized for you, might be different but I'd seriously consider the fact that you'll be aging in place.

I don't have the eye of @cpartist, but one thing I have to say about your comment about the primary bedroom: "I’d love a small office in that area". It bugs me when I see an office as part of the bedroom, even if it's off to the side in a nook of the bedroom, or similar. A bedroom needs to be a calm sanctuary. You don't want to see papers, computer, charger, printer, etc. on your way to sleep. It will penetrate your subconscious that the work is right there, and you won't sleep well. A home office needs to be completely separated from the bedroom, even better if on a separate floor or opposite side of the house, so that leaving the bedroom and going to your home office is like "going to work" someplace else, not in your bedroom.

Thank you for comments. We will definitely use an architect to tinker with this plan starting with those changes. We really like this lay out. I’m looking for feedback-on the design points I listed. Office will be a library/small media/pullout couch/hobby room, as we’re both retired; agreed it should not be apart of bedroom. I’d never do that. The lot is a2 acre treed lot near a large lake in southern Ontario.

You don’t use an architect to tinker with a plan. You meet with an architect and lay out your wants and needs and they design a plan for you on your lot that os unique to you and your lot. It is very worth it to get design help that creates the home that would be best on your property.

Cpartist, I’d love to see elevations of your house if you’re comfortable sharing them. Thank you

Thank you for comments. We will definitely use an architect to tinker with this plan starting with those changes.

Sorry but as WestCoast alluded to, architects don't tinker with someone else's plans. That's what draftsmen do. :)

An architect will work with you to figure out what you want and need. You can also do what's called a bubble diagram if you absolutely need certain rooms near one another.

Cpartist, I’d love to see elevations of your house if you’re comfortable sharing them. Thank you

How about actual pictures of my house that were showcased in Old House Journal?

Old House Journal article

If you still want to see my elevations, I'll be happy to share them here.

The lot is a2 acre treed lot near a large lake in southern Ontario.

From what I understand, Canada has licensed designers who might work for you. But please choose wisely. Not someone who just gives you what you think you want, but someone who has a vision to help you.