I've never built a home, just dreamed about it and known people who have, and I don't post here much... So feel free to take anything I say with a grain of salt... I like it over all. It seems well thought out for your family vs for a "typical" family, with your specific concerns accounted for, as you mentioned them. How are you planning on using the workshop room? It seems very small to me. It also seems awkward if most things done in it might go outside, in which case materials have to be dragged through the narrow mudroom and turned around a sharp corner to get inside. I would consider make the connection between the house and the garage wider so that the workroom can be larger. Or even having that room open to the garage instead of the main house. Or perhaps even moved into the basement? (I don't know what is in the basement right now, just that you say there is one). I just don't see it as very practical the way it is. You could also push that area out if you want a pantry area near the kitchen. As other people often point out, in-swinging bathroom doors can be potential safety hazards, if someone faints or gets stuck in one. Pocket or out-swinging doors are better for bathrooms. Consider how you're going to bring wood into the house for the woodstove. Most people don't want to haul it very far through the house, as that can be messy. You could consider making the deck a little longer and putting in an insulated wood box that can be accessed from the outside (to put wood in) and the inside (to take wood out) without as much need for opening the doors in the cold winter. I also agree with the point brought up about the door of the laundry room.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions to get more natural light? Generally, there 2 important considerations for flooding a home with pleasant natural light: (1) the directions that most of the windows face, and (2) how deep/fat the house is. For starters, it's great that you seem to have land that encourages a home with mostly north/south windows. :-) Southern light is great for living spaces, because it's nice and bright for most of the day, without being glaring (east at dawn; west at dusk). Now, because I'm in Texas, lol, I'd want my garage on the *west* side, to block all the heat, but in y'all's case, having it on the *east* side may help facilitate the melting of snow on the driveway, right? If that's true, and if you have the space on your lot, I'd consider a side-load garage/driveway. Otherwise, a north-facing driveway may take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. for snow to melt. :-D (Or so I imagine... Never lived in a snowy climate as an adult. Or, maybe since it's on the NE corner, it may get enough light from the east side...?) Secondly, creating a home that's only 1-2 rooms deep allows you to have windows on 2 (or maybe even 3) sides of some rooms. That is *huge* for making a space feel great, allowing for sunshine coming from 2 sides, as well as cross-breeze opportunities. Another advantage to a home that's only 1-2 rooms deep is a simpler/less expensive roof. Win-win, right there, lol. These are just two of the dozens (hundreds?) of things to think about when designing a house. I'm currently reading "Patterns of Home" by Jacobson, Silverstein, and Winslow, and *dang* you would not believe everything that goes into good design. I'm reading it for recreation as well as education, and it's creating a greater appreciation for my architect, to be honest. :-D

1. Your builder may have an interior designer on staff that will help with all of the interior decisions. This, of course, comes with a pricetag (maybe not a line item, but it would be included). If your builder doesn't have one on staff, your best bet would be to hire someone. When we got bids on our house, we spec'd out generals: windows, floor type, cabinet type, shower material, counter material, etc. We didn't pick the EXACT material - those were included in an allowance. When it actually came to picking WHAT floor or cabinet style, we would have used the interior designer. 2. Your stairs are narrow. 3'0" is code minimum, but that is not comfortable, especially for stairs that will be used all the time. Ours are 40" and widen to 44". You'll be going up and down them a lot so you may want something a bit roomier. 3. I agree with others about all the 2 level rooms. I would close that up in an instant. 4. You walk into your master straight into a wall. Or a closet. Consider if that's the look you want. Plus I am not a fan of double doors. One will never get used. Where is your light switch? 5. You don't have room for a freestanding tub in your master bath. Toilet room is too small for an inswing door. 10' is a HUGE vanity. 6. You'll be hauling 3 kids' laundry upstairs to do it. Consider either adding a 2nd laundry space on the main level - and teaching your kids how to share laundry machines - and/or putting in an elevator. You will not have an entirely private level unless you plan on doing all of your kids' laundry forever. 7. Having the powder room right off the kitchen may make that bath really uncomfortable for guests to use. 8. Get rid of the pocket door into the shared bath and flip that bath around so the toilet is up against the closet. That bathroom is just about the worst of a jack and jill. Consider adding a tub/shower combo in that room for resale (anyone with kids under 5 or planned kids won't want to buy your house because they'll have to have their kids bathe in the master bath and truck up and down stairs with all that goes with that). 9. Any deck that you want to use for anything other than a couple chairs needs to be at least 10'. For dining, you need at least that width for a dining table. For comfortable living room type seating, 12'-14'. 10. Do you plan to watch TV in your living room? If so, consider flipping the living and dining room, and put the TV on the bar wall. And insulate that wall. 11. Kid in the middle bedroom gets screwed. Smallest room, no direct bathroom access, and toilets on both shared walls. 12. Reconsider pantry window. Typically food should be stored in a dark place. 13. Consider having seating on the edges of your island as well - this will make for easier conversation if you actually plan on eating there. 14. 3'-6" is pretty tight between a fridge and island. This probably doesn't include fridge handles or counter overhang, either. We have 4' between ours, and it only works because it's a french door fridge.

Since you're going to let the architect help you figure it all out, may I suggest you also keep in mind this list below. Doesn't mean you'll get every single thing on the list but if something has to give, know why and how it will impact everything else. :) Best of luck. 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 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. 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 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. And added from Architectrunnerguy: -The best houses enrich their owners souls. -The best houses are timeless. -The best houses incorporate the intangibles of good design. -The best houses have strong organizational concepts. -The best houses have owners who understand what good design is….and isn’t. -The best houses are shaped in response to the Sun. -The best houses have all its parts in good proportion to each other and to the whole. -The best houses enhance the street. -The best houses balance function, aesthetics and construction. -The best houses recognize there are always design tradeoffs. -The best houses break some “rules”. -The best houses are a joy to live in.