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Drew up some house plans..

BellyUpFish

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So the wife and I sat down and drew up the next house..

This will hopefully be our last house.

I always enjoy seeing what others see that I didn't in potential builds. Things they'd change.

Anyone who has been here done this several times see anything they might change?

There are a few small things we will likel incorporate that is not included on this plan - sink in the garage cutout, a pass through from master closet to laundry room being two of them.

8654b4b338146e4dd1c25db54d4f15b6.jpg
 
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mike528

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I would make ALL of your doors 36". That was dads biggest regret when they built their house 23 years ago. And something I wished more people did when i moved, and while delivering appliances when I worked at lowes. And I would make sure you can get full sheets of drywall/plywood down your stairs. Personally I like straight shots with plenty of open space at either end of the stairs.
 

Voi

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Are those plans drawn out with north being the top?

I think I'd want more windows on the office/foyer/dining wall but maybe not if that's south.

With your mud room right there I would get rid of the neo-angle pantry and have the mudroom made larger and combined with pantry space. I've seen a few houses built this way and I really like it.

[EDIT] Just realized that's probably a lazy susan cabinet and not an angled pantry.
 
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NUTTSGT

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One bedroom, wow, last house for sure. Although the dining and office could be turned into bedrooms for a future buyer.

I llooked at the plans and then read your text. I was going to mention the pass thru for the laundry/closet but you have thought about it. Small pocket door ?
 

SJR033

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One bedroom house?????

There is a set of stairs, so either a 2nd floor or a basement. I would guess that is where more bedrooms are.

Another hint is the "1987 sg. ft heated main level" note. Indicating that there is another level.
 
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2diamondfarm

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We built a new house a year ago and now after living in it for awhile I wish I had put stairs from the garage to the basement and not putting a 180° turn going down the stairs we do have and of course the garage is to small.
 

woodrail

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No closets?

Get rid of that long hallway. You are eating valuable square footage for unnecessary travel. Slide the stairs over to the left.

Not enough counter space in kitchen.

I'm not a fan of your only guest bathroom being off your mudroom. You keeping the good towels in there?
 

Kaizen

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When I hear last house I think building for all possible future issues like wheel chairs and grab bars in the bathroom. not sure how far away all that is for you but good to at least try and build for a future conversion like spec in 2x6 between the studs in a shower so a grab bar at x height can be added without ripping out the shower.
 

Streetbu

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Remove the hallway inside your bedroom. you'll gain a lot of space for your closet and laundry room.
 

pablo94sc

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Move the fireplace to the outside wall or you will forever have your tv stuck in a corner or blocking a window.
 

Falcon67

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French doors from the master to the covered porch - need more light in there. And closets in the bath are a PITA. Better that the pot is in a closet. Agree on the fireplace - you've got one spot for a flat screen and that's over the mantle.
 

ddawg16

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Garage is not big enough.

You are going to have issues with the walk in closet shoved into the back of the bathroom....moisture will get in there and add to a musky smell for the clothes.

A lot of wasted space with the hallway....I'd figure out a different spot for those stairs.

I'd be inclined to move the deck over by the breakfast area and expand the master bedroom and re-arrange the bath and walk in closet.

Garage is not big enough
 

SJR033

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Garage is not big enough.

A lot of wasted space with the hallway....I'd figure out a different spot for those stairs.

Garage is not big enough

My wife would not think the hallway is wasted space, she would think all the wall space would be perfect for family pictures.

This is GJ so, yes the garage is to small.
 

gregtwojeeps

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Leaflessshadetree

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Bedroom and dining room both too small (especially the bedroom). As far as the master bath I'd get rid of the double sinks and the closet for the water closet. I also wouldn't want walk in closet in the bathroom. No windows on the left side (except for the bathroom)?
Not enough kitchen cabinets/counter top.
The garage is OK, but you may want some more windows.

All of those corners around the outside create wasted space (indoors and outdoors) and problem prone areas (especially the roof) and you'll be paying more for them.
 

gungatim

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my experience: when I built my house I tried to draw up plans for exactly what I wanted. it looked stupid. after buying a dozen house plan magazines (on advice from a family member who is a builder), I decided going with a plan that has already been built many times and hopefully makes good use of space/material, etc. was the better way to go...

other advice was make the office a bedroom, not just an office, put in a *** tub (we jokingly called those big Jacuzzi tubs), pocket doors where feasible, and other stuff like that due to resale. I swore we would never sell, but Uncle Bob kept saying, that's what they all say, talk to me in 20 years and you go to try selling an odd styled home that doesn't appeal to the wife who generally has the final say on kitchens, bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, etc...
 
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BellyUpFish

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Lots of great comments. Let's see if I can address some of them.

I really like the idea of 36" doors. Going to have to explore that.

Are those plans drawn out with north being the top?

Actually, top will face south..

One bedroom house?????

Nah, 3 bedrooms upstairs.

One bedroom, wow, last house for sure. Although the dining and office could be turned into bedrooms for a future buyer.

I llooked at the plans and then read your text. I was going to mention the pass thru for the laundry/closet but you have thought about it. Small pocket door ?

That's just the main level. Pocket door over the passthrough might be a great idea..

No closets?

Get rid of that long hallway. You are eating valuable square footage for unnecessary travel. Slide the stairs over to the left.

Not enough counter space in kitchen.

I'm not a fan of your only guest bathroom being off your mudroom. You keeping the good towels in there?

Coat closet underneath the stairs. I guess we could slide the stairs to the left, but then we'd need to rework the upstairs.

Kitchen is the wife's domain. She drew it up. :)

Maybe add a coat closet in the foyer.

Aside from the floor plan, think electrical. ie add outside outlets for Christmas lights etc. that are controlled by an inside switch.

We were "pinteresting" this last night. I plan on doing all of the above.

French doors from the master to the covered porch - need more light in there. And closets in the bath are a PITA. Better that the pot is in a closet. Agree on the fireplace - you've got one spot for a flat screen and that's over the mantle.

French doors to the bedroom are an excellent idea.

We really like the closet/bathroom arrangement, our last house was like that and it really worked for us.

As to the TV - yeah, over the fireplace is it. That too came from the last house, we don't mind it.

Garage is not big enough.

Garage is not big enough

40x50.. 14' walls..

Must not have or expect to have grand kids staying over ? Resale will be tough. Never

3 bedrooms upstairs. If grandkids come over, they can stay in their parents room. ;)

Resale - maybe not the wisest idea but most choices on this house are as our last house. I really don't see myself selling outside of extremely life changing events. We are trying to keep it "some what" in line with what others would want.

other advice was make the office a bedroom, not just an office, put in a *** tub (we jokingly called those big Jacuzzi tubs), pocket doors where feasible, and other stuff like that due to resale. I swore we would never sell, but Uncle Bob kept saying, that's what they all say, talk to me in 20 years and you go to try selling an odd styled home that doesn't appeal to the wife who generally has the final say on kitchens, bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, etc...

We had a *** tub in the last house. I used it rarely, wife used it less than that. I'd skip a tub all the way, but we aren't for possible resell.
 
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Kevin54

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Make your main entrance door 48" instead of 36". With todays furniture and appliances getting larger, you really need a wide door for ease of getting the appliances in.
 

Falcon67

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Yes on the 36" doors if possible. Makes moving things around much easier. 32" is OK for the interior because you can easily pop them off the hinges. But 36" is way better.

The *** tub (love it) is great for washing dogs. And yes - better have a tub in the house for resale. People seldom use it, but everybody comments if it's not there. Weird, but true.

Good length hallways are great. If/when you have grand kids, you can play "hall soccer" one on one.
 
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NUTTSGT

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Christmas lights, outlet. I put outlets in the porch ceiling/soffit. There's a switch for them right outside the front door for those outlets. Open the front door, reach up and flip the lights on/off, close the door. The front porch lights are separate and inside beside the front room light switches.

I like the lay out and didn't catch the fact of the stairs leading to an upstairs, I only thought down. :dunno:
 

NUTTSGT

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BTW, the 36" doors is a great idea. Take it from somebody that has had to literally wrestle a cot or patient through a narrow hallway/door way.
 

Dick in Wisconsin

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36" doors are nice, but the opening and swing will eat up lots of space ... which you might not realize until the house is built. You need large rooms and areas that doors open into to make them work.

How large is the lot?

Can the garage be made deeper? Make sure you have lots of room around the cars. Draw the cars in and see how much room you have around them.

Basement?

Is this plan similar to another house you have been in so that you can compare that actual house to the proposed changes.

Oftentimes what looks good on paper either doesn't translate into what you thought it was going to me or doesn't include something that will be obvious when the house is done.

Feel free to show this to as many people as possible. Especially anyone who has built a house. Get their opinions. Have a thick skin. Listen to their opinions. You'll likely be picking up little things you've missed.
 
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BellyUpFish

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I like the lay out and didn't catch the fact of the stairs leading to an upstairs, I only thought down. :dunno:


Upstairs:

ad238388f2f999e54f527f8006bfe615.jpg
 

ddawg16

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I would put the office upstairs. Something nice about looking out and down.

Then move the foyer over so that it's a straight run at the stairs. You do NOT want to be trying to turn corners to reach the stairs.

Get rid of the hallway....let the Master bedroom **** up against the stairs. Go open style on the stairs so you see people going up and down.

Getting rid of the hallway will give you about 4 more feet in the master bedroom area.
 
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BellyUpFish

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How large is the lot?

Can the garage be made deeper? Make sure you have lots of room around the cars. Draw the cars in and see how much room you have around them.

Basement?

Is this plan similar to another house you have been in so that you can compare that actual house to the proposed changes.

Oftentimes what looks good on paper either doesn't translate into what you thought it was going to me or doesn't include something that will be obvious when the house is done.

Feel free to show this to as many people as possible. Especially anyone who has built a house. Get their opinions. Have a thick skin. Listen to their opinions. You'll likely be picking up little things you've missed.

House is coupled with 6.5 acres with rougly 35 acres around that.

Plan is essential the house we just moved out of with some changes.

Exactly why I shared it. People view life through all different colored lenses.

Some things work for some and not for others. :) But there are already a lot of good ideas I've heard here. A couple of which will probably happen - french door off the bedroom and pocket door in the walk-in closet.
 

Ipassgas

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More closets.

36" doors.

You need a pantry (or at least a pantry closet).

Your bathrooms **** - and here's why: imagine you or your wife, 15 years from now, weak and in a wheelchair after surgery (or God forbid, stroke). With them being in tiny rooms, off of other rooms, you can't get in or out. That alone will make you have to sell your house (and garage!) and move.

Also, this may sound crazy, but I see room for an elevator shaft next to the stairs, (or find space somewhere eles) emerging in the storage room. Again, God forbid a stroke or accident or diabetes and somebody ends up in a chair. You can get those escalator stair conversions, or for $50 in framing now, you have an elevator shaft. They are very common here now, and are framed in for almost every house over $250k. Because again, for $50 in framing, you never know.
 

JettaGetUpandGo

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I would make ALL of your doors 36". That was dads biggest regret when they built their house 23 years ago.

I agree with 36" at the entry doors, bedrooms, and master bath, but definitely unnecessary for the pantry, powder room, etc. A wheel chair can fit through a 2/8 door.

Move the fireplace to the outside wall or you will forever have your tv stuck in a corner or blocking a window.

It looks like there is a built-in to the right of the fireplace for either the TV or a bookcase of some kind. Above the fireplace is another option and is becoming quite popular with wall mounts and how thin TVs have become.

You are going to have issues with the walk in closet shoved into the back of the bathroom....moisture will get in there and add to a musky smell for the clothes.

With a proper ventilation fan (110 CFM) installed correctly (minimal bends/restrictions) this isn't an issue provided the fan is actually used while taking a shower. Place the fan close to the shower.

My critique:
-Since this is Alabama, not Wisconsin, I am assuming those stairs go up to a second floor with additional bedrooms rather than down to the basement. If not, adding a closet to the office to be used as a second bedroom if necessary would be smart (for lending purposes and resale).
-No closet in the foyer or mudroom? Maybe this is different in warmer climates where storing bulky winter coats isn't an issue.
-In the powder room, have you used this configuration before with the toilet across from the sink? Most people that have this do not care for it, but it does help conserve space. If this arrangement is kept I would recommend flipping the sink and toilet. The reason for this is if you walk in from the garage you will be looking at the sink, not the toilet (looks nicer). The added benefit to this is if someone thinks they're home alone and fails to close the door, when someone walks in from the garage their business won't be on display while they are doing their business.

EDIT: I waited too long to click reply. It looks like much of the above has already been addressed.

Perhaps a closet in the craft room like the other bedrooms? Even if it will be used as a craft room it would still have potential to be used as a bedroom. When I think craft room I also think of lots of odds and ends that could be stuffed out of sight in a closet.
 
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BellyUpFish

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-Since this is Alabama, not Wisconsin, I am assuming those stairs go up to a second floor with additional bedrooms rather than down to the basement. If not, adding a closet to the office to be used as a second bedroom if necessary would be smart (for lending purposes and resale).

They go up. ;) That's why we skipped the closet on the office.

-No closet in the foyer or mudroom? Maybe this is different in warmer climates where storing bulky winter coats isn't an issue.

There will be a closet under the stairs on the south (in the image) side. Also, the square represented in the mudroom will be a bench with "his - hers - hers and hers" spots. Still debating the style of built in. There will be coat hooks for well coats and kids backpacks, shoe bins, etc. Pinterest will surely show me what I am to build, via the wife.

In the powder room, have you used this configuration before with the toilet across from the sink? Most people that have this do not care for it, but it does help conserve space. If this arrangement is kept I would recommend flipping the sink and toilet.

This is admitted a compromise we have made. We needed to get the extra bathroom in and this seemed to be the best way to get it accomplished.


Perhaps a closet in the craft room like the other bedrooms? Even if it will be used as a craft room it would still have potential to be used as a bedroom. When I think craft room I also think of lots of odds and ends that could be stuffed out of sight in a closet.

Yeh, that is something that needs to be sorted out.
 

bczygan

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A few ideas from an Architectural Designer.

Entry closet for guest's coats (And yours)?

What is the lot layout?

I can't design a house without knowing all about the property. Terrain, views, nearby architectural styles and materials, etc. etc.

To take a plan, and plop it down on a site, is depriving yourself of many wonderful possibilities.

Modern home styles are just that, styles. Styles change and go out of fashion. Right now we are in the latter days of the "open floor plan" style. That day is waning. People are starting to see all the disadvantages of open floor plans, and are going back to defined spaces for particular functions. Instead of completely open space between the living and dining, how about an opening, larger than a normal door, flanked by columns? This provides visual connection and a dramatic entrance to either space from the other.

Examine carefully your living habits. Do you really live in the kitchen? Or do you simply prepare food there? Do you actually live in your living room? Do you dine in your dining room or do you eat in your breakfast area?

Is your lifestyle casual or formal or a combination?

Your house and property are a machine for living, but also should be a sanctuary. Don't let standard room names, and popular arrangements, dictate how you want to live. The way the built and natural parts of your property relate to each other and your neighborhood, and the way they serve you, should be a reflection of how you want to live.

OK, off of soapbox. This is a great and expensive opportunity.

Some design suggestions without knowing the property.

Consider changes in floor levels and ceiling heights to create drama and changes of mood. Make the inside and outside relate to each other. Bring the outside in and the inside out. Work in some verticality. Think of how natural light can be used.

Use natural materials where you can. Preserve the natural features of your property. Don't simply clear a plot and plop down a house.

Bill
 

pmiranda

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+1 on 36" doors. I'd add a door to the back porch that lines up with the stairs so you could take long items straight up. Similarly, upstairs, add a walk-in-closet next to the bathroom so long items coming up could go partly into that and make the turn. I still wouldn't want to be the one to get that bathtub up there. Hard turns at the top or bottom of a staircase are no fun. At the top of our staircase we have a hallway that runs at 45 degrees to the staircase for a few feet and it makes for easy turning. Takes up some space at the front of house in your plans, but I think it'd be well worth it.
I really like the idea of eliminating the downstairs hallway.

I'd get rid of the door from the porch to the (small) breakfast area and use a sliding french door (or 2 or 3) on the long wall of windows instead. We really liked having that easy access to the back porch at our previous house.

Another idea: turn the half-bath off the mudroom to eliminate that little hallway to it. Then have benches with storage on either side of the door and you will eat up less garage space and still do everything you need.

Finally, if this is really the last house you ever plan to build, I'd get an architect to do your plans. They will have thought through issues on previous projects that you may have never considered and surprise you with some good ideas.

We have an angle pantry in our kitchen and added drawers on one side in place of the bottom shelves... great for bulk pasta, grains, etc.

Don't forget details like where you'll have your trash, recycling bins, and storage for larger kitchen appliances like stand mixer, bread machine, etc. We have more drawers than cabinets in our lowers since they're great for pots, pans, dishes, lids, spices, etc.
 

FordTruckWench

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It looks like you have to go through the Family Room to carry food from the Kitchen to the Dining Room.

You have plumbing on both extreme sides. You may need two water heaters. (And then the upstairs has plumbing in the middle.) It might also be difficult to get enough vertical height for the proper slope of waste lines.

The fireplace is in middle of the house. That means the chimney has to go up through the tallest most spacious part of the attic. Um, oops, it is not shown in the upstairs plan.

It may make sense to flip the kitchen and fireplace. And then place the master bath backing up to the kitchen.

One bath upstairs for what could be three bedrooms? Perhaps have a Jack-n-Jill bath between the two bedrooms, and a powder room that serves the craft room. And oh, a shower stall may be better than a bathtub upstairs.

As was already mentioned: The extreme lack of kitchen counter space. It looks like if you have a counter top microwave and a mixer or coffee maker, then the only counter space left will be the island!
 

FordTruckWench

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Some more:

It looks like you intend to place your bed's headboard against the east wall. The bathroom door ends up right near the side of the bed. You might prefer it around the corner...

The width of the family room is kind of too large to easily have living space upstairs from it. It'll require some extra beams or expensive floor joists.

It looks like you plan on bringing the roof down such that this would once have been called a 1 1/2 story house. If so, you probably won't be able to get from the upstairs into the storage space above the garage - the roof lines will be just too low.

To get upstairs requires walking almost into the master bedroom. Yes, it is a hallway, but it really feels like an inner sanctum.
 
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boiler7904

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I would want to figure out something different for the stairs. Carrying beds, dressers, etc. down a hall with a 90 degree turn only to do a 180 to go upstairs and make another immediate 90 doesn't sound like fun at all. With that big open space, I would want a 9' ceiling at a minimum but prefer 10'+. Taller ceilings mean more stairs.

Take a look at your roof plan. As drawn, the second floor bedrooms don't make sense to me unless the back of the house is one giant shed dormer. Might want to show the fireplace flue going up through the second floor too.

Might want to think about the connection between the driveway and front door. That's a long walk in inclement weather. Personally, I'd go for a front loaded garage. The back of the garage that faces the front door needs something to break up the long expanse of blank wall.

I look for a way to move some square footage from the master bath to the master closet. Never enough storage. Also on that note, having to walk through bath to the one and only closet ***** - have it now and never will again. Might actually look at ways to completely re-arrange our closet to change that and gain more storage.

Where are things like air handlers, water heater, water softener (if needed), electrical panel going in this plan?

Basement, crawl space, or slab foundation? Unless coastal, I'd prefer a basement (and a look out if site grades would allow).

Kitchen needs more counter space. Think about moving the fridge to the end of the island between the pantry and door to mudroom. How are you going to vent the cooktop? Anything overhead is going to block views to the family room.

Entry needs a closet unless it is under the stairs.

I wouldn't want guests going to the mudroom to use a bathroom but at least the laundry has been separated.

Dining room and office need to be deeper front to back. Think about family dinners at the holidays.

Where does the Christmas tree go in this plan? We have a similar plan and it ***** to get the tree up, move furniture to where you can still walk around the room, and be able to sit in your favorite chair while having line of site to the cable box / tv for the remote.

Garage isn't deep enough if plan to store anything on the back wall.



Since this is your "last" house, you should really think about designing for aging in place and what that would mean for you and your family to get the most out of the house as long as you are able to. Groups like the NAHB, ASID, AARP and others have extensive information about home design for aging in place. A lot of the items won't cost too much more (some are free or no cost) in a new build than going forward without that planning.

Look into possibility of a future elevator - frame it to their specs with a section of floor that's easy to remove and use the space on both floors as a closet until you, your wife, or other family member, lose mobility and need the elevator. Future elevator might affect electrical service size.

Install blocking for grab bars near toilets, showers, tubs. A large properly-constructed curbless shower would be your friend.

Mount electrical receptacles a little higher than normal so they can be reached while seated in a wheel chair.

Comfort height toilets (think about the HC stall in a public restroom vs standard)

Lever locksets in place of knobs

Think about setting up one room as a suite for a live-in healthcare provider or family member.

Good luck with the planning and build. Hope to see a build thread as you go along.
 
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Clik

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All it takes is a twisted ankle, an accident or a hip/knee replacement to make you wish the house was wheelchair friendly. In this house (The last one) I built, I went all one level, double front entry doors, rear slider doors to patio, no steps anywhere, in or out.

So, your electrician sends one of his guys over to fix the outdoor lighting, the landscaper is replacing some plants under warranty and they both asked to use your bathroom, muddy feet BO and all. Do you have a powder room that restricts access to your personal space?

Uncle Bob wants to come an stay for a week. He smokes like a freight train, hacks all night and dribbles when he pisses. Does he have his own bedroom with its own bathroom and maybe a slider so he can go outside and smoke every ten minutes?

Where are the TVs going? Will you have sun on the screen? Sun in your eyes? Reflections on the screen from reflecting walls?

I work in my garage 'til 3:00 AM and am glad I built it separate from the house so as to prevent waking the wife.
 
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BellyUpFish

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It looks like you have to go through the Family Room to carry food from the Kitchen to the Dining Room.

Dining room is one room on the floor plan I'd skip all together if it were up to me. Wife needs somewhere for Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners. That and odd get togethers will be all the action the dining room sees.

You have plumbing on both extreme sides. You may need two water heaters. (And then the upstairs has plumbing in the middle.) It might also be difficult to get enough vertical height for the proper slope of waste lines.

That is a good point. The house we just moved out of was pretty similar in size and we got away with 1 heater, but we didn't have the upstairs, it was just a bit more spread out single level.

The fireplace is in middle of the house. That means the chimney has to go up through the tallest most spacious part of the attic. Um, oops, it is not shown in the upstairs plan.

No point in poking a hole in a roof for an electric fire place. Another thing I'd skip. Wife has to have somewhere for her stockings to hang.

It may make sense to flip the kitchen and fireplace. And then place the master bath backing up to the kitchen.

Kitchen has to go where it is, for the window over the sink is the view to the woods the wife wants. One of the major items of the house. :) She has to be able to wash dishes and look outside.

As was already mentioned: The extreme lack of kitchen counter space. It looks like if you have a counter top microwave and a mixer or coffee maker, then the only counter space left will be the island!

Good point and that is something we talked about and I trust her. She knows what she wants in the kitchen. We laid out the kitchen to near exactly what she wants. Per the way she cooks, stores, plans, etc, we should have plenty of counterspace. That hits us in the "resale" portion of the scheme, but some of that has to give. I don't want to do things we don't want in order to worry solely on what if we have to sell. If we do, we do. Life will **** in a huge way already, if I'm selling the house. Unless of course I hit it big and then, who cares. :)

It looks like you intend to place your bed's headboard against the east wall. The bathroom door ends up right near the side of the bed. You might prefer it around the corner...

East wall will be the headboard wall. This was a carry over from our last house and didn't mind it at all.

The width of the family room is kind of too large to easily have living space upstairs from it. It'll require some extra beams or expensive floor joists.

Going to have to look into this.

To get upstairs requires walking almost into the master bedroom. Yes, it is a hallway, but it really feels like an inner sanctum.

The walk down the hallway would be nice to do a different way, just not sure what the best way to work it out would be.

Thanks for the thoughts.
 
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BellyUpFish

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I would want to figure out something different for the stairs. Carrying beds, dressers, etc. down a hall with a 90 degree turn only to do a 180 to go upstairs and make another immediate 90 doesn't sound like fun at all. With that big open space, I would want a 9' ceiling at a minimum but prefer 10'+. Taller ceilings mean more stairs.

Yeh, I'm not looking forward to that. We will need to address that.

Take a look at your roof plan. As drawn, the second floor bedrooms don't make sense to me unless the back of the house is one giant shed dormer. Might want to show the fireplace flue going up through the second floor too.

Fireplace is for viewing only. Fake. Electrical. Waste of time and space, but not my decision. Wife won't be without one and a real fireplace isn't happening.

Might want to think about the connection between the driveway and front door. That's a long walk in inclement weather.

That's a very good point. I had not considered that. Most entry/exit for us will be garage. Guests too most likely, but it is something to consider for sure. Thanks.

I look for a way to move some square footage from the master bath to the master closet. Never enough storage. Also on that note, having to walk through bath to the one and only closet ***** - have it now and never will again. Might actually look at ways to completely re-arrange our closet to change that and gain more storage.

I actually like the "closet on the other side of the bathroom." We both do. Different strokes, different folks.

Where are things like air handlers, water heater, water softener (if needed), electrical panel going in this plan?

Not figured yet.

Basement, crawl space, or slab foundation? Unless coastal, I'd prefer a basement (and a look out if site grades would allow).

Crawl space.

Entry needs a closet unless it is under the stairs.

It is.

I wouldn't want guests going to the mudroom to use a bathroom but at least the laundry has been separated.

We'd prefer it.
All it takes is a twisted ankle, an accident or a hip/knee replacement to make you wish the house was wheelchair friendly. In this house (The last one) I built, I went all one level, double front entry doors, rear slider doors to patio, no steps anywhere, in or out.

Very good points.. We are looking into that now..

So, your electrician sends one of his guys over to fix the outdoor lighting, the landscaper is replacing some plants under warranty and they both asked to use your bathroom, muddy feet BO and all. Do you have a powder room that restricts access to your personal space?

They can fight it out in the mudroom.

Uncle Bob wants to come an stay for a week. He smokes like a freight train, hacks all night and dribbles when he pisses. Does he have his own bedroom with its own bathroom and maybe a slider so he can go outside and smoke every ten minutes?

Uncle Bob has a weekly rate at the Best Western. I won't be building my house to accomodate ugly habits of my possible guests. :)

Where are the TVs going? Will you have sun on the screen? Sun in your eyes? Reflections on the screen from reflecting walls?

Living room TV above the fireplace. Master bedroom TV on the wall with the door to the porch. Plan is "south up" as the house will sit on the lot.

I work in my garage 'til 3:00 AM and am glad I built it separate from the house so as to prevent waking the wife.

Separate garage will be 40x50 and offset from the house. ;)
 
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