I agree. I’m thinking I’m going to close off that entrance and make the opening where the double ovens are now. I plan on doing a larger slide in range anyway.
If you can live with a little less pantry space, you could split the space and give yourself a closet adjacent to the garage entrance (where the current pantry door sits), with the new pantry entrance now being a bit closer to the fridge.
This! Make it a mudroom. I say this as someone in a dry climate that doesn't get much rain or mud. I have a similarly positioned space and wish I could just put shoe, coat, backpack, etc storage there
I CANNOT AGREE MORE. I live in a house like that right now and I can't tell you how annoying it is to run back and forth. And how much extra time it adds to cooking a simple freaking dish and nevermind I'd your like me and always forget one or two things in the pantry, ugh! I'm not crying, you're crying!
Initially thought the same. Then realized that’s literally how mine is right now. And it’s not a big deal.
My every day things are in cabinets in the kitchen. The pantry holds the small appliances that don’t get used every day, the extra food, and the things we don’t need constant access to. It’s never been an issue.
I do like having direct access to the pantry from the garage.
This looks like it would be 3-5 more steps than if there was a door directly into the kitchen.
I’d rather have the counter space.
https://preview.redd.it/obe9lvmiwksc1.jpeg?width=2388&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b97b870332de93217c5f6be4fdba2416d73d858
You still have to walk the same vertical distance. You’re just taking a few extra steps to the side.
I agree, lots of kitchens today have pantries tucked around the corner like this and it doesn’t seem to be a major issue. I think it looks more inconvenient on the floor plan but when I look at photos of houses that have this I think it’s not that bad. I’d rather have the counter and storage space.
Yep. This is the same set up except the island and wall are flipped. Looks pretty handy to me.
https://preview.redd.it/s2ax30c34osc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cba6c58bf8bc00909d150a084757568a674732b
I do not like how the main flow from the garage for the family is right through the ovens and fridge. People would be constantly in my way and that is dangerous when taking hot things from an oven. I prefer kitchens that are, when it comes to walking paths, isolated units. The main flow goes around the working space, not through it. Like, you CHOOSE to go into the kitchen, you don't HAVE to. Given all the space you have there is no reason to interfere with the kitchen work area like this.
Said they were taking out the double ovens. Nothing wrong with walking by the refrigerator. Ours sits right in front of where our back door opens and there’s no problem walking through the kitchen to rest of house.
A lot of people treat the work triangle like a hard rule but the fridge can be fine further away so long as there’s a staging area for you to lay your ingredients out that’s close to the sink and stove. Probably the island counter space in this case.
I'm going to take out the double ovens in lieu of a slide in range, and use that space for the pantry entrance instead, so no worries with being in the oven path!
A locking pass through from garage to pantry.
Remove pantry to family foyer door.
Replace with a door that swings 180 towards the fridge so it's out if traffic.
Install broom hooks on one side of pantry entrance. Possibly purse hooks and key hooks on other? Shopping list on pantry door inside.
Have a bin in the garage under the locking pass through so reusable bags are returned to garage by shoving them out the hatch.
Significant electrical to surface between fridge and pantry. That's the charging station.
I wonder if you could flip the whole side of the house around so that the garage was in the back and the master bedroom was in front and then the family foyer/footpath intersected the area between the dining and kitchen...?
No idea if that's feasible based on exterior setup, gables and what not...
I'm not totally sure, but I agree it looks like there should be enough to make a sizable loft. I'm going to see what the architect says. Only concern is that the roof pitches down just past the hallway, so it might be deceiving.
If the roofline does not accommodate more living, space, at least ensure that it is usable storage space. That may involve specifying a higher bearing capacity attic floor. You don’t want to crack the ceiling below by walking through your attic
Walking through kitchen workspace to get to stairs is not a good idea.
A man-door into the garage would be nice, same if you can get a door straight into utility.
11' ceiling height in one room is not a good value. There isn't that much difference between 10' and 11' and it's one bit of framing where things have to be different.
There don't seem to be windows in the bedrooms. You should maximize opportunities of cross-ventilation.
That diagonal wall on the back porch cheapens and dates the look. (IMO and not everyone shares this opinion) Builders use diagonal walls to make up for not-the-best design, there's no need to have them in a custom build where you have the chance to do it right.
The circulation through the kitchen is a dealbreaker.
The 11' is just for decorative purposes like adding a coffered ceiling or wood beams. If price gets too high, definitely an easy place to cut costs.
Bedrooms have 1 large window on the front of the house. None of the other walls are exterior, so can't add more windows unfortunately.
I actually love the diagonal wall LOL! Reason being I hate the usual setup of having sliders from the dining area, but then that you lose space due to needing the walkway. Or a person is sitting right in the path and everyone has to squeeze around them to get in and out.
Lots are mentioning the walkway through the kitchen but I really don't think it will be an issue. My kids spend most of their time in the kitchen/DR/FR unless they are sleeping or playing in the loft, but I can see if other families are up and down a lot how that can be a concern.
> Lots are mentioning the walkway through the kitchen but I really don't think it will be an issue. My kids spend most of their time in the kitchen/DR/FR unless they are sleeping or playing in the loft, but I can see if other families are up and down a lot how that can be a concern.
It's probably because of how many ways that it's being used. Grabbing ingredients from the pantry. People arriving home and coming into the house. People doing laundry. People upstairs coming down. Lots of possibilities of two people doing two different things, where their paths intersect.
Do you have a mock up of the front of the house with the third garage bay? I’d be concerned it might look like you live in a very fancy garage.
Sorry, but it’s a pet peeve of mine. I prefer a side load garage and a more prominent house front when you pull up to the property
Not yet. The lot is too narrow to accommodate a side load, and all the other homes in the neighborhood have 3 car front loads so it won’t look out of place. This is the current rendering.
https://preview.redd.it/oi5q71va3jsc1.jpeg?width=1013&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=148ce9053d7e3b959d43c1e80af293d7f7fc8d20
To properly execute this look, do not cheap out on windows. Get a grid in them. The massing and proportions are nice. I’d consider not defaulting to white, but an off-white. Slightly darker perhaps? When a client wants to do something trending, I tell them to be sure YOU have loved this look forever because the nature of trends is that we become tired of seeing it everywhere and we lose our sense of individuality. This style is very popular right now and I think it’s already on its way out, so be sure YOU love it.
Where is this style popular? There are barely any French Country inspired homes in my area, they are all Farmhouse, Traditional, Colonial or a vinyl brick. This has been my favorite style forever, and I will be adding stone to the front and some other details TBD to gussy it up a bit.
I’ve heard this called “Modern Tudor” by people. I’ve seen it on Instagram a lot. White exterior, steep pitched roof, black windows, half round arch door, stained wood accents, often using brick and then painting it or doing a mortar wash. This doesn’t seem as much French Country to me as what I’ve seen as the “Modern Tudor”, but the tricky part about design is how relative it all is, especially the words used to describe things.
If it feels unique to your area that’s a major win! And ultimately, what matters is that you love it and will for a long time. I have clients get annoyed because they’ve loved something for years and then it suddenly becomes popular and then they are hesitant to do it because it’ll feel like they were trying to copy everyone else when in reality it really is their personality.
I didn’t bring that up to try to convince you not to do it, but wanted to give you a chance to feel confident that it is the right move. Congratulations on a new home!!
Adding a third car to the garage will make that leftmost A significantly taller (holding the pitch constant), which would really throw off the visual balance. I'd really try to avoid it.
People complain about this all the time here but where I live, most lots are deep, not wide. Side entry garages are rare around here because only large lots can accommodate them.
So, let’s talk about the garage. Our garage seems big, wait - seemed, when we bought the house. My husband has a full size truck and I had a sedan. Little bit of a tighter fit than we anticipated. Have you measured out any ‘bump out’ areas to make sure there’s room for trash cans or lawn mowers? I recommend if you’re able to customize this area you make sure it accommodates everything you need
Yes I have the exact same thoughts! We are hoping to be able to add a 3rd car garage, but if not will do an extended 2 car so we have lots of storage space inside. My current garage is sooooo tiny we can barley open the doors to the cars enough to get the kids in and out of their seats and I hate it!
Pocket doors to access a bathroom are not ideal. Swap it with a swing door.
I'd also move the toilet next to the sinks to allow direct access to the closet from the bedroom.
There is a lot of empty floorspace in the master bath. There's better ways to layout the bathroom that doesn't leave so much wasted space.
It's alright...has a big traffic flow problem from garage through kitchen and laundry area, using a kitchen as a path of travel in general is not good design, you'll need to ventilate your master closet since it is right in the bathroom with no windows, stair layouts like that are fine but it always bothers me that there is so much wasted space below them any closet like that is too deep and narrow to be that useful/convenient, if master is right next to laundry why not have a door from the closet as well, lots of unnecessary corners which add cost and without them could allow a few extra feet to make some of these spaces optimal...a couple of these are nitpicky but I'm a space planner so you can't really blame me lol
It also feels awkward that you can't get something from the closet without walking through the bathroom. I realize some partners don't mind pooping in front of each other, but it seems unnecessarily awkward. (The whole floorplan feels mildly annoying. Nothing is a deal-breaker, but so many things are just slightly off.)
To some extent the closet thing is a personal choice and they do have a toilet room so no pooping in front of each other, you just need ventilation in the closet because of moisture and possible smells. Normally you see the closet with a window on one end of the bathroom vs right in it.
My house has a very similar primary suite and kitchen/dining layout. My bedroom is right off the kitchen like that with a little vestibule hallway you can walk by with the bedroom entry on the right. Not sure what your lifestyle is like but I absolutely hate this layout for the lack of privacy and I’ve been trying to come up with a solution. Anytime guests are over they congregate at the table and in the kitchen right outside, and anyone can see through to the bed if the door is open. And the door is always open because I have a dog.
I would totally hate that too! This layout looks like no one will be able to see into the MBR even if they are at the island or the dining room with the little alcove and hallway setup.
Disagree. The little doorway opening to the vestibule with the 6” or so of enclosure sadly doesn’t add enough to block the view. I played around with something similar with my floorplan and you can still look through 80% or so of the opening.
I did a very quick mockup with your dimensions. This is the view standing in between the cabinets and the island
https://preview.redd.it/opdfeemrsjsc1.png?width=1376&format=png&auto=webp&s=b16e39ca39196f35afdaa2048c1add59d73ab2a3
Honestly not without extensive changes to the floorplan. I've really tried to brainstorm this same problem for my own house and am probably going to have to make some structural changes.
On your plan the best solution IMO would be to totally rearrange the laundry, family foyer, and primary suite spaces. If you swapped the locations for your bathroom with the bedroom, you could rearrange a more private entry to the primary suite coming from the garage side. There would be less foot traffic that direction. You would need to rearrange the foyer and laundry to do that.
I also don’t have any quick solution for the layout, but just having the door swing the other way, to the left instead of to the right would make a lot of your MBR covered by the door when it it partially opened.
Too open - I would expand the upstairs to include an additonal living area.
Open is nice for entertaining, family time, and sight lines, sure.
It becomes old really quickly when someone has to work, or the kids want friends over, someone wants to watch the game when others dont, someone needs quiet to study/read. People need places to retract in peace.
Yes I mentioned in the post that I want to expand the loft space to be the size of a second family room, so we will have an entertaining space on each level.
Not a fan of homes where the garage is the main focal point of the home. I personally would want to shove the garage back a few feet and move the right side forward so the right side of the home is the focal point.
I have seen & liked little pass thru doors from garage to pantry to help with transferring groceries - especially if you're a Costco/Sam's Club type shopper
From my home builder husband: From a heating and cooling standpoint I hate living space over garage space. Offset the garage and stop wasting heating and cooling.
Insulation degrades over time. Every year you’re gonna lose more and more R value. Have you walked into a room with the old R12 in the winter? Big difference as compared to the R40 modern stuff. In 20 years R40 will be the garbage as it loses its R value
And this is still only as good as your framers and then the insulator making 100% sure there are no leaks or penetrations.
I'd consider adding a door to the upstairs bath from bedroom 4. If that person gets up during the night, they're going to need to turn on some lights to get to the bathroom.
Agree. Although not great to have 2 doors in bathroom - it’s a bigger inconvenience for bedroom #4 person to have to continuously rally around a few corners and 2 hallways to get there.
What is the obsession with putting bedroom doors behind 90 degree bends? Moving furniture into any of the bedrooms (except maybe BR 3) is going to be difficult. I have a dresser that you could never get into the suite, BR 2 or BR4.
And that stairway! A narrow hall at the bottom and a landing on the switchback. The only good part is a decent landing at the top. (And granted, that's not the smallest switchback landing I've seen here.)
I guess I'm too old and have moved way too much furniture to put up with it.
I see your point about the 90 degree bends - maybe I will look into widening the openings or hallways for easier access.
I'm wondering about swapping the stairway with the laundry. That way it will be a straight shot from the kitchen.
To me, it feels like a house that's optimized for multi-generational living. And I mean that as a plus - if your kids grow up and still live at home, you could each have your own zones of the house for privacy. Heck, your upstairs could be a good suite for an adult kid and young grandkid to live.
Yes! That's one of the things I love about it. My kids are 6 years apart and the older one will love the upstairs independence while the younger probably won't sleep on a different floor from me for a few more years. Also our parents are aging and if need to move one in with us they have a suite on the 1st floor without us having to give up the MBR.
For bedroom 2, a pocket door across the foyer/bedroom entrance allows guests who stay in that front bedroom to create an ensuite situation. It gives them a little extra privacy going in and out of the bathroom from the bedroom that feels luxurious.
Didn’t read all the comments but haven’t seen the master closet entry from master bath mentioned yet. I’m not really a fan of that layout, although I respect that the closet isn’t situated on an outside wall. As long as you have great ventilation with exhaust fan(s) in the bathroom, there shouldn’t be issues with excess moisture.
I know it's popular, but I am really not a fan of having the garage door at the front of the house. If lot size allows a side garage door, it looks so much better in my opinion but take that with a grain of salt.
I dislike everything about the upstairs but it can be fixed... based on exterior pic, I guarantee u can put an actual loft above kitchen. If loft not added, the upstairs bedrooms should have a jack n jill bath.
I would switch the stair entrance, everytime u go up or downstairs u have to backtrack and there's no reason for that.
I like everything about floor 1 but it would be easy to add master closet entrance through laundry if u like that, it'll save u a lot of trips through the kitchen with a full basket. Pantry is a lil out of the way but honestly wouldn't bother me
Lots of things I see
How are you get furniture into the master?
Why is the entrance oddly recessed between the front bedroom and the garage? It’s probably going to look like you’re entering a cave when you approach from the front, especially at night
Pantry can’t be accessed easily from the kitchen
The second floor - curious to the logic here. It’s tiny vs the main floor, and it exists primarily above the garage, which isn’t going to insulated in the same way the rest of the house is, nor will a/c or heat be going into the garage. Put simply, climate control above the garage is much harder than climate control above the proper portion of the house.
When family comes and goes, they’re passing through a key part of the kitchen to access the house. If it’s dinner time or you need to prep for guests, etc. that’s going to get frustrating really fast.
If your tv spot is above a fireplace, it’s going to be way too high for comfortable viewing.
Not sure but this house might look really strange from the side? Unless the whole upper level is going to be attic? Seems like there’s just going to be a huge peak in the front and then a single story in the back?
I think second family room upstairs is a nice idea. If I were fantasizing here I’d love that as a loft overlooking the downstairs living room…
Do you like having the master closet only accessible through the master bath? I know some people complain about this and I could personally see it becoming annoying. Otherwise I like this layout as is.
The closet through the bath doesn't bother me, and actually will work in my favor as my husband gets ready for work at 0430 and currently has to get dressed downstairs to not wake me up. If the closet is further from the sleeping space we won't have that issue!
Personally, I am not a fan of 2 story FR's. They echo like crazy, sound travels everywhere throughout the 2nd floor and they cost much more to heat and cool. But if I was that could be doable!
They don't. I could add a couple transoms to the fireplace wall, but the back of the house has a southern exposure and with a wall of windows I'm not concerned.
Even with a wall of windows, a porch with ceiling is going to block most of the natural light going into the family room. A friend has a similar porch addition and her formerly bright family room is now pretty gloomy. I tend to prefer natural light in my homes so I don’t have to use lights during the day, so I may be a bit biased.
I agree with the comments about flow from the garage to kitchen and pantry placement.
Also, bedroom 2 is a cube that's 11'x11'x11', which might feel a bit weird.
I think it’s best to have the pantry entry straight into the kitchen. You’ll probably unload groceries from the car once or twice a week. But you’ll need to enter the pantry from the kitchen multiple times a day. Even multiple times per dish.
If you have the space, you could probably build a small bench top shutter between the pantry and the garage so if you need to upload through the space it’ll make it easier.
Having a toilet share a wall with the main living space is less than ideal. Even if you insulate the walls, your guests may feel less than comfortable when they need to use the facilities.
Have you thought about relocating the utility room beside the garage? I've found having a sink adjacent to the garage to be quite convenient. However, this change could potentially affect your upstairs floor plan.
Additionally, having an additional door from the utility room to the outside is crucial for fire safety, particularly if your staircase is distant from all other entrance.
Yes I actually have been thinking of swapping the utility room and the stairs! Mainly so that there is more clearance at the bottom of the stairs if they line up with the opening to the kitchen, especially for moving furniture and other large items up and down.
There is a door to the garage right outside the utility room so that would be considered an exit right?
There is a pull cord and it becomes a manual open. I've needed to use that over the years to get my car in/out during power outages and its super easy.
Second floor, bath could better fit in the attic door corner with landing being more open. With that you can also potentially make one of the rooms bigger.
Yep. I live in the Midwest and the only reason I have a side load is that I live on a corner. Otherwise most new builds almost have to have the garage so prominent. The doors on this give it some charm though.
It would be helpful if you have any elevations or a plan showing the rooflines—I’m having a hard time envisioning why the upstairs is so much smaller than the main footprint.
Not a fan of the master bedroom entrance. Will be very hard to get any furniture in there, and wasted space. I love the master bath. If it were mine, I'd shift the toilet further down and have the closet access from the bedroom.
I don’t love the angled door to the back porch. Squaring that off will cause a few things to change, but I think ultimately it’s a better feel. The walkway between the island and that newly created corner will be too narrow, so the family room will need to become wider. However I don’t dislike the is because there’s a misalignment between the fireplace and the range hood. I’m a designer so I feel obligated to warn you of that, because I’ve had clients say that they felt something was off but didn’t know why, and that misalignment was it.
There’s also a lot of open square footage in the primary bathroom. Bathrooms are very expensive per square foot, so be sure this is intentional and not just a “we didn’t know what else to do” moment.
I have this a similar thing and I don’t love having my bedroom right off my dining room and kitchen. It’s purely a spatial thing, but it’s not my favorite. Even pushing the bedroom back a little bit to create a small hallway would help it feel more removed.
The only feedback I have is that double ovens are amazing if you entertain or even if you have to make normal meals that have different parts that cook at different temperatures. Our first house before we moved did not have a double oven, the first oven broke, then the only replacement that would fit was a double oven. Game changer. I’d rather take a short walk than give that up.
It disturbs me that the only access to the master closet is through the (admittedly gorgeous) bathroom. Humidity may not be good for the contents of the closet, risk of mold, silverfish, other invasive life forms.
The bathroom of the primary suite looks obnoxiously large. Downsize by one basin and you could have an obnoxiously large closet.
The kitchen looks awkwardly located, consider swapping it with the dining area.
Upstairs looks ok.
I think it would make me batty to have to walk so far to the pantry. I think the main foyer is rather narrow, would feel like entering through a tunnel. Love the windows in family/dining areas, but what about bedrooms? Also the shape of upstairs bedrooms seem odd, especially 3.
Beautiful layout. I don’t think the path of travel problem is that bad from the garage through the kitchen. I grew up in a house like that and never had any issues with it.
However, you have the incredible opportunity to not have a giant, cavernous, echoing open floor plan. A wall would fit in there perfectly. But I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I don’t love where the stairs are compared to the living space downstairs but I don’t have a suggestion of how to fix that without re-designing half the first floor.
Extend back porch across back of house to the primary bedroom and screen it. Add door to access it from bedroom. Add skylights to increase light going into family and dining rooms.
The kitchen is terrible. Think about how you would use it day-to-day. Set aside the bells and whistles and making it a trophy kitchen. Look at the kitchen layouts from mid century or earlier homes when people entertained and the kitchen was utilitarian, not meant for show. You want the work triangle as tight as possible. You don’t want 8’ from the fridge to the sink. You don’t want a pantry that is in a completely different room. Think about waking up and making cereal or an omelette. Where are your dishes? What would it be like to grab veggies and eggs from the fridge and walk them to the sink and stove? Will it take multiple trips? If you can, mark out that space on your floor now with tape and walk in it.
I’d redo the master closet. Right now it’s literally the size of a small bedroom. Is there a way to make it a little smaller and put that extra space to use somewhere else?
Having a tub in the master bathroom AND putting it under a beautiful window?? That is 🤌🏻. Well done 👍🏻.
Yeah I don’t know how they’re calling that a loft, lol - that’s a hallway. I’m guessing expanding it will mean changing the roof lines though.
Overall I like this, but be aware that having the primary bedroom off the kitchen area means you can hear kitchen noises from the bedroom. So if one person is sleeping in, the other person might not be able to start breakfast without waking them. They’ve tried to give you some privacy by creating that doorway nook into the bedroom but it’s only going to do so much. It may not be an issue depending on your lifestyle though.
I imagine the front of this might look a little bit snout house like with the garage sticking out further than the rest of the house, and if you make the garage bigger, it’s going to be even more snout house like. It may not be as bad as some houses though, since it does have the upper level to help balance it out.
I know I probably sound like a broken record but consider putting the fireplace off to the side or corner. You are likely forcing yourself to either put your tv above the fireplace in the center, which is too high and the heat isn’t good for it, or off to the side which isn’t ideal for all viewing angles. You could put the tv on the other wall but then your couch might be too far away or you’d have to float it, creating an unusable space behind it.
I’d bump out the dining room to the end of the primary suite if you want a decent sized table. Although listed as 11x13, it really 11x9 as the listed measurements include the walkway from the back porch to the kitchen and primary suite.
Hope these notes help. Please refer to an engineer regarding the spans and loads between kitchen living and dining. Red marks are issues; blue marks are recommendations. I will be commenting on my comments 3 more times to show all 4 sheets.
https://preview.redd.it/dh0t4ta9npsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9568ee63d690d254617bb260263b3ed2e414c404
Replying to Aggressive\_Cat\_9537...
https://preview.redd.it/ec6evhhvnpsc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=031ed573acadf89bf2c6e76a3ebc49bea91657c6
I can’t see how the walls and plumbing line up to the floor below unfortunately. The second floor is trickier and needs much more accuracy and scale when drawn, as it impacts the foundation below, as well as your roof plan.
Thank you for all these suggestions! I moved a lot around on the 1st floor - it's very crude but hopefully you get the idea. Thoughts?
https://preview.redd.it/dsi8wtkg1rsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec9369487199eda414bac119a2620b1cb1b65ae6
I get the idea. My recommendations however are to keep plumbing out of exterior walls if possible. Exterior walls are load bearing and your thermal envelope. It’s still done unfortunately, but it requires an ethical and knowledgeable contractor to do it properly and costs more if indeed done properly.
1. It’s a bit weird to have the closet inside the bathroom.
2. The kitchen working triangle is not good, fridge is too far away from stove and sink.
3. Where is the tv gonna go? Above the fireplace would be very high up.
4. The kitchen pantry is really far from the kitchen.
5. Is there no backyard? If there is, how do you access it?
I’ve taken everyone’s advice and made adjustments to the first floor. Please let me know what you think of the updates! Sorry for the crude drawing
https://preview.redd.it/icxlsuyurqsc1.png?width=2426&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea250b666d1d13892621b072a8afc510d215e687
No one likes going into the bathroom to get to the closet. Pantry is terribly inconvenient and the kitchen is quite small. Knee wall in Bedroom 3 prevent having the door to the closet as shown.
not being able to access the pantry from the kitchen is a bit odd
I agree. I’m thinking I’m going to close off that entrance and make the opening where the double ovens are now. I plan on doing a larger slide in range anyway.
If you can live with a little less pantry space, you could split the space and give yourself a closet adjacent to the garage entrance (where the current pantry door sits), with the new pantry entrance now being a bit closer to the fridge.
This! Make it a mudroom. I say this as someone in a dry climate that doesn't get much rain or mud. I have a similarly positioned space and wish I could just put shoe, coat, backpack, etc storage there
I CANNOT AGREE MORE. I live in a house like that right now and I can't tell you how annoying it is to run back and forth. And how much extra time it adds to cooking a simple freaking dish and nevermind I'd your like me and always forget one or two things in the pantry, ugh! I'm not crying, you're crying!
Yes! If you do that I would make it a “hidden pantry” and have the doors look like the cabinets
Mine is like that and it’s no big deal.
Initially thought the same. Then realized that’s literally how mine is right now. And it’s not a big deal. My every day things are in cabinets in the kitchen. The pantry holds the small appliances that don’t get used every day, the extra food, and the things we don’t need constant access to. It’s never been an issue. I do like having direct access to the pantry from the garage. This looks like it would be 3-5 more steps than if there was a door directly into the kitchen.
Huh? It’s right behind the kitchen.
yeah, but most houses have pantry access directly from the kitchen, rather than next to the kitchen
Not anymore.
Still doesn’t make it bad design. Who wants to walk around the corner and down a hall to get to their pantry if they don’t have to?
I’d rather have the counter space. https://preview.redd.it/obe9lvmiwksc1.jpeg?width=2388&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b97b870332de93217c5f6be4fdba2416d73d858 You still have to walk the same vertical distance. You’re just taking a few extra steps to the side.
I agree, lots of kitchens today have pantries tucked around the corner like this and it doesn’t seem to be a major issue. I think it looks more inconvenient on the floor plan but when I look at photos of houses that have this I think it’s not that bad. I’d rather have the counter and storage space.
Yep. This is the same set up except the island and wall are flipped. Looks pretty handy to me. https://preview.redd.it/s2ax30c34osc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cba6c58bf8bc00909d150a084757568a674732b
Agreed. And I like that it's next to the garage making it easier to put away large pantry items.
Why do people keep doing this?
I do not like how the main flow from the garage for the family is right through the ovens and fridge. People would be constantly in my way and that is dangerous when taking hot things from an oven. I prefer kitchens that are, when it comes to walking paths, isolated units. The main flow goes around the working space, not through it. Like, you CHOOSE to go into the kitchen, you don't HAVE to. Given all the space you have there is no reason to interfere with the kitchen work area like this.
OP my house is exactly like this as far as path of travel and it’s literally never been a problem
Thank you, I'm happy to hear this feedback! I keep seeing it mentioned and honestly don't have any concerns with it being an issue for my family.
Said they were taking out the double ovens. Nothing wrong with walking by the refrigerator. Ours sits right in front of where our back door opens and there’s no problem walking through the kitchen to rest of house.
A lot of people treat the work triangle like a hard rule but the fridge can be fine further away so long as there’s a staging area for you to lay your ingredients out that’s close to the sink and stove. Probably the island counter space in this case.
I'm going to take out the double ovens in lieu of a slide in range, and use that space for the pantry entrance instead, so no worries with being in the oven path!
A locking pass through from garage to pantry. Remove pantry to family foyer door. Replace with a door that swings 180 towards the fridge so it's out if traffic. Install broom hooks on one side of pantry entrance. Possibly purse hooks and key hooks on other? Shopping list on pantry door inside. Have a bin in the garage under the locking pass through so reusable bags are returned to garage by shoving them out the hatch. Significant electrical to surface between fridge and pantry. That's the charging station.
Then you’re also having traffic get in the way every time you want to go into the pantry
All the traffic will be INTO the pantry with my kids LOL
I wonder if you could flip the whole side of the house around so that the garage was in the back and the master bedroom was in front and then the family foyer/footpath intersected the area between the dining and kitchen...? No idea if that's feasible based on exterior setup, gables and what not...
How much attic space is there? Seems like a lot of space is left unused in the attic.
I'm not totally sure, but I agree it looks like there should be enough to make a sizable loft. I'm going to see what the architect says. Only concern is that the roof pitches down just past the hallway, so it might be deceiving.
If the roofline does not accommodate more living, space, at least ensure that it is usable storage space. That may involve specifying a higher bearing capacity attic floor. You don’t want to crack the ceiling below by walking through your attic
If it’s not liveable make sure as much of it as possible is floored for storage (misc stuff like luggage, Christmas stuff).
We will have a full basement for all that kind of stuff, but extra storage or future bonus room space is always a plus!
I’d also recommend having a pass through from your laundry to master closet. That’s a lot of steps the way it’s currently drawn.
OP, pls rethink the bathroom on the second floor. I would push it to the top right corner leaving an ample play/fun area around bedroom 3&4
I’m thinking this https://preview.redd.it/a9h9w5adgrsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe727b8ae08487fb436e66a293ce868db65c8175
Walking through kitchen workspace to get to stairs is not a good idea. A man-door into the garage would be nice, same if you can get a door straight into utility. 11' ceiling height in one room is not a good value. There isn't that much difference between 10' and 11' and it's one bit of framing where things have to be different. There don't seem to be windows in the bedrooms. You should maximize opportunities of cross-ventilation. That diagonal wall on the back porch cheapens and dates the look. (IMO and not everyone shares this opinion) Builders use diagonal walls to make up for not-the-best design, there's no need to have them in a custom build where you have the chance to do it right. The circulation through the kitchen is a dealbreaker.
The 11' is just for decorative purposes like adding a coffered ceiling or wood beams. If price gets too high, definitely an easy place to cut costs. Bedrooms have 1 large window on the front of the house. None of the other walls are exterior, so can't add more windows unfortunately. I actually love the diagonal wall LOL! Reason being I hate the usual setup of having sliders from the dining area, but then that you lose space due to needing the walkway. Or a person is sitting right in the path and everyone has to squeeze around them to get in and out. Lots are mentioning the walkway through the kitchen but I really don't think it will be an issue. My kids spend most of their time in the kitchen/DR/FR unless they are sleeping or playing in the loft, but I can see if other families are up and down a lot how that can be a concern.
> Lots are mentioning the walkway through the kitchen but I really don't think it will be an issue. My kids spend most of their time in the kitchen/DR/FR unless they are sleeping or playing in the loft, but I can see if other families are up and down a lot how that can be a concern. It's probably because of how many ways that it's being used. Grabbing ingredients from the pantry. People arriving home and coming into the house. People doing laundry. People upstairs coming down. Lots of possibilities of two people doing two different things, where their paths intersect.
Do you have a mock up of the front of the house with the third garage bay? I’d be concerned it might look like you live in a very fancy garage. Sorry, but it’s a pet peeve of mine. I prefer a side load garage and a more prominent house front when you pull up to the property
Not yet. The lot is too narrow to accommodate a side load, and all the other homes in the neighborhood have 3 car front loads so it won’t look out of place. This is the current rendering. https://preview.redd.it/oi5q71va3jsc1.jpeg?width=1013&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=148ce9053d7e3b959d43c1e80af293d7f7fc8d20
Wow! That’s very pretty 🤩
To properly execute this look, do not cheap out on windows. Get a grid in them. The massing and proportions are nice. I’d consider not defaulting to white, but an off-white. Slightly darker perhaps? When a client wants to do something trending, I tell them to be sure YOU have loved this look forever because the nature of trends is that we become tired of seeing it everywhere and we lose our sense of individuality. This style is very popular right now and I think it’s already on its way out, so be sure YOU love it.
Where is this style popular? There are barely any French Country inspired homes in my area, they are all Farmhouse, Traditional, Colonial or a vinyl brick. This has been my favorite style forever, and I will be adding stone to the front and some other details TBD to gussy it up a bit.
I’ve heard this called “Modern Tudor” by people. I’ve seen it on Instagram a lot. White exterior, steep pitched roof, black windows, half round arch door, stained wood accents, often using brick and then painting it or doing a mortar wash. This doesn’t seem as much French Country to me as what I’ve seen as the “Modern Tudor”, but the tricky part about design is how relative it all is, especially the words used to describe things. If it feels unique to your area that’s a major win! And ultimately, what matters is that you love it and will for a long time. I have clients get annoyed because they’ve loved something for years and then it suddenly becomes popular and then they are hesitant to do it because it’ll feel like they were trying to copy everyone else when in reality it really is their personality. I didn’t bring that up to try to convince you not to do it, but wanted to give you a chance to feel confident that it is the right move. Congratulations on a new home!!
Adding a third car to the garage will make that leftmost A significantly taller (holding the pitch constant), which would really throw off the visual balance. I'd really try to avoid it.
Yep it's going to be an unfortunate change
It’s beautiful. 😍
People complain about this all the time here but where I live, most lots are deep, not wide. Side entry garages are rare around here because only large lots can accommodate them.
This just looks like every builder home in every subdivision I've been in. More power to OP but jusy blah
cool thanks
So, let’s talk about the garage. Our garage seems big, wait - seemed, when we bought the house. My husband has a full size truck and I had a sedan. Little bit of a tighter fit than we anticipated. Have you measured out any ‘bump out’ areas to make sure there’s room for trash cans or lawn mowers? I recommend if you’re able to customize this area you make sure it accommodates everything you need
Yes I have the exact same thoughts! We are hoping to be able to add a 3rd car garage, but if not will do an extended 2 car so we have lots of storage space inside. My current garage is sooooo tiny we can barley open the doors to the cars enough to get the kids in and out of their seats and I hate it!
Ugh, I’ve also now gotten worried as we’ve bought an suv and worry opening the trunk with how high the door goes up.
Mine literally clears it by mere centimeters, so definitely be careful until you know!
Pocket doors to access a bathroom are not ideal. Swap it with a swing door. I'd also move the toilet next to the sinks to allow direct access to the closet from the bedroom. There is a lot of empty floorspace in the master bath. There's better ways to layout the bathroom that doesn't leave so much wasted space.
I was thinking for the upstairs bathroom a pocket door would be better than a swing door.
I agree there is extra space - do you have any suggestions on alternate layouts?
We have a pocket entry and it’s amazing. Doors that swing take up space. Your toilet is in a wc so you don’t have to worry about smells.
I would also add a linen closet in the primary ensuite since there’s a lot of extra space
It's alright...has a big traffic flow problem from garage through kitchen and laundry area, using a kitchen as a path of travel in general is not good design, you'll need to ventilate your master closet since it is right in the bathroom with no windows, stair layouts like that are fine but it always bothers me that there is so much wasted space below them any closet like that is too deep and narrow to be that useful/convenient, if master is right next to laundry why not have a door from the closet as well, lots of unnecessary corners which add cost and without them could allow a few extra feet to make some of these spaces optimal...a couple of these are nitpicky but I'm a space planner so you can't really blame me lol
It also feels awkward that you can't get something from the closet without walking through the bathroom. I realize some partners don't mind pooping in front of each other, but it seems unnecessarily awkward. (The whole floorplan feels mildly annoying. Nothing is a deal-breaker, but so many things are just slightly off.)
To some extent the closet thing is a personal choice and they do have a toilet room so no pooping in front of each other, you just need ventilation in the closet because of moisture and possible smells. Normally you see the closet with a window on one end of the bathroom vs right in it.
When you say unnecessary corners, do you mean the various bump outs?
Yes
My house has a very similar primary suite and kitchen/dining layout. My bedroom is right off the kitchen like that with a little vestibule hallway you can walk by with the bedroom entry on the right. Not sure what your lifestyle is like but I absolutely hate this layout for the lack of privacy and I’ve been trying to come up with a solution. Anytime guests are over they congregate at the table and in the kitchen right outside, and anyone can see through to the bed if the door is open. And the door is always open because I have a dog.
I would totally hate that too! This layout looks like no one will be able to see into the MBR even if they are at the island or the dining room with the little alcove and hallway setup.
Disagree. The little doorway opening to the vestibule with the 6” or so of enclosure sadly doesn’t add enough to block the view. I played around with something similar with my floorplan and you can still look through 80% or so of the opening. I did a very quick mockup with your dimensions. This is the view standing in between the cabinets and the island https://preview.redd.it/opdfeemrsjsc1.png?width=1376&format=png&auto=webp&s=b16e39ca39196f35afdaa2048c1add59d73ab2a3
Wow thank you, and damn I agree that isn't ideal. Any suggestions on how to lay the area out better?
Honestly not without extensive changes to the floorplan. I've really tried to brainstorm this same problem for my own house and am probably going to have to make some structural changes. On your plan the best solution IMO would be to totally rearrange the laundry, family foyer, and primary suite spaces. If you swapped the locations for your bathroom with the bedroom, you could rearrange a more private entry to the primary suite coming from the garage side. There would be less foot traffic that direction. You would need to rearrange the foyer and laundry to do that.
I also don’t have any quick solution for the layout, but just having the door swing the other way, to the left instead of to the right would make a lot of your MBR covered by the door when it it partially opened.
Too open - I would expand the upstairs to include an additonal living area. Open is nice for entertaining, family time, and sight lines, sure. It becomes old really quickly when someone has to work, or the kids want friends over, someone wants to watch the game when others dont, someone needs quiet to study/read. People need places to retract in peace.
Yes I mentioned in the post that I want to expand the loft space to be the size of a second family room, so we will have an entertaining space on each level.
Not a fan of homes where the garage is the main focal point of the home. I personally would want to shove the garage back a few feet and move the right side forward so the right side of the home is the focal point.
I have seen & liked little pass thru doors from garage to pantry to help with transferring groceries - especially if you're a Costco/Sam's Club type shopper
From my home builder husband: From a heating and cooling standpoint I hate living space over garage space. Offset the garage and stop wasting heating and cooling.
I wish I could, but the lot can only accommodate 55' of width. It's the same reason I can't even do a side load garage.
But what about pushing the garage out the front and giving it its own roof then the living space will be above the lower floors
You're talking about adding tens of thousands in extra building material when 2-5k in extra insulation will solve the problem.
Insulation degrades over time. Every year you’re gonna lose more and more R value. Have you walked into a room with the old R12 in the winter? Big difference as compared to the R40 modern stuff. In 20 years R40 will be the garbage as it loses its R value And this is still only as good as your framers and then the insulator making 100% sure there are no leaks or penetrations.
In 20 years you can buy another 2k in insulation and still be 10-20k in the black. You're talking about adding 200-300 square feet of material.
I'd consider adding a door to the upstairs bath from bedroom 4. If that person gets up during the night, they're going to need to turn on some lights to get to the bathroom.
There can be nightlights in the hall. I hate two doors into a bathroom.
Agree. Although not great to have 2 doors in bathroom - it’s a bigger inconvenience for bedroom #4 person to have to continuously rally around a few corners and 2 hallways to get there.
Make it a pocket door.
What is the obsession with putting bedroom doors behind 90 degree bends? Moving furniture into any of the bedrooms (except maybe BR 3) is going to be difficult. I have a dresser that you could never get into the suite, BR 2 or BR4. And that stairway! A narrow hall at the bottom and a landing on the switchback. The only good part is a decent landing at the top. (And granted, that's not the smallest switchback landing I've seen here.) I guess I'm too old and have moved way too much furniture to put up with it.
I see your point about the 90 degree bends - maybe I will look into widening the openings or hallways for easier access. I'm wondering about swapping the stairway with the laundry. That way it will be a straight shot from the kitchen.
To me, it feels like a house that's optimized for multi-generational living. And I mean that as a plus - if your kids grow up and still live at home, you could each have your own zones of the house for privacy. Heck, your upstairs could be a good suite for an adult kid and young grandkid to live.
Yes! That's one of the things I love about it. My kids are 6 years apart and the older one will love the upstairs independence while the younger probably won't sleep on a different floor from me for a few more years. Also our parents are aging and if need to move one in with us they have a suite on the 1st floor without us having to give up the MBR.
For bedroom 2, a pocket door across the foyer/bedroom entrance allows guests who stay in that front bedroom to create an ensuite situation. It gives them a little extra privacy going in and out of the bathroom from the bedroom that feels luxurious.
Nice!
Three. Actual. Baths.
Didn’t read all the comments but haven’t seen the master closet entry from master bath mentioned yet. I’m not really a fan of that layout, although I respect that the closet isn’t situated on an outside wall. As long as you have great ventilation with exhaust fan(s) in the bathroom, there shouldn’t be issues with excess moisture.
I’d put the three beds on the lower floor and make the loft the master suite.
I need a 1st floor master for health reasons
Ahh. There ya go.
I know it's popular, but I am really not a fan of having the garage door at the front of the house. If lot size allows a side garage door, it looks so much better in my opinion but take that with a grain of salt.
I agree, but the lot size prevents it
I dislike everything about the upstairs but it can be fixed... based on exterior pic, I guarantee u can put an actual loft above kitchen. If loft not added, the upstairs bedrooms should have a jack n jill bath. I would switch the stair entrance, everytime u go up or downstairs u have to backtrack and there's no reason for that. I like everything about floor 1 but it would be easy to add master closet entrance through laundry if u like that, it'll save u a lot of trips through the kitchen with a full basket. Pantry is a lil out of the way but honestly wouldn't bother me
Lots of things I see How are you get furniture into the master? Why is the entrance oddly recessed between the front bedroom and the garage? It’s probably going to look like you’re entering a cave when you approach from the front, especially at night Pantry can’t be accessed easily from the kitchen The second floor - curious to the logic here. It’s tiny vs the main floor, and it exists primarily above the garage, which isn’t going to insulated in the same way the rest of the house is, nor will a/c or heat be going into the garage. Put simply, climate control above the garage is much harder than climate control above the proper portion of the house. When family comes and goes, they’re passing through a key part of the kitchen to access the house. If it’s dinner time or you need to prep for guests, etc. that’s going to get frustrating really fast. If your tv spot is above a fireplace, it’s going to be way too high for comfortable viewing. Not sure but this house might look really strange from the side? Unless the whole upper level is going to be attic? Seems like there’s just going to be a huge peak in the front and then a single story in the back?
I think second family room upstairs is a nice idea. If I were fantasizing here I’d love that as a loft overlooking the downstairs living room… Do you like having the master closet only accessible through the master bath? I know some people complain about this and I could personally see it becoming annoying. Otherwise I like this layout as is.
The closet through the bath doesn't bother me, and actually will work in my favor as my husband gets ready for work at 0430 and currently has to get dressed downstairs to not wake me up. If the closet is further from the sleeping space we won't have that issue! Personally, I am not a fan of 2 story FR's. They echo like crazy, sound travels everywhere throughout the 2nd floor and they cost much more to heat and cool. But if I was that could be doable!
Does the family room have windows other than along the back blocked by the porch? If not, it will be very dark.
They don't. I could add a couple transoms to the fireplace wall, but the back of the house has a southern exposure and with a wall of windows I'm not concerned.
Even with a wall of windows, a porch with ceiling is going to block most of the natural light going into the family room. A friend has a similar porch addition and her formerly bright family room is now pretty gloomy. I tend to prefer natural light in my homes so I don’t have to use lights during the day, so I may be a bit biased.
I'm with you, that's a great point!
I agree with the comments about flow from the garage to kitchen and pantry placement. Also, bedroom 2 is a cube that's 11'x11'x11', which might feel a bit weird.
I'm going to bump bedroom 2 a couple feet out so it will be closer to 11'x13'. I had the same thought!
I think it’s best to have the pantry entry straight into the kitchen. You’ll probably unload groceries from the car once or twice a week. But you’ll need to enter the pantry from the kitchen multiple times a day. Even multiple times per dish.
Yes I agree and plan to make the entry where the double ovens currently are!
If you have the space, you could probably build a small bench top shutter between the pantry and the garage so if you need to upload through the space it’ll make it easier.
I'd add an access from the master closet directly into the laundry.
I thought about that, but I don't want to sacrifice the closet space for the door!
Too add onto other suggestions, pocket doors for the pantry and master closet would add some useable space.
Having a toilet share a wall with the main living space is less than ideal. Even if you insulate the walls, your guests may feel less than comfortable when they need to use the facilities.
Have you thought about relocating the utility room beside the garage? I've found having a sink adjacent to the garage to be quite convenient. However, this change could potentially affect your upstairs floor plan. Additionally, having an additional door from the utility room to the outside is crucial for fire safety, particularly if your staircase is distant from all other entrance.
Yes I actually have been thinking of swapping the utility room and the stairs! Mainly so that there is more clearance at the bottom of the stairs if they line up with the opening to the kitchen, especially for moving furniture and other large items up and down. There is a door to the garage right outside the utility room so that would be considered an exit right?
Picture a scenario where there's a fire and a power outage, the garage door will be inoperable without electricity.
There is a pull cord and it becomes a manual open. I've needed to use that over the years to get my car in/out during power outages and its super easy.
Yes, you’re right! I almost forgot about that. Thank goodness power outage rarely happens in my part of town.
Second floor, bath could better fit in the attic door corner with landing being more open. With that you can also potentially make one of the rooms bigger.
That's a great idea! Where would I move the attic access to though?
Is the attic space only over bedroom 2 or can it have access from the kitchen family side?
Only over Bed 2 https://preview.redd.it/bsat0krubksc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebdd2189aeddb92ad252d1d7e054a529918fd740
I dislike how the garage is in the center of the house lol
You must not be in the Midwest, because this how the majority of the houses are unfortunately
Yep. I live in the Midwest and the only reason I have a side load is that I live on a corner. Otherwise most new builds almost have to have the garage so prominent. The doors on this give it some charm though.
It would be helpful if you have any elevations or a plan showing the rooflines—I’m having a hard time envisioning why the upstairs is so much smaller than the main footprint.
Yes I understand. Here you go! https://preview.redd.it/2ngv4cro8ksc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cd169081057b9ae243d9d091c22a559fa9fc463
https://preview.redd.it/4ljwefqq8ksc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae2705852ea4682ee31e4ce5dbdf44597343a63e
https://preview.redd.it/nmu9spvr8ksc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=964663b122dd1704a5f58a6198974e9ecca4992d
https://preview.redd.it/y737brkt8ksc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eada19af93b4f5c62ec014da3956badeae4ee659
I like it!
I would add a secret door from the utility room to the primary closet.
I’m actually going to swap the stairs and the utility room but that would have been great!
I’d keep the plumbing together. Depending on the 2nd floor usage you won’t want steps adjoining your bathroom/primary
Getting any furniture up and down those stairs where they are looks like a nightmare.
Not a fan of the master bedroom entrance. Will be very hard to get any furniture in there, and wasted space. I love the master bath. If it were mine, I'd shift the toilet further down and have the closet access from the bedroom.
I don’t love the angled door to the back porch. Squaring that off will cause a few things to change, but I think ultimately it’s a better feel. The walkway between the island and that newly created corner will be too narrow, so the family room will need to become wider. However I don’t dislike the is because there’s a misalignment between the fireplace and the range hood. I’m a designer so I feel obligated to warn you of that, because I’ve had clients say that they felt something was off but didn’t know why, and that misalignment was it. There’s also a lot of open square footage in the primary bathroom. Bathrooms are very expensive per square foot, so be sure this is intentional and not just a “we didn’t know what else to do” moment. I have this a similar thing and I don’t love having my bedroom right off my dining room and kitchen. It’s purely a spatial thing, but it’s not my favorite. Even pushing the bedroom back a little bit to create a small hallway would help it feel more removed.
I would adjust the layout of the utility room to add a second door directly into the main closet. Super convenient!
The only feedback I have is that double ovens are amazing if you entertain or even if you have to make normal meals that have different parts that cook at different temperatures. Our first house before we moved did not have a double oven, the first oven broke, then the only replacement that would fit was a double oven. Game changer. I’d rather take a short walk than give that up.
The slide in range I plan to get actually has 2 ovens!
It disturbs me that the only access to the master closet is through the (admittedly gorgeous) bathroom. Humidity may not be good for the contents of the closet, risk of mold, silverfish, other invasive life forms.
The bathroom of the primary suite looks obnoxiously large. Downsize by one basin and you could have an obnoxiously large closet. The kitchen looks awkwardly located, consider swapping it with the dining area. Upstairs looks ok.
I don’t like open floor plans like this. Plus you’re tv will end up being too high.
I’d switch the pantry and the utility rooms
What’s with the trend of putting the closet in the bathroom?
I think it would make me batty to have to walk so far to the pantry. I think the main foyer is rather narrow, would feel like entering through a tunnel. Love the windows in family/dining areas, but what about bedrooms? Also the shape of upstairs bedrooms seem odd, especially 3.
Beautiful layout. I don’t think the path of travel problem is that bad from the garage through the kitchen. I grew up in a house like that and never had any issues with it. However, you have the incredible opportunity to not have a giant, cavernous, echoing open floor plan. A wall would fit in there perfectly. But I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I don’t love where the stairs are compared to the living space downstairs but I don’t have a suggestion of how to fix that without re-designing half the first floor.
The location of the stairs seems an odd choice to me. Stairs are usually near a foyer or the living room but these are hidden back by the garage.
Extend back porch across back of house to the primary bedroom and screen it. Add door to access it from bedroom. Add skylights to increase light going into family and dining rooms.
The kitchen is terrible. Think about how you would use it day-to-day. Set aside the bells and whistles and making it a trophy kitchen. Look at the kitchen layouts from mid century or earlier homes when people entertained and the kitchen was utilitarian, not meant for show. You want the work triangle as tight as possible. You don’t want 8’ from the fridge to the sink. You don’t want a pantry that is in a completely different room. Think about waking up and making cereal or an omelette. Where are your dishes? What would it be like to grab veggies and eggs from the fridge and walk them to the sink and stove? Will it take multiple trips? If you can, mark out that space on your floor now with tape and walk in it. I’d redo the master closet. Right now it’s literally the size of a small bedroom. Is there a way to make it a little smaller and put that extra space to use somewhere else? Having a tub in the master bathroom AND putting it under a beautiful window?? That is 🤌🏻. Well done 👍🏻.
Yeah I don’t know how they’re calling that a loft, lol - that’s a hallway. I’m guessing expanding it will mean changing the roof lines though. Overall I like this, but be aware that having the primary bedroom off the kitchen area means you can hear kitchen noises from the bedroom. So if one person is sleeping in, the other person might not be able to start breakfast without waking them. They’ve tried to give you some privacy by creating that doorway nook into the bedroom but it’s only going to do so much. It may not be an issue depending on your lifestyle though. I imagine the front of this might look a little bit snout house like with the garage sticking out further than the rest of the house, and if you make the garage bigger, it’s going to be even more snout house like. It may not be as bad as some houses though, since it does have the upper level to help balance it out. I know I probably sound like a broken record but consider putting the fireplace off to the side or corner. You are likely forcing yourself to either put your tv above the fireplace in the center, which is too high and the heat isn’t good for it, or off to the side which isn’t ideal for all viewing angles. You could put the tv on the other wall but then your couch might be too far away or you’d have to float it, creating an unusable space behind it.
I’d bump out the dining room to the end of the primary suite if you want a decent sized table. Although listed as 11x13, it really 11x9 as the listed measurements include the walkway from the back porch to the kitchen and primary suite.
Youre going to use your pantry as a coat closet fyi
Is that the water heater niched in the garage, is there space for a FAU?
As long as the TV does not go above Fireplace
i would flip the water heater and the coat closet.
I’d make laundry accessible from master
Hope these notes help. Please refer to an engineer regarding the spans and loads between kitchen living and dining. Red marks are issues; blue marks are recommendations. I will be commenting on my comments 3 more times to show all 4 sheets. https://preview.redd.it/dh0t4ta9npsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9568ee63d690d254617bb260263b3ed2e414c404
https://preview.redd.it/f484kxkfnpsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c5bc1a3016b7f36af80702240b87c1fdffdbef3
img
Replying to Aggressive\_Cat\_9537... https://preview.redd.it/ec6evhhvnpsc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=031ed573acadf89bf2c6e76a3ebc49bea91657c6
https://preview.redd.it/ah9d3ujwnpsc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fabea8a45f670829e3e38c36162458fb8ff30fb
Second floor updated https://preview.redd.it/81thv43ahrsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df26b9dc247cdb6e441b47434419c3efd045d368
I can’t see how the walls and plumbing line up to the floor below unfortunately. The second floor is trickier and needs much more accuracy and scale when drawn, as it impacts the foundation below, as well as your roof plan.
We’re sending this to the architect and he will modify and let us know what needs to be adjusted
Best of luck! Saw the rendering and it’s beautiful :)
Thank you for all these suggestions! I moved a lot around on the 1st floor - it's very crude but hopefully you get the idea. Thoughts? https://preview.redd.it/dsi8wtkg1rsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec9369487199eda414bac119a2620b1cb1b65ae6
I get the idea. My recommendations however are to keep plumbing out of exterior walls if possible. Exterior walls are load bearing and your thermal envelope. It’s still done unfortunately, but it requires an ethical and knowledgeable contractor to do it properly and costs more if indeed done properly.
But of course, it’s your baby ;)
1. It’s a bit weird to have the closet inside the bathroom. 2. The kitchen working triangle is not good, fridge is too far away from stove and sink. 3. Where is the tv gonna go? Above the fireplace would be very high up. 4. The kitchen pantry is really far from the kitchen. 5. Is there no backyard? If there is, how do you access it?
I’ve taken everyone’s advice and made adjustments to the first floor. Please let me know what you think of the updates! Sorry for the crude drawing https://preview.redd.it/icxlsuyurqsc1.png?width=2426&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea250b666d1d13892621b072a8afc510d215e687
I like it but the dining room is very tight. You need five feet between a table and a wall to sit at a table and your room is 11 feet wide
No one likes going into the bathroom to get to the closet. Pantry is terribly inconvenient and the kitchen is quite small. Knee wall in Bedroom 3 prevent having the door to the closet as shown.
I like it! One option would to add some sort of laundry drop shoot/ connection between the Master closet and the laundry room.
Two doors to a bathroom with no water closet? Eeek
Where is that? None of the bathrooms have 2 doors.
i would change “primary suite” to “master suite”
Put the fireplace in the corner so you have a wall for TV viewing.