Phoggie, if you are mainly looking for floorplans, the Building Homes forum might have more suggestions to offer.

What do you want to know about duplex living? Are you more concerned with noise issues or shared utilities or something else?

If you would share why you are considering a duplex instead of a single family home, it might give us some idea of what answers you are looking for.

I live in a duplex, so I'd be happy to help, if you could give some direction.

I've lived in a few of them and I think your idea of putting the garages BETWEEN them instead of on the outsides is excellent! The only thing I ever disliked was hearing the folks next door. It would be a lot easier to maintain one shared driveway also. I would recommend privacy fencing at least partway into the back yard.

I don't have a floorplan to share but really liked the half-wall feature I had in one. Separating the kitchen and dining area was a half-wall with a countertop. We could put barstools on either side and it helped the kitchen from feeling claustrophobic even though it was small. We ended up using the dining room area as a 2nd den/computer room since we had the counter seating and didn't need a separate table with chairs.

The reason I am considering a duplex is that my lot is 28,000 SF and it is zoned for a duplex also. I am recently widowed and we had a house plan that my DH drew, but it is too large for just me.....and I think it would be more economical to build and maintain a duplex than a single home.

It is in a HOA, so no fencing is allowed. I am going down Wed. and look at a floor plan that someone drew for that lot....the only "must" is that it need to have a rear view to the lake, because that is the reason we bought that lot.

Thanks~

phoggie,
I live in a duplex, part of a small community primarily composed of attached townhomes. Though we are not a senior living community, we are all ( except for 1 family) empty nesters.
If your duplex is properly constructed, you will never know you are not in a single family home.
The builder of this subdivision usually builds custom homes and that may be the reason our home is so well constructed. We never hear our neigbors. They had a wedding with a reception on their deck and we never heard them.

Our garages, eat in kitchens, laundry rooms and second bedrooms are back to back. In addition, we have a master bedroom 2 baths, den, living room and formal dining room on this main living level of about 1500 sq. ft. (We have a finished lower level almost as large, which we rarely use now.) We have a view of the "green space" (meadow and the creek) that runs though our development. If you send me an email (though my member page) with your email address I will send you the particulars.

Pam