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muffn

Plans are finished! Please critique :)

muffn
9 years ago

We finally finished our house plans and our building permit is approved. We're getting updated pricing and hope to break ground soon. Here is the final layout - any comments? Good? Bad? There's walkout basement that we plan to finish in the future, but in the meantime, what do you think about our plans? The kids' bedrooms will have a 5 and 7 year old in them. The bonus space above the garage will eventually be my office - I have a business and I work at home, sometimes with interns, freelancers, etc. on site.

Here is a link that might be useful: house plan

Comments (66)

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oaktown - this is how the back roof looks on the rear elevation. The door in question is shown on the back porch, right at end of the porch railing on the left.

    Here is a link that might be useful: rear elevation

  • Michelle
    9 years ago

    Melissa...I like your plan too....the angled garage and second family entry are a lot like my own plan.

    And I just had to say that I've been reading these critique my plan posts for about 2 years and I've never read one that's received so many positives and so few negative comments as yours! Kudos!

  • chicagoans
    9 years ago

    There is so much to like about this plan! It looks very functional.

    This is a small thing: you might want to consider the front porch extending to the right so that it comes up to the wall of the laundry room. That way you'll eliminate the little bump in of yard between the porch and laundry; that might be shady, hard to grow (or mow) grass, etc. I understand that it will throw off the symmetry of the front porch and the front door, so you'd want to see an elevation. Or ask your architect if he/she has any ideas for that little space. Then again, with landscaping, you might not notice it at all!

    If you haven't done so already, be sure to post your kitchen plan, with dimensions, on the kitchens forum. If there is anything that needs a tweak, they'll help you find and fix it.

    This will be a great house!

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    See the double doors in the master bedroom? Where will the light switch for the room be? I imagine you will probably usually have those doors open, so maybe you want a light with two switches: one inside the room somewhere, like by the bed, and one just outside the double doors.

    Or, switch to a single door. Hinged on the right, light switch on the left.

    In Bedroom #2, the one behind the mudroom, where is its light switch? Does it fit between the door and the bathroom door?

    This post was edited by bpathome on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 21:12

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    Interesting that the master suite door opens out, just want to be sure that's intentional because it isn't seen very often.

  • texasguy4
    9 years ago

    One critique. Your guest bath downstairs can only be accessed from the study or the mudroom. I'm guessing your mudroom will not be presentable at all times when you have guests. I would suggest removing the first step in the stairs by the kitchen and adding a door to the bathroom there.

    That does leave a bathroom with a lot of doors and the doors between the study and hall will conflict. I would remove the door to the study. That is a minor, infrequent inconvenience, but you get a major, frequent convenience with a door that will be used much more frequently.

  • dekeoboe
    9 years ago

    In the laundry room, if you swap the washer and dryer it will be easier to vent the dryer outside, just a straight shot through the wall.

    If you are having a front loading washer, you most likely want the dryer on the right. The reason for this is that currently Electrolux is the only manufacturer that makes a front loader that allows you to switch the swing of the washer door. All other manufacturers have the door hinges on the left. That means that with the washer on the left and the dryer on the right, you can open the washer door and it is out of the way making it much easier to transfer you laundry from the washer to the dryer.

    If the dryer is on the left, when you open the washer door it will be between the washer and the dryer, making it more difficult to transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    bpathome - all good stuff. I love how you're finding a the little details. I'm going to make most of those revisions and post a new layout. One thing - we have double doors going into the master so we can get our king bed in there :) I am going to see how it looks to flip that outer door. I could even do another pocket door there that slides into the wall with the fireplace. But I'm getting out of control with pocket doors. A swing door will offer slightly more privacy too when it's half open.

    texasguy - thanks for your comment. You're not the first to suggest that about the door from the stair area. We could do that... but I definitely don't want to lose the door from the study. It's actually going to double as a bedroom for my mom when she visits, which is pretty often. I could swtich the study door so it swings into the room - then it wouldn't conflict with the new third door. But 3 doors? Hmmm. Also, I keep feeling like it works as it is. We currently have a powder room off of our kitchen dining area. HORRIBLE design -ugh. You hear everything!! So I love the idea of the bathroom being more private in our new house. Plus, I'm a neat freak - our mud room / laundry room may be messy at times, but there is no way it will be when we have guests over. lol.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    dekeoboe - good point. We have a top loader right now.... we used to have a front loader but I got sick of our clothes always smelling like mold. So we sold that. Love my top loader, but I have to say, I'm tempted to try a front loader again, simply because you can have a countertop on top. Love that. But I'm afraid we'll have the same problem. I don't know - do people still have that mold problem with front loaders???

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    You're right, I didn't think about the machine doors. I saw the image of a top load washer and didn't even think about front load...and I have and love one! Set up properly, thank goodness (well, except for my ridiculously long vent)

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    What is the hallway width right at the location of the lockers/stairs? It still looks narrow there, but I can't tell if that is a 2D issue only (because you'd walk under the stair) or not. Is that a pinch point? I have 1 doorway I have to walk through with groceries that is narrow, and I notice it every time. I'd make sure that won't be a pinch point in your plan, because everything else seems quite thought out.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The stairs are leading down to the finished basement, so that's a solid wall on the right. The width between that wll and the wall at the end of the lockers is 3'10". The width of the pocket door opening is 3 feet. I'm wondering if that can be made a little wider. Do you think 3'10" is too narrow? I think that would be a big thing to change on the plans at this point... :(

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    someone mentioned the kids' baths plumbiing on opposite walls. I asked about that and I was told it's intentional because if there's a plumbing problem down the line with either bathroom, it's easier to access the pipes from the bedroom rather than tearing out the insert in the opposite bathroom to get to it.

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    Lovely plan! The closet for bedroom 2 is awkward, but the room is big enough to accommodate a chest of drawers or a standing wardrobe, if necessary. My sons don't use a lot of hanging space.

    I would definitely put a long rectangular window above the coat hooks.

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    Re the double doors: I was somewhere today where instead of double doors (interior) there was a door and a half. Only the full door had a knob, and was the door you would typically use. The half a door was typically latched at the top and bottom, easily opened when necessary (as it was today, to accommodate a wheelchair), but closed the rest of the time.

    So for yours, just thinking that you should make sure at least one door is wide enough to walk through for everyday use, so you don't always have to open both to get through (my own house has some like that, so we leave both open, but the light switch is behind one door, kind of a bother)

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    3'10" should be just fine.

  • pps7
    9 years ago

    Great plan! Spacious yet efficient.

    Ditto to windows above the cost hooks. I would switch the double doors to the the master to single. We had no trouble getting a king in ours. Our mail drop/ office is one of my favorite things!

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    pps7 - nice!! love it.

    OK, here are some comments--

    --Double doors in Master - Why are some of you opposed to the double doors? We have them on our current master and I love them. We can fix one of the doors in a locked position, but we typically do open or close both. It's super easy - but maybe it's because I'm tall? (5'11) and can reach the lock with no problem??

    --Master single door in hallway - I switched the door to open inward and allowed enough room for a light switch to the right of the double doors.

    --swithed the door swing direction on both mud room doors

    --added a long, horizontal window above the coat hooks

    --switched the door handle on the LR refrigerator so it opens the other way (and not into a wall)

    --adjusted the footprint of the house by the BR2 / garage wall so that the walk-in closet is bigger / less awkward. Changed the swing door to a pocket door so we don't lose space in or out.

    -- chicagoans - as for that indent on the front - you suggested extending the porch roof to eliminate it. What if I just made that a closet off the study??

    Anything else? :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: newest plan

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    Not against double doors, my house has 4 sets of them in varying widths; I just know the pitfalls as well as the charms :)

    The mudroom closet door: hinge it on the right side.

    I like the bedroom closet change, very nice.

  • nostalgicfarm
    9 years ago

    Melissa-loving your plan! How nice to have such a wonderful space for mud room/side entry. Looks like you are going to update and post a new plan, so I will comment after that. I had a super nice stainless Samsung front loader set at our house we sold..never a problem with moldy smell. I occasionally left the doors opened and occasionally ran a washer cleaner in them.
    Pps-I love that small office space. Is it hidden behind a door? Seems like a great space to keep envelopes and other fun stuff!

  • pps7
    9 years ago

    Thanks nostalgic! The office has a pair of pocket french doors which are open 95% of the time. The only time I close it is if I'm making a business call. The room is in the mudroom so no one really sees it.

  • josephene_gw
    9 years ago

    Foyer is kind of narrow for this size house.

  • josephene_gw
    9 years ago

    Your mom would love a place to sit and wash her feet in the shower.
    Any reason you don't have a jack and Jill bath for those two bedrooms?
    Need only one tub/shower. Your pantry looks like a ballroom. Lots of
    Wasted space. Where does the sports equipment get stored? Do you have enough counter space in the kit? Where do you display your good China.
    How about all those drinks your kids need is there a ref near the back door
    So they don't have to track across the house?laundry room for a second ref
    Or maybe put one in the garage.
    ðÂÂÂ

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    josephene -
    -yes maybe I can add another foot by taking from the study...
    -the shower isn't really designed yet. But good suggestion
    - the jack and Jill I had in there was attacked by a lynch mob on here. Lol. Apparently, people do not like them! I'm glad I changed it - I have a boy and girl in those rooms and I don't need another reason for them to argue when they're teens :-)
    -wasted space in the pantry?? That's crazy talk ;-) I have big plans for that space :)
    --sports equipment goes in the lockers. We're using those lockers in my current house (which has no mud room) and they're a dream come true! They also hold winter hats, gloves, snow pants, all of the kids shoes, rain coats, coats, umbrellas, swim suits, goggles, leotards, cleats - freakin' love my lockers.
    ---counterspace in kitchen - tons. Everything will be stuffed in the pantry. Lol. And my island is huge.
    --I'm not into displaying China. :)
    --there's a finished basement with a refrigerator and washer/dryer to serve the pool peeps! (We're going to install a pool)

    Thanks for taking the time to notice and comment on all of these things!! I can't tell you how much I appreciat it!

    Question everyone-- do I make that nook on the front a closet for the study, hence eliminating the "dead, no-grow area outside? Or leave it alone... And stick a Buddha statue in there? :-D

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    Gosh, the study already has two closets, and if you add a closet down there it will use up a corner and be deep and not so easy to use, and the clothes will be cold (don't ask me how I know this lol!) and you have to account for it in the elevation: how will the roof be?

    I think you could extend the porch over that way. Or a Buddha, but I don't think it matches the style of your house :)

    I really like your plan!

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks bpathome. If I put the closet in that front nook, I'd take the other closets out. I'd love to put a Murphy bed there for occasional guests. The closet doesn't need to function like a bedroom closet. It'd only need to hold a small amount of clothes when we have guests.

    I can't extend the porch. It's a gable porch (I'll post the front elevation later from my computer). I don't think it'd be a big deal to extend the regular roof... But who knows.....

  • pps7
    9 years ago

    What direction is the front of the house? We have a nook like that. I haven't really planted anything there yet!

    What are your plans for the study? If it an office/guest room? Can you work out the spacing of the windows so that they all the way across the front wall of the study?

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The house pretty much faces north (slightly NE). I'm not really concerned about whether I can grow something there or not. I just want to create the best layout inside.

    The study will fuction as a guest room - maybe once a month. I'm guessing we'll probalby set up our xbox in there so the kids can game in there. Maybe a desk to do homework?

    Here is the front elevation. I don't want to mess with the entry roof because it's centered over the front door.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is how the study could be if I moved the closet. I could make it this size or bring it up flush with the wall so it's extra deep. We could put a murphy bed on the wall where the closets used to be. Or, there's lots of room for a daybed with a trundle or a pullout couch, etc. The room would be about 15'5" instead of 13'.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    OR, I could leave the room as is!
    Here's yet another idea - move the doorway to the Great Room side. This would make all the people who think the hall bath is too inaccessible happy. But, not sure it's private enough if it's used a bedroom (maybe 1x month or less)? Or, maybe we want more separation of the two rooms, like it is now? Moving the doorway may make the foyer feel too narrow with no door on that side... Decisions, decisions!!!

  • amyktexas
    9 years ago

    I love your floorplan, very liveable. The only suggestion I would offer would be to consider a double garage door and a single rather than three singles. If you have or would ever have a truck or larger SUV that double door would be very nice.
    I also like the second idea for the study entry rotated, but I'd do that with the bump out for the study to line up and do a built in desk in that space.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks amyktexas - we've considered the 2 garage door thing.

    So you're saying the 2nd study layout, with the bump out from number 1 with a built in desk there?

    Do you think the foyer looks too narrow if the door to the study is by the great room?

  • josephene_gw
    9 years ago

    Don't understand kids squabble over a space they will only use maybe
    20 min a day in. The tub/shower.
    French doors in the study/foyer will make your foyer seem bigger.
    Roman shades on the door for privacy.

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    My kids squabble over a space they use 10 minutes a day maximum (5 in AM, 5 in PM) and it drives me crazy every day! So, I can understand the reasoning... It is what it is. And, if you can do something to make your stress level better, then do it. ;)

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    I like the double doors to the study, it seems more gracious for both the study and the foyer. But, if you're putting the video games in there, too, you might want the door to the LR. Maybe the nook could be a door in the same plane as the closet doors.

    Even though that makes 5 doors in a small space,here's why I like it:
    It gives flow through the room (.not counting the bathroom) so that if you use it when entertaining, people can move around easily.
    That wall already has the closets, so it's not taking any usable wall space.
    Mom can close it for privacy, but she can easily use that door if she likes, like if she's reading or writing in her room but still wants to be in on the action in the house.
    If the kids are in there, you can keep an ear on what they are doing and they can hear you when it's time to set the table.

    (Everybody here has their "specialties", I notice :) I think about flow, solatubes, sometimes door swings, and where is the bath towel lol! So in line with that, mount a towel bar on the back of the study-bathroom door so the bath towel of is handy.)

  • josephene_gw
    9 years ago

    We hear about those kids on the news every day they never learned
    To get along with their siblings so how can they get along with people
    In the outside world

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    Yup. I'm sure my kids are destined to be people who ne'r get along... *rolls eyes*

    Or, they are engaged in sibling rivalry at home, and do just fine everywhere else they ever are, are kids who do well in school, are well-adjusted, and liked by their teachers and peers.

  • muffn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    my two are ridicously close - they prefer each other as playmates over other kids. They spend too much time together! So they could use some separation when it comes to the bathroom. They can sharpen their sharing and patience skills on endless other things -- who gets to use the iPad, who gets to choose the game, who gets to choose the movie, who gets to sleep with the dog, who gets to feed veggies to the guniea pig - lol. No jack and jill? We're good!

  • divine_serenity_gw
    9 years ago

    maybe i've missed, but how many sq feet? I like many of the features of you home! What software are you using to do your designs?

  • autumn.4
    9 years ago

    melissa-our plans are similar-ish in many ways. I wish we'd have put a friends/family entrance in like you are - don't think you'd regret that one bit! We have a window in that spot in ours instead. We also have that angle there between dining/living areas. We put our Christmas tree there this year. Perfect spot. We could enjoy it from every room and yet it wasn't in the way. Enjoy!

  • MommaKick
    9 years ago

    Melissa: I am intrigued by your floor plan. It is similar to what I am looking at designing for our build in the near future. I am curious about a couple things....first, how many square ft is your main level? Second, what are the ceilings like inside? I have never been a big fan of the looks of houses that have a large flat roof showing in the front, but yet your layout is very close to what I would like. Many of the plans I have looked at have a lot of roof angles compared to yours, and I am trying to figure out what accounts for the difference. (As you can probably tell, I am brand new to this house build thing, so am still learning). I think you said you will have a walk-out basement; do you have a pic of what that will look like from the rear exterior?

  • divine_serenity_gw
    9 years ago

    i can't see the link anymore..it just says pictures removed⦠:(

  • E K
    9 years ago

    What is the size of the main level?

  • E K
    8 years ago

    Just wondered if OP is still around this group and whether you ended up building the house you posted plans on here for back in January? Would love to see the finished pics if so. :)

  • muffn
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    mommabearof5 - yes, still here! Our house is about halfway done. I will post pics at some point!!

  • E K
    8 years ago

    muffn - Just saw your reply! Would you be willing to re-post (or email to me) a copy of your plans again? I really liked your plan back when you originally posted it, and now by chance we ended up with a very similar layout (which I recently noticed when I was going back over plans I had bookmarked over the last several months), but the printout I have of your plan is very small and unreadable and the link above doesn't work any more. We are trying to figure out a way to angle our garage, as it is currently in the front of the house. If you would be willing to email it to me, that would be great - my email addy is ekick01 at gmail. Thanks so much!!

  • llcp93
    8 years ago

    Having heard so much about this plan, I'd love to see what all the talk has been about!

  • E K
    8 years ago

    muffn - just wondered how your build is going. Would love to see pictures, as your plan is very close to what we are looking to build. :)


  • pinoakfarm
    6 years ago

    muffn - I would be very interested in your final floor plan and any pictures you would be willing to share. Hope your build went well!