22 corners plus 4 more for the covered porches vs. a plain rectangle that has 4. Yes, that's a complex foundation and roofline. And yes, expensive to build.

Plus, it doesn't take advantage of all of that wall space created by those foundation jogs. It puts closets and laundry rooms and stairs on exterior walls where there are windows. That's bad design. The master bath is only 2' shorter than the secondary bedrooms. That's way too large for a room that is so seldom used and so expensive to construct. The kitchen is pretty badly laid out and there isn't enough room for walkways in a lot of the open part of the plan. Where's the garage?

There is a lot to like about this plan though, as the bedrooms don't seem to be so huge like in so many modern plans. Nor is the foyer oversized. The porch can actually be used as a porch, and there's plenty of closet space.

Wow, hollysprings, thank you! I hadn't even thought about the exterior walls housing closets and laundry rooms. I'm going off to think about what you've written and to look at the photos we've taken of the house we like. I know the laundry/mud room is on an external wall...not sure about the bathrooms. Thanks for the tips!

This post was edited by caymaiden on Thu, Jan 3, 13 at 7:57

I'm going to take a slightly different tack than hollysprings, but focusing on the foundation only and ignoring the floor plan. The symmetry of the foundation layout is understandable and within the skills of experienced foundation contractors. It represents no major difficulties for layout and completion, assuming the contractor has built residential foundations before, has an experienced crew and uses a transit for layout.

Of course, there are many contractors who prefer simple, rectangular shapes so as to not have to think or double-check anything, before leaving the job site for the local bar. The challenge in residential building is to avoid these sort of contractors and find those who like and enjoy building that challenges their skills and experience--truly dedicated and gifted builders.

I wouldn't worry overly much about "corners"--it's an old and misleading addage, so long as one is reasonable about a house design.

Good luck with your project!

I agree that jogs add more interest to a home and they cost more money, but it's a trade-off worth making as you will be looking at the house for a long time, and the vast majority of people will see it from the outside rather than the inside, so it pays to have it look nice.

However, when we were building, we did focus primarily on how the floor plan works as that's the space we live in...we don't consciously live in jogs, but live in traffic flows, light that enters the house, spaces and volumes and scale.

A simple way to cut the cost would be to reduce the number of bathrooms-- 4 bathrooms in a 3 bedroom home meant for 4 people is a lot, and bathrooms are pricey.

a round house is the cheapest to build since there re 0 corners!
keeping the plan to 10-12 corners will not add much over a square 4 corner. Pushing 16+, you are getting up there and will see a grow in costs, but its not massive as a lot want to lead you to believe. The roof line in relation to the jogs will have a bigger impact than the foundation itself. a lot of hips and valleys not only adds cost to the truss package and coverings/labor, but creates that many more places for future roof issues such as leaks.
Corners in ICF do add, but at the same time they do assist in a stronger foam setup, resulting in possibly a better end product.

Thank you, everyone. Very helpful feedback.

Virgilcarter, thanks for the tip about the transit -- I've just googled it. Good to know...

Lzerarc, I appreciate the specifics and will try to keep our jogs below 12. Much appreciated!

I think Annie hit the nail on the head: Jogs add architectural interest, but it's at a cost. How many? How much? Those are questions that each individual must answer. Even if you and I had identical budgets, you might choose to build a more complex exterior, while I might choose to focus on more costly finishes inside.

I have to agree with those who say this is a fairly complex exterior, and if I were set on this plan, I'd change a couple things -- thinking exterior only:

- The great room is recessed so slightly at the back. Why? The only plus is that it lends a bit of differentation to the dining room. It'd probably cost the same amount to run it flush across the back, and you'd get another few square feet of living space.

- Same thing for the two master bedroom closets. You could extend them all the way to the front/back of the house and get more storage -- I'd rather have the storage than the du-ta-dos on the corner of the house.

- The front porch is indented a bit. This, I'd be willing to keep. This small indentation really does add interest to the front of the house, where it would give "bang for the buck".

Leaving that topic, I personally think this house is bathroom-heavy and has large bedrooms, but it is skimpy on the shared living spaces. The great room /dining room /kitchen are not really what you'd call generous in size. Also, I wouldn't build an expensive switchback stair in the back corner of the house -- if I spent the money on that feature, I'd want it to be somewhere more visible.

It may seem a waste to use exterior space for closets. However, we don't know what the lots are like. If the houses are close together and near the lot line, who wants to look into the neighbour's house?

I know I've seen more than I wanted to in such situations!

One of our requirements was that the bedrooms have windows on at least 2 walls for cross ventilation, and of course more daylight. We have our heat and a/c off for about half the year so fresh air is essential.

As always I am amazed by the level of observation here. I would not have thought of half the points you all make!

As I wrote above, this is not our plan, just the closest I could find online to a house we admired when we viewed it for sale. This plan is around 2500 square feet, I believe, so not overly large for the spaces included. The other house was around 3000 and had much more space in the common areas. The closets in that house are, in fact, on interior walls rather than exterior walls, but the laundry room is in the same place as this plan. Also, the house we viewed had no stairs as it was only one story -- I can't tell where these stairs go in this plan. Down, or up?? Maybe there is an attic space above?

Anyway, thank you for the education I am receiving here for free! When we finally do have a plan drawn up, I will remember all your points here.

I was able to track down photos of this as built. Link below. Note the relatively uncomplicated roof forms and limited (responsible) palette of finishes combined with what appears to be some thoughtful detailing. I'd expect the cost here is driven very little by foundation jogs & massing. It's also clearer from looking at the result as to why there are jogs in the plan and what the consequences would be of eliminating some of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos as built

It's pretty, isn't it? Any thoughts as to where those stairs go? That is puzzling. In the photograph of what I assume is the master bedroom it does look as though they have sacrificed windows for that closet space. Big french doors though... I really love the exterior and the way the rooms are laid out apart from what hollysprings has pointed out about the closets, stairs and walkways. I guess no house is perfect...

I've bookmarked this house! I like it - maybe it will be our next build 10 yrs down the road. :)

So downsy, the closet placement doesn't bother you?

No the closets don't bother me. The master closet of our new home is on an exterior wall and I like it. We have 2 windows our master closet and our bedroom (which shares a wall with the closet has a large window on the back side of the house, which is plenty for us!

I 3 of our 4 bathrooms are interior rooms (no windows!) and that doesn't bother me either. I'm not in there to enjoy the view! LOL

The Hancock plan is very similar to our new home except ours is a 2 story home with only 2 bedrooms on the main floor with an upstairs that has 2 more bedrooms, bath & bonus.

Our home has lots of jigs and jogs - and, after over 15 years, I love the way it looks every time I drive up! So, therefore, the added expense is totally worth it. We will be building a new home soon and plan to enjoy the benefit - both interior and exterior - that a floor plan with varied corners give us.

It is on my wish list to have windows in the laundry room and master closet. Also, a floor plan such as this brings in a lot more natural light and allows for windows on more than one wall of many rooms.

Caymaiden, I suggest you go for as many corners and turns as you think you like! You will enjoy!

Slobarbara and dadareni, good points. Downsy, your house sounds perfect. Is it a custom plan?

Wow, 2500 sq ft house for bargain basement price $640,000.

I can build two houses that size for that price.

"we live in a flood-prone area so would need to build up either by filling or by using pilings."
With this knowledge why you are even considering building there?

We live in the Cayman Islands. The whole country is at sea level, so there's not much choice!

caymaiden-I think I'd be more bothered by no windows in the kitchen (except what is seen through the screened porch). I'd try to get the kitchen on an outside wall rather than the laundry if possible. I can only imagine how beautiful the views are in the Caymans!

Agreed, Autumn.4! We'll have neighbours to both sides and views to the back, but light in the kitchen would be very nice!

Yes our home was a custom. I have a suggestion for your laundry! Mine is the same width as yours and I wish I had another foot or two as it is a walk thru room. I manage fine the way iit is, but When i'm doing a load of laundry i have to keep my laundry basket on a nearby counter to keep the walkway uncluttered.

Thanks, Downsy, I will keep that in mind. I have a smallish laundry room now and curse it every time I open the door. (First world problem, I realize.)

Have you posted any pics of your house here?

Yes I've posted some here and there. I just posted some interior photos on the thread called "will this look funny". If you click on any of the photos in that post it will take you to the albums where I have more photos. I don't have any interior photos on there besides my family room and kitchen. I haven't taken time to do that.

Thanks, downsy, your house is great! Love how open it all feels...very nice!