Here are the front and back elevations. Window will be added to the laundry room and both openings from the kitchen to the living room will be 3'0" openings. All doors on MIL room will also be 3'0" to accomodate for possible wheel chair in the future.

I think your post got dropped down. We'll see if I revive it enough to get Ren8's attention.

Can you tell me the need for essentially 3 master suites? I understand who is living in your house, but your 1 kid bedroom has a HUGE double vanity (which, incidentally, I think it better laid out bathroom than the master).

Also, I think one of the advantages of a MIL suite is potentially closing off that space/renting it out/etc. In your case that may never happen since you are on significant acreage. However, in your plan's case, it would never happen because that suite is between the family entry and the entire rest of the house! That person will never have privacy (except in their bedroom).

Also, I think your master closet is taking up prime real estate within your plan... or do you not want any windows in that wall? I'd consider trying to get a buffer zone between your master and the living room, while at the same time getting potential for windows on 2 walls in your master by flipping that suite (or rearranging it, at least).

Exterior of the home looks nicely balanced. I agree about the real estate in the master area....the closet has the best space! I always want my bedrooms in a corner so they can have windows on at least 2 sides. That way too, I'd get a buffer between the bedroom and the LR for noise purposes. Proportionally too, I would want my MBR to be at least as large as the combined bath/closet.

If the study/bed set up is for a potential future child, then I'd rearrange so the study door is in the private space...hallway...not directly into the living room.

I really don't like the kitchen...the work triangle is huge and the entire kitchen is chopped up with traffic flow...I'd go nuts trying to keep people out of my way when I've got my arms full of stuff and I'd need roller skates to work my way around the island to get to the things I need.

For an in law set up, is mom going to be happy with just a bedroom? Or would she want to sacrifice some of that awkward layout of the bath to get a sitting/TV area?

Also, there is a door I don't understand that seems to be outside of the bkfst nook...I thought the entire back was screened porch, but then there's this door....

The study is mislabeled and will be a bedroom for our next kid which is why there is a double vanity in that bathroom. The plan is based off of a John Tee plan (sand mountain) and he had the closet and bath on the exterior wall. I've only ever had windows on one wall of my masters so I guess I'm just used to seeing it that way. Kirkhall what would you change about the master bath layout? Would the buffer between the master and the living room be for noise purposes? The in law suite will not be rented out and if my MIL is ever not living there then we would convert it to a home office/guest room. MIL was involved in laying it out and all she wanted for her space was a bedroom. The whole back porch is not screened. The area behind the breakfast nook and laundry room is my covered grilling porch. Screen would hold in too much smoke. I thought the door to the study (bedroom) was enough out of the way as to not inturde on the living room but could have it reworked. Thank y'all for the feedback and please keep it coming!

I agree with what everyone else has said- I like the house for the most part. I love the exterior-- it's tasteful and timeless. I would rearrange the master so the bedroom is in the corner, and would either put the entrance to the study in the bedroom hallway, or eliminate the jack and jill in favor of two bathrooms, or one that's accessed from the hall. You need to treat it like a bedroom or treat it like a study, IMO.

I think the MIL area needs work. If your goal is to design a suite that is wheelchair accessible, I think you should talk to an expert about that. I'm not an expert at all, but I'm concerned that the placement of the toilet won't work for someone in a wheelchair. Also, I think it would be nice for everyone if your MIL had a small sitting area, especially if she's been living alone. She will probably want to retreat from the noise of a young family sometimes, and will want an area she can decorate according to her own taste with her own familiar things.

My sister lived with us for a while, and it was important for all of us that she had a space that was just hers, separate from her sleeping space (we were able to give her two rooms, but a distinct sitting area within her bedroom would have been ok, I think). I think you should also plan for your MIL to have a significant amount of storage space-- most of us accumulate some memorabilia over the years, and she may want to be able to access her things, especially if she's giving up her home to come live in yours.

This post was edited by zone4newby on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 9:37

good luck with your project

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 8:43

Thank you all for you comments. We have decided to take the island out of the kitchen which we feel will give it a much more spacious feel.

Renovator - In regards to the pediment were you talking about form or function?

Wish we could of starting building last year as lumber prices have gone up about 15% since that time. Lot is cleared and should start foundation next month. It is exciting to get started. It will be nice to see all the planning of the past year come together. I'll post pictures in the progress thread once the house is underway.

I actually really like the overall plan, but I agree that the study/bedroom needs a proper access into the hall and not the living room if this is going to be a bedroom.

And as far as living with your MIL...are you content having her around all the time, and is she the type that will want to give you your "space" and will retreat to her bedroom?

I'm seeing a house with only one living area for three generations, and that can get a bit crazy after a while.
I don't know how committed you are to having a formal dining room, but you might consider making the breakfast area larger, just in case you need to acquisition the dining room for a second living area in the future.

And I hope your master bedroom is large enough so you can have a sitting area, even if it's just a comfortable chair for reading. I never used my bedroom for anything other than sleeping, but once the kids became teenagers, I really needed that little spot to retreat!

I'll be the voice of dissent on the exterior: It seems very long and although it is nicely balanced, it's a bit dull. However, since everyone else seems to like it, you might chalk this up to "not my taste".

Three LARGE bathrooms plus one powder room for three people?

I don't like the master bath. Corner tubs look good when they're well-placed -- this one is crammed into a corner between the shower and the closet door. It will lose what could've been a great impact. Also note that the toilet door /main door will hit one another. Think, too, about opening those double doors into the master bath: You open the doors, reach for the light switch . . . which is located . . . where? You can't put the wall switch on the shower tile. You can't put the switch on the toilet door. Your realistic option is to have the bathroom light switch OUTSIDE the bathroom, in the bedroom. I also agree that I wouldn't waste a corner on a closet; windows on two walls (for the cross-ventilation) is just too nice! I vote the whole master bath /closet needs to go back to the drawing board. You have plenty of space, but this design isn't functional.

I agree that the study-bedroom will lack in privacy. I'd make the jack-and-jill bath into more of a single room with doors opening into two bedrooms -- that is, one long, narrow bath instead of a sink room and a tub/toilet room. This'd allow you to have a little indentation in the hallway, and the two kids' rooms could open from that indentation instead of from the main hallway.

The kitchen is large, but it's going to be dark. If you really want it in this interior location, I'd open up the wall between it and the living room to bring in more light.

Bird Lover - Thanks for the feedback. MIL is definently the type to give us our space. We are working with our designer to work out the entrance to the bedroom so it is more in the hall way.

Pete - I appreciate your honest opinion on the exterior. It is a bit "plain" but I've come to realize that's what we like. In regards to the bathrooms and number of people. We have one son and another child on the way. We planned the house to accomodate future additions to the family.

The plan shows the switch on the shower wall, if that's against code then obviously will be changed. I am talking to the designer about the bathroom layout to see what he comes up with. I don't like door conflicts (toilet and bathroom entrance).

We are good with the kitchen location and layout once the island is removed. We don't like the craze of kitchens being open...just not our style.

I also understand many poster's concerns over the master not being on an outside wall but it doesn't bother us. It has three large windows which will provide enough natural light for us.

Please keep the comments coming. We should be starting soon and want to make certain that we don't miss anything major.

If I lived here, I'd have to borrow Annie's roller skates (see her post above) to do the laundry! It's not possible to get the laundry room any farther away from the bedrooms than this layout. That's not my style at all. I'd try to redo the master bath/closet somehow to allow a washer/dryer at that end of the house.

Also, are you building in a warm climate? There's next-to-no shoes/boots/coats storage at the family entry off the garage. With kids, you'll find the space just inside the backdoor to be a drop zone with stuff always there in the way.

Littlebug, just to point out another opinion on the laundry room - some of us like the laundry room near the kitchen. I like having my computer, laundry, and kitchen near one another since it makes work easier. Besides, as the kids get older, they can carry their own laundry. Hubby can, too. :)

Just another point of view. :)

House faces south. Presumably the front of the house? Are you sure that's what you want, even in a hot climate? People are drawn to sunshine. You might end up using your sunny dining room more than the breakfast area (hardly a tragedy!), but since tradition designates the DRM to be the dust gatherer, hopefully breaking out of that sad box is exactly what you have in mind. Your MIL's room will also be delightfully sunny most of the day. The child's room and whatever's in the northwest corner (if windowed) will get the only afternoon sun--nice in the chilly months, and trees across that end can take care of the rest. A north porch will benefit in the summer but be cold and unappealing much of the year when a south-facing one could be very inviting and comfortable.

Agree with the advantages of moving the master bedroom to the corner--the views, light, cross breezes (!), additional privacy and making your house feel and live larger. Fortunately, that nice hall lends itself nicely to this. Although, a lot of people do spend very little time in their bedrooms, and that is a prize corner for daytime living...

In any case, regarding your mother-in-law's space, how about asking her if she'd like to have a door leading out to a little private patio in the angle formed by the room and the garage? An area defined and decorated by a handsome shade tree, her favorite shrubs (if she has any, of course) and a little picket fence could be very pretty and is a time-honored treatment for a sheltered corner like this. And the southeast exposure is ideal for greeting the morning all year round.

Good idea on the private patio, Rosie. M-I-L's room is a nice size. She should be able to have a sitting area in her room, and that would be so nice if it overlooked a private, pretty, little patio. Some well-placed landscaping might give her "enough" privacy to sit out and lounge without feeling like she's on display. :) But this idea appeals to me because I love private little spaces - think "The Secret Garden." ha