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terri23_gw

Advice on Don Gardner Vandenberg Plan

terri23
15 years ago

We are talking with a builder about building the Vandenberg plan from Don Gardner. Has anyone built this plan? Does anyone have any suggestions, comments, criticisms of this plan? The only modifications we are thinking about are changing the storage area in the garage into a pantry and putting in a kitchenette in the basement. Our land in on a hillside so the walkout basement should work out fine. Since we've never built a house before and this is our retirement "forever" home, any help would sure be appreciated.

Comments (98)

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    Got our first window installed today!

  • Love stone homes
    7 years ago

    Hello random awesome view...can you tell me how high are those ceilings. Thank you so much.

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    20ft

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    Everyone has been asking me for my floorpan. Here is the main floor. I detached the garage and addad a pantry and bathroom where the original showed storage. I reduced the width of the plan from 68-64 feet because of set back on our property. I had to take the 4 feet out of the master bath side and relocated the guest bath and pantry to where the storage was in the orig. I also made our great room open from front to back and repositioned the front upper eyebrow window so it would line up with the back one. On all the plans you see there is a seperate foyer wall blocking the big upper window we wanted the more open floorplan look.We also beamed that room and used pre enginered roof trussing which allowed us to not have posts throughout the home.

  • Stephanie Harris
    7 years ago

    Great Ideas. If keeping the garage, how far does the laundry room bump out into the garage? 2 feet?

  • cpartist
    7 years ago

    So someone who needs to use the bathroom needs to walk through the kitchen work zone?

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    There is a hallway and 2 doors from kitchen to bathroom.

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    The bathroom entrance is on the pantry side now that's how you enter

  • cpartist
    7 years ago

    Ah gotcha. That makes perfect sense.

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

  • Dave Jones
    7 years ago
    Thanks Randy for all the updates. We have now make so many changes to the original plan idea, other than the great room, that it isn't the same house :-) - although the front look is very similar. I have mocked up a scale model (also lowered the main roof height) . Still working out the screen room and dining room roof lines. Includes stairs for a bonus room over the garage. Also attached is a poor hand drawing of what we are thinking. Hard to make it out at times due to all the cutting and pasting :-).
  • Dave Jones
    7 years ago
    Scale model - front
  • Dave Jones
    7 years ago
    South west view
  • Dave Jones
    7 years ago
    South east view
  • Dave Jones
    7 years ago
    Still a walkout basement with 3 bedrooms - although not shown in the model.
  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    Very cool Dave!!!

  • Belinda H.
    7 years ago

    Randy, I'm interested in the placement of your detached garage and how it connects to your house. TIA!

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    It dosnt connect that's what makes it detached

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    You can see it to right

  • Belinda H.
    7 years ago

    Ok, thanks! I didn't know if you had any sort of walkway between the garage and the house.

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    We will have a walkway there at some point

    thats a couple months away!!!

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

  • Belinda H.
    7 years ago

    Beautiful view!

  • Belinda H.
    7 years ago

    My husband and I absolutely love the Vandenberg plan and had been fairly certain we wanted to build it on our lake property. That is, until we got the lot cleared recently and saw just how drastically deep/steep is the ravine which cuts through the middle of our property. It would likely be prohibitively expensive to build into the side of the steep hill that then ends at the bottom of the ravine (we'll find out soon). Also, due to the location we'd be forced to use, we've realized we'd feel boxed in by the 2-story houses of the neighbors. So we are now rethinking our direction. :-(


    As have others of you who like this house plan, I'd spend a lot of time thinking about and drawing out modifications to it. I wanted to share my revisions with you in case you might find some useful ideas. Attached is my modified version of the main floor.


  • Dave Jones
    7 years ago

    We're very pleased where we have ended up at ......



  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    7 years ago

    Picking colors Trying?

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

    It's getting there!!!

  • Dave Jones
    6 years ago
    Looks GREAT Randy! It has been great following your progress. We are going to break ground tomorrow. We now have a final plan except for some changes to simplify the right side of the basement. The great room and the front look similar to the original plan - after that it has changed considerably - not the same plan. Thanks Randy for allowing us to foo your progress! Dave
  • Dave Jones
    6 years ago
    Hope this doesn't end up being posted twice :-)
  • William Stevens
    6 years ago

    Hello Randy, my wife and I really like the modifications you did to the original plan. Without sounding too nosy would it be possible for you to give a roundabout estimate of the total cost to build this plan (not including the lot obviously)? We are in the process of purchasing a lake lot and this plan really suits our needs. Thanks!

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

    Send me an email for more info

    gplus@suddenlink.net

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Dave Jones
    6 years ago

    Our house is coming along. Vandenberg look in the front - completely different back.


  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Randy Mullins
    6 years ago

  • Belinda H.
    6 years ago

    Gorgeous Randy!

  • fredkop1
    6 years ago

    Hi Randy, I absolutely love what you have done; and the Vandenberg design. I hope to build next summer, but live in New Brunswick in Canada so will need to see if it can be translated into Canadian building code somehow. I hope you all continue to show what you are doing, you too, Dave. It fires up the imagination to see how different people's ideas lead to great houses.


  • Dave Jones
    6 years ago
    Hi Fred (I assume). We are neighbours - we are building just outside Wolfville, NS. I'm originally from Salisbury ☺️. We are making a. Little progress .... Here is a pic from today. Dave
  • fredkop1
    6 years ago

    Wow, it's coming along fast. Did you get a local draughtsperson to do your drawings? Do I remember you saying that you lowered the roof a bit? I am based in Keswick Ridge just outside Fredericton and currently have a house looking out over the Mactaquac headpond. I bought the acre next door as I fancy getting my own built and have been looking for more than a year to find the perfect design with a walkout and this is the closest I have come to being perfect.

    Frederika :-)

  • Dave Jones
    6 years ago
    One last post. Frederika - you can contact me by email at davebjones0 and then gmail and then dot com if you would like more info on our plans - would be pleased to share. Dave
  • Chris Root
    4 years ago

    Dave Jones - just found this site. We are planning to build on the South Shore near Lunenburg and so far we like this design a lot. Did you complete your build?

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