If you click on the photo it should take you to my Photobucket account where I think you can get a better look at the plan dimensions, etc.

I like it. I am wondering where you and your husband will eat breakfast. I would want a table closer to the kitchen than your dining room is, but I don't like eating meals at the island.

I'd take your kitchen to the kitchen forum, but I think I'd want a prep sink on the island or somewhere else close to the fridge and stove.

In place of the "library" have you considered extending your pantry to include that space and the window? It would be decadent but it could be a very pretty space.

Hi Ash,

Because of DH's schedule, we also have a bathroom->closet->laundry room scenario, and it is my favorite thing about the home! It makes the different sleep schedules manageable.

Is your gun safe right in front of a window? Ideally, you could design the safe to be hidden completely...Not only hidden from a window, but hidden from the closet altogether. Is your "Dressing area" necessary? (You have plenty of room to get dressed in your closet without it, unless that space is considering hubby's duty belt and gear?) I ask because you could create a completely hidden area with that space to hide the gun safe.

I would flip the powder room so that the toilet and sink share the mudroom wall, not the master bedroom wall. (This will be less noisy for the sleeper in the master.)

I would switch the door swing from the garage to the mudroom.

Your kitchen layout could be improved. You might want to run it by "The Kitchen Forum." I would move the double ovens so they were against the pantry wall. It looks like it was designed that way just for symmetry, but it wastes all that counter space between the ovens and pantry (unless you have a specific plan for that area.) Your fridge is also very far from the sink, so ppl are going to suggest you add a prep sink to the island...

This post was edited by lolauren on Sat, Apr 27, 13 at 19:07

I think the shower is too narrow., but it looks like an easy fix: Just let the shower run the width of the end of the bathroom. You can afford to lose some length on that extra-long sink, and a smaller linen closet'll still fit in between the tub and the larger shower.

You've devoted a HUGE amount of space to the master closet, laundry, mudroom, pantry and three-car garage . . . storage is always good, but this is really, really oversized -- probably 1/3 of a fairly large house is storage -- for a couple who doesn't plan to have children, this is an outlandish amount.

Think twice about that big window in your closet. Sun fades clothes.

Is that the gun safe all the way at the end of the closet? Since that's something your husband will use each and every day, I'd consider moving it immediately inside the door -- don't make him walk the length of the closet to put away his guns. Instead, store something you use rarely all the way at the end -- like your suitcases or your beach hats. Everyday things deserve the most convenient storage spaces.

I would consider flip-flopping the master bedroom and the master bath. First, it'd save money by placing your bath plumbing closer to the kitchen plumbing, but more importantly, it'd give you wonderful windows on three sides of your bedroom.

Given that you have a large pantry, I think you've overdone the kitchen cabinets. Three long banks AND an oversized island. I'd cut out the bank that "backs up to" the stairs. Cabinets and countertops are super-expensive, and when you have that much counterspace, it ends up just being cluttered -- especially in situations like this: You're not going to sit and work at those spots that face a wall. You're going to prep at the island, work at the sink and the stove. I know: I have that much counterspace, and I'm looking for less in my next house. Bigger isn't automatically better. For all its space, this isn't a particularly efficiently designed kitchen; the doors are a problem. I agree that you should post it on the kitchen forum.

In your pantry, I'd move that freezer out of the corner. Its placement will prevent you from opening the door all the way, and it'll be a constant aggravation.

The dining room is uncomfortably far from the kitchen. Imagine all the trips back and forth carrying glassware, etc.

You say what's now a library was originally a powder room. I agree that you don't need two . . . but both locations have their positives and negatives: The spot where it's located now will be cheaper to build (because it's adjacent to other plumbing), but people will have to walk past your sink (a major work area) to reach that powder room. It's more private if you move it to the front of the house, but it costs more and I've never liked a bathroom with a window to the front porch.

RE: windows on three sides of a bedroom..... that isn't normally an attractive feature to someone on night shift who sleeps during the day. If we could have gotten away with no windows in our master, we would have! :p

I was thinking about your pedestal bathroom issue. Are either of you light sleepers? I don't like that the 1/2 bath is right next to the master, where potentially someone will be sleeping most of the day. They will get to hear plumbing, doors opening and closing, etc. It's the ONLY bathroom accessible to your guests. If I had someone over while DH was sleeping, I'd hate to have to tell them "oh, be quiet in the bathroom....!"

In that sense, the "Library" as a 1/2 bath could be better. Also, it would give you the flexibility to use the office as a guest bedroom (or a nursery with water nearby.) I would even consider making a small full bath and steal a little pantry space to accomplish that. Then, if elderly guests visited, you could accommodate them better.

RE: the freezer in the pantry... can it be recessed into the under-the-stairs area? Can you use that space instead of walling it up, whether it is added to the coat closet or the pantry?)

Hi everyone:

As I just posted on the kitchen forum, for some reason my e-mails telling me someone has responded to my posts weren’t coming through and I haven’t had much time to check-in here lately, so my apologies for not responding to everyone’s comments. I wasn’t ignoring you, I promise!

zone4newby; I have posted on the kitchen forum, and I do plan on adding a prep sink. We would probably eat breakfast at the island, and when the weather is nice I like to eat outside. If you have any suggestions on where to add another eating area, I’m all ears. I know the dining room is not super convenient to the kitchen, but our layout was influenced by our views. In reality, we will probably eat most of our meals at the island or on the deck. We don’t have a dining room now or an eating area, so I could be wrong. I have thought about adding the library space to the pantry, and that may be the solution I go with.

lolauren 7: I do want a dressing area; that’s where I plan on putting on my makeup and fixing my hair, etc. But, I like your idea of putting the safe in that area and so does my husband. I can move the dressing area under the windows, and have the added bonus of the natural light. Great idea. As far as flipping the powder room fixtures, the problem there is that I was planning on a pocket door between the mudroom and the hallway to the kitchen/master, so that we can close off the area if needed. The plumbing would interfere with the pocket door. But I’ll think about whether we really need a door there or not. My thought was we might need to close the dogs off in that area from time to time. The door swing change from the garage to mudroom makes sense. I’ve posted in the kitchen forum. I’d thought about keeping my mixer and cookbooks in the space between the ovens and pantry. I thought keeping the ovens in front of the aisle would make them easier to access than if they were against the wall. Thanks for all of your ideas.

MrsPete: The shower is 42” wide. We’ve measured, and I think it will be OK, but what size would you recommend as comfortable? Yes, we have a lot of storage. I really like living spaces to be uncluttered, so I need plenty of room to tuck things away. What would you recommend? How much storage is appropriate? We’ll be moving from a 800 square foot house with basically no storage and stuff is everywhere, so the thought of having so much storage space sends me into raptures. The issue with the windows in the closet is one I had thought of, but I think windows are necessary to make the exterior look right. Do you have another idea ? The windows will face basically northwest and northeast, and should be blocked from western sun by the garage. I’ll be moving the gun safe as I noted above. My husband doesn’t store his daily duty weapon in that gun safe on a regular basis, so if it is a bit out of the way that is OK. I’m not sure how we could accomplish flipping the bed and bath area, and I’m not seeing how we would end up with windows on three sides. The current location gives us a lake view, so we’d like to keep that. I’m waiting on feedback from the kitchen forum. What would you put in the area where the fridge wall is now? Maybe we could add some sort of eating area there…a banquette? I love banquettes and would be glad to incorporate one. I don’t think the freezer will affect the pantry door swing. I know the dining room is not ideally located in relation to the kitchen, but the layout was done to maximize views. I plan on getting a bar cart to transport items. In reality, we probably won’t use the dining room too terribly much, and it’s usually just the two of us which cuts down on how many items we have to haul around. Where to put the powder room is a tough decision. I also don’t like the idea of a window to the front porch in a bathroom…I’m sure no matter which location we end up choosing, I’ll wish we’d picked the other. :-)

Lolauren: I wouldn’t normally have guests over while DH is sleeping. Normally, we’re not on totally different schedules and he only gets up a couple of hours before I do. One week a month, though, we’re on different schedules, but he is on second shift through the week and is awake in the evenings and usually on weekends. Sometimes, though, if things get crazy he can be away from home for a long period of time and the sleeping schedule becomes more complicated. I understand your point, and I’ll run it by him and see what he thinks.

There are also stairs that go down into the basement under the “up” stairs, so there is no empty space there. We will be taking advantage of the empty space under the basement stairs, though.

Anyone else have any ideas? I'm going to make some changes and post a revised first floor and the lower level for comment. I appreciate everyone's help.

Ashely

If you have the master that close to the kitchen, whoever is in the kitchen will be making noise that could disturb the sleeper. I dislike master bedrooms off the kitchen but that might not bother you.

If you plan to eat on the deck a lot, I'd add a door directly from the kitchen to the deck. It would be a lot more convenient, and I don't think you'd miss the counter space.