That's a really big coat closet off the main entry. Is there a reason you specified it so big? Wondering if you could scale it back a bit. And make a small china cabinet off the dining room for storing things like table linens, serving dishes, etc.

I also think it's a bit weird that your covered porch ends halfway across your front door.

I can't read your plan - where do the stairs in the garage lead?

Oh,,you'll want to post the kitchen on Kitchens for help.

Do you have spectacular views in front, that the living room gets those? No room seems to have a proper view of the back, even the kitchen has the range facing it across a peninsula, and I spend less time at my cooktop than every other kitchen task.

Now I see what you mean about the guest bath, and I like it except I still don't get the sink in the tub room.

In yor hall opposite the guest bath is a sliding door closet. I think another option there would be a knee space/desk vanity with cabs on one side and a hanging garment compartment on the other. Push the stool under the kneespace when done, and it frees up the hallway. You said in the other thread that this bedroom would be seldom used so it might make sense to put the hall to work for yourself as a drop zone/bill paying nook. It could also do double duty as a makeup/hairdrying station. I would really think about deleting the door to the bath in that hallway and putting one in from the bedroom. As a guest potty, they would have to walk into the guest room to use the toilet, but some people like feeling they have some privacy and cannot be heard from the living areas.

The master bath and closet get the 2 prime corners facing the backyard. I would switch the bedroom with the bath/closet, so that you have the bedroom at the end with potential for windows on 3 sides.

Incredibly awkward flow and one of the worst kitchens I've seen in a long time that didn't involve angles. At least there is a side load garage. Keep that, get rid of the rest entirely with a clean slate.

The entry is odd -- it took me a bit to locate it on the floorplan. First, the porch is obviously a mistake; it can't end mid-doorway. Second, it'll be uncomfortable for guests to enter that small entry and smack-dab in front of them is . . . a wall. I'd lose the wall altogether, so that when guests walk in, they see the dining room table and beyond that . . . another wall. Definite sight line problems here. Anytime you walk through a door, you want the view straight ahead to be something lovely -- never a blank wall.

Or, if you absolutely must keep that wall, you could put in a big piece of stained glass so that you'd have some light coming through and a focal point as you open the door.

The dining room seems to be extra-large, but then it's also a hallway, so that's likely appropriate.

Why on earth would you have two sets of French doors opening onto the front porch . . . right next to the front door? Three doors facing the front of the house, all practically within arm's reach of one another? Just make the French doors into nice big windows.

I generally like a U-shaped kitchen, and your space is laid out nicely IF you're a one-chef household. It would work fine for me and my husband because (though we both cook) we always cook alone. However, I see a couple problems with your kitchen:

- The weakness of any U-layout is the corners -- and you have THREE of them: Corners create deep crevices that aren't particularly useful because you can't comfortably reach into them -- you might set the microwave catty-cornered in one, but what're you going to do with your other two? Corner cabinets (i.e., lazy susans) are expensive and give trouble. I'd consider removing the "back wall" and creating a walk-through space, so essentially your kitchen would be a D with an unattached back wall. This'll open up your space and will give you more counterspace that's actually usable. And put the refrigerator on this back wall so it's outside the main work area.

The other problem is your sink /dishwasher. Again, this is a problem that plagues U-shaped kitchens. Imagine what's going to happen when you open your dishwasher: It's going to prevent you from standing at your sink. How will you take dirty dishes from the sink and put them into the dishwasher? Also, when the dishwasher is open, it'll prevent you from reaching the top cabinets. You'll have to take the dishes out, set them on the counter, and then put them away. Realistically, you need to move the sink to one of the arms, not the middle of the U -- that'll allow the dishwasher to sit beside the sink.

Is that a prep sink within arm's reach of the main sink? Why? It breaks up your best prep space, which is also the space you'd use to set out a buffet if you were doing a casual dinner. It will also eat up your under-cabinet storage, and without a pantry and so many corners, you need that storage.

I like the garage entrance: Good access to bathroom, etc. Is that your laundry in the middle of another small U? If so, I'd flip it to the back wall so the dryer can vent directly to the back. Cheaper for you and safer too.

I agree that I'd flip the master bedroom and bath/closet. You have the opportunity to have windows on three sides of your bedroom -- that'd be a lovely room.

I don't see the kitchen as workable without roller skates. There could easily be an sit-at counter added, but no one wants to eat over dirty dishes or cooking fumes. It seems to me that the best spaces in the house are enjoyed by the laundry room and the master closet. I certainly wouldn't want people coming in the front french doors and seeing into my bedroom. For the size of the home, there seems to be some imbalances, like the utility space is huge and there's tons of vacant space around the dining table, a very large foyer closet, and a kitchen that could benefit size wise and cost wise by adding a pantry.

Also, I don't know how big your family is and which way is north...those are both important issues when designing a home.

Geez Holly that's harsh.
without a little bit of information about your family and who will be living here, and without information about how you're siting the house and what kind of lot it is, it's hard to make comments about how you've arranged room for views.
If you're in a development and have close neighbors on the sides, and have a deep lovely back yard it would make a lot of sense to switch your bedroom/master bath arrangement. If you're off in the woods somewhere it looks as if you have lovely huge windows on each side wall in your bedroom and that could be really nice.
I'm assuming you've got lovely windows along the end wall of your great room too. Which leads to the assumption that you are off in the woods and don't need to worry about side neighbors, and that you have views more than just oriented to the back of the house.
I don't understand the french doors on the front of the house immediately next to the front door. And I don't understand the front door being half under the roof overhang. Seems like that needs addressing. If you want french doors leading to the deck off the great room why not put them on the side wall (the one off the edge of the photo?)
I also am not a fan of the entry dead ending into a solid wall. Not very welcoming.
The kitchen won't work well. You've got what looks like a lot of area, need measurements on the plan, but the arrangement of work zones and the proximity of appliances is not at all thought out. It almost looks as if your architect plugged in the requisite items as placeholders for when you go to work with a KD, who presumably would rearrange everything. I would suggest enlarging the part of the plan with the kitchen, adding measurements, and asking for a workable layout over on the kitchen forum. You will end up with a very workable kitchen that way. You also need to give them more info - such as how many cooks, how you cook, what your family size and needs are.
The other room I have big issues with is the laundry. Again, the room looks really sizeable yet it looks as if you're putting in a stackable W/D? why? Your architect needs to give some thought to usage and function.
OTOH I love all your large windows, and the openness of your plan. It looks as if it would be a really comfortable place for two people.

Big issues with almost every room. I agree that a fresh start is likely to yield better results than trying to piecemeal fix the flaws in this. Every change you do will affect something else. Better to start with a flow diagram first and then work out the details last. And yes, the kitchen is designed by someone that doesn't cook or undestand work flow.

Wow where to start..........

First off the dotted roof line (the one that looks as it ends halfway over the entry is the upper roof line. There is a covered porch around the entire main house on the side, front and back. The dotted line represents the vaulted roof coming over the porch roof that wasn't in the picture.... hard to explain but the roof doesn't end in the middle of the doorway.
Next kitchen plan is all wrong we agree and will be reworked. I will post on kitchen forum.
Wall opposite the front entry we like. We don't want someone coming to the front door to see all the way into the house. We have seen it in other homes designed by our architect and like it. A great piece of art will hang on that wall with a bench under it. The closet there will most likely have one wall for guest coats. Size is still up for discussion.
We have scraped the bath as shown and I have pretty much decided to go for the 2 door option(one on to the hallway as shown another to the bedroom) with one sink and placement reworked.
The view is out the front of the house. The back is facing trees and brush with houses across the ways a bit. They will be seen somewhat in the winter when leaves are gone.
Doors in the great room on the front are actually going to be windows. There may be one on the right side which is out of the picture that will go out to the covered porch. There is a window on that side too.
The laundry/mud room is exactly what I want. A place to bring the dog in and out with muddy paws, wet feet and everything else. Lots of storage. I want a stacked washer and dryer, easier to get things in and out. She got that right. We are in our 60's this will be our last home.
Someone mentioned a desk drop zone instead of closet in the back hallway by the guestroom. I have that in the laundry/mudroom/entry. There will be my little home office there on the wall by the garage door. Our main entrance point will be through the garage.
We are planning a buffet/hutch something on the other side of the entrance wall in the dining room for storage.
Thanks

This post was edited by kacee2002 on Wed, May 28, 14 at 19:00

I think the closet is a bit too big. Do you have kids?? Is there a reason you've kept it so big??

Thanks for the clarifications. I know people on this forum like a "view" when entering the front door, but I'm with you. I kind of like a bit of privacy at the entrance. I actually like your entry wall with a fabulous piece of art work.

It seems like the MBR was designed to look out on the tranquility garden.

I think with a rework of the guest bath and a tweaked kitchen layout that you'll have a great design. Good luck.

Exactly the plan with the master bedroom pixie lou. Probably sliders out to that garden so they can be partially open at night for cross breeze. I need air at night especially in the summer.
I think we have the guest bath figured out and architect and we are working on the kitchen. New plans next week.:-)