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sumrtym_gw

Hot Springs home plan from Garrell Associates

sumrtym
10 years ago

I see Garrell Associates has quite a following on this forum. I'm not ready to build yet by any stretch of the imagination but am always looking for THE plan. I never find the perfect one, which probably argues to having one customized.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had built or is in the process of building this one. I'd love to see one in person if I ever had the opportunity. There's several variations on their web site, but the interior that's posted I most like is the plan 12132, the gabled roof plan. The layout inside is significantly different than their others, most being positive to me. Still not perfect in my mind.

I LOVE the outside of this plan in the artist rendition, I even love the green color. I don't think there is one thing I'd change on the outside from how it is shown. I'm imagine those flared wood / ends on the roof would cost a pretty penny.

Anyway, I look forward to comments on this house plan or seeing what others have done / if built, etc, or hearing about variations that aren't on their web site. Pictures would be great of anything related to this house!

Also, I'll list some of my wants in a house plan in case anyone has another I should look at (someone may have seen my dream one already designed).

-same style home on the outside
-large kitchen pantry, preferably walk-in.
-large kitchen with plenty of counter space
-library/office
-3 bedroom minimum
-fireplace in main room
-NO formal dining room - but hopefully a decent sized breakfast / dining area
-basement foundation as almost all here are / think there are some advantages (drawbacks too)
-NO living room - waste of space
-don't mind keep rooms off kitchens, but don't demand them either
-shower and tub separate for master
-covered rear deck, as well as uncovered portion
-under 4000 feet, but over 2000. As long as it doesn't feel crowded and has the rooms decent size, smaller is always better (heating, cooling)

The below are ideals seen in plans before but never all together:
- would be a shop area in garage - saw one on a different Garrell plan, but can't remember which one offhand
- Laundry room opening into the master closet as well as a hallway. Handy to hang up stuff easily without trucking through the house
- saw in one plan once a door in a hallway I couldn't figure out what for...until I realized it opened on the back of where you would locate the main room entertainment center to get at the cables / connections easily. Freaking brilliant!

Is this Hot Springs plan a super costly one to build? Would like some feedback on that. With the gable, the roof doesn't look bad other than maybe the non-straight garage (or that flared wood / roof on a few locations), but it does have still some weird shaped rooms, such as the pantry that I imagine drive costs up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Floorplans / etc. available here

Comments (2)

  • mrspete
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Is the main question, "Is this super costly to build?" I think the answer is yes. Why? The roofline alone is reason enough: Curves are extremely expensive (though, yes, I see they're the main thing bringing in the personality). And angled rooms are more expensive than squared-off rooms, and no 5000+ square foot house will ever be in the "affordable" range. I have no idea of your budget, but I'm sure this house would be much more expensive than average.

    I would offer two overarching thoughts about the style:

    - The storybook house-look is taste-specific. While you wouldn't be alone in your love of this house, you also wouldn't have droves of people lining up to buy; you'd have to find the person who loves this storybook style AND ALSO can afford a 5000+ square foot house. I suspect many people who admire this style would envision it fitting into a small cottage rather than a huge house. Thus, it might be wise to save this house 'til you're building "your last house" -- that is, the house you intend to live in 'til the day you die.

    - I can't see this house fitting into a neighborhood with a ranch house on one side and a Colonial on the other side. It looks like a house that "needs to be" in a rural setting, somewhat set apart on its own. Otherwise, the storybook charm would be lost.

    As for the floorplan:

    - It does fulfill all your requirements.
    - The master bedroom will be dark. All the light will have to filter through a screen porch, then a sitting room. This is kind of odd: The house has windows everywhere, even in the pantry, but the master bedroom is sorely lacking in natural light.
    - By the same token, the great room -- no, lodge room -- won't be light-filled. It won't be dark like the master bedroom, but its light will be detered by the porch. What direction will the house face? That will be key to determining whether this is okay or not.
    - While we're talking about windows, I like the ample windows in the dining area . . . and now that I think about it, this darker-greatroom-adjacent-to-light-filled-dining-room could be a positive; it could be what differentiates your rooms one from the other. But, again, I think it all hinges on the direction and quality of your light.
    - You want the laundry room convenient to the master bedroom, and it is -- but reaching the closet still requires walking past the bed and through the bathroom.
    - I don't care for the curved island in the kitchen. It'll be expensive to build, and it'll limit access to the sink. This could be avoided easily enough: Just square off the pantry and the island -- you'll get more storage in both places.
    - The whole kitchen is large, but not particularly effective. People say they want lots of counterspace . . . but they really mean they want BETTER counterspace. I have 35' of linear counterspace, yet because it's all one long stretch and because it's poorly lighted and inefficiently laid out, I'm always crowded into the same little 4' spot on the penninsula. I see these same problems in this layout. With almost all the kitchen in that long wall counter, you'd never be close to . . . anything. Keep in mind, too, that a counterspace that long means you'll have to seam your stones.
    - Large secondary bedrooms, and it's nice that the library and studios could easily become bedrooms, if you needed it. Everyone likes flexibility. It'd be wise to build a closet into the studio room from the beginning; that'd make it a bedroom from the start, and no matter what your initial purpose for that room, no one dislikes more storage.
    - The plumbing is strung from one end of the house to the other. This significantly raises the price of one of your most expensive elements, and it increases the likelihood of leaks and problems later.
    - The home contains a great number of "extra rooms": Game room, bar, social room, studio, library, storm shelter. Do you actually need all these rooms and have a purpose for each?

  • zone4newby
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm confused about why there is a "storm shelter" immediately off a hallway space that seems like an ideal storm shelter.

    My impression of this house is that the master suite is larger than I'd want (I don't want to spend much waking time in my bedroom, so the sitting room space doesn't appeal to me) and I would want more natural light in the main living area. These plans without a window in the kitchen leave me cold.

    I like the storybook style, but I wouldn't do nested gables-- it looks odd with normal gables, but with the curvy ones I think it REALLY doesn't work.

    Sorry not to be more positive!