Wow, this is one jig-jaggy perimeter with a complicated interior, multiple specialty ceilings, and large dimensions that will require special-made trusses. I think it'd be cheaper to pile up stacks of money and live in them!

Seriously, though . . . I'd look into straightening out some of the exterior walls. These and the ensuing expensive roof that will be required to top them off could be made much more simple and less expensive -- with no impact on the square footage or the function of the house.

I would take out that little hallway behind the breakfast room / leading to the porch. It'd be more pleasant to simply walk through the breakfast room to a door in that corner.

Is the breakfast room the only indoor eating area? In a house this size, I'd have expected a dining room.

Loads of room is allocated to the foyer and adjacent twin galleries . . . Yet the coat closet is down the hall and around a corner.

Is that a door (next to the pantry) leading from the master into the kitchen? If not, I'd make it a door.

The kitchen makes me think, Big hat, no cattle. In this case, I mean big island, lots of flash, not much functionality . . . But you said you're taking that to the kitchen forum.

I agree that the bathtub is rather . . . Odd, but you already commented on that.

The master closet has a great deal of empty space in the middle. That's wasted space.

With the master bedroom being placed on a corner, I'd definitely add windows to have light and a breeze from three walls.

The utility room is very convenient to the master, but the people in the secondary bedrooms will have to carry their dirty laundry across several rooms and around a corner and down a hallway. Not ideal. I'd give up one of the three bathrooms on that side of the house to get a more convenient laundry room on that side of the house.

Back to the subject of windows and light . . . Your great room, breakfast room and kitchen are going to be dark -- not something many people want.

I've gotta say, for this much square footage and money, I think you can find a better plan.

Good feedback - thank you!

To address some of the comments - this is really just a starting point. Straightening out walls and jags is fairly easy to do at this point, and I agree - we need a more straightforward approach.

1) Dining - we've lived with a formal dining that gets used twice a year, and hate that lost space. So no formal dining - we don't entertain that way, and don't plan to start. Our friends usually never leave the kitchen when they come over. We'll have plenty of outdoor dining, and we actually do use that space on a frequent basis. We'll plan on ditching the hallway behind the breakfast area - I agree that it would be nicer just to have a door straight out to the patio.

2) Large covered back porch - also have lived with it for 15 years, and wouldn't live without. We are in TX, and the only way to enjoy the backyard is with a fully covered porch. I know this is common wisdom on GW (covered back porch = dark back of the house), but in TX, you'd never venture outside without one! :)

3) Laundry - our kids are high school age, and we have all been walking all the way across the house for laundry (current house has it as far away as possible, next to the garage). As far as I'm concerned, they're used to walking now, and one kid will be upstairs anyway. Guests won't use laundry (typically).

4) Yes to master windows and possibly a door to small porch (might make more private - courtyard perhaps?). I'm not sure if I'll regret having the master at the front vs. the back though...thoughts?

5) Kitchen island is too large - I think a gentle curve would be just fine. We want seating for at least 4 - more would be nice, but not necessary. I envision that being used for overflow with family / guests, but mainly for breakfast / lunch. There will be other reconfigurations with the counter space / fridge as well. I don't *think* that's a door near the pantry to the master (I think it's a wall), but we could make it one. I was thinking it would be nicer to have the pantry start in that space - with a cabinet door so it is "hidden". Not sure if that would be better than the more direct path from the master or not?? Also - that would be a buffer for kitchen noise...

6) Foyer / galleries are overkill. I think we could put a coat closet in that thick wall to the left?? We'll shorten those up a bit if possible.

6)

5)

Ummm.. (what is your budget?) Is this in your budget? This is a ridiculously expensive house to build...

We will be reducing the square footage (to about 3800), and also be adding a second story (media room and bedroom upstairs). The study and one of the bedrooms on the first floor will be axed, and many of the rooms will be smaller, esp the foyer / gallery area. This particular builder is $125 - $135 / sq foot, depending on the finishes. I wouldn't be able to afford this house is many parts of the country I'm sure.

I am going through early design phase right now as well, but not in TX. However here are some things to consider and discuss with your builder in regards to PRICE.

These comments are based on the current FP presented:

First, square footage pricing is a horrible estimate and I know a lot of posters on here use it to illustrate concepts, but since you are proposing a complex floorplan you will need to have detailed discussions with your architect / builder.

1) Usually, basic sq ft estimations early in the process do NOT include outdoor areas such as landscaping, hardscapes (i.e. your outdoor kitchen area, outdoor fireplace, etc.), septic tank installation (if necessary), and home electronic install PLUS your home theater / media equipment / wiring / install.

2) If you are NOT planning on building a media room / theater disregard this paragraph. Depending on what you want to do with your media room, you are looking at a $25,000-$50,000+ project. Your media room is close to the master bedroom and thus you will need to address sound engineering plus extra insulation for soundproofing and forget making it completely soundproof-- too expensive. The electrical grid around the house can be very expensive depending on how much home automation and electronics you are incorporating into the home design. I see you have a "media closet" which is telling me you will have a RACK of equipment. Therefore, your running wires throughout the walls, which will need a detailed electrical plan. Is that media rack supplying video / sound feeds throughout the house?

My wife and I are designing a home theater in our basement right now (early design phase for our own house). We needed to bring in a home theater company into the design phase because of the extensive electrical and electronic planning that is needed prior to construction. That means extra design costs and additional professional fees during construction.

3) 4 baths is a lot of plumbing and fixtures. You said you were removing a bath which is a good thing in order to keep costs down. You could have 2 BRs share a bath thus reducing costs further on the left wing of the house. I think you mentioned this was a consideration.

4) Although I am currently designing / building a home in OH, I am quite familiar with TX construction / design costs. I feel your $125-$135 sq ft estimate is too low for the current plan you are sharing on these forums. You are installing some very expensive items in your house like a media room, outdoor entertaining space / kitchen, extra bathrooms and in addition your current plan is all included on one floor.

4370 sq ft * $125 = $546,250 (based on current plan). Remove your outdoor kitchen cost and media room cost for the time being, thus decreasing your available "home allowance" cost to the $450k-$500k range because those are likely "extra" costs when estimating sq ft price. Can your builder really build a 3800-4370 sq ft ranch home on a 6300+ sq ft slab, with ALOT of corners and roof for less than $500k?

Plus, we haven't even discussed finishes yet, which is where the sq ft price really becomes skewed. What is the quality of the building materials being used? Quality of the kitchen being designed (i.e. $50,000 kitchen with appliances?)?

This is just a consideration because I do not know your budget at all or if the builder is low-balling you. If your budget is much higher, then the low-ball estimate is not as much of an issue.

Considerations to lower cost:
1) Convert to two story plan and put at least 30-40% of your home program upstairs. If you do this, you might as well throw out the current FP you are sharing and start from scratch as an architect will come up with a much better and cost efficient plan then the one shared.

2) If you include these items-- Place upstairs game room over your media room, thus shortening the amount of wiring from your downstairs media closet to the upstairs electronics.

3) Do you need two gallery spaces by the foyer? What is the plan for that space? I would cut it out and open up the foyer to the great room and kitchen thus decreasing some more sq ft. If you like artwork, add built ins or interior architectural details to display them.

O.M.G. is all I can say about this plan. I would think that its cost would be at least twice what you have in mind. Probably more.

Not a problem if you have the funds. :)

You will find it challenging to just take this plan and cut it down to size. And, our comments to this plan won't match to a smaller plan based on this plan (that very rarely works very well)... You'd be better to get it to your smaller size, then post THAT to this board or comment.

I've never seen a designer jog a foundation to fit a cabinet. Screams 'your money, not mine'. I dunno whether to laugh or cry.

"Adding an upstairs" isn't trivial. Finding a location for the stairs that works for both floors is a big deal, you can't just plan to tack a second story on to a one-level plan.

Is there a reason you aren't working with an architect to design a custom plan from scratch that meet your needs? If you have the budget to build this house, you ought to be able to afford an architect who could make you plans that are a better fit.

Pick something else as a starting point. You'll never be able to cut this monstrosity down to fit within your budget. Your builder may be able to build at $125 a square foot, but this house can't be built for that, I don't care where you live. No how, no way. Double would be about right, and that would still be stripped inside.

Better yet, consult an actual architect who can design you something that suits your family and budget better from the beginning.

I'm continually amazed at how folks will post a plan for comment and then say that they have in mind to depart from and build something significantly different.

What were they thinking?

Good luck with your project.