Here are the elevations for the front and rear. I still haven't worked out the upstairs windows/doors other than the matching ones on the porches.

Post the kitchen layout on the kitchen forum for the best help in that area.

Could you post a floor plan that is more readable?

Do you really need 4 stairways?

I hate that your elevations do not have some sort of architrave above the columns.

The two stairs in the foyer to create something like this: http://www.luxuryincharlotte.com/_account/images/listing/15-2.jpg

I could eliminate one set of basement stairs.

And, I agree on the architrave. The elevations are still a bit rough.

See link for larger plan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Larger Floor Plan

This post was edited by rsc2a on Wed, Aug 28, 13 at 12:41

I don't love hallways so that is a disclaimer.

I can imagine the double stairs would look nice walking in but the layout reminds me of a cattle chute. From the entry through a squeeze chute. I would make that opening larger where the bath is at.

Where is the location. It wouldn't fit where I live but in a different location the style may be appropriate.

Mini hall to half bath by laundry seems like it could be configured better to use space more efficiently.

Master bedroom seems excessively large, but I don't spend a lot of time in mine relaxing so it might be just fine if that's how you use it.

Long haul from car in garage to kitchen but if you parked outside kitchen it might work, only when it's not raining. The kitchen bar that sticks out from wall seems misplaced. Is it a bar or wall?
Pass through to dining room... With two smaller pantrys... I would prefer one large pantry/prep area with access in the pass through. It could open up more wall space in kitchen for more counter space or room in pantry for second sink/fridge/dishwasher whatever you would want. Seems awkward as is. Half of what you need might be in one and the other half in the other, running back and forth seems unnecessary. The door in kitchen seems misplaced. Like it should be on the other side of the counter or wall.
For sure post on kitchen forum... They will work wonders with the kitchen!

Would like to see second floor to see how it works together.

Just thoughts...
Jen

Your grand entry way will be underwhelming after passing the stair cases to squeeze into the decision hallway. (Do I go right or left?). Your budget looks large if you are doing a pool I would definitely put an exterior door off the garage powder room. I can't read your purpose titles for many rooms. Please try to post larger plan.
Your stairways seem very excessive.
I would open the dining room up unless it has another purpose.

Here is the upstairs.

Side elevations:

This is a very wiiiiiiiide plan. Also, you'll need plenty of driving space for a back-entrance garage. Does this fit your lot? Which direction's north?

I see many repetitive items that're going to cost a great deal and add little to the usability of the house:

- Four sets of stairs. Why? Stairs are one of the most expensive items in your build. They're also very limiting to the rest of your floorplan. Furthermore, some of them are literally steps away from one another. The duplicates serve no function. The one by the master bedroom is the worst: You could walk out the master bedroom door and be in the entryway with the same number of steps.
- The two staircases in the entryway don't read as "grand" staircases -- just duplicates of average stairs. If the goal is to go for a grand-entry look, you'd be better off to put the money into one really fancy set of stairs.
- Two doors out to the left side porch. The doors are only steps apart, so they serve no purpose, but they will impede furniture placement on the porch.
- Three sets of French doors in the great room. Instead, go with one set of doors and two banks of same-sized windows. The windows will be less expensive (windows cost less than doors and 1 lock costs less than 3 locks), windows are more energy efficient than doors, and three windows will mean less locking each evening /less chance of a mistake.
- Three doors from the master suite onto the same porch? Again, why? I'd definitely want the natural light, but windows would do the trick.
- Two half baths?

And some things that I can imagine could be better:

- The entry. When you walk in, you have a staircase on each side . . . but when you walk through the door, you're in a little hallway. Anytime you walk through a door, it's "most comfortable" to see ahead of yourself another door, a window or some focal point. You have the worst possible option here: You're leaving a large entryway to enter a small windowless hallway, where you are confronted by a blank wall. If you could shift the entrance a few feet to the left, you could enter into the great room, and you'd be welcomed by the bank of windows. Eliminating one of the entry-way staircases would allow you to do this.
- No fireplace? A house of this magnitude usually includes a fireplace.
- I don't like that you must enter through the sitting room (is that a sitting room?) to get to the master bedroom. It makes a long and cumbersome pathway for a person carrying a laundry basket or hurrying to the bathroom.
- OR eliminate the two small closets near the master bath, which would allow an entrance straight into the bathroom.
- For such a large bathroom, your shower is rather small. I'd take in that little "walking space" between the shower and the toilet closet, and I'd have a large shower with a corner door. This would allow you a real luxury shower with space for a bench and multiple showerheads.
- I hate the idea of hiding in a closet to use the toilet: They're claustrophobic, and it's difficult to clean behind the toilet. If you want your toilet in this set-up, I'd at least include a window in the room.
- Similar to the shower, if you eliminate the little "hallway" between the two master closets (and instead just have a door from the bedroom to the closet), you'd have a larger closet.
- How wide is the hallway to the master bedroom? Using the bathroom vanity as a measure, I'm thinking the hallway is only about 3' wide. You're walking towards a dead end here, so the hallway will have a dark, enclosed feeling. To be comfortable, it needs to be wider.
- Rooms are always nicer if they have windows on two separate walls. If you could pull your master bath forward, you would lose the two-wall-windows in the study (is that a study?) . . . but you'd gain two-wall windows in the bedroom. I'd rather have the nicer windows in the bedroom, but this is opinion.
- With light from three doors and an overhanging porch, your large master bedroom is going to be a little dark.
- Are those two kitchen pantries? It'd be more efficient to have one nice-sized pantry with shelves on both sides. It'd require less square footage (which would allow you a wider walkway to the dining room /more space for, is that a wet bar or a butler's pantry?) and one less door (which is a money-saver).
- Lots of wasted hallway /walking space in the back door area.
- Your front and back porches are narrow -- really only enough to keep sun off the windows and "show" as porches. Your side porch is wider, yet it still isn't really big
- The roof on the front elevation looks too small.
- On the back elevation, you have a porch pillar smack-dab in front of a door. You want your pillars to "frame" your windows and doors.

Overall assessment: Much room for improvement.

http://www.luxuryincharlotte.com/_account/images/listing/15-2.jpg

I don't think this floorplan, as it's drawn now, would look anything like that picture. For one thing, the stairs in that picture are at least 5' wide. Most importantly, however, the archway opens into a room. Imagine that archway opened into . . . a dark hallway. Not the same image. Note, too, that in the picture, the upstairs mirrors the downstairs; that is, the picture shows a grand upstairs to match the entryway.

This grand entryway can be done, but it'll take some revisions.

I didn't see the upstairs plans earlier. Thoughts:

- a 9' wide bedroom is very confining. Measure it off in your house, and see just how little you'll be able to do with it. I'd go with a jack-and-jill between this bedroom and the one to the back of the house. This would allow the narrow bedroom to become a nice, comfortable size.
- The narrow bedroom's bathroom is all floor space. It'll be expensive to tile, and it's going to feel rather empty.
- OR, a completely different thought: You could make the family room (which is moderate in size) into a bedroom and use the narrow room as the family room. It would accommodate a TV between the windows, and you could scoot a deep, comfortable sectional sofa into that narrow area quite nicely. it could be a cozy place to watch TV and play video games.
- The front bedrooms have nice windows and will be well-lighted, but the back rooms will suffer from the same fate as the master bedroom: With only a couple doors and an overhanging porch, they will be a little dark.
- With three doors opening on the small balcony, you'll have nowhere to place furniture.
- Front left bedroom has a loooong walk from the stairs. If you bump the bathroom to the other side, you could have a window in the bathroom AND place the bedroom door closer to the stairs. You could also incorporate that loooong walkway into the bedroom, making it the nicest of the three upstairs rooms.
- I said earlier I dislike bathrooms hidden in closets. I'd absolutely not use this set-up for a secondary bedroom. Really, when you're on your hands and knees cleaning behind a toilet that's squeezed into a closet, you'll wonder why you ever thought this was a good idea.

I posted this on the kitchen forum, but thought I would include it here, too. Your gallery should be a bit deeper, to balance the large entry. Also, I think your front and side porches should connect, so you don't have to step down from one to access the other.

Your kitchen has very little natural light, especially with the porches. This would give you more light, a better layout and plenty of room for informal dining. Just another idea :) {{gwi:1487482}}From Farmhouse plans