As many of you know, we've started over (after 2 years of dithering around).

We have definite site restrictions due to wetlands issues and septic placement, and have to stay within a certain sq footage (although that hasn't been specifically determined yet). We have nice views on all sides and no near neighbors (except across the road). The road is to the right (northwest) of the photo, but the driveway is a long approach around a hill, so the front door/courtyard is at the bottom (east) of the sketch.

There are things about this layout that I'm really not liking, and some things that I do like. I want to see if others have similar thoughts, without me stating what mine are yet. This layout blends well with the gently sloping site (slopes to the south/southeast), and looks nice and expansive from the approach.

There will be a 2-car basement garage underneath the 24x24 family room. (The basement garage works for us and for the lot restrictions. I am NOT willing to waste my precious limited footprint or views on a ground-level attached garage - so that's not an option, and not part of my question here.)

For now, I'd like to get some initial impressions from folks about the general layout. Like it? Hate it? Why? What would you change?

We've been bothered by this for over a week and really need to move forward, so I'm desperate from some outside opinions. Thanks!

No main floor tub/shower, though the study could function as a guest room in the future if the need arose. It would be nice to either put in an elevator at one of your stair locations (near the garage) or get a shower/tub on the main floor for injury/access issues.

And, I am not sure how I'd personally feel about a view directly to the dining room from the front door. A room not oft-used in my family experience and that would be a focal point.

How do you feel about that?

Now, about family life. Where will kids play outside? Do you have any of "play" age? Is there good access to that outside area? And, can you see it from the location in the house you expect you'll be spending most of your time?

Will there be a bathroom near the garage on the lower floor? If not, I would be concerned about the only bathroom being WAY across the house from the family room and main family entrance--the places you'll spend most of your time (as a family)

Also it's hard to know whats wrong without knowing what direction you gave the architect as far as your needs. Maybe there is a big foyer because you requested it. I requested a large one because I wanted to put a round table in it and a settee. Also I have no vaults or 2 story spaces so I wanted the large foyer to have a wow factor.

I hope this makes sense.

Is this breakfast room intended to be used as an eating space with a table? Or will it just be window seating? I really don't see any way that a table can actually be used there while keeping the "hallway" space needed to go to the family room.

Seems like the area in the kitchen in front of the back door is just kind of blank space? Can you extend the island that way?

I think the front elevation could use a window between the front door and the breakfast room. Maybe you can put false closed shutters there.

Expanding on kirkhall's observation- if you keep the dining room as your focal point, it will be off center. That would probably bug me, but I like symmetry.

Do you need mudroom space, or will that be in the basement?

I LOVE the rambling farmhouse look!

But here's a little more information, if it's helpful:

Full partial-walkout basement with: mudroom off garage, full bath, extra laundry, wine room, sewing/crafts, bird room, storage

No vaults or 2-story high rooms, but will have 9.5' ceilings on 1st and 2nd floors. 4 bedroom septic: master and guest on 2nd, two kids rooms on 3rd (walk-up attic). All of these rooms are proposed to be above the main (formal) area of house (not the wing part). Laundry on 2nd floor.

Access to outdoors is key - the land, views, and privacy are why we bought the place. There's a barn and outbuilding south and east of the family room/garage. Access right now sucks, so that's one of my main concerns for the new house. Now, can't get to front door at all from outside, long walk from parking area around a 40' long deck and up tons of stairs for groceries, main entrance now is our back door which is cluttered with all junk under the sun b/c we have no mudroom, no garage, no closet at all on first floor. (But I digress...)

I really wanted a screened porch/sunroom but that didn't show up in the plan - probably because we are so limited by our sq footage or "disturbance" on the ground.

I want long views through the house, and a nice approach. I don't have a dining room now, and desperately want one for formal and holiday dinners. I had one in Minnesota and used it daily for meals. I hate eating dinner, even regular everyday family dinner, in the kitchen. What I don't want in my "long view" from the formal front entry is to see the kitchen, the couch, the mudroom, the TV, the messy stuff. So the dining room works for me.

I'm inheriting my great-grandmother's grand piano - thus the parlor room. We need an office/library to contain all our papers, books, files, computers, etc.

That powder room is 8' long - can't put a shower in now (septic/bedroom issues with town), but in the future, after the permitting and inspections are done, there's room for it. I already made sure of that.

More please... :-)

I agree that there is an awful lot of passage space in the plan that could be put to better use. Are 2 staircases necessary?

Love the size of your pantry.
Love two stairways.
Love the big passages--those spaces often give a home a gracious feeling if you can afford to use the sq ft for that purpose.
Love the big kitchen and the banquette.
Love the huge family room.

Do not love that you have to go through the kitchen to get to the family room--but I think I might be able to understand your rationale for that part of the design.
I would want a powder room closer to family room I think.
I agree with the suggestion of an elevator in this home if it is your forever home (basement garage, all second story bedrooms, etc).

Maybe something like this?

From Cottage house plans

Sorry my writing is so bad in Paint (LOL) but that says 'books' on the living room wall to the bathroom and study/guest room :)

One thing I think is that the kitchen island could be extended at least another 3-4 ft. There is a huge dead space to the right of it.

Tricky, tricky.

Annie summed it up well: "While it looks pretty from the outside, I struggle with the inside. ...while the kitchen is in the middle of the design, it is isolated from everything...yet it becomes a pass through to get to anywhere."

I love the look of the outside, the long rambling facade, but I really don't like the inside and how it functions. I am fine with the formal spaces (to the right), but that's all. Traffic flow sucks.

I worry about the FR being so isolated from the rest of the house. I don't like open plans, but this might be too closed.

I don't like that the kitchen is a thoroughfare. I don't want to have to walk through the kitchen every time I need to go anywhere. I like to "close" the kitchen at night and be done with it. Guests would have to walk through the kitchen from the dining room or foyer to get to FR (the only really substantial space we have for entertaining).

Yes, the breakfast nook is too small for a table and a passageway. I staked it out on the ground and tried to place island, cabs, table, chairs, etc., with at least 4' walkways. It just doesn't fit. I don't like the pantry on an outside wall, taking up potential views. Don't like that there are windows on only one wall of kitchen workspace. Don't like the main sink in the island. I could go on about the kitchen details, but really the problem lies in the placement of the whole room.

I had him add the stairs to the left because it seemed like such a long walk from FR to downstairs & garage, or to powder room. That's a problem I have already - walking miles in one direction to go up, only to turn around and come back again to kitchen. Those stairs only go down b/c there's nothing above FR. Second story is only above the formal areas. I do love the idea of an elevator.

DH came up with a functional plan that I really like that conserves the formal areas and reworks the FR/kitchen, but it's boring from the outside.

So, what I need now are ideas. How can I keep the pleasing facade, yet make the interior more functional and more user-friendly? (While still conserving sq footage.) Please help!

This one the kitchen is far from the garage, but keeps the dining room as your focal point from the front door. (You lose the breakfast nook.)

They would definitely need some tweaking, but hopefully one of these will help you form some ideas.