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kelbrad7

Plan critique

kelbrad7
9 years ago

We're planning our second build this fall, somewhat unexpectedly. I made this plan on an ipad app, so it isn't the most detailed, but I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have. I know the exterior doesn't match exactly, but it's similar to what I'd like. My husband and I will be building this on 33 acres with our two preteen daughters and three dogs. One question I have is if adding the square footage to pull everything straight across in the front might save us money by eliminating the extra corners.

Comments (18)

  • divine_serenity_gw
    9 years ago

    I like it, has some features similar to what I am looking at. Can I ask what ap did you use to do this? is it a free or pay ap? Do you have to build it wall by wall or room by room? The reason I am asking is I have a general idea of what I want, but I am tweaking the placement of the office/laundry room and want to be able to move it with out moving each wall..

    Sorry I digress :) as for the plan I like it! I like the combination of the stone and siding, the open floor plan with split master, nice size walk in pantry! As far as the question about making it less expensive for less corners I don't have an answer.

    Do you have any idea of price/sq ft? Are you finishing the basement right off the bat?

  • kelbrad7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The app I used is Floor Plans Pro. It's a pay app, but I can't remember how much it was. It's easy to use, but not very sophisticated. It does have a move room feature, but it doesn't work that well.

    Our builder has initially told us $110/sq. ft main living and $50/ sq ft for the finished basement. We built our last house for $106 five years ago, and I see several places we could have saved money looking back. Hopefully we can build the new one for closer to $100. We are going to finish as much of the basement as we can afford. :)

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    Are you sure you can have that huge storage room under the garage? Supporting a concrete floor and 3 cars would take some pretty impressive beams and/or a lot of posts. That could be pretty expensive garage space.

    You sure have a lot of bathrooms! I have boys, so perhaps I underestimate the ability of two girls to share a bathroom. A friend of mine with three daughters built a house with a sink in each girl's bedroom, and they shared a bathroom with toilet and tub/shower.

    Your plumbing runs are also really spread out. That will make for expensive build, expensive water heating, and potential for leaks. Perhaps a second water heater in your storage room - closer to kitchen and MB - would make sense.

    I like the great room. If you will all be eating at the island, however, I would put two stools on one end, or curve the seating side, so you can see each other.

    You have a big entry, but no coat closet. The coat closet in the mud room is tiny. You obviously don't live in a cold climate!

    I don't like the kids' bedroom closets in their bathrooms. Reach-in closets from the bedrooms would be more efficient. But I would reconfigure that whole area to just one bathroom.

  • kelbrad7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Annkh - The basement will not be under the garage. That area is under the dining/ mud room/ master bedroom and will be unfinished storage space.

    As far as the bathrooms go, it is necessary to have two showers with my girls! One of the things I don't like in my current house is that one girl has to shower in my bathroom while the other is in their bathroom shower. (I have a cross country runner and a travel softball player, so they often have to shower at the same time when we get home from practices before bed). Good idea about a second water heater - maybe in the pantry?

    I'd like to hear other opinions about the closets being in the bathrooms. It would be easy to have them open to the girls' rooms, but I like the idea of not having to leave the bathroom to get dressed. Our current house has built in drawers in the closets, so all of our clothes are there. My master closet is in my bathroom, and I love it. What are some reasons why it wouldn't work for the girls as well?

    I also like the idea of changing the island so that the chairs aren't in a straight line- thanks!

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    Gotcha - I wasn't paying attention to the scale on each floor.

    Maybe one of the girls will want the basement bedroom.

  • bwasek03
    9 years ago

    I agree that the mud room area/closet is quite small. I am also designing a home with a similar type layout, and this was pointed out to me: The small hallway that leads to the Master Bedroom past the garage entry will force you to be stepping over boots/shoes every time you come or go from the bedroom.

    Depending on what you're planning on storing in the pantry, do you really want to go out around the corner every time you need something? It'll be quite a few extra steps every time you have to go into it from the kitchen. Also, I know at my house that little space to the right of the fridge would just become a dumping spot for everything after you get in the door. I would suggest putting the door for the pantry to the right side of the refrigerator and that would eliminate the dumping grounds and give a little extra space in the pantry.

    You may want to look into your local codes to see if that mower garage in the basement will have to have fire rated walls, ceilings, and doors. This could add to your cost if they are necessary.

    That mechanical room looks small. What are you planning on having in there? If you're using forced air for your heat, that appears to be too small of a room for the furnace, hot water heater, sump, and electrical panel all in that tiny area and have everything be to code. Also, to add to what annkh said, you're electrical and HVAC runs will be as bad as the plumbing. I would suggest that you use some of the space in your storage area for the mechanical room which centrally locate it and will shorten everything up by quite a bit.

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    You could make the girls' closets walk-throughs to the bathrooms.

  • kelbrad7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the comments so far. I'll look at the mudroom/ garage entrance and see what I can do there to improve it.

    I really don't have a clue about the mechanical room. I'm counting on my builder to let me know what needs to be done there!

    BWasek03 - is your plan on this forum? I would love to see what you have.

  • RNmomof2 zone 5
    9 years ago

    Having girls, my concerns would be the steam build up in the bathrooms, especially in a smaller bathroom. I would be afraid of mold issues with the clothes. Also neither of the tubs are sandwiched between walls so the shower curtains are going to be a PITA.

    The entry area to the master looks tight . Imagine. Getting a double dresser or king mattress down that hall, around the corner, into the room.

    I agree on the need for more coat storage. (but perhaps the rest of the world doesn't have as many coats as us Midwestern folks do!)

  • RNmomof2 zone 5
    9 years ago

    I meant to add this the first time and forgot. My initial thought was that the girls room's are as big as the master. Not sure what I think about that.

    But, I have a solution! Your garage is not very deep. I do not see a dimension but lets guess 19 feet (15'11" plus 3' for hallway). Sorry to say, but good luck getting the pictured mini vans in that dimension. The Honda Odyssey is listed at nearly 17 feet with the Suburban reaching 19 feet. Have fun teaching girls to drive without them ending up in the dining area! There also wouldn't be room in front to get to the entry door to the house.

    If you add a few feet to the depth of the garage that will then make your master bedroom wider and allow for a wider entry hall, helping the tight corner and entry to the room.

  • pixie_lou
    9 years ago

    For the 2 girls - if you flip the front bathroom to be a mirror image of the back bathroom, then all your plumbing can share a wall.

    The powder room off the porch. Is that a bath with shower? Or just a half bath? It's a LONG walk from any of your living areas to use that bathroom. If that bath does have a shower, that solves the problem of your girls needing their own bathrooms to take simultaneous showers.

  • kelbrad7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I changed the mud room around some, but I'm still not sure about it! I should clarify that the pantry in the original will actually be a cleaning/bulk items closet, which is how I use my current pantry. I'll have a cabinet style pantry in the kitchen for food.

    The dimensions of the garage are 24x37.

  • bwasek03
    9 years ago

    kelbrad - here is what I have been working on for my plan. It's coming out to just over 2400 sq. ft. which is right about where I want to be. I'm not sure if it's exactly how I want it, but it's pretty darn close for now. If you walk into the entrance from the garage, those will be built-in shelves/cubbies for hats, coats, shoes, etc. on the left. I still might be kicking things around as I move back and forth from the Master, so that might be one of the things that I will change.

    If you're looking for an additional spot to store beach towels and pool needs, can you put something on your covered porch that will hold it all? I would imagine that it would be easier to access everything you need outside from outside, instead of having to walk through the house to get it. That would free up some space in your powder room so that you can re-configure it how you want.

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    Well, I just have a hard time feeling "cozy" in my home if I have to walk through the mudroom to get to my master bedroom.

    Is that just me?

  • bwasek03
    9 years ago

    I get what you're saying kirkhall. But I guess from my point of view the plan I have it isn't technically a "mudroom" per say. I see it as more of a wide hallway in my case. My wife and I both agree on having the master near the garage door entry and all on it's own on that side. I would be happy to consider some suggestions on how I could keep that sort of layout and avoid going through the "mudroom" on the way to the master. Like I said before, I doubt that this will be our final plan. I've been desigining one for well over a year now, and this has been the closest one out of about 16 or 17 that I've made.

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    I would swap the mudroom and laundry. And put doors on the laundry. So, it feels like a wide hallway with a closet. (I actually have this).

  • kirkhall
    9 years ago

    Is there any way to make it more like the plan below? It seems more "comfy" to me than your plan above (right halves, anyway).

    Here is a link that might be useful: houseplan with laundry/master near garage

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