And a video tour....

Here is a link that might be useful: 55 Shendandoah Court

Ground Floor from our architect:

This post was edited by snuggie on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 8:27

Second Floor:

This post was edited by snuggie on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 8:28

And this is an earlier representation of the exterior. Obviously the separate guest room has been scratched, but the main house would look something like this, with a cupola.

The main thing we don't like about this plan is the way the covered porch is enclosed between the master bedroom and the dining room. The back of the lot faces west, so it would be quite a sun trap designed this way, and we think it would feel small...

This post was edited by snuggie on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 8:30

Snuggie-I actually like your architects plan better (but they are both very nice).

My layman's perspective: 24' wide for that porch I think will not feel small at all? What part of the country are you in? How long is your hot pool season? If the porch is covered completely or with a pergola and/or fans I am wondering if that will help considerably with the heat. That said I am in the midwest so we do not get 'scorched' by any stretch of the imagination.

Besides potentially the orientation of west in the back I don't see anything not to like - bummer the back isn't EAST! Your master will be quiet from the living room noise should someone need to head to bed early. Your utility area is large enough to be multi-purposed should you need it too and I like that it's access is off the kitchen - *awesome* (I was hoping for that in mine couldn't make it work).

Other plan you lose a spare bedroom on the main floor. The foyer in your plan is less deep with less wasted space.

I'd vote for your original.

I prefer your architect's plan for several reasons:

1. Entry feels more welcoming with a great sight line and less wasted space.

2. Love the kitchen and dining in the architect's plan and the utility area is great. On the other hand, the kitchen in the Shenandoah seems dark and closed and the dining area is indistinct.

3. A secondary guest room on the main floor is nice. You don't mention your age, family make up etc., but I really believe your architect's plan with a secondary bedroom downstairs will age better and suit a family as it evolves. At various stages, the guest room could serve as a nursery, a guest bedroom for older visiting parents, an office, den, snore room, etc.

I think you may be having a more difficult time visualizing yourself living in the architects plan as compared to the Shenandoah that you can see through the tour and, reading between the lines, you may be a bit frustrated with the process. However, I think you are headed down the right road with the architect and will be delighted with the end result.

Thanks for the feeback, autumn.4 and mojomom. To give you a little background, we are a family of four with two boys aged three and ten. We live in the Caribbean, so it is 90 degrees and sunny most of the year. Our original first priority in building was to have a large covered outdoor space, so it is a bit of a bummer to see it enclosed this way. The decision was made by our architect in response to our desire to reduce the overall square footage. The only other thing the plan is missing is a tub in the master bathroom, but that we can live without... I do like everything else about the plan. I just worry that the porch will be a sun trap and feel closed off. I did wonder about combining the dining area with the porch so that the main eating area was under the covered porch. That wouldn't be terribly odd given our locale...outdoor living and all that.

Perhaps you could install one of those triangular shade sails in the pool area to give you a more open covered area.

snuggie-hmmm, distinctly different than the midwest climate. ;)
What is beyond your pool - as in it's private or buts up to a body of water? Do you have a private yard? I am wondering if it might be nice to have the tucked away spot there where you can still see the pool but also have some privacy yourself? Do you get a lot of breeze from the west that would help cool it?

You have a lot of windows there in the dining room and the bedroom - it may still feel nice and airy. Can your architect put it in 3d for you to see and maybe that would help? It does look to be a very well thought out plan.

Snuggie--

We are working with architecturaloverflow to make changes on 55 Reidsville...the sister plan to the one you posted for our lake property. Small changes that are making the house nicer (IMHO).

I agree with you on your architects enclosed porch. One side open=west exposure. I wouldn't do it.

Email me through GW and I will show you what we are doing.

junco, I'll have to look into that -- thanks for the idea. Autumn.4, we're on a fairly wide canal with undeveloped land directly across. I also thought that a pool house or thatched cabana might be nice in the right-hand rear corner of the lot beside the pool. It would create some privacy to screen the neighbors' view of the pool area there...but would also block their view down the canal to the sound. They might not be very happy with us!!

Red_lover, thanks -- I have sent you an email! Would love to hear what you're doing!

snuggie-sounds wonderful. I keep picturing those HGTV shows that are tropical with a pool in the back and then the natural body of water behind. Stunning! Yeah, the neighbors. Hmm, presents some challenges for sure but I am sure you will figure something out. ;)

HGTV....yeah! Actually, some acquaintances of ours were filmed for an episode of House Hunters a few years back. It was all very exciting, especially since we knew two of the three homes being showcased. We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area...in fact, that is one of the reasons we have been so slow to build. Currently, we live closer to the beach than we will in our new lot! Not much urgency... ;)

Thanks for all your feedback. If anyone else wants to weigh in, I'd be glad to read a few more opinions!

We didn't put a tub in the master bath in the first house we built. Despite having a luxurious shower, I've regretted not being able to take a bath several times over the last five years. We also lost a couple of buyers because of it. I'd put one in if at all possible.

Hmmmmm, I will think about that , kelbrad7. I think you might be right.

Which plan do you like best?

Ah..you have answered my question. Would love to see the final plans.

This post was edited by peeve on Mon, Oct 27, 14 at 12:23

Just wanted to thank everyone again for all your feedback. It really helped us to make our decision. We are going to stay with our architect's plan, but he is going to add a bathtub to the master and extend the porch as much as he can without blowing our budget. Really appreciate everyone having taken the time to respond. Thanks,Gardenweb! We are back on track. :)

Hello, everyone,

Well, we have been working with our architect to develop the plan above. He just sent us these floor plans as a second option. They represent a modification of the very first plan he did for us, which was too expensive. There are some things I like about this, and some I don't. I *think* I like the other plan better (above) but...hmmmm. Would love to hear what you think. Any and all feedback very welcome!! Second floor posted below...

This post was edited by snuggie on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 8:29

Second floor:

This post was edited by snuggie on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 8:29

I guess I should say what I like best myself about the two versions! I love the vaulted ceilings in the first version, and the basic placement and size of the various rooms. It is very symmetrical and perhaps a bit squarish...we were in the process of editing the room sizes a bit and perhaps swapping bed 1 and the guest room, since the latter would be used as a library/office in the absence of guests and could then be part of the general flow of the home with access to outside.

In the second plan, I kind of like that the kids' play area (the media/den) is downstairs. I did kind of wonder about whether we would ever actually see our children and their friends with the loft area upstairs...though as our architect points out, it would be quieter!! The "great room" is smaller in the second plan...so not really a great room, and the vaulted ceilings are gone. It would have high ceilings but do you think it's too narrow? Measurements are 15' by 21'4". House would be just under 4000 all told, including covered porches and detached garage.

This post was edited by snuggie on Sat, Dec 13, 14 at 6:48