A couple comments: the fridge depth isn't shown and it'll probably interfere with the sink. Sound will travel between livingroom and bedroom wall. Hall bath doesn't look like it will accommodate a wheelchair.

Doodledog thanks for the input. We are planning to get a counter depth fridge, but you may be right that the door swing will interfere with someone working at the sink. The sound going through the wall is also a valid point, any suggestions on a lower cost sound proofing material to put in the wall? The hall bath with have a 72" tub/shower along the outside wall, a elongated toilet with 3' of spacing next to it and a 3' sink/vanity next to that. the small linen closet may become a built in or just apiece of furniture. The bath may not be ADA compliant but I think it may be comfortable for wheelchair use, especially a child sized one. Are there any GW users who can give some personal input in this area?

Post the kitchen on the kitchen forum.

I would change the kitchen. The cooktop and sink are too far apart (IMHO) and fridge, pantry and wall oven are in the middle of your primary work area.

You don't have to have the prep sink, but it makes a nice work triangle, with fridge and cooktop. The fridge and ovens are now on the outside of the work area and you have more seating at the island. I'd also move the pantry to the closet area, if possible.

For handicap access, you could have the seating area lower, so it's table height. Also might want one of the sinks to have a removable cabinet underneath...so you could have wheelchair access later on. just a few ideas :) {{gwi:1497410}}From Kitchen plans

I believe it is suggested to have at least 5' clear floor space to allow for wheelchair turning radius. It seems you will have about 4'. Another idea too is to go ahead and install grab bars or plan on backing in the walls where you anticipate needing them in the future.

As to your flooring, make sure it is smooth. A friend with a wheechair has made mention of how jarring even a grout joint can be. Something people typically don't think of.

I am a concerned the dining area is a bit narrow, especially with the split peninsula in the kitchen. There is a lot of wasted floor space in the kitchen that could be allocated better between the two rooms.

Do you NEED the fourth car bay? Could save you a bunch eliminating it.

i would definitely make the hall bath larger. Plan for a wheelchair and hope you won't need it. That's what I did, with our recent bath remodel. It's better to have too much room, than not enough.

Also, just in case stairs are not an option (although I certainly hope they will be) you might want to plan the third bedroom as a possible playroom. Perhaps have two bedrooms and bath in basement, with the game/play areas.

I understand being on a budget and I think finishing the basement is a great idea...for later on. Remember to check code for egress bedroom windows and maybe even think about a slight slope to lot (if possible) so windows (even higher ones) are possible on back or side of house. It makes a big difference.

Maybe a slight slope on the bedroom side? That would allow you to keep a patio in back and have the egress windows under the bedroom wing. And, you can easily include this, even with a flat lot, if you do it when you build. Obviously easier than bringing the equipment back :)

I think the plan is very good. The inside will feel very differently depending on the orientation (whether the living room's facing south, north, etc) but a great use of space.

A minor suggestion would be, moving the laundry room wall/door to the left and have a big mudroom. That way, you won't see messy stuffs whenever you come out of your master bdr.

WOW, such quick responses! Thank you for all your advice everyone.
Debrak - Will do, once I have time to capture a close up image with better dimensions.

Lavender - Thanks for taking the time to draw up your idea. Putting the pantry where the closet is probably wouldn't work for us because we want (need) an entry closet. We are also planning on using this closet for the vacuum, broom, and perhaps media hub. We got stuck on a L-shaped island early on, but after looking at your kitchen layout, I may revisit the island. I REALLY like the idea of a removable cabinet under the sink. I wonder if they make a recessed cabinet...to google I go!

Imccarly - I believe you are correct about the recommended 5' for turning 180 degrees. Yes, between the wall and vanity/toilet is right around 4'. It is so tough to get rid of another foot of bedroom space. At this point adding SqFt to the house is out of the question, so more bathroom space = less of something else. We are planning to only do tile in the master bath; hall bath will be some sort of vinyl-like flooring. We were considering a light hand-scraped material for the hardwood, but that idea is slowly fading away.

Lavender- What space do you have now in your bath? the more I look at it the more I am thinking of taking a foot from the back bedroom as that will be an office for now. I believes will be an "option" though they may just be more difficult. They are a little extra wide so we could put some sort of chair lift in if needed. The other option is to install an elevator WAY down the road. This would go either where the laundry is or where the back bedroom is. The lot has a SLIGHT slope left to right, Planning for basement bedrooms is definitely being considered, attached is my current thought on future basement plans.

Ttonk - Thanks, efficient use of space was my main priority. The house, and living room is facing west. I did not completely consider the path of the sun when drawing, but am will to make some tweaks to take advantage of nature. Would it be better to flip the house and have the garage on the left? I would be afraid that putting a wall right there would make entering through the garage a little cramped, we mainly use the garage entrance. I have considered a pocket door at the end of the hall so we could close off that whole section of the house when needed. Would it be weird if I just got rid of the laundry room wall/door?

There is 4' between the outside of the shower and the linen closet. This has been plenty of room and we probably could have gotten by with a bit less. if you check with the ADA website, there should be some dimensions.

There's a cool link for handicap access on my post...let me link it for you. It's about 2/3 of the way down. Great book!

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

The basement looks good, but I would put a larger bathroom down there, too. I don't think you'll need an elevator, since all the essential rooms are on the main floor. it wold be nice though, if there is a problem going up and down stairs quickly...to have a nice sized bathroom (possible handicap access) in the basement.

Personally, i like bigger bathrooms. They give you more space to move around and room for great storage...including free standing pieces, like hutches and armoires.

I would much prefer to have a southern exposure for the bedrooms making it bright and sunny and place the garage to the north but that's up to you. Some people want to keep bedrooms dark.

Re: laundry room, all up to what you prefer. I personally think the first room off the garage doesn't have good air. Sometimes smells like gasoline. Always like to have a mudroom between the garage and the rest of the house as a buffer. You have your master bedroom right off the garage..something to think about..

My grandmother added a "roll-in" shower to a first-floor powder room, just past the wall separating it from the sink and commode, with niches for soap etc. A young family later bought the house, and the kids used it more than their own upstairs LOL! Now the kids have left the nest, the dad has taken it over! Your little darlin' and the siblings might enjoy something like that, too.

I have a feeling that the L-shaped island, positioned as it is, will be a clutter-trap. Everyone who goes by will drop their phone, papers, lunchbox, toys, the crossword, you name it. I kind of like Lavender_Lass's, it seems to limit the island to eating and chatting, less "dumping".

I guess I would not begin the design before I had a site because that may change everything.

I agree with Chris. Designing something without a specific lot in mind when you have such specific needs is spinning your wheels. It allows you to organize your thoughts somewhat, but it's more limiting on what you eventually get than it is freeing you to think of something that works better. People tend to get locked into a single idea and don't develop the ability to see any other choices. Even if you found the most perfectly flat lot imaginable (and that doesn't really exist in the real world) this plan has a lot of issues if it's being designed with someone with disabilities in mind.

The whole entry into the home should be side load, with a substantial open spaced mudroom immediately adjacent to it. It's where you'll store all of the "stuff" that's needed for the medical issues. And that should be a straight wide shot into the heart of the home where everyday living is to occur. The universally accessed bedroom and bathroom need a ton more work to have the proper clearances and storage. The kitchen isn't even friendly to a fully able bodied individual who doesn't cook and just microwaves frozen meals. Creating a family meal in there with family involvement will be a nightmare of stepping all over each other interspersed with lots of long distance travel. Scrap the whole thing and start over. Without the wierd angled corner and sink. Think straight runs.

You need to educate yourself a lot more on Universal Design principles. And engage the services of a professional who understands those as second nature. It wouldn't hurt to find a Kitchen Designer who also specializes in Universal Design as well as an architect. A lot more are these days because of the aging population. So, that should be easy for you to find. And, KD's services are usually FREE when folded into a cabinet purchase. It would be foolish to attempt to do this by yourself without appropriate professional help. The consequences of getting it wrong are simply too great in impact on a limited budget and on actual livability.

Wild--This is off topic, but just curious what software you used? I really like how it helps visualize your plan well.

Chris - We do have a specific lot in mind, several in the development we like just as much in the case "our" lot is sold before we are ready to purchase a lot. The lots are all fairly flat with a slight north to south slope. I completely agree that a different lot layout or terrain could easily change my entire design.

LiveWireOak - Why does the entry need to be side load? I am not a huge fan of a front facing garage but it will save on costs to have it this way. The entry from the garage will have about 5' of space for someone to turn and head into the home. As we are unsure what limitation he will have we don't want to over do the spaces to find out a wheelchair is not needed. But we also do not want any skinny tight turns or doors. Keeping in mind space for medical equipment is a great point, one I had only slightly considered. I will take a look at the plan and try to figure out where the best place for storage will be. Perhaps I will leave a space between the lockers and laundry to put it in.

I am unsure as to what issues you see with the bedrooms. The doors are all 36" and there is plenty of clearance in front of the door to enter either room. The room sizes are large enough to accommodate a bed, dresser and still have room for a wheelchair. If we had more money of course these rooms would be bigger but then again so would the rest of the house.

It sounds like I really need to reconsider my kitchen layout, you are not the first to mention it needing some work. Do you have any resources in mind that I can read to learn more about universal design principles?

I want to re-iterate that we are on a budget with this build and do not have excess money to poor into excessively large rooms. Our current home is a ranch but is not at all wheelchair or even walker friendly. We want our home to be easier for our son, but at the same time we do not want to pamper him to the point that he does not learn to adapt.

Thank you all for the critiques and advice. keep them coming! When I rework the plan should I post that on this thread or start a new one?

If you want to buffer noise between the MB and kitchen, put the master closet and bathroom on that side of the bedroom (left side in the plan.) That way your bathroom plumbing will be closer to the kitchen plumbing (and in general shorter plumbing lines are less expensive) and your M bedroom can have a nice corner spot with windows on 2 sides.

It might save money to flatten out the back wall of the house since simple foundations and roofs generally save money. So making the left side a bit deeper to line up with the wall of the MB might actually be less expensive yet give you a bit more space. Likewise for the bump-in at the entry way - if it were brought forward to line up with the front wall it might be less costly. But those are questions to ask potential builders.

The plan linked below might give you some ideas for laying out a first floor for potential wheelchair access. It's larger than your goal but not much (just under 2100 square feet) and looks like some areas could be made smaller (such as the huge WIC in the master.)

Here is a link that might be useful: universal design plan

Keep in mind that the needs of kids with spina bifida can change. As a teacher I had a 7th grader who walked without aid, moved to crutches (she was *so* unhappy about that and resisted), and was headed for a wheelchair after her next surgery. All this while living at the homeless shelter with her mom. Hopefully, your little guy will do better than that, but it would be prudent to plan for enough turn-around space and space for modifications if needed. I know that if we had to accommodate a wheel chair in the house we've been living in for the last 39 years, we'd probably have to move as there is simply no way to make the necessary modifications. It would be good to avoid that outcome.

I don't know much about universal design, so I can't help there, but I wouldn't put a garage on the South side of the house in Wisconsin. Up here in the higher latitiudes, the sun is somewhat Southerly all day in the winter, and if you have your garage blocking light from the South, your house may get substantially less natural light during the time of year we need it most (or at least when I need it most-- short winter days can get to me).

Loessismore - I used a program called sketch up, there is a learning curve to it but it is a great program for all sorts of modeling. the maker version is free for personal use, and there are lots of youtube videos about how to use it properly.

Chicagoans - I asked our builder about this and he said it would cost more to flush it out than to leave it, We did eliminate some bump out early on in the process. Thank you for the ideas though!

Suzan - Yes the changing needs of those with Spina Bifida is one of the harder parts for planning. They may go from not need special accommodations to needing full wheelchair access and back again.

Zone4newby - Thanks for the tip, we drew the house in the orientation it is for a better looking approach. Your point about the dark cold winters though makes me reconsider it, what about overhangs?

Southern exposure driveways are actually ideal in the northern latitudes because it allows the sun to melt off the snow and ice.

Also, the wind is from the north predominantly in the winter up here, so the approach to the garage is protected from the blowing snow.

Ideally, you could have southern exposure to the house and garage entry.

Southern exposure windows can get too much light up in the north in some instances. You don't want glare.

I actually prefer the indirect light reflected from the snow in the winter. Food for thought.

wild, we live near Wisconsin. My father had deep eaves put on both his houses; 3' on the first, and I think 4' feet on the current one. It does a great job of keeping snow and rain off the house and, especially, the windows...he only has to have them painted every 20 years or so! The house itself is brick on the first floor, cedar siding above.

It also keeps out bright direct sunlight except on the west side (there's a field to the west, so when it sinks below the tree branches it's bright, so there's 3M film on the west windows), but it's still light, not gloomy.