Is that a full bathroom below the laundry, adjacent to the stairs, in the existing house?

At this point, the "new" main entry/screened porch still doesn't look important enough or sufficiently recognizable for guests to be drawn there to enter the house. Do you plan to do more with it?

If it was my house, I'd consider widening the porch to reach the existing chimney, perhaps add a free-standing arbor or trellis with soft and hard landscape materials at that point for a strong, recognizable "entry" signal.

And the front door needs greater visual strength so that folks don't knock and try to enter through the kitchen. How about full height glazing on each side of the entry door?

Do your winter and rain coats and those of visitors go on the hooks (messy) or a closet somewhere close to the main entry?

Good luck with your project!

Virgil,
Thank you for your time and comments.
Yes, that is a full (small5x8') bathroom under the new laundry room location.

The side entry was suppose to serve as a Lunch porch and entry. I agree it isn't very large to serve as both nor grand. We are cutting into our current driveway to accommodate the overhang that I think is necessary for us to have a front driveway visual. If we went 2' more over it may help. We get very few expected guests so the confusion would not be a big deal for me.
The trellis is a beautiful answer....I'll have to see if it works for visual lines from kitchen to driveway and screening the porch.

Our coats would be in the laundry room (right wall pole). The hooks would be for guests. We are in SC so not much in way of coats or boots, mostly a set of flip flops:).

This post was edited by houseofsticks on Tue, Sep 3, 13 at 20:45

I like this! I know how you've struggled to find a way to add on to your existing cabin and this is definitely the best iteration I've seen thus far.

Some very minor things...

I would probably skip the door from screened porch into kitchen and wrap my countertop across that space. Then I'd put in a "pass thru window" where the door was with a shelf on the porch side so that you could open the window and set items for lunch out on the shelf. With three doors the porch is just a bit too crowded with necessary aisleways to allow for a lunch table. Get rid of that kitchen door tho and I think it could work. Plus you get a piece of countertop right next to your fridge which is always helpful when putting groceries away or digging around for that container of leftovers that has gotten shoved to the back.

I'd move both the girl's room door and the boy's room door as far over toward the right as possible so as to make the girl's closet as wide as possible. I understand that her closet is deeper than a standard reach-in closet but unless it is MORE than 4 ft deep, you really don't gain anything by attempting to hang garments along two walls as shown. The second rod just blocks a 2ft by 2ft corner so with a 4 ft deep closet, you lose 2 ft of corner space to gain 2 ft of additional space with the second rod. Why bother?

Moving the boy's door to the right also gives you a slightly wider wall in that bedroom for the bed to go up against. I don't know if you're planning to do much revision to the older part of the house but I'd also consider moving the OTHER door into the boy's room (the one that leads toward the front of the house) down toward the front of the house some. If that door could be shifted down the hallway some so that it's swing path is not into the main portion of the boy's bedroom, the room would feel less crowded. Alternatively, maybe you could just rehang the door so that it swings outward into the hallway. I know bedroom doors typically swing inward but, in this case, that isn't the MAIN door to the room. It is really just a door to allow the boy to reach his bathroom which is shared with the playroom. Right? So I don't think it would be too odd to flip it and have it swing outward.

I would not worry for one second about the screened porch entry not looking enough like a "front door." It is NOT your formal front door. It is a "friends and family" entry and your friends and family will know where it is. The original front door is still your "formal front door." It leads to the formal living area and formal dining area. The screened porch entry leads to the family room even tho it is labeled "living room" on the drawing. So I'd deliberately make that entry look less conspicuous.

In fact, I'd probably put a screened door on the screened porch and an inconspicuous half-lite door between screened porch and entry hall so as to NOT make the entry look at all "formal." Strangers will go to the original "formal front door" on the front porch and whenever that doorbell rings, you'll know immediately that it isn't Aunt Sally come calling. THAT is a good thing! I would also move the friends and family door (the solid door not the screened door) upward or downward so that it is NOT centered on the screened porch. Off-setting the friends and family door to one side or the other will give you a free "corner" for the lunch table that you want to put out on the porch. And since the screened porch is NOT a formal entry, I don't see any reason why the door needs to be formally centered on the space. You won't really be able to see it thru the screened porch screening anyway. Centering the screened door on the screened porch is all you need to do to make that side of you house look nicely balanced.

Do make sure that your master closet is at LEAST 6'6" wide if you plan to hang clothing on opposite walls as shown. Even if you have to steal another couple of inches from your master bath and get a skinnier shower, don't allow the closet to be less than 6'6" wide. Anything less will make the central aisleway tooooo narrow... and the closet really should be 7' wide if you can squeeze out that much space from the bathroom.

Finally, I can't tell how much standing room you have between the front edge of your masterbath toilet and the shower. It looks a bit tight. You might consider giving up half the depth of the linen closet in the MBR entry to create a bump out in the masterbath. Then, tuck the toilet into the bump out, and move the two sinks downward. Then move the bathroom door over towards the toilet some and flip the shower and bath tub so that the tub is across from the sinks. I think that would make your bath room feel less crowded...especially if you went with a neo-angle shower instead of a full square. You would still have a shallow linen closet. And of course you could also store linens in a cupboard above the toilet. Or, if your architect and builder are really creative, they might be able to design the linen closet so that it is shallow at the bottom (where the toilet is inset on the backside of the wall) and then widens out at the top to take up the space that an above-toilet cabinet would otherwise occupy. That way, you would have the full 2ft depth to store blankets and pillows and larger items at the top of your linen closet and you could use the lower (shallower) portion for towels and sheets and smaller items.

That's it! As you can see, all my suggestions are very minor revisions. I AM liking THIS a lot.

Thank you Bevangel! I am grateful for your thorough response! I will look at it all with a critical eye tonight and better respond.
Update:
So Glad you feel this is the best iteration! Yes, I have struggled. Thankfully I have had great people to bounce the plans off of and come up with better plans.

Minor things...
Kitchen, 86ing the door may work well. I was hoping for a full light door to view the driveway. I have wonderful memories of my husband and children running and playing in the driveway and like it's view. I hate corners in a kitchen and dead end cabinets I do like the countertop space though.

The Girl's room closet is 5' but I agree on the side bar, a shoe area maybe. the bedrooms are 9' so I'm hoping to get two runs of rack (upper and lower).

On the Boy's room the door can be outward swing and yes it would work well. The architect didn't draw the bathroom door where it is so your comments would work well with what you see on the plan. Reality is the door is much closer to the Boy's room and opposite that is the HVAC return. (yes, I know a small hallway next to the thermostat is the perfect location for a return.).

I really want the kitchen side entry to be a friend entry. We get so few visitors it's not a big deal. (5 visitors/solicitors/utility people over the last 13 yrs.) I think our yard dog and our long driveway does a good job of deterring unwanted guests. I am a little concerned about the visual of the new and old from the front since it will not be log. I think I'm wanting white farmhouse style for the addition. Any thoughts?

MB Closet is 6'8" X 6'8" as drawn but thanks, I made that the minimum for the architect to hold dimensions. I have a little wiggle room with this plan since it's more efficient with the transition than the others. This may be a good place to add footage.
MBath The shower is 5'x5' (a twofer) and the space for the toilet wall to shower is 5'. I like your idea for bumping the toilet.

Here's my thoughts:
MB could be shifted to the right 6' to open where the fireplace wall is. The fireplace and built-ins could be on the left (opposing kitchen wall). Fireplace centered. I'm one of those TV above the fireplace is fine people. This would eliminate the tiny bump out from MB to MBath. Not sure how to reorient the bath and closet then. This would take from the back porch so it would be 22'X14' the only other change I could do would be to do a reach in in the MB and make the entire left portion of the addition a long exterior wall (no bump out).
On the kitchen I could go another foot or 2 on length to make a better view of the driveway.

Thank you again! I love your insight and I feel fortunate to have received both responses. Thanks for taking interest and helping me see this through. My updates from the architect are taking much longer than I'd like but I'm finally getting on board with the results.

This post was edited by houseofsticks on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 22:25

Every house needs to have a clear and recognizable "front" including where visitors are expected to arrive and be greeted. If you want your existing front porch to serve that purpose, then, of course, your landscaping, should be designed for that to happen.

If the new side entry is really secondary, then it should probably be screened from view of the front of the house with landscaping and/or fencing so that there's no confusion about what is "front" and where visitors are expected to go. Just keep in mind that it's a rather long trek to answer the existing front door.

Good luck with your project.

Virgil, I hear you, I really do. My motivation for this new design was so we'd have another location for a front yard sight line. I was keeping the front porch open/unscreened. My husband would be happy with a "Go Away" sign to greet. I can't stress enough how few unplanned visitors we do get. (5 in 13+yrs.). I really want the view so screening it isn't the answer. I will consider better landscaping and hardscaping. When the driveway is redone we can pour a proper sidewalk. Yes, it's a longer trek. My home is difficult to find since it's setback on a hill and heavily treed. I guess if they think it's worth the walk we can go 50ish' (200+ft from the road). I know for resale the arbor or trellis is a good idea. I thank you for your passion on the issue and your time.

Is this better or worse?

H, it really makes little sense to have a small shower sized "bump-o" on the left of the plan. The expense to align the bedroom and full bath as in the previous plan should not be greatly different--a little more in materials, but less time to lay out and verify dimensions--but much more usable interior space.

Is moving the fireplace driving everything? Why not just move the fireplace and let everything else remain as is?

Is it time to turn to elevation and perspective studies of the exterior to see how it can be developed into a pleasing exterior? Continual fascination with the pursuit for the "perfect" plan usually results in a dull exterior, at best!

You need to balance interiors and exteriors to achieve a good design.

Just a thought. I do like the plan you have developed. Good luck with your project.

Oops...that's a shower and tub on the bump out I was playing with the shower placement. The bump out dimensions are 5X10'. Yes, I was thinking the wall didn't align well on the MB Mbath on the architect's rendering. But 17+' for the MB seems too extravagant.
Yes, fireplace and bedroom entry is throwing me off. I was even thinking of using the fireplace as a divider between the rooms (we have that now in the front living vaulted room) but I've read the negative posts on room bleed and think this might qualify. I didn't want it to be a natural light thief and it will probably be just a gas, not masonry as drawn. We have a wood burning in the original home. Virgil, do you like the first or the revised better? I do need to move forward with elevations but I need to make sure we don't need major work first as it's my architect's busy time and all changes are having a 3-4 week turn around...we are so ready, well, we just need a plan:)
Thank you again!!

H, I do like the original plan, despite the "buffalo wallow" sized shower. Unless you have specifically suggested this size, I'd reduce the size, aligning the shower front and tub front, more or less.

The first plan has numerous small jogs/offsets in the exterior wall line, which means time and effort must be taken so that the foundation is first correctly laid out and installed. This will make the basement construction (and ensuing wall framing) a bit more expensive than perhaps needed.

Are these small jogs deliberate and a part of the design to break up the exterior wall and roof massing? Or are they simply artsy-sketchy ways to draw a plan? This needs to be clarified with your architect.

I think the only major issue you need to resolve is your preferred furniture placement and the amount of external view/interior light desired in the living/family area.

In the first plan, the fireplace will cause furniture to be oriented towards the back wall and screened porch, ie, towards the fireplace. In your second plan, furnishings will be rotated 90-degrees left, towards the new fireplace location. Which do you prefer (or will your furniture placement ignore the fireplace)?

If it was me, I'd just put the fireplace where I like best the furniture arrangement. I don't know the type and size of your furnishings, but you should use some paper, cut to scale, to put each desired piece of furniture into your plan and, thus, determine your choice of furniture arrangement, plus the needed space for circulation into, through and out of the space.

FWIW, for fireplaces, I tend to use an arrangement of furniture in a "square-U", centered on and toward the fireplace. Of course, one must also consider TV placement, if it is to be located in the same room with the fireplace. Fireplace and TV juxtapositioning is the subject of innumerable discussion threads with everyone having a highly personal preference. There is no single "right" way do position fireplace and TV!

Since you will be using a pre-fab metal firebox, without any masonry (except perhaps for veneer), it's simply a matter of placing the firebox over supporting floor joists/floor sheathing and furring around it for walls, shelving, built-ins, etc. Metal chimney flue can be run to the roof and also furred or left exposed, depending on desired aesthetic.

Thus, fireplace location is not a big deal, other than allowing for the necessary depth and width, plus preferred furniture arrangement. Hope this helps.

Good luck with your project.

Just make the original house the master suite, and do the addition as the new living spaces and kids room, with the kids rooms upstairs from the living space. You're trying awfully hard to get everything on the ground floor, and that's adding expense and difficulty integrated the two.

GreenDesigns, We submitted plans 2+yrs ago for a two story addition. It was a no go for multiple reasons. It's actually a story and a half now with a Master upstairs and we want everyone to be on the same level. We are keeping the bedroom upstairs for when my husband works nights. We may also get an aging relative at some point. We love our home, lot, and school systems and want this to be our forever home.

I prefer the original (posted at the start of this thread) to the more recent one. I agree that you should get rid of that jog in the wall between MBR and Mbath to simplify the roof-line and probably save some $$. If you feel that 17 ft is too extravagant for the MBr, then pull the MBath in a little bit instead. The only thing that is forcing your Mbath to be so wide is that 5x5 shower.

5x5 IS a BIG shower. My mbath shower is a 3.5 ft x 5.5 ft curbless shower and it is plenty big enough for DH and me to shower together....and neither of us is a small person!. It's also big enough that we don't bother with a shower door or shower curtain. (The 28" wide shower "door" is along one of the long walls and the shower head is on the other part of that same wall so that water is not directed toward the opening.) I think you could easily cut your 5x5 shower down to 4 x 5 ft allowing you to make the Mbath a bit smaller and line up those two exterior wall sections.

If you're not going to have a masonry wood-burning fireplace, I do think putting a gas model on the interior wall would be better. Gas models are thinner so I don't think you'd wind up with the fireplace eating into your closet or the girl's bedroom too much. And, without the stone fireplace on the back wall, you could have two sets of three windows plus a pair of patio doors leading out to the back porch. The back porch is so deep that you're not going to get any direct sunlight into the living room via the porch anyway. So the more windows you have to allow in reflected light, the better. Plus, if you have nice views out back, why not take maximum advantage of them?

Having seen the photos you posted earlier of your original cabin, I totally understand why you are not thinking in terms of a 2-story addition. A 2-story addition would totally overwhelm the original cabin. And, since the original cabin - which is absolutely darling - will remain the "front elevation" of your home, you definitely don't want to add on a huge monstrosity in back.

I think this single story addition that mostly tucks back behind the original cabin will work beautifully. I'm looking forward to elevation drawings...and even more to real pictures once you get it built!

Good luck!

I too like the first. And, I think you could easily shrink up your shower a smidge and have it work wonderfully without any bathroom rearrangements.

I think I'd consider putting the screen porched "entry" door to the house (the one facing the hooks)--slide it one side or the other so that you can have a banquette seating arrangement. I don't think, with it centered like it is, you can realistically get a dining area there with so many entrances/exits. I'd probably also consider sliding the porch door "up", rather than centering it, especially if that will not be your main entrance for "guests" (the few you have).

And, if you keep the kitchen door, I'd probably choose a dutch door (though, those may or may not seal well, so be sure you know how you want to enclose your porch).

I do wonder though (unless ,I am thinking/reading this all wrong), why you don't plan to eat on the back porch? With your kitchen oriented this way, I'd think that would be a very viable option?...

Virgil and Bevangel, Thank you for your expertise and time. I just sent revisions off...with the second plan and the ability to either cut down the shower size, but still be a twofer, Bevangel, sadly we are not small either;), always a work in progress. Thanks too for reviewing the original structure. My initial instinct was to not see the addition from the front but I think the right side bump will work if I'm careful with finishes.
Virgil, We are rolling with next set and elevations and I'm prepared to revert more towards the first rendition (5th prelim shown above) if exterior and roof are not functional and attractive. The fireplace is on the left and will stay there and since it's gas it won't steal space rom the girl's room as the built-ins can hide some variance.

I'll post when the next set is in (2-3 weeks). I will hurry up and wait. *wondering* Kirkhall, hope your toes are in the sand and it's sunny;). Haven't "seen" you in a few days.

Thank you everyone!

Ah ha....there you are! I told the architect the porch was the only unhappy area for me now. He said he'd try to work something even to get 10' but yes we can eat on the back patio. Probably just a few adirondack chairs on the side porch now and entryway. I do like to sit and watch the cars go by (reminds me of spending quality time with my grandfather sitting lazily on a big "davenport" under the massive porch on Main Street in small town USA as a child). But that was then and there, and we are here and now. Here is South Carolina, and the Mosquitos, oh the Mosquitos! Anyway, it will probably still be too narrow after the revision. Thank you, Kirkhall, in my haste I didn't change the side door location.

This post was edited by houseofsticks on Fri, Sep 6, 13 at 12:44

I understand about mosquitos but I would loose the side screen if that is going to be the primary entrance. It will make it dark and unappealing.

I also think that it will give you more diversity of exterior spaces because sometimes the mosquitos are not bad and it is nice to sit on an open porch.

I prefer the original plan, too. The only thing I would change is to swap the playroom and boys room. That way, the play room would be accessible for all the kids and closer to the kitchen. The bathroom is still fairly close to the boys room and the only room you see from the front door is the living room. Just seems to 'corral' the kids a bit better, but it really depends on how you'll use the space :)

Lavender, I think that would have been ideal but DH didn't like it. He wants them to be in the same size rooms. The playroom will probably be kept as a guest bedroom (we'll keep the wall up). We will put the toys in the MB upstairs, along with a couple of twin beds. They can tote stuff down buckets at a time if they want to be with us:).
Chris Stewart, I am eaten alive outside, they don't bother DH nearly as much. I don't use the front porch for that reason for any length of time. It will not be our main entry but yes. I will see about leaving it or just screening part of it.

Couldn't the guest room be upstairs? Just a quick sketch of the playroom/bedroom swap. The entry could also be a little larger...could you take out the closet and use a bench and hooks, instead?

In the playroom, could you take out the closets and use lower cabinets with shelves above? Lots of open and closed storage this way...and the bigger walk-in closet for the boys :) {{gwi:1498182}}From Farmhouse plans

Oh thanks for your work Lavendar. The closet is actually a full bath which we recently reno'd. The front closet has the drain and chases for upstairs. We are really trying to modify as little of the original home as possible. I greatly appreciate your time and effort. If this were a new plan I'd be on board. It's funny, as I was planning this addition and wanting more and more porch space I kept thinking of you and your "too many" porches designs:). Thank you again.

LOL! I'm down to two porches in my latest design...and a deck. Can you really have too many porches? :)

Yes, I remember and thought the same thing, darn budgets! I almost put one small one on the left side of the master for privacy. Reality is it will feel like privacy no matter where we are as it' so much more space than we are used to. I picture all of us piled on one couch;) once the addition is done.

Posted 6th set of prelims for anyone interested who has stayed the course.

Here is a link that might be useful: 6th prelim