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sabrachapman

Final Plan

sabrachapman
10 years ago

We are getting ready to close on our construction loan, so now is our last chance to make changes! I'm wondering if anyone likes the layout of the dropzone/entry from the garage? EVERYONE that has looked at our plan (family, friends, etc) tells us that we will hate having to walk through the main entry/living room. I agree with this for groceries, so our designer's solution was to increase the size of the pantry and put a door directly through the pantry for when we need to unload groceries. I don't think I will have a problem with the layout, but I'm just not sure. Thoughts on this or anything else??

Thank you!!

This post was edited by june123 on Sat, Jan 25, 14 at 11:57

Comments (11)

  • sabrachapman
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    And, here's a link to our Basement Layout:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Basement

  • redheadeddaughter
    10 years ago

    Hello June123! I like the feel of your plan and love your porches front and back. How big is your family? If it were me, I would close up that pantry again and regain that entire back wall of storage space. There isn't a ton of storage in the kitchen, so I'd be sure to maintain every square inch in the pantry. But I have a biggish family and cook a lot... so your needs might be different. I honestly don't think it's very far to travel to bring your groceries around from either the drop zone area or the front door...
    The drop zone seems a tad dark to me, but I know that is a trade off with some one stories (and interior rooms), and you do get to close off the space if it gets messy, so that is a big plus!

  • mommyto4boys
    10 years ago

    If it were me I would remove the interior door between the drop zone and front entry. I would also remove the wall separating the drop zone area and pantry. Then choose to enter from the garage with only 1 door...either the one now shown into the pantry or drop zone area from the garage. I feel that would solve walking around and into the family room as well as give you a much more open space for lots of storage and family needs.

  • bpath
    10 years ago

    How often do you go shopping for things that go into the pantry? In my house, much of the weekly shopping bag contents go into the refrigerator, a bathroom, or the laundry. Not much goes into the pantry (unless there's a good stock-up sale!).

    And, I just think that a door into pantry is one more way for mice to slip in and for dirt to track into the food storage area, and one more door to check at night--and since it's in a closet no one will notice if it's left ajar.

    So, my thought is: close up the garage-to-pantry door and reclaim the space, shift the garage sink (is that what that is? awesome) to the right, move the charging station and closet to fill in that space, and open up drop zone to the kitchen.

    It's a great house! Enjoy!

  • LE
    10 years ago

    I have also read many comments on other threads regarding the issue of unloading groceries. I know that for us, that is just not a big deal. I suppose if you have a large family, you might make enough trips per week hauling bags that you'd want to design your house to optimize that, but I think if it looks fine to you, it will be fine. I'm sure you've thought it over.

    Don't second guess yourself too much on what others think about it. (Easy for me to say, I didn't post my floor plan here, because it is designed to suit us, not everone else, and I didn't want to be overly influenced by the conventional wisdom.) I agree storage space in the pantry would trump easy access from garage. How big a deal is grocery-unloading in your everyday life?

  • mrspete
    10 years ago

    I'd consider giving up the mudroom closet and opening that wall to the pantry. You have a generous sized bench. I'd go with coat hooks above that, or cut down the bench and use half that space for a closet.

    Even if you don't keep a lot of groceries on hand, a pantry is a great place to store things like crock pots, large platters, etc. I'd extend the pantry farther into the garage area. There's no downside to extra storage.

    Three things on the house:

    - I like that the laundry adjoins the master closet, but I might switch it with the secondary bath. Why? To add natural light to the bath.

    - the master closet is a bit narrow. Just one more foot could make a difference.

    - I'd consider extending the family out to square off the back of the house, You'd get more square footage, create a more simple footprint, and enhance the natural light in your main room.

    I like the house. Did you find it online? If so, I'd like to see the exterior and details.

  • ILoveRed
    10 years ago

    Are you going to have a problem getting a washer and dryer into the laundry room?

    Is the space for the refrigerator tight enough that it will seriously limit your choice of refrigerators?

  • lolauren
    10 years ago

    I would flip the sliding glass door. Make the open side closer to the kitchen.

    I would not want the garage door into the pantry at the expense of most of the pantry room. I value the extra storage space over the convenience of getting groceries into the kitchen faster/easier. I agree with Lori in that sense... I don't mind carrying groceries a little bit further. It's not a big deal (for me.) Your home is relatively small, anyway. It's not that long of a walk!

    Your hall bath is really small. I have a bathroom that exact size, and it is not comfortable for showering/getting ready. Ours only has a pedestal sink in it, and it is still small feeling. I'm not sure if you have kids, frequent guests or what. So, just consider whether that would bother you if you haven't already.

  • sabrachapman
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you so much for all of your comments. This has given us lots of great ideas to consider! I'm leaning towards just removing the door into the pantry, but keeping it the same size. I really never had a problem with the original layout, but I guess I let people sway me into thinking this would be a problem.

    This is a plan from our builder's designer, they have stock plans, but this was modified so much for us that it's really not much like any other plan they have.

    Again, thank you all! We really appreciate the input!

  • thebobo
    10 years ago

    It looks like you have lots of opportunities to have windows on two or even three sides of rooms, like in your master bedroom, your lower left bedroom, and your dining room. Most folks agree this reduces light contrast in a room and makes it feel cosier, even if not all of them offer a view.

    Also, when you open the door to the master bedroom you are faced with a long dark tunnel. I would maybe consider rearranging the master bath so that its entrance is off the tunnel to the bedroom, helping bring a bit of light to the bedroom entrance and reduce noise transmission from the bath to sleeping bedroom occupants.

    Alternately, add a turn to the stairway so the upper landing faces the family room. Squish your fireplace and entertainment center closer to your covered deck. This will allow you to make your hall bath wider and reduce the length of your master bedroom tunnel.

    That said I really like the layout. It is very efficient and nicely thought out.

  • mrspete
    10 years ago

    As for the tunnel leading to the master, how about adding a window above the stair? Or, better yet, a stained glass window. It doesn't need to be functional, just something to bring on some light.

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