Things I like about this new plan:

-Dining isn't a high traffic area from both directions.
-Master bath isn't as cramped
-Main level laundry is roomier but still near master
-Dh has easy access to master bath without walking all through the house in work boots.
-Half bath isn't right outside master bedroom door. (although it's still close so not a big change.)
-Bigger living room!

Things I'm not loving:

-Lost the music room. I was really liking the idea of having a small room for piano and other instruments with a door that could be shut so we didn't have to hear someone practice if we didn't want to. ;-) Also, the door keeps the sound out of the 2 story foyer. I like the instruments on the main level (as opposed to the basement) because I need to keep an eye on them to help and such.
-Exterior back door placement? Not sure what to do with it. I wanted to be able to get to a grill on the back patio easily from the kitchen.
-Kitchen - I really liked the layout in the original plan. Now I feel like it's too choppy or something. Is there anything I can do to fix that?
-I feel like we lose a lot of wasted space in hallways in the mudroom/back door area.
-I'm not sure how much space to leave at the bottom of the stairs. They open to the back of the house. Not sure if it's clear on this plan.

I'm going to work on it some more, but I wanted to get it here to see if anyone saw something I could do to fix the problem areas.

I'll attach my original plan in the next post so you can compare.

Thanks!

I'm sorry it's so confusing.

But, they are so different, I wonder if there is anything you should be taking into consideration on your lot that you aren't. Like orientation of the house and lighting at certain times of day. Or best views to backyard area where kids will play. Or, ...

Does one of these fit better to those?

We will be on 90 acres. The house will probably face to the North/East. Directly to the east a ways over is a corn/bean field. To the west are woods. In back there is a clearing, but we need to clear some more. The clearing is sort of tucked into some woods. I would say it will end up being about 2-3 acres cleared.

I don't think the view to the play area in the backyard would change really.

I think I actually like how the sun would shine in the dining/kitchen in the morning in the newer plan.

-I still don't have my music room.
-Now the living room has a traffic path through the upper corner, which I was hoping to avoid. (The invisible walls you see in the living room are the actual dimensions of the original plan's living room with no traffic through it.)
-I don't like how the school room looks off the back. Not sure how to fix that.

Thoughts?

We homeschool too, and since we don't want a formal dining room, I got in the habit of looking at each plan and mentally replacing "dining room" with what we use the dining room for now, basically a place to do big messy homeschool stuff. Do you have a school room now? My kids seem to like using the kitchen table or even the family room as a spot to work if they want to be near people, or they go up and sit in their bedroom if they want quiet, so I'm not designing a true school room.

How many s.f. is it?

Some thoughts:
--Excessive area devoted to circulation; lot of corridors making the house larger without any benefit;
--Each room is difficult to furnish/use because the rooms are entered from two or more directions and the circulation takes as much or more space than the furnishings and functions for each room (living, dining, kitchen);
--No views from the house to the outside in the back (except for one small kitchen window); all views from living areas are to the entry side of the house and to the left side;
--To capture views from the rear of the house and to have a covered porch/deck/patio, why not relocate the "schooling room" to the left of the dining room and enable the dining room to have several windows or glass doors for view to the outside and light into the interior of the house;
--Shower in master bath is too narrow; should be at least 3'deep (same is toilet enclosure); why not have a double sink arrangement in master bath adjacent to shower?
--Not sure what small room is between stair and master bedroom.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

reno-It's a school room. About 15x14 in size.

Virgil-Yes, I would love to put the school room off that end of the house but the way it will sit on the property I'm not sure we can. I'll have to check. We are wanting a walk out bsement out that end of the house. I agree though, I'm not loving the room just stuck off the back.
It would have at least 3 or 4 windows in the school room.

The excessive halls is what dh didn't like about this plan. Said it was wasted space. I'm not sure how to do it otherwise. I'm trying so hard to make it all work and meet every wish we have but I don't think I'm getting it. :(

Yes I want to have a big shower.I have told builder that. I just left some room and I have to see how big he can do within budget.

The small rooom is a nursery for any children that are too small (for my taste) to sleep upstairs away from us. :)

zone4-I'm going to check out that plan right now.

You need to start thinking about the spaces created between the room you are moving around. I know that is very difficult but if it was easy anyone could design a good house.

Can't you create a larger file?

-I would like the main level laundry (we hope to have an upstairs laundry with kids rooms) to be near or even in the master.

-Not sure about kitchen. Would have to work on the layout. Are the dimensions wall to wall? Does anyone know?

-We are hoping for at least 16 feet (would love 20 but don't think it will happen) for dining space to accommodate our large table.

-Upstairs beds and baths seem to be on the small side but not terribly small.

-Would like a laundry upstairs.

Reno-I'm finding that to be very true. It has made me stay in check on size though. When I would make plans before I would bump a wall out here or there and end up with 8000 square feet. LOL Okay, well not 8000 but you know what I mean. I'm not sure I understand what you mean about "thinking about the spaces created between the room you are moving around". Do you mean the room I am moving to another location in the plan or the main focus room (ie., living room or kitchen or...) that we think is highest priority and making the plan work around that?

I keep reminding myself that things that take a lot of work are usually worth it. I'll keep trudging along. I appreciate your help!

Is that the best way to do it? Is there a way to make the pic bigger?

What is the actual name and producer of your software? Is it 3D Home Design by Livecad? or 3D Home Architect Deluxe by Broderbund? or one of many others that use the term Home Design in their name?

Main floor is 48'wide x about 31' deep. Not including the 2' bump out in the foyer, the 14x15 school room or the mudroom/music room jog between house and garage which is 20'x10'.

Upstairs is 42' wide x 31 deep.

Basement - would love full but will probably just be a square of about 30x30 under the left end because of the walk out.

I don't even quite understand how the builder comes up with the estimated cost. I assume he looks at simple exterior without a lot of bump outs, nooks and crannies. A simple roofline without a steep roof pitch (which of course I love a steep pitch). Maybe measurements that work well with sizes of boards/drywall and such so there is minimal cutting and waste?

I'll try in a bit to see if I can get mine bigger. I'm sorry I'm not good at this.