Put a window between the chimney and the laundry room wall and another window on the other side of the chimney. Then you can put your bed on that same wall in between the windows. If you add a shower to the downstairs bath, you'd have to come up with something for coats, etc when receiving guests. The master closet is small already so I'm not sure if there is room to split the bathroom into his and hers. The architect might be able to come up with something, though. I hope you get what you want. Good luck with your project.

Sorry...duplicate post. Don't know what I did.

This post was edited by JDez on Fri, Nov 8, 13 at 7:50

Love that Craftsman style!
First, I'd guess that many of us here started with a stock plan from the internet or a book, and modified it to suit our own needs.

You may have some challenges turning the sitting room into a laundry because there currently isn't any plumbing anywhere nearby, and if i'm seeing this correctly it's over a porch.
And since it's a story and a half - which again an awful lot of us have - you've got all sorts of roof line issues up on the second floor to take into consideration. It's not like you have full height walls, so moving rooms around isn't a piece of cake. Which is why I think you're probably not going to get your his&hers baths in that space, not without changing your roofline.

Talk to the architect and tell him what you want and see what he'll charge. He may tell you that you can have a second story laundry, and his and hers baths, but he'll want to put it into a different place, and move some rooms around so the whole upstairs will look different, but you'll have a plan that works for you.

Just a quick thought. If you use the dining room for a playroom, I would definitely leave the walkway into the kitchen. I have a 3 6, and 7 year old and have stayed home with them. I spend so much time in the kitchen! Look at the layout and picture how far you would need to walk to the playroom. You would need to go around the whole house for every boo boo. I would also want to be able to go through there to answer the door. Without that doorway to the playroom, someone could come into your front door unnoticed and be in the play area without you really hearing...or a kid going out the front door. If you leave the kitchen opening though, you will be able to hear the kiddos just fine :).

I agree with keeping the doorway to the kitchen. I could see having a door put in, then taking the hinge pins out and storing the door somewhere, so you can put it back if you do end up needing to use the playroom as a bedroom.

Your kids are far more likely to use the playroom if they feel close to you while they are in it.

Adding the shower on the main level means losing the coat closet by the front door. Is that worth it to you?

@mlweaving, thanks! I feel guilty asking all of these talented architects for help when I didn't go hire one to draw a house from scratch, wish I could afford that :)

I will definitely have to rethink closing in that kitchen opening, you make valid points and you are right, my son doesn't want to play unless I'm nearby.

I'm not sure what to do about losing the coat closet; I'll probably just leave the closet and know we can do a little remodel and add a shower down the road if needed.

Thanks everyone!

If you don't plan to use the dining for dining, I'd put a little closet in there, adjacent to the pantry and along the foyer wall, for coats, board games, etc. That first floor is presently lacking in storage space.

Also, what a strange stair/garage/entry layout.

Will you have a basement? Normally, I'd advocate for storage under the stairs, but I don't understand your stair/entry area.

Kirkwall, thanks! Really need a closet.

The garage is 1/2 story below main floor. So when you come in from the garage there is a landing and from there you go down to the basement or up to the main floor. Did that make sense?

The garage a 1/2 flight down will keep the dirt out of the main floor! Are those cubbies along the stairs? How fun! But the closet door behind the garage door is inconvenient. Just remove the door and do more cubbies/open lockers. Maybe even move the entry door to the left and/or change the swing.

Perhaps you'd like a pocket door from the kitchen to the dining room: there when you need it, gone when you don't. Also, in general, I'd move the other dining room opening from the foyer to the living room. Keeps any draft out of the dining room, keeps the view tidier for visitors, and keeps the powder room out of sightlines. Have a door, though, for when you do need to close it off.

Upstairs, why not move the laundry room to the media room closet? There's already plumbing there, it's just as close to the laundry that comes from downstairs (towels, outerwear, etc.) and then you can shift more of the bedroom into the sitting room, giving you more space for the his-and-hers baths and closets.

Cute house!