In the quick glance I had time for, four things stood out.

1. It's quite attractive.

2. I think that is the strangest garage I have ever seen. Even so, it appeals to me. I have been accused of building more garage than house, which should be a warning to you. :-)

3. The mechanical room could be bigger.

4. The kitchen has problems, especially the restricted view from the way the window looks out between two walls, and also in the ratio of island space to counter space.

Does the exercise room become the 3rd bedroom in the lower level? I know teenage boys are not supposed to spend as much time in the bathroom as teenage girls, but is one bathroom down there enough? Do you have a sloped lot so that at least some of the lower level is walkout and doesn't need window wells? If the lot slopes enough, the exercise room would be walkout &, perhaps, the bedroom by the bath. However, I wouldn't want to be the kiddo stuck with the bedroom whose only window is in a well.

It's hard to see, but it looks like the master bedroom is 15x18. That is a nice size, but make sure you can place all of your furniture in there since there are so many doors and windows. Does the master bath only have one vanity? That may work for you, but that isn't what folks are looking for in a house this size when you go to sell.

I love barrel arches, but that is a fairly formal transition if it is just between the kitchen an utility areas (mudroom & laundry).

The 1st floor power room is marginal and, IMVHO, not reflective of the level of this house.

Agree that the kitchen has problems. The counter runs are very chopped up.

Just some thoughts to take with a whole shaker full of salt - Jo Ann

Like I said, we are only in the begginning stage of finding a plan we like that would work for us.

I'd love to have a huge windowed wall in my kithcen where the sink would be, so it doesn't work with this plan.

I also agree about the covered porch making the great room dark, we are not sure we even want a covered porch.

The basement would probably be totally different and we would not finish it right away.

We don't need nor want a dining room, but would like a large dining nook where we would eat as a family everyday but would be large enough to accomodate lots of people for special occasions.

I too, do not like the powder room

We do love the garage though, so different but so practical, for us anyway.

This plan seemed like a good choice, but I guess we'll keep looking...:)

Personally, I would prefer bedrooms on a second floor level rather than in a basement and in this design you've already paid for a huge roof so a second floor would be pretty easy to add. Even basements that are at grade on one side are not very comfortable spaces IMHO.

I too would caution against planning all the kid's bedrooms in the basement unless the entire back of the house will be "walk out" basement. And given that the plan shows window well around the game room and exercise room windows, it doesn't look like thay is going to be the case.

Even when they are perfectly dryand beautifully decorated, basements just never feel quite as comfortable as above ground living space because one cannot get much natural light in them.