You should provide a link to the Marley and reveal your general location, foundation type, and general level of finish.

You should also search the forum for discussions about Gardner houses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardner

http://www.dongardner.com/plan_details.aspx?pid=4385

Illinois
full basement

The link goes into the URL box...

The Marley plan

Here is a link that might be useful: Donald Gardner

I like the layout, but between the porch roof and it's interior placement, the Great Room isn't going to get much natural light. Also, I'd want more coat storage, both for guests and for the family.

We're building in Minnesota, and because the frost-line means we have to excavate deeply enough that anything but a full basement doesn't make sense (the cost difference between a crawlspace and basement are so small and the difference in impact on the house is so big, we can't see going with a crawlspace). One of the things we're doing to keep our costs down is to build a two-story, so that we don't have to pay to excavate a huge footprint. If you had the bedrooms on the upper level, it would make your footprint much smaller, and that might cut the costs of building quite a bit. It would also make it easier to get natural light into all the important rooms on the main level.

I know a lot of people love these one level plans, but there's a cost to them up here in basement country.

Has anyone built the peppermill house plan by donald gardner???

We are just starting to build a house based loosely on the Birchwood.

Keep in mind that any changes cost money. We paid $800 for the DG plan but had almost $4000 in changes and engineering with our builder, designer and engineer. We are in a 130 mph wind zone, so that hurts us, but any plan you find will have to meet code in your area.

Good luck. It has been an adventure and we just broke ground two weeks ago!

Yes I would also like to know if anyone has built a Peppermill?????

Anyone build the marley house plan

No, I've never built a Don Gardner, and I know you did ask that, but it seems like a nice plan overall--especially when one can afford to do what is mainly a one-story. Such a luxury these days.

It would be nice if the garage entry area could be reworked so the kitchen isn't sliced in half, depositing everyone following or looking for Mom/Dad right at the stove. :)

Are you by any chance considering making the screened porch an all-season sunroom? Having an outwardly focused room for pretty days and summer evenings would make the inwardly focused coziness of the living room a total asset.

Yes, it's a consideration but not sure about the heat down south. Sunrooms don't seem to be practical down south but since I'm still in the Northeast it's a consideration. I agree about the chopped up kitchen as well. Looking to rework that and also put the laundry area near the master suite. No kids so why drag the laundry across the house.

We are building the Gardner Lennon plan (1 level with bonus over garage) but our cost would be on the high end of "average" due to the upgrades/finishes we chose. We are probably going to end up around $155.00 a square foot...this was an owner/build and I knew all of the subs and received contractor pricing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lennon