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michaelgrundvig

New House Floorplan - We'd Love Feedback!

michaelgrundvig
9 years ago

Hi all; we've finally started seriously looking to build a new house. We plan on this house being the last place we will live and we'd love to give it to our children when we are gone. The house itself is on a lot that backs up against a huge park that will be here for many years to come. The attached plans are the first draft our architect has produced for us. It will be a ranch with a basement for all intents and purposes. This is only the first floor. The basement will be ready to be finished when we move in but we won't be finishing initially - just roughing it in.

We are planning on ICF construction using engineered roof and floor trusses with a ground-source heat pump system for HVAC. It's a very fine balancing act between up front building cost and long term cost and quality of the house. We are focusing on getting the core "envelope" of the house as solid as possible while trying to keep the budget down with the amenities and frills. We'll be doing some amount of work ourselves and we are acting as the general contractor.

At this point, I'd love any sort of feedback we can get on the floorplan itself and what people think. It's got some small amount of accessibility in mind but only to a limited degree, slightly wider doorways, no curb shower, etc. but we've not gone tons farther than that. As this is only a sketch, it's unclear but the great room will have a vaulted ceiling while the kitchen and bedrooms are all 9 feet starting. The bedrooms will have tray ceilings as well.

Thanks in advance for any feedback, I greatly appreciate it!

-Mike and Jamie

P.S. The high resolution link is at the bottom of this post below the pre-shrunk image I uploaded :)

Here is a link that might be useful: High Resolution Version

Comments (10)

  • dprae
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks great! Consider moving your front door to the right hand side of the porch, and the stairs to the left hand wall just below entrance to the "art" and bedrooms. This would allow for more distance between the entrance and the bedrooms, also will allow you to more easily use the closet when you walk in the entrance.

  • Naf_Naf
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like it.
    The thing I do not like is that more than half of your front will be garage, but sometimes you can not avoid this issue, when you are building in a city lot.
    I doubt you will be able to fit a double door in the pantry, even if each door is 1' wide, you still need room for trims.
    It'll be nice if there were a window at the kids bathroom (it is possible).

  • mrspete
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    First, I think something's off with the numbers. Some of them don't add up: For example, the master bedroom is clearly a rectangle, so it cannot be 17x17. And the dining room doesn't look like it could be 14x13 either.

    I agree with NafNaf that I don't like the front exterior being half garage. I never quite understand the point of an oversized garage anyway, especially when it's the first thing you see on the house.

    I like the art niche in the hallway leading to the kids' rooms, and I assume that's an opposite art spot down the master hall? Small touches like that make the difference between a ho-hum house and a really thoughtfully designed house.

    I don't like the kids' bathroom /closet area. Too many doors in too small a space; I know there's a trend towards "compartmentalization" in bathrooms, but I can't see that i'd be comfortable to live with. A standard tub is only 5', so those doors are going to bump into one another. Where will the kids hang towels in the bathroom? Where will they keep even a small trash can? Where will their hamper go? I'd rather see one simple, shared bathroom with good storage.

    If you're absolutely in love with this bathroom layout, I'd consider flipping the center room; that is, bring the tub "in" and place the toilet on the outer wall. This'll allow you to have a window over the toilet . . .and it'd allow you a set of shelves next to the toilet -- that way you could have towel storage on top and a hamper underneath.

    I'd add windows on both walls of the kids' bedrooms. If they're fortunate enough to have corner rooms, let them have light from two directions. This makes a huge difference in the feel of the room.

    Your plumbing is all over the place -- no consideration for keeping plumb lines in the same walls. This is expensive, it increases your chances of leaks, and it means that you need more walls to be thick enough to hold plumb lines.

    Example: Look at the powder room. As you've drawn it, you need a water wall behind the sink AND a second water wall behind the toilet. Your plumber must plumb inside two walls. The fix: Downsize the cabinet (perhaps to a pedestal sink, which will make the room appear larger) and place the toilet adjacent to it. Now you only need one wall to be thick enough for water, and the plumber is working in only one wall. On the other hand, though they're in the same room, the laundry sink and the shower share the same wall (assuming the shower head is on that wall), which is a good thing. Apply this consolidation-of-plumbing concept to ALL your bathrooms, and you have significant savings.

    The dining room is lovely.

    I would consider replacing that inswing door with a slider. Why? Because once a table is in place, the door's swing will always be a problem -- it's the only public door to the back yard, and people will always have to scootch around the table. I'd consider losing that door and moving it to the great room.

    OR I'd consider placing a long window seat in the living room under that window. It'd give you wonderful living room storage underneath, a tremendous amount of seating, and it would look great.

    I usually don't like angles in cabinets, but this kitchen is okay. I'd lose the window in the pantry; first, it's taking up valuable storage space; second, light destroys food.

    I'm not crazy about the master bath's unusual layout. With all that space, I'm sure you could have a nicer bath -- and one with a linen closet!

    The master hallway's angle would make it very difficult to bring in large furniture -- so, no matter what, do not lose that backyard door!

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your plan has some nice elements to it. We too built our retirement home, ground sourced heat pump, active solar panels, low maintenance, finished lower level, and some thought to accessibility without going full-blown accessible. So I can relate to where you are going.

    There are some things however that need to be thought through. For example, when you are older (or any other way infirmed, like when I broke my ankle) distances becomes huge. Think about how far you are going to go at night to get from the bed to the pot. Also think about the trek down the hall to the kitchen. In fact, hallways are wasted space and cu. ft. So think about designs that minimize the hallways.

    Personally, I would not be happy with 2 entrances to my master suite. It's just a thing I have....I want to know the door is shut.

    Think about an "away room". When you have a very open floor plan, where can someone go to get away from the noise and hustle bustle? We added an office for DH in our plan where he can go and watch his CNBC in peace without driving me nuts.

    Think about if you want to be sitting at the island with dirty dishes piled up in front of you, and think about how long your arm is to wipe down a wide island.

    Depending on what area of the world you are in, think about the cathedral ceiling. I personally prefer a barrel vault, or one that isn't too high due to efficiency. But also think about what structure you will need to support it. Especially if the vault does not include the kitchen.

    I agree with others about the dominance of the garage on the front facade. Sometimes it can't be helped, but sometimes it can.

    Do you use the tub? As we were trying to build green we wanted to build small. Given our personal life style and conversations with many co-workers, I determined that, while these fancy tubs were lovely to look at, they were essentially used but once or twice a year. So we save the room upstairs with a steam shower instead, and put the air jet tub downstairs in the guest room, where we can use it if we wish, but it saves a lot of space.

    There seems to be an imbalance between the amount of space devoted to utility and the master bath. I'd rather see some more utility storage like a broom closet, a bigger coat closet by the bench. Closets can store much more than just clothes (linen, brooms, vacuum parts, flashlights and extension cords, etc.)

    In swing doors on a water closet are a safety hazard...if someone falls when the door is shut, you can't get to them.

    If you'd like to see what we came up for our layout, I've linked a thread below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: inspiration to reality

  • cefoster
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like it.
    I think if you made the kid's bath into a hall bath instead - you could forgo the powder room and have a really nice mudroom storage center. That would be so useful. I am not a fan at all of the jack and Jill bathroom. In fact, I cannot stand a bathroom in my bedroom but husband wants to have his throne in his room LOL.
    Second on window in pantry - it is not practical as light can ruin food storage.
    Also not a fan of garage in front... but it maybe required. Can you make entrance to garage on side?
    Good luck with your build!

  • methoddesigns
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Overall I think the plan is pretty good. I do agree with most about the garage, but if you can't do anything about it, then it is what it is.

    I would flip the stairs to the basement to the left side as mentioned earlier as well. It would flow much better straight through to the kitchen and dining room. Also gets you closer to the closet and further away from the secondary bedrooms.

    Good luck with everything and keep us posted!

    I would move the jack and jill around to get more natural light in there. Worst case, if you can't really come up with anything else, I would maybe switch the swing of the door and move the doors to the closets out to the bedroom wall. As it is now, it is really tight and I don't see much room for light or exhaust fan switches. You could add a 4020 or a 4010 window above the tub if you really wanted to. WIth a basement, I am guessing you are up north somewhere, which I don't really like having the plumbing in an exterior wall, so you might just want to flip the whole layout.

    As for the kitchen. The pantry looks a little tight to have shelves on both sides. May want to cut it back to an L shape of shelves. If you are doing a built in ref. I would make sure that the wall next to it is deep enough for you to have somewhere to kill the crown molding on top of the cabinets (if that is the route you are taking).

    I would cut the vanity back in the powder room since you don't need much storage and slide the toilet to the same wall. It would create more room and look much better.

    Might want to slide the doors to the master bedroom back down the hallway a little. It will give you less hallway, and more of an entrance into the master. You will also gain some wall space just passed the open doors to put your switches. As it is now, it looks like they will have to be around the corner.

  • speaktodeek
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like the plan overall.

    Flipping the stairs to the basement will leave your front door hidden back in the garage protrusion recess and the front elevation unbalanced. Also flipping the garage bays opens up the front door space a little, with the shorter bay closer to the house entrance.

    Consider a pocket door to the pantry - I have one and it's perfect. Only thing is remember it's a pocket when you go to secure the shelves, it alters your anchors a little but it's still possible on that wall.

    I would want more counter on BOTH sides of the kitchen sink for a dirty zone and a clean zone. Also, plan where you will put the dishes so they are close to the DW.

    Where are you going to put multiple laundry baskets as you fold and sort clothes?

    Remember to plan for where you will plug in table lamps in open space furniture arrangements, usually floor outlets carefully placed. Pay special attention to lighting this room as well as they are difficult to light properly since you don't have walls to bounce light off all around.

    I don't tend to like windows placed over nightstands. If you have lamps on the nightstands they clutter up access to the windows. Consider can lights over the bed instead or a row of higher over sized transoms on that wall, instead of standard windows at ground level.

    Make sure you have enough room butt to butt at the master vanities - looks a little tight if two are in there at the same time.

    I agree with flipping the bathroom tub in. I don't like the two doors to the tub / potty setup because the person on the potty could feel very insecure about someone barging into that space and be unable to block a door being opened by an intruder. Maybe a door to the potty cubby or at least saloon doors for that scenario.

    Consider a utility sink in the garage outside the wall opposite the washer/dryer. Useful.

    Since your mud zone is in through the garage, consider a single door into the garage on the side so you don't have to open a garage door to enter the garage.

    For the size of the (non-master) bedrooms, the allotted closet space is disproportionately small.

    If you plan to have an dining furniture such as a server or china cabinet, make sure you have a parking place and wall space for them. Make sure you know your table placement so you can center the lighting over the table, which may not be the center of the room.

    HUGE: make your basement deeper than standard so once finished it has at least 8 foot ceiling height. If at all possible have daylight windows and a walkout. Plan for a bathroom in the basement.

  • pixie_lou
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A couple points.

    The garage is a bit on the smaller side. Especially the third bay. Most trucks, vans, SUVs are 18'+ long. With a 20' bay, you barely have any wiggle room. The standard recommendation is 12x24 per bay. That gives you room to walk around vehicles, open doors without bumping walls, etc.

    The wrap around stairs are a pretty feature, but since they lead to the basement, their beauty is hidden. I'd go with a straight set, and I'd consider moving them back towards the great room.

    As other have pointed out, the j&j bath is tight. I'd consider moving the toilet to the tub wall. If necessary, put a wall and door there. Then I'd have a double vanity on the wall where the toilet currently is.

    The closets are ridiculously small for those bedrooms. Id move both closets to be reach in closets along the walls bordering the great room and foyer. It gives more space for the bathroom, it gives larger storage areas for the rooms, and it creates a sound barrier between the bedrooms and the public spaces in the house. The bedrooms are large enough that they can spare the sf. As well with kids, they keep their rooms a lot neater when they can shove everything in a closet and close the door!

    Where does the back door from the MBR lead?

    Your master closet is almost a little too big. Each rack of clothes takes up 2' of space. That gives you 4' in between. A little too wide for comfort - you need to walk back and forth between the racks. But not wide enough to add a counter/table/drawer storage. I'd either remove a foot of width, or add a foot for center storage.

    The mbr toilet seems like an after thought

    I like the second access to the mbr- laundry to closet. But it looks like it's a pocket door. Which tells me the door will be left open all the time. Plus the laundry being accessible from the minis use mud room, it just seems like there is easy access from the garage. That would creep me out a bit. Maybe change this to a pass throug?

    Your pantry will be tight. With 18" shelves on each wall, you end up with a 2' aisle in the middle. Doable, but I'd add a foot of width to give yourself some wiggle room. Think about bending over to get something of the bottom shelf.

  • HerrDoktorProfessor
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bit of a long winding route from the garage to the kitchen. Think about hauling the groceries in?

  • zone4newby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If your goal is to have a house that works for you through retirement and is classic enough that your children will want to live there when you're gone, I'd make it a 1 1/2 story.

    A one-story with split bedrooms means your living space is lacking windows, and it makes the home less appealing. If the kids' bedrooms were upstairs, and the master were on that side of the main level, then the garage could be flush with the rest of the house, and the kitchen could have a window. If you really want a one story, I'd make it an L instead of a rectangle, or a long narrow rectangle, with all the bedrooms together.

    FWIW, with modern plumbing, I don't think grouping your plumbing together is as big a deal as many others here do. Odds are, they're just going to run tubing.