Well, having grown up on a grain farm... I'd like to help. But, I am having trouble with the size of the picture and all the dimensions. Can you "simplify" it by removing the dimension arrows?

I like it. What is the little triangle space behind the kitchen?

I agree it's hard to make things out.

I would hate a master bedroom that shares a wall with a garage because of the noise. If anyone opened them while I was sleeping, I would wake up.

Do you have two entrances into the master closet? Is that necessary? It eats up a lot of the closet room itself.

Where do you expect guests to park and enter the home? I can't make out where an actual entry might be. Where are the outbuildings located? And where is a covered exterior entrance that will serve the farm access route to those buildings? Through the mud space? What's the traffic route? In fact, what's the traffic route for a lot of things? Like to the master? And why are there so many hallways and sub rooms taking up valuable and expensive to build space in that master? It's 1/3 of the whole heated and cooled space. That's beyond excessive.

The kitchen and breakfast area need help, and you need to evaluate the cost/benefit of the curved area and locking yourself into a large round table. You'd be much better off having the kitchen only occupy that spot and creating a better connection with the dining space to be used every day. Right now, you've got 3 marginal places to eat, which is too many when they function as poorly as that. You could get 2 good places, and a better kitchen layout and flow and it would work harder and smarter.

Great comments- I appreciate the thoughts!

Here is a version without the dimension lines and along with some indicators as to where the rest of the buildings are. (Most of the time we will drive to the other buildings.)

Yes- main "everyday" entrance will be through the mudroom. This leads to the "snack" area (the short hall going into the kitchen) and 1/2 bath. I considered a door directly into the mudroom off the front porch but was torn between this and another entry into the garage.

Guests would park in front of the garage (with a walkway up to front door).

The two master closet entries are a thought in progress-- having an entrance through the bathroom eliminates coming out to get dressed, but having that as the only entrance also makes the walk to put away laundry longer and eliminates the option for one person to be in the closet while the other is in the bathroom. I'm open to "been there done that" thoughts on this one!

Main traffic patterns in our life-- (1) in through the mud-room, drop greasy clothes, then to the office (the room off the kitchen with the French doors) or straight to the shower. (2) into the kitchen for groceries/snacks/etc. (3) guests in the front door into to the living room and kitchen.

Thanks again!

Oh, NOW I see it, the front door goes into the dining room. Is there a closet?

Oh, do keep the small hearth room! How could you think of giving it up? It's a nice "away" space, but not too "away".

In the hall bath, what is the shape across from the vanity, next to the tub?

I see (my family) walking through your main area of the kitchen all the time... that would drive me nuts! It is the most direct route through your entire house; and the least congested--no chairs, island bench seats, or anything else in the way...

Is there a way to make your kitchen more L shaped--get rid of the pantry triangle and give it to the kitchen. Add more cabinets in the kitchen to make up for it.

bpathome-- Yes, those funky blocks next to the front door should be a built-in coat closet, then a spot for an antique ice box and a bench. In the hall bath, I'm thinking of deep cabinets there next to the tub-- linen closet/clothes hamper.

kirkhall-- good point about the cabinet space. I need to walk it off and check that I have enough. I'm envisioning 4 "zones" of cabinets: baking supplies, cooking supplies(near the stove), dishes, and snacks/drinks (across from the pantry) with as little heavy-use stuff up high as I can.

Given your climate, I think all those Southern facing windows are a mistake-- it's going to be hard to keep the house cool.

I know there are people who love this plan, but the wedge shaped kitchen leaves me cold. it just seems awkward, especially with the walkways where they are, and I don't like putting such an important room in an awkward shape. I think the curved window is supposed to compensate for the wedge, but it's not enough for me (and curved windows make me think of a commercial space-- like a museum cafe, not a home).

It's an awkward plan, awkwardly placed on the lot. Angled courtyard plans are for tiny city lots, not wide expansive spaces in the country. I don't see this as being all that cheap to construct either with the angles and especially the round breakfast area.

The traffic flow isn't good, and everyone and everything goes through your work space, not around it. No way is that kitchen friendly to canning or freezing or doing large batch cooking. It's too awkward, and that's coming from the architecture, and the layout has to follow the architecture. You're not really going to be able to dramatically improve it without starting over with the space entirely.

There's no sense of approach or entry or welcoming to the home, and there's no logical traffic flow and connection to the exterior for either the family or guests. Much less for those who need to go out to the outbuildings for work. It will also be difficult to heat and cool with all of that southern exposure. In a hot climate, porches are used to keep direct sunlight off of the southern exposure, and the northern direction becomes the cooler summer gathering spot, i.e. the front porch with a swing.

I think you need to consult an architect to get the most for your family and lot.It really doesn't function as a family farm home, and it doesn't take advantage of the space you have available for it. Break away from the faddish Nouveau Eclectic influences and hearken back to a basic farm house style. Maybe Folk Victorian or even a basic Colonial. Let form follow function instead of trying to force function into form.

I can't comment much on the plan except the stairs coming right down to the garage door that opens inward is an accident waiting to happen. And, I wouldn't like living in it -- all those corners would drive me bonkers. But, I don't have to live in it. Good luck with your decisions.

These Garrell Tranquility plans keep popping up, and it seems to me that 2/3 of the people on this board dislike them, finding them awkward and lacking in logical flow . . . yet the 1/3 who adore them keep dragging in more variations on the plan. I think this is a love-or-hate plan.

If you're in love with it, here are my thoughts:

- The entry is fine for everyday /convenient to the mudroom and pantry, but for guests, it's a bit lackluster. They'll enter a small, rectangular room and have straight ahead of them . . . a wall. Then they have to turn and walk through that little narrow hallway before entering the great room. I think you could move the half bath somewhere else and offer a nicer entry to the house in that spot.

- The kitchen /eating area isn't particularly functional, though because of the triangle position of the table, it takes up a whale of a lot of space. You'll have little upper cabinet storage. The pantry is too far from the kitchen, and the triangle shape is inefficient for good storage, and the dining area is so from the kitchen that it'll discourage use.

- Do you really need THREE eating areas (breakfast room, island seating and dining room)? Likely four because you're probably planning an outdoor space too. I don't think most of us actually need all these eating options, but they just seem to be the default concept.

- I'd flip-flop the master bedroom and bathroom . . . this would allow you to have a corner bedroom and windows on two sides, which is always superior to windows on just one side.

- No fireplace in the great room? Even in a mostly-hot climate, this is usually wanted as a focal point.