My favorite picture (of the ones you posted) is the one with the zebra ottoman...okay, the second zebra ottoman :)

Seriously, that room has a lot going for it. It's cozy, but still stylish...open to the kitchen, has some modern touches, but still has a more traditional fireplace...and I love the leather sofa. The stainless steel appliances, flat screen TV and leather are masculine, but the walls, lighting, plants, etc. soften it and make it not too masculine. I think that's a room that would work for a man or a woman, especially for a TV area. I don't like bright colors, when I'm watching TV as I find them too distracting.

While I like the office too (first zebra ottoman) I think the darker wood is perfect for a cozy man space, but too dark for the main living area. The Clint Eastwood room is not bad, but almost too light...and a bit too orange. Wouldn't that look better with a dark brown leather sofa? LOL

I agree with Holly, in that some of the spaces seem to be trying too hard to be 'bachelor' rooms...but the ones I've listed would all work well in your space. But, do me a favor and do NOT do that bedroom, like your buddy's place. Yikes! A bit too Austin Powers, for my taste (no offense to your friend.)

Lav, the bedroom with the crazy chand over the bed is not my friends place. That is from a website of this designer from vegas. The loft is my friends place.

I know the dark woods are nice and I am torn about going with that style, but my condo and last couple of houses have been very traditional, earth tones and dark woods. I am going to try to get some pics of prior places. I have a virtual tour from my last house but I don think I can upload it, I have the file but not the link. Let me see what can do.

Pors- While you're looking for inspiration...check out a few of Candice Olson's rooms, from Divine Design (HGTV). They should be online, but she has had some success, IMHO, mixing dark woods, stainless steel, and white leather, etc. together, for a contemporary look, but still very classic. I don't know if those are the best terms, but I'd say they don't feel traditional, but they don't look like they'd go out of style right away, either.

I'm glad that's not your friend's room. That is one thing that should definitely stay in Vegas! LOL

Where the new part meets the old building I would use diagonal lines for the grid to layout some of the fulcrum area, pivoting between the two parts. One or more of the kitchen walls could follow a diagonal line. In other words, the space near the garage is a key region and it has to be optimized. This assumes the new part has to be built as proposed. Where are the best views?

Lav I will check that out soon as I finish this post.

David the best views are if you are standing in the famiy room looking at 9 o clock. Its the yard. I am going to post some pictures of the property and existing house soon

Alright here is the update, met with architect tonight, there is an all new floor plan in the works as well as all new elevations, the room sizes have been scaled down, the kitchen and fam room are pretty much the same but there is a couple of surprises. He gave me some print outs but they are far from done and tomorrow he will email me pdf files so I can post but he is going to need a couple of weeks to complete the new layout. We are going to leave the fireplace.He is also going to design the roof pitch so we can easily add second floor.

Ok next order of business is I transferred my old pictures to my computer. So I am going to post some pictures of my previous places. All these places I designed and gcd myself including the house.

Condo in Miami Beach private elevators open to unit. There is extensive millwork in the foyer but I cant find pics.

Custom built ins by my cabinet guy.

Onyx floors and counters, venetian plaster on the walls. The Onyx is illuminated.

Ok only have one picture of my old office but I designed it.

My last house which I built and sold when I got relocated back to NY in 2008.

All the walls are venetian plaster.

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71398719@N06/6541073295/"; title="officenook_500 by pors996, on Flickr">src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6541073295_6910084c73.jpg"; width="500" height="375" alt="officenook_500">

Gold leaf

My munchkins first xmas, cant resist.

as you can see my prior places have been very traditional so I want to mix it up now.

What climate zone are you now in?

David I am in in new York new eng England area now.

i think you need someone with experience in this climate. For the time being your ideas are too open. Or, maybe not. You wrote that you would add two phases: "about 2200 square feet and phase two will be about 1200." I would think you would use Renovator8 as your guide in planning, after site visits and aerial views.

David things are changing and the first phase is being scaled down, I am hoping to post something today but its far from complete but you can get an idea of direction.

IS renovater a architect or designer?

i dunno if i am the right person to explain. (pls go direct). i think he has a b.arch. but is also a real life hands on person with a few decades experience. (Almost too much knowledge.)

Very nice rooms...but my favorite picture is the Munchkin with the puppies! What a cutie :)

New England is a very different climate, but I think you'll still want an open kitchen/family area. It might be fun to bring in just a little New England charm/tradition...and juxtapose that with your modern elements. I look forward to seeing your new plans!

Pors- I just found this link...what a house! The exterior is nice, traditional with a bit of contemporary with those (staircase?) windows. The back is beautiful, the garage is amazing...and I love the living/great room.

Now, the elements that I think should stay, in the great room...those beautiful beams, the white moldings/trim around the archways, the windows with moldings/trim and of course, the leather sectional! LOL

I would make the fireplace much more contemporary (but maybe still use a little stone) get rid of all the drapes, change the area rug and bring in more contemporary choices. The chairs could be better and that zebra ottoman would look good here :)

I like the stainless steel and white in the kitchen, but would add in some dark cabinetry accents (like your zebra ottoman second picture) maybe for the island...and white leather stools? The table and chairs are all wrong and I would definitely change the bedroom/bath!

Hope this will give you some ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to New England home

Here are a few examples of some Candice Olson more modern/contemporary kitchens. I like the dark wood, stainless steel, and white together...but I'm not sure about the lights in the first one!
{{gwi:2071694}}From Kitchen plans

And this one has some great stools, at the island. {{gwi:2071695}}From Kitchen plans

Lav I will check that site out tonight, I cannot access at work its blocked. I am not a huge fan of beans, I prefer the cioffered look over the beams. I have both of th pictures you posted on my laptop. Good minds think alike.

Here is a sneak peak, not done but a different flavor also has new layout.

pors i liked the second exterior elevations a lot, and this new one reminds me of a lynette jennings house i adored, the turret was the entry, and it was positioned in the interior corner, which each wing radiating out from it. very nifty, i think it was called the butterfly house.

just watched a movie today with a fab ranch house, http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/06/07/movie-monday-steve-martins-yellow-house-in-housesitter/

that glass entry and separate master suite is pretty great, is this the type of thing you're looking for?
thanks for sharing the process with us, mine evolved over several years with lots of hard questions from here, and i'm thrilled with my final result.

and someday hope to even build the dang thing!

Just an update, been very crazy with work, closing on the house this week hopefully. Been going back and forth on ranch vs two story, think I am going to stick with ranch. Working on some new elevations on final tweeks.

Pors- Looking forward to seeing your plan! :)

Here is the new floor plan I went back and forth with second story but decided to stick with ranch, while I know its not everyones taste I am happy with it. Now we are going to spend a lot of time on the details. I will post new elevatiosn tomorrow. If anyone has any feedback that does not involve redoing the whole plan would love to hear it as I will be tweaking over the next couple of weeks. Thanks

Lav look forward to hearing what you think.

Pors- I tried enlarging it, but I can't read some of the rooms. I know that's the master bath/bedroom...and does that say 'exercise room' in front of it? What are the rooms in the back (left and right) of the main entry? I can see the dining room, kitchen/great room...and is that your office, in the back (right of great room)? What is just to the right of the dining room...storage?

Now, I'm guessing that's your son's room, off to the right of the great room, below the office? I'm wondering if you have a playroom or other space for him? Since you have the room, it would be so fun to design a little playroom that would be for his toys and books, arts/crafts, etc. As he gets older, it could be a rec room space, for him to entertain his friends...spread out legos, play computer games, etc.

What is opposite the front door, in the entry? Is that access to the back? That's very striking...and I can see some of the details seem like your earlier rooms. I think this has a lot of potential. Just remember, you're in the northeast, so I'd think built-ins, window seats, bookcases, display, etc.

I'm looking forward to seeing more details about the plan, and the overall design, too. I think this is going to be such a fun project...for you and your son. I love decorating for kids and I think you're going to enjoy it, too. It's great decorating 'adult spaces' but kids' spaces can really get your imagination going. Just remember to create spaces that will grow, with him.

Oh, and disclaimer, I'm not a professional designer, but it's fun to help our nieces/nephews create fun spaces, in their bedrooms! They love making a room special for them, even if it's Goodwill, paint and fabric with a staple gun :)

turn the tub 90 degrees.

Hey David, thats all I was exacting a lot more. The master bath layout is not done yet, I am debating about laying it out like my old master I posted with the double shower where the tub is and the tub infront of the shower kind of like a focal point, also would be an easier walk to get into shower. What are your thoughts?

I opened the thread in two browser windows so I could see the existing layout next to the new proposed layout. (and the first set of proposed plans are still in my mind... but I'd like to forget them.).

So many changes were made, it is hard to compare and contrast. I see more and more changes all the time. This latest layout seems to have a lot more surface area added around the old house, not just an extension tacked on to the side. (?).

The entrance puts the guest into a central square area; it's diagonal compared to the house axis. Very good. Really!

It's like a diamond. It could be tweaked slightly, to be more lozenge-shaped (typical diamond shaped longer on one axis) stretched a little. Not a square. It helps everything when the dimensions along the X and Y axes are different measurements. Firstly, it helps the whole-house layout (because your space defined by your external walls is not chunky but is more "long"), AND secondly it's easier to build since it can "receive" error along the way (no need to make a perfect square and force other rooms to take the remainder).

Finally, a lozenge is aesthetically great too. It doesn't require the angled walls to be on a 45 degree axis. This is a big advantage. It means the lozenge remains perfectly symmetrical and pleasing while it also adapts to your other rooms' needs.

There are two paths to the kitchen, one through the DR, one through a buffer space room that has a powder room. I see a lot of questions arising. What the buffer space will be used for. It may end up being a display area like a wide corridor, whose main purpose is holding the access point to the powder room. Note the powder room points to whoever is operational in the kitchen. In terms of ease of passage there is a pinch point at the end of this room.

Hth

once you get a rhombus shaped space built, using remainder space, you can put a big circle in the middle of the floor (inside the trim tile).

Here is a link that might be useful: rhombus (lozenge) with circle inside

Worked with architect for a few hours today, I started tweaking the plan, you should pick up a few nice differences.

I think I am going to flip the back mudroom to a playroom for my son though the basement could be finished as well. Let me know thoughts.

Als0 elevations are not complete but this gives you a sense of where its going. Its interesting to see from the beginning of this thread how the house has evolved.

It's getting much better, but it's not there yet. Better traffic flow and better curb appeal. I still don't think your architect really has the creative or technical skills necessary for this project, but at least it appears that he can take dictation.

Those roof zits really detract from the facade. The small gable dormers should either be more numerous as to make a repeating statement, or they should be larger so as not to appear as afterthoughts. You will have a water handling issue where the garage gable meets the new gable on the main house and the bit of the back gable peeking over is just not attractive. It would look better to eliminate the new tiny gabled bumpout and just carry the main addition's gable forward aross the old house and to the front.

I loathe the powder room location. It too looks like an afterthought and is in a prime location like it is some kind of wonderful showcase feature. It should be somewhere closer to the garage and pantry mudroom area, accessible but not on display. It's a necessity, not a work of art.

The connection of the old and new is still problematic because you are trying to retain too much of the old, like keeping the original entry. Shift the home's entry down more towards the garage, and repurpose the old living area as another bedroom space or even as your office space. The main destination of anyone entering the home is the addition, so make it easy to navigate to that addition rather than having someone go through a corn maze to get there. The rear gable of the addition can bisect the main house and jut forward to provide a nice sized foyer. I would make the gable on the other side of the home match in scale, and when the master addition is done, it will be simple matter to extend that gable rearward to provide you with a huge master. That will simplify the front facade and give it a more dignified and unified look. You could do a shed roof from the main house between the two gables as a front porch if you like that type of connection with the front yard or just leave the original portion as is.

Great idea to shift the entrance to the right! It IS where everyone will want to go. And I like the idea of having the old part of the house be the office and maybe making the office area be the dining room.

Nested gables have far less issues with water runoff than intersecting gables. Those create rivers that can pose problems with both waterproofing the valleys as well as the need for a large downspout at the valley where the two intersect.

Those one foot bumpouts to create those gables will be pretty darn costly and you will not really get any added space benefit from them. Think about that carefully. They represent money that could go towards your master later. If you are going to do bumpouts, then do them in such a way that they also add square footage. It won't really be much additional cost. The major cost is in the first two feet because that will need all new foundation, framing, roofing, electrical, etc. Just adding a bit more length to them makes the cost per square foot of that portion actually go down.

Ok will try to respond, summarize, and ask more questions.

Holly First

I will have him address the issue where the two gables meet. I see what you mean about the water issues. The elevations still have a ways to go.

I agree with you about the dormers they need be more substantial.

As far as carrying the main additions gable forward I kind of like the symetry of the two gables being the same size. What is your opposition to this?

I am not crazy about the powder room area but without really going nutty changing again I am not sure where else to put it. I know you mentioned by the mudroom but I actually on Livewire oaks advice shifted that bathroom in the guest suite so you could have access from the kitchen easily as well as being able to access from the office.

One thing I have to disagree with you on is keeping the old part of the house, there is essentially nothing left from the old part of the house except the garage which has been extended and also reversed.These plans reflect doing a whole new roof line and ripping off the current roof. In addition these plans reflect the master suite which I am doing now at a minimum putting the shell up. So the big gable on the left is the new master suite and if I brought the gable from the family room through it would not match.

Next thing is I am not keeping the original entry, this is a new entry, the orginal entry was to the right of the new entry. I am going to post some quick picks I took with my iphone to see the original house.

Greendesigns

I like the idea of having the entry dead center it used to be to the right. I actually looked at hundreds of pictures because I played with the idea of doing a more narrow foyer and doing to the right but I like the idea of the pass through to the backyard.

I see your point on the bumpouts in the front, but since i have to do new foundation for master is there any cost savings to just leave it flush? I know on the right side its prob wasteful to go out two feet, do you have any other ideas? Also right now the house is 6000 square feet I dont really think I need more square footage lol, its much bigger than I expected.

Can you explain what a nested gable is?

David

If I am understanding what you saying abouy lozenge you mean instead of being equal it would me more narrow and give the foyer kind of like a longer feeling correct?

Lastly give me a little time on the elevations, because I have changed my mind so many times I am been working with one of the firms junior architects because I have racked up a serious amount of hours with changes. The principle will take it from here and tweak everything.

Thanks for all the feedback and I will continue to integrate as much as I can into the plan.

I am also posting a pic of the floorplan, the shading shows what is new and the unshaded is existing for those who are questioning what is existing of the old house.

yes more narrow (on any one axis). This reduces none of the impact. When building, you have more leeway instead of building perfect symmetry identical on both axes.

i agree with the approach holly has expressed: the door area is ultimately where you will solve the corn maze problem. It's the same problem I've mentioned in every post whenever I've mentioned anything being a problem. (I've written pinch point, zigzag, buffer area, views, corridors, two paths, kitchen in the way, pantry in the way, etc). This was just from the view on looking at the layout alone. Add the roof and you have way more reason to adopt the door-shift strategy.

Money spent on time is gone gone gone just like therapists' consulting time. Writing it out is just a means to express anger disappointment or silly little resistance, ultimately a futile exercise. Drop it and you'll be more mature. You could have gotten on a plane and gone to a distant country on a vacation. That's money too. But you spent it locally on some drone doing "yes,sir" grunt work. Who cares. Big deal. All gone. Some people hire personal assistants, some don't. It's neither here nor there, it's irrelevant. Some people spend on may kinds of therapists and expert-o-paths, and some don't. Some spend in one area or another, some save by not spending anything. It's not relevant.

The Fact that a drone architect listened and drew lines on paper is not relevant, because it was an architect whose mindset is to be a follower of orders.

What you have from this thread is a good yield on your time and money invested. You came here for viewpoints. No one is hurting you. The collective feedback has been wonderful.

Hollysprings jumped in at the right point. The points made by Hollysprings are worth the price of all the previous consulting time paid for and behind you now. The previous points made by the top level experts all concur with Hollysprings points. There is a consensus, and I believe it is based on nothing other than an ability to spot problems, and not due to any groupthink or crowd mentality.

One thing you learn in MBA school and everywhere else is that money spent is gone. Water under the bridge is an expression from long ago. Calling it Water down the drain is a way to show bitterness and anger. You choose how to view it.

Dave I think its very hard to shift the door without throwing out off the symetry.

Asymmetry and nested gables would work much better here than symmetry. Symmetry is fine for a Georgian. You're not creating a Georgian. You are attempting to do a modern interpretation of a classic ranch.

This is a smaller version of something to suggest to your architect.

I did a quick sketch using the original layout posted and expanding on the idea of moving the entryway over and nested gables. It keeps the main addition as a gabled addition 90 degrees from the old house, but takes the gable all the way across the house and uses a nested gable bump to create a foyer and large office in the front. The garage roof gets rebuilt as a gable running the same direction as the main house and becomes side load. (Front load garages are blemishes on houses.) The guest room and bath are all the way across from the other bedrooms for privacy sake. There's a powder room close to the entry and formal sitting room as well as a coat closet off of the entry.

I didn't work on the master wing much, but I think the similar but smaller gable and nested gable for a sitting area would work there as well. The whole thing is beyond rough, and since there were no dimensions on the original drawing, I don't have any ideas of any of the dimensions. It's just a brainstorming sketch---something to have your architect think through the specifics.

Pors- That big room/space, closest to the powder room. Is that an entry/closet area or does it serve another function? It seems very big, to just have stairs and closet, with access to the powder room and kitchen.

Could you 'do' anything else, with the space? I still can't read what those two small rooms are, on either side of the main entry 'diamond' but could you put the closet there, instead? I'm only wondering if you'd have space for maybe some bookcases and a couple of chairs and ottoman in this 'stair' area and give it more of a function. It would be a great place to sit down and read a book (even a cookbook) or have a more public area, closer to the entry.

Also, just a quick reminder...it's colder up north...and even with heat, it feels cooler. So, people often like to find a few cozy places, to curl up with a book. Large spaces are great, but smaller spaces are important, too. Think of a window seat, within a larger space...or lower area of ceiling, in a vaulted room.

Sarah Susanka (author of the Not So Big House books) has a lot of examples of these types of details, in her books. It might be worth a quick look :)

Lav I know what you are saying about that area, I am going to play around on thursday with architect with foyer but just plan on tweaking it a little maybe playing with the shape like David said. Also I tried enlarging the font but the room to the left is the laundry room, and the room to the right will be a wine room.

I am thinking of built ins, maybe salt water tank in that area. This is down the road of course.

Posting somewhat updated elevations.

Livewire thanks for the drawing, I have already shifted the garage to the side quite some time ago on the plan.

"I did a quick sketch using the original layout posted and expanding on the idea of moving the entryway over and nested gables. "

^^^^THAT!^^^^^

That is the direction that the addition should have taken from the beginning. It keeps the spirit of casualness that is the very essence of a ranch home and provides easy access to both the old and the new portions of the home.

The last design that you posted is veering off into a Disneysque attempt at formalizing what is a very informal house style. Ranch houses are NOT about marble floored two story entries and lots of negative space. They are about single floor efficient living that looks at home in it's natural setting. They connect the resident with that natural setting by bringing it indoors through the use of natural almost rustic materials like slate, wood paneling, knotty pine, stacked stone, brick and by the use of large windows and patio doors. You can still achieve a modern aesthetic within those constraints, but it won't involve attempting to make a ranch into a colonialesque McMansion.

Time spent at the architect's office is like time spent at a psychologist's office. It is money spent for time spent listening to you. Someone gives you a drawing representing your ideas.

The love of oneself can extend to the love of one's ideas. One can love love love the cumulative investment in them. This then causes one to get angry at those who ask you to shred the entire cumulative investment and begin again from a different starting point.

My 100% is behind the comments made by everyone who posted. Every one of them has recommended you not build it as drawn. Lavender lass pointed out some of the negatives. I did too. The others were so strongly negative that there CAN Be no doubt about it.

To be gentler about it, I'll mention that words pro-portio and syn-metr are both the same in their original meanings, i.e. balancing the alternatives, generally, making sure things are not unbalanced. The word symmetry has taken on a greater perfectionistic sense over centuries, but it was originally merely a Greek word for the Latin word proportion, with-(similar)-measure(measure-mean-size). BUT to get to the guest hangout they have to walk thru a maze, a warren, scooting past a toilet bowl a pantry an oven and a sink. Yukk. There is no balance in this zigzag floor plan. It is so unbalanced that it makes methink the owner was in love with his ideas and he had a strong need to feel his cumulative investment in his ideas was a productive way to spend his time and money. The only way to stop a game is to stop. The only way to stop anything that you love is to stop.

Wasting money on a paper plan is a heck of a lot cheaper than wasting it on concrete and wood and then trying to rework what you've planned because it's bloody awful and doesn't work. From what I've seen from your architect, I wouldn't hire him to build a dog house. But, I guess there's always someone who finishes last in his class and somehow still manages to find a job. Nepotism probably.

You've gotten some good advice, and some great advice. All of it free, and worth far more than anything that this draftsperson has given you for a lot of money. If you won't take advice unless you pay for it, then I'll gladly charge you a 1K consulting fee for what's been said so far. You think I'm being funny? What's funny and sad is that you've probably spent 10x that amount and gotten virtually nothing workable for it.

Pretend that you are a guest arriving for a party. Park your car and try to find the front door because the host is out back tending the grill. You know that's where you want to go, but how do you get there? OK, you found the front door. Where the heck is the kitchen to put the beer in the fridge that your brought? Where's the powder room to offload the beer you've already drunk? It's worse than a corn maze, because if you are in a corn maze, being lost is part of the fun. Being lost toting a heavy case of beer and needing to pee in something less than a 10,000 square foot house is just ridiculously bad design.

Pors- Thank you. So, laundry room and wine room. Are you using the wine room, for tasting or just storage? My only concern would be the big windows in this space...great for a counter with stools for tasting, maybe not so great for storage. If you have a basement, it might be more fun to pur a wine cellar down there and have the wine tasting room, back where you have the stairs. Maybe make this front room the powder room and closet area? Just a thought...

Wine cellar...isn't this cool? {{gwi:2071711}}From Kitchen plans

And a better view, for the wine tasting! {{gwi:2071714}}From Kitchen plans

Hollysprings- Maybe there could be a map, at the door? Much like a corn maze? Would that make things easier for the guests? Or, maybe they could just ask, since one can see right through to the backyard (party space?) when they arrive :)

they put blinders on donkeys, mules, asses and horses, so that they don't see anything other than what's in front. With a map, you could leave a batch of blinders too. Or, instead of a map, have a butler and he could pass out blinders, or be so kind as to put them on. That's better because he can lead people through the strange spaces without letting their mind wander and wonder what the main man was thinking when he went ahead and built it this way. There, I knew we'd find a way to save the work already done. It all comes together now.

The alternative is to think about visual asymmetry as a good thing, when one views the house from certain angles.

Pors- Don't let any of these silly comments get you down. I'm looking forward to seeing your new plans, when they're ready :)

Also, when you get closer to a final plan, you might want to post it, over on the Building a Home forum...and ask Summerfield to take a look at it. Summerfield is truly amazing! :)

Lave thanks for all the feedback and nice comments, I am revisting the two story plan, I bought one of the those apps you can draw 3d on Ipad. I designed this first floor plan, I am going to send him to architecht to see what he thinks. Let me know your thoughts.

width="500" height="375" alt="Capture">

Pors- Before we look at the plan, itself...I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind :)

The bedroom, by the office, is this a guest room or your son's room? How do you plan to use the living room...seating/conversation, library, wine tasting? How many people do you plan to seat in the dining room? Are you planning to have any fireplaces, in the family room or living room? What will be upstairs, besides your bedroom/bath/exercise area?

Now, for the outside...do you plan to have a pool, hot tub, swing set/play area? Do you have any dogs or cats? Will you have enough room for a pony or any larger animals? Do you garden or just like grass?

Finally, in the garage...do you need a shop area? Do you need to store a golf cart? Do you need any long term storage space? Will you be working on any of your cars or just parking them?

Then, I would think about what you love (if anything) about New England architecture. I know you have some inspiration photos (and they're very nice) but what do YOU really think of, when you picture it? Do you see cozy areas or open spaces...or both? Do you want floor to ceiling windows or window seats...or both? Do you want a wall of glass in the kitchen or just a window or two, to take advantage of the nice view?

Oh, and finally the mudroom. I know you're moving up from Florida...and maybe you've lived in muddy areas before, but in eastern Washington (and on our all clay soil farm) we have about six weeks of 'mud season' LOL So, the mudroom needs to be easily accessed, not only from the garage, but the play area/garden area (if you have them) and if you have a dog or two...think dog shower!

As for the plan, I would also like to know...what is the view to the left (outside the office) and is that going to have any bookcases or mostly windows? Is it doing double duty, as a sunroom (not a bad idea with long winters) and are you sure you want to see your family room, as you walk into the house. Not a bad idea...just asking if this is your entertaining area, or where you plan to curl up, when you have a cold and watch TV. Always think about every situation and how you'll use the space :)

Okay, having looked through the plan, the only problem I see is that the bedroom doesn't seem to have any windows. That would be a code problem/fire issue, here.

I like that you're keeping the living room and putting the office in that corner. That seems more private than where you had it, in the other plan. I think I'd rework your grand entry/foyer (I like the other one a lot) and put the dining room on the right, with a smaller butler's pantry connecting it to the kitchen. I like the overall layout of the other kitchen/family room and the way it connected with the outside.

On this plan, I like the placement of the mudroom area and if it fits, I would keep this. Maybe have (from front to back, on right side of entry) dining room, smaller butler's pantry, kitchen/breakfast area and great room. The mudroom should line up with the breakfast area/kitchen...and maybe you could have a little courtyard garden/play area on the side, by the mudroom. It would be great for your son, while he's young and then maybe make it into a little outdoor seating area, when he gets older.

Here's a quick sketch of the left side of the entry...using your original plan. I know you're not big on the fireplace, but I thought a library might be kind of nice. Big bow window seat on the front, with lots of bookcases and a couple of comfy chairs. Masculine and cozy...and perfect for reading bedtime stories.

I'm guessing this is your guest room, but it has a small closet and access to the hall bath. The office has a wet bar (I couldn't resist, as my husband would love this feature) and it backs on to the bathroom, so easy to add the sink. Then doors to the patio (across from the library side door) and maybe a closet and powder room, behind the stairs. It would be nice to have a separate powder room for guests...and then maybe another 'family' powder room, back by the mudroom.

I didn't draw the dining room and kitchen area, but part of the area to the right would be entry/then dining room, and maybe space for the butler's pantry, by the garage? I really like aspects of your other plan I think you could add those back in and have a very comfortable, but still striking home. Great for parties and entertaining, but still plenty of cozy areas, when it's just the 'two guys' at home. Hope this helps :)

Sorry this is so messy...but hopefully, you get the idea! {{gwi:2071719}}From Kitchen plans

Some ideas, for the library fireplace and bow window.
{{gwi:2071723}}From Kitchen plans
{{gwi:2071726}}From Kitchen plans

Or you could go with a darker wood...or maybe a combination? If you like the idea, at all :) {{gwi:2071728}}From Kitchen plans
{{gwi:2071730}}From Kitchen plans

Lav thanks for all the feedback. Couple of things.

1. That was a good catch with the windows, I played with the plan and adjusted the bedroom and bath. let me know your thoughts.

2. I am leaving the existing fireplace and am also going to try to tap into the fireplace in the masterbedroom on the second floor. I did not show it on the plan but I am leaving it.

3. What was it you liked about the family room on the old plan.

4. I have the foyer exactly where you put it on your plan, that is where everyone has been prodding me to put entrance.

5. I was in Florida for work for six years but grew up in NY so am used to the crappy weather in winters. I will use that mudroom for my dogs as well.

6. Second floor plan coming soon.

Here is revised plan let me know your thoughts.

Let's see...

1. No problem. I like the new placement, with the windows on the front.

2. I'm so glad! I hope you'll be able to use the fireplace upstairs, too.

3. The family room had a good relationship with the kitchen, the outside and I liked that it was large, but still felt kind of private. I'm very fond of keeping rooms and it had that feel...even if it was much larger, than most keeping rooms :)

4. Sounds like you're not convinced about the entrance. I've found out, through trial and error with my plan...sometimes you just have to let the house dictate some of the design. Unless you're going to tear it all down and start over, it can be a big advantage to work with what you have and improve what needs to be improved.

5. LOL! I love the way you refer to the northern winters! And, good to see you have dogs. They're going to love having all that property.

6. I'm looking forward to seeing the second floor. One suggestion...do you have room for a little loft/TV space? Something for you could use as a playroom for your son, now...and maybe have his friends over, playing video games, when he gets older.

As for the first floor plan, the foyer and butler's pantry look really large for the space. Everyone uses their space differently, so I'm just wondering if the pantry is for dishes, food, wine, etc. and what are you doing with the foyer? Artwork, any furniture, just the stairs?

Personally, I love a butler's pantry, but would want the range/cooktop a little closer to the dining room. Food gets cold quickly, and I wouldn't want to walk too far, when serving dinner. I think the other thing I liked about the other plan is that the foyer gave you a beautiful view of the back (why do I keep thinking you were putting a pool back there?) but anyway, beautiful view, through the house. Then, the kitchen/family area was also open to that patio area, but from the side. I like that you had such great views, from every room.

I've been where you are (I've been working on my farmhouse plan off and on for well over a year) and I'm so glad I couldn't build my first few plans. They were nice, but not as good as my final one. I kept thinking I HAD to do some things a certain way...and when I opened myself up to making the home a little bigger, it all came together much better.

Think about what you want to see, as you walk into the house. How connected do you want the spaces? Would it make more sense to have the old plan for the family room, but have a second staircase, up to the bedrooms? A lot of old houses used to do that and it can make a lot of sense, in a bigger home.

I'm providing a link to my farmhouse remodel, on the Building a Home forum. Mainly so you can see Summerfield's software, but also to see how patient everyone has been, helping me with the details. Scroll towards the bottom, if you want to see the final plan...and how detailed it is. Hope this helps...and when you're ready, I hope you'll post your plan over there, too...just ask for Summerfield's help, on the subject line :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to my house plan on Building a Home forum

I found this picture...kind of an idea, for the entry. I like the stairs, but the top half of those walls really need to be something, besides white! LOL

I know you're probably picturing something a little grander, but I really like the french doors. {{gwi:2071734}}From Kitchen plans

Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : " The thing with the fireplace is I dont like the idea of walking in the foyer and seeing it dead on. Do you have any ideas for this? "

I missed an opportunity last December to think of moving the front door instead of dealing with the chimney. Someone else later showed a plan that moves the front door.

Been crazy with work, progress is has been slow. I did finally close on house. Most demo done, they are knocking down part of the house in the coming weeks. House will be a two story,will most updated floorplans and elevations later this week hopefully.

They did test pits this week, property had the highest percolation rate, going from 750 gallon to 1500 which can accomodate 5 bedroom however my house will be 4 bedroom.

Engineer is working on site plan,and drainage calculations, In Westport when you add over 800 sqft of impervious area you have to show how the water will drain off. We are going to use Stormtech gally's I think. Does anyone have experience with these?

Pors- You might want to post a new thread, asking specifically about the water issues.

Congrats on closing and I look forward to seeing the progress with your remodel! :)