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lavender_lass

Final attempt at farmhouse plan...lots of pics :)

lavender_lass
13 years ago

Thank you for taking a final look at my kitchen, dining, keeping room plan. The dining area has a big window seat, with bookcases on both sides and a hutch, opposite the entry.

The actual living room is on the other side of the entry, but the keeping room area is just a nice place to sit and visit, without the TV. The woodstove is nice ambience and a good back up for heat and cooking, if the power goes out. We have a big, beautiful fireplace in the living room.

The pantry and laundry is behind the kitchen, with access to a half bath. The mudroom is for my husband's storage...for tools and fencing for the horses. Much easier to have this in the house, than digging through a storage shed, especially in the winter!

The seating off the mud room is the back deck :)

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Here are a few inspiration pictures, which you may already have seen.

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Here is the actual woodstove I'm planning to use, along with the settee and chairs...with much nicer legs. The fabric will be french country style, with yellow, blue, white, green, with a little lavender and pink or red.

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Finally, here's the 'before and after' of the farmhouse. This is what it looks like now...and I'm hoping it will look more like this, after a lot of imagination, work and money! LOL

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There are two bedrooms and a bath planned for the upstairs and a 'man cave' with fireplace and small bar in the basement...the rest of the lower level is cellar/storage/furnace, etc.

Thanks for taking the time to look! As always, I value your input and appreciate your suggestions :)

Comments (22)

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The final image should be the 'after' of the farmhouse. If it still looks like an older version of the kitchen plan, I'm hoping Photobucket will update itself soon. It's showing the right plan on Photobucket...but not putting it in the post...hopefully it will be there in the next few hours :)

  • User
    13 years ago

    Lav, it seems that you've got it very close to perfect now. What I like is the way all the plumbing is fairly close together. I bet the upstairs bath is linked in to the plumbing beneath it too.

    I do not know what kind of heating system you have, but you say the furnace is in the basement. Do you have floor or ceiling ducts for that? Is your furnace sized right to handle the increased living space?

    In your climate, the airlock entries will save on fuel costs. I also note that you've relocated the hot tub, and it is very well placed now.

    Ciao, lady.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    There are so many things I just love about this plan. That pantry area is wonderful and I really like the way you tucked in an extra potty close to the back door.We like having the guest bath right off laundry/mudroom at the back/side door. So nice to keep muddy feet out of the main part of the house.

    Sitting areas in kitchen are wonderful. You will enjoy that. We or I do here. And our company also does.DH has HIS chair and that is it for him. LOL

    Totally love that little settee and chair.

    Will you be moving out while you are doing this??

    Understand the tools in the house especially in winter. Fencing is hard enough with out having to get cold just hunting down the tools before the work starts. Since we do not have large animals any more I am off the hook for that. AND when we did still have them I kept all fencing tools, and still do, in a little red wagon I can pull along the fencing job with me so every thing was right at hand. We never did have a place in the house for tools but it is a great idea.Course the wagon would not work in the snow. I did keep the wagon in the shop in the winter.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you both for the nice comments! It makes me feel SO much better to have some positive feedback. My mom likes the plan, too, so I think this may be a keeper. I finally feel like I've got all the spaces I need, but no wasted spaces I'm not going to use.

    ML- Yes, the upstairs bath is right over the other baths :)

    We have to put in a new furnace, so that's giving us plenty of options. Probably go with floor ducts (it's funny, my mom asked me the same thing last night LOL) and I hadn't even thought about it before. I like the hot tub location, too...better view!

    Shades- I love the pantry and I'm glad you like it, too. The half bath is so nice...especially if you've been out with the horses...don't want to track that through the house :)

    I saw a little settee and a couple of chairs YEARS ago at a furniture store and just loved them. They were covered in french country prints and I thought then...too much for the living room, but perfect for a keeping room!

    We actually live in a manufactured home next to the old farmhouse. I really like the MH, since we've done a lot of work on it, and plan to keep it for our office space. We have a home based business and as it grows, my living space keeps shrinking.

    The wagon sounds like a cute idea! My husband usually packs his stuff around in a backpack, but I use my garden cart like your wagon, in the summer. Everything gets moved around in the cart, saving my back! :)

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    Lavender no matter how much you plan there will always be the one thing after the fact. So do the very best you can and do not beat your self up later when you do think of some thing.

    My DH and I have lived in so many houses and for this one we tried to take each thing in other houses we did not like and eliminate it here. And add all we did like and needed. We were just talking about all of this a couple of days ago and have decided we did pretty well and are really happy with this house and our whole set up. So many things need to be considered from living space for us and the critters to snow removal.

    I think you are doing a great job of planning. I was placing myself into your house and walking around the different spaces and how you would use them.

    I only see one little thing. That half bath could be incorporated into the guest bath by moving the vanity to the other wall. Course then you would have to be more tidy with the feet. But it would give you more pantry area. Maybe less on your house taxes too if that is important. I think they count # of baths= value. I know for sure here our "guest" room= my sewing room has no closet so this house has three bedrooms but it only counts as two bedrooms and a den. Less taxes for us. Just a thought.I really do like the half bath and not trying to talk you out of it.

    For us I put pretty rug, one of my hand woven ones, in guest bath when company is coming and then the rest of the time it is just plain rug that does not matter if it gets dirty.

  • User
    13 years ago

    Maybe your DH can put some runners on his little wagon in the winter.......and sled it around as he does the fence repairs?
    That would be so cute. A real red flyer.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    LOL ML I had to do 90% of the fencing in our animal times. This side of Idaho the snow gets way too deep. The fences are quickly disappearing. Yesterday I had to shovel a trail around the edge of the dogs yard so they can not just step over the fence.Fortunately they are good to not try to get out. They could have in a couple of places.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Shades- That's a good idea. I think they count bedrooms, her, too, but it's a quick fix to remember, if they count bathrooms, instead :)

    Have you had a lot of snow? We did have a lot (about a foot and a half) but then most of it melted...now, we're back to about three or four inches.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I've been playing around with Shade's idea, to combine two of the bathrooms.

    If I take out the wall between the half bath and hall bath...and remove the toilet in the hall bath...I can center the claw foot tub in the window bump out. Then, I can even up the wall to the stairs and place on long vanity with single sink across from the tub/toilet.

    I really like this idea, as it makes the bathroom more luxurious...and provides a short cut between the bedroom and the laundry :)

  • User
    13 years ago

    Lav, it sounds like a real option to me. By combining the two, you will have less space taken up by studs and walls, more actual usable space.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    OH NOW you are talking. That looks even better than I saw it.

    You will love the short cut and I did not even see that possibly. You might wonder if having a short cut through the bath will work. Well let me tell you it works GREAT. We have that here. Love it. This is why I do not understand how I did not see it for you. LOL

    Here is the floor plan on our house and although the rest is all different and our guest/hall bath is tiny compared to yours it will give you an idea of flow.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Walk through bath

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Shades- I've been in your floor plan :) Did you get the porch? That was one of my mom's favorite features...that and the beautiful kitchen.

    I was helping my mom look for her manufactured home (about four years ago) and we looked at a LOT of homes! I love your plan...so did my mom...but we found a Marlette home a little smaller and less expensive. However, we did add on 8 feet to the kitchen and a half porch off the living room. She loves it!

    Your hall bath is a perfect example of a short cut...and I'm glad you like it. My 'planned' hall bath might be bigger, but your master bath is much bigger than mine. Ours is utilitarian, but works in the space.

    I'm glad you and ML like this change, because I'm loving it! LOL Less expense and a bigger bath...plus the short cut.

    Here's my mom's plan from Marlette, if you want to see it. We added the porch, but enclosed the half off the kitchen, to make it interior space, for the dining area. She also added the little wall on the other side of the opening, between the kitchen and living room, and moved the front door over to that side. This left the half porch for her entry :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Floor Plan

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    Lavender First I forgot to answer the snow question. We got six to 8 inches on top of what we had. Not a lot of melting going on as last week we were very cold at 6 degrees to maybe 16 for the high. Snowed a few inches today but we are cleared out at the house so all is well.Joe just bought this Blade for the side by side and can plow us out in less than half an hour and we have lots of driveway.OH and you can see some of the snow but this is before last storm. There is lots more now.We usually end up with three to four foot on the ground. Just getting started.

    Yes we did get the porch. Love it. It is only 8 foot wide and to any one I would suggest 10 foot wide for porch a better size. but 8 foot works. Also the porch faces the street so we enter directly into what is supposed to be the dinning room. The living room door goes out to what we call the court yard.

    We added 3 stretches. Two foot across master bedroom end and two foot across in living room kitchen end and 16 inches in the middle across the two bedrooms.

    OH wah your link will not load right now.Said try later.

    I really like the large master bath and you will enjoy your large hall bath. We had the option to put door between kitchen and laundry and almost wish I had done that. And we can later. A pretty French door would be wonderful. This would have made it possible to include our hall bath with laundry room and make it feel larger too. Still working on that in my brain. With just us I can leave that bath/laundry room door open and this keeps from steaming up the bath when I shower in there ,which I do some times when we both need to get ready in a hurry. Course then I have to keep a curtain on the laundry room door to outside for privacy.

    We really are comfortable in this house.I will keep checking in on your link. I even tried the Marlett website and it seems to be down. Our last MFH was a Marlette. They are very nice.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plow

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    What a fun plan she has. There is a lot that is similar to our plan. Her half porch would also work here. We already have the dinning room space as the house comes. BUT if we enclosed that dinning room side of the porch it would make a great air lock space to help keep cold out of the house in winter. Could put a door from outside into enclosed half porch and then into the house. Hummmmmmmmmmmmmm

    I already checked with the building inspector about a permit just out of curiosity awhile ago. He said no permit is needed for us to enclose the porch since it is already on foundation and under one roof. Would need electrical permit if we changed that. The railing that is there is easy to change around for different opening. We could keep the same steps into the closed in part. But would be better on the other side. Not a big deal to add steps.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    That's a lot of snow!!! I thought we had a lot, compared to Spokane. Nice plow! My husband would love that! :)

    Mom is really happy with her new home. She thought she might regret having only one bathroom, but it's got the 'peanut' tub (the soaky tub, shaped kind of like a peanut) and she loves it! She's also got lots of closets and that was what she really wanted and needed.

    Her kitchen is huge, especially for the size of her home. Everyone is so surprised, when they come in, because it looks like such a cute little home (entering on the end) and then WOW! huge kitchen :)

    Your ideas about the porch sound great...my mom was thinking of screening part of hers originally, but having it enclosed makes it functional all year. Maybe you could do a screen/sun porch, so that you could have an airlock in the winter, greenhouse in the spring and open the windows (lots of screens) in the summer.

    You had such a pretty little sitting space with plants in your other house (wasn't that your picture?) I really liked it!

  • young-gardener
    13 years ago

    I suppose this is only VERY slightly related, but... Penney's currently has a bench that reminds me a lot of the one in your inspiration picture. I'll put the link in for you.

    I love the plan. Oh for a mud/laundry zone like that!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Settee

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Young- That's a pretty settee...thanks for the link.

    Here's a plan, showing the bathroom spaces combined. I like the space, but I only need one sink, so it's a big vanity. I'd love to do something like engineered marble...looks like marble, but not the upkeep :)

    I could put a bench by the tub, but a small armoire for storage, might be a better use of space. What do you think?

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    I didn't put furniture in this time, thinking maybe it would be easier to see the space.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    The picture did not come up for me. I right clicked on it and open in another window and then it did come up?? Computers. LOL

    WOW That new bath looks great. I think it will be as useful as having the two smaller baths.If not more so.

    Funny on your Moms house and the big kitchen. We get the same comments at how large our kitchen is. Here kitchen and dinning room space is 22 by 12 1/2. Being open to the living room makes the whole space feel large.

    I think it is ML's house with the sun porch and pretty plants.

    Making our porch do double duty is a good idea. It is very hot in the summer. I wonder if closing it in on the one end and insulating it to the max might keep it cooler in the summer. We have so much light in this house a little lost to the close in in front of the one window is not a problem.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I drew the plan once more, this time with the furniture back in :)

    The hall bath now has a little half wall, between the toilet and claw foot tub...and an armoire/storage area, next to the sink. The little rectangle, between the tub and the hall door, was a bench, but is now probably a towel holder (since I moved the door over a bit).

    Any other ideas/suggestions? Thanks for the help, so far!

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  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    Looks great. Our last house had a cabinet at the end of the sink counter and it was same depth as the counter. It worked but was a bit deep .Your armoire should work great there. And I keep seeing how nice and close to the laundry this bath is. You will like that.

    And the big question. Can this be done within the old farm house? I have forgotten what was there. Will have to go back and look at the old thread to see that plan. Are there any walls staying the same?

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    It's surprisingly the same...just a bit more added on. The wall between the living room and bedroom is load bearing, so that stays the same. I moved the closets to this wall, and bumped out the bedroom/master bath about 3 or 4 feet.

    The walls between the living room/entry and the master bath/hall bath...are the dividing line between the old house and the addition. I don't want to mess with these, at all, so they're pretty much the same. I did move the stairs a bit, so they run straight up, rather than back bending, but those HAD to be changed...too dangerous as is.

    The wall between the dining room and kitchen is non-load bearing, so I'm taking it out, but the porch/seating area has a big arch/opening. This is load bearing and has to be supported by posts and beam. I also like that it gives the seating area a little more of its own space.

    The hall bath is a rough guess as to original measurements...it has to be torn down and rebuilt, so it doesn't really matter. The laundry/pantry and mudroom are new construction, as is 3' of the vestibule.

    Here's the 'before' plan, again :)

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  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I've been looking for good kitchen pictures...and while I love my sink with the tile backsplash...I haven't been able to find any other kitchens I really like. This one if so me...if it were a little less fancy. The blue walls, cream cabinets, wood floors, french accents, plants, etc. are perfect...just a little more rustic/less glitz...but very close. Wouldn't the little blue woodstove look great with this color scheme? :)

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