here is the upstairs

This post was edited by miriamcb on Fri, Jan 3, 14 at 14:44

Here is the main level

First thoughts:

Not quite understanding the bedroom and storeroom upstairs. Do you mean them to both accommodate guests, except without closet you can't call the one a bedroom? Will the two bedrooms upstairs actually be guest rooms, then? Your guests might appreciate, if not their own bathrooms, at least their own sinks, and not "bumping bums" LOL!

Any reason you don't have the laundry upstairs?

Turn the dining table, otherwise you'll always be walking around it, and guests at the front door will look down an alley, through the hall and the length of the table.

The kitchen will definitely be a gathering place, so you might want to bump out the glass wall a bit for more milling-around room in the winter. And guests at the bar will be "birds on a wire" with a view of...the sink, when the real view is out on the sunroom (love your idea with the garage door there!)

Thanks bpathome. It's so exciting to be getting objective feedback.
Upstairs is meant to be a master bedroom plus 2 other bedrooms, but if we call it a bedroom, it requires a closet. We'll be using one for our spin bike and treadmill (as we won't be using the basement for that stuff). The one with the closet will be the guest bedroom. Theoretically they would function as 2 kids bedrooms for future owners.
Do you think the space between the 2 sinks is so narrow that there would be bumping of bums? What a way to start the day for the poor family that decides to buy our house.
We have debated laundry up vs down extensively. We spend all of our time downstairs, upstairs only at bedtime. We're planning to install a chute too.
The dining table will have a 7 pendants over it suspended from the 19 foot high ceiling. I liked the idea of seeing that from the entrance with a 19 foot feature wall behind it. Does that make sense then to have it that way?
I agree that the kitchen is very narrow. We're limited by the symmetry of the house - I'll post a photo of a house with a very similar exterior. We're also limited because our footprint is already at the max allowed. We'd love to widen the kitchen, but haven't figured out a way to do it.

I can see your dining table, and it sounds lovely! Then you have to walk around it. Will it always be ready to seat 8 people?

Totally get the laundry. I've had it upstairs, belowstairs, and mainstairs, and no matter what I was taking stairs.

I like your photo! Glad you posted in Kitchens, they have good ideas. I do like your kitchen (with DW/trash tweaks)

For the upstairs bath, I was thinking something like this. It gives a little more space and storage, and some flexibility for the design of the sink/vanity area.

It definitely seems more spacious that way, but you lose the ability to have one child showering, using the toilet in privacy while the other brushes their teeth. That was how our architect sold us on separating the tub/toilet from the sinks. I wonder how often it works that way in reality.

My 2 kids just wait their turn or go use the downstairs powder room :) or schedule their time...teaches them to pay attention to one another!

RE: Downstairs powder room & laundry room - I would change the entryway to this location. Currently, the entryway/doorway looks in the powder room (which, from the dining table, isn't ideal.) If you centered the entry between these two rooms, you can avoid the view into either. That will give powder room users a little more sense of privacy. I would also consider having a pocket door there to buffer noise from either room (particularly the laundry if it is running.)

If I was in the living room, I'd imagine wanting to walk around the top of the dining table to get to the kitchen. That would be the fastest route. It looks like I'd have to walk around the bottom every time which would get annoying. That may or may not be true with your actual table.

Also, it sounds like you posted this to the kitchens forum, but I would want the fridge on the side of the kitchen closer to the dining/living. Your current setup is nice for unloading groceries, but it wouldn't be nice for day-to-day use.

Thanks for your comments lolauren. Good thoughts on moving the powder room door out of view. We're planning to use a beautiful Stone Forest marble pedestal sink on that visible wall, so we just have to make the decision about whether we actually want it visible from the rest of the house.
Are there heavy duty doors available that are more insulating for sound? We plan to insulate the laundry room itself, and hopefully find a solid door to decrease the noise. An extra pocket door there is also a great idea.