I should also mention that the main floor will have 10' ceilings with 2x6" exterior walls. All of the windows on the rear/south and right/west side of the house will have transoms above the regular windows.

How are you planning to use bedroom 4? That's a really big space for a guest room. Any chance that could be DH's office?

I like the plan, but I think your kitchen eating area is too small, to be your only dining area. If you don't want to use the dining room, you could have a table in the sunroom. That would be beautiful, even though it's a bit of a walk from the kitchen.

On the kitchen forum, I recommended that you add a prep sink by the fridge...and also have the microwave there, since it will make a great snack area...especially as the kids get older :)

Lavender - thanks so much! Bedroom 4 will be for our daughter. She did end up with a really big room, but that's our fault for wanting a big music room below. Our 2 boys will be in the other bedrooms. The sunroom would a beautiful eating space. I hadn't thought of that! As far as the prep sink next to the fridge, the cabinet guy moved the double ovens to that wall and if we put a sink there I won't have a place to put down hot items. My double ovens are making such a mess of our kitchen design.

Overall, I think this is a very nice and efficiently designed home. We all have personal preferences for certain things, and mine are related to natural light. For me, it's really important to have natural light in every room, including bathrooms. The whole mudroom/powder room back hall area will be dark all day long and will require you to always have a light on in order to be in those spaces. I know this is a personal thing, but that would bother me, especially since in our house, the mudroom is one of the most used areas of the house and the most used entryway. I would also increase the width of my kitchen window to take up most of the expanse of that back wall. I'm not sure where your patio/deck is, but is it possible to put your access to the back yard in the family room on that little east wall as a single french door? Then you can run the counter the entire lenght of your dinette and turn the sliding doors into windows. That way, you maintain much of your light and gain a lot of cabinet/counter space.

Since it sounds like you guys entertain, I agree that your dinette should be bigger, especially since it's your only eating space in the home. I can't tell for sure, but do you have 2 sets of steps going to your 2d floor? If so, if you got rid of the one in the family room and shortened the Butler's pantry/area, then you could gain space in your dinette and family room fairly easily.

On the 2d floor, if you switch the walk in closets with the jack and jill baths, you could get some windows into that bathroom. I would also add another window to the bonus room.

Anyway, again, my comments are mostly based on my need to have natural light flood our house! So feel free to ignore. Good luck!

Hi Mom,
Deep breaths! Seriously though good luck!

I believe that I'd rotate your island 90 degrees and put your long side facing your range. That would give you an easier corridor to your fridge and keep kids sitting at the island out of your work zone a little more.

I like your upstairs plan though you might want to think about some cast iron pipes for the plumbing.... might be noisy from some of the showers and toilets in the rooms below. Especially if you playing music in the sunroom and someone was showering or flushing in the bathroom above.

I like your plan a lot. I think you are okay (and maybe a little tired ;) --7wks is peak of crying starts, if I recall).

My only question would be, why did you decide to have 2 stairs? I like the setup, but I'm not sure I'd have done it that way. But, really, you are ready to go, and you can.

If you haven't taken your current kitchen design to the kitchen forum (this isn't it, it sounds like), then I would do that. You want to make sure you have plenty of counter between sink and stove top for prep. And, you want the fridge somewhere easily accessed by the kids (in a couple of years). And, you don't want your island to function as a barrier island (cutting you off between the sink and fridge. So, make sure you satisfy those things (double check with kitchen forum), and you are good to go!

Way to go, busy, busy mama!

I may be interpretting this wrong, but I think one set of stairs goes to the second floor and one set will go to the basement.

The drawing is a bit confusing on the stairs, but the original post says they will have a basement and it look like there is a doorway to one stairway, so this is what I assume it is.

How did I miss that? I saw 3.5 years and 1.5 years, but missed 7 weeks...congratulations!

If you're moving the ovens, then you will need the counterspace. I love to bake, so I would want the double ovens, too :)

Your kitchen/eating area looks a little small, compared to all the rest of your beautiful, big spaces. Is there anyway to 'steal' some square footage, from that third garage? Even if you have to move it over, a bit? Your dining area appears to be about 8' across and that's not nearly big enough, for your only eating area, IMHO.

Another idea...if you can't change the garage, what if you reworked the kitchen (without the corner pantry)? Then, you might be able to turn the island 90 degrees, add a prep sink the the end by the fridge (across from the range/cooktop) and have the seating face the range/cooktop area. That would give you your main prep space, across from the cooking area and more room for dining.

Any chance you can put a walk though pantry, where you have the butler's pantry, now? Do you still need a sink there, if that's no longer the dining room?

The second floor one shows the stairs the best. It looks to me that it has a common landing with 2 half sets going down to the main level (and yes, from the main level, one set does go down to the basement). I may be interpreting wrong, but I do think they have 2 (or 1 1/2) sets of stairs.

The sunroom has windows on the south and on the west. What is the plan to keep this room from overheating?

Gobruno- I didn't even think about how dark that mudroom will be. SO DARK! I don't think we can change anything about that. Our lot grading wonkiness requires us to have a 2-1 garage. However, I will definitely take that into consideration when we move on to lighting.

Kirkhall- You totally got the stairs figured out. We originally fell in love with a floor plan that had a front and rear staircase, but this was our compromise to try to save some square footage. And yes, I am way beyond tired! Colicky baby and wild little ones keep me busy all day and night.

Lavender- Thank you so much for all your ideas. DH and I didn't think the dinette was so small until people started pointing it out. It is definitely not wide enough. I do like the idea of leaving the ovens where the floor plans show them, but when I got the sketch from the cabinet guy he had moved them. I'll attach the sketch to show you what he proposed. I just can't imagine how the double ovens and a 36" cooktop will fit on that wall.

{{gwi:1421770}}

Let me preface this by saying I am no expert and sometimes have ideas that aren't actually feasible, or are something you don't like (ex: pocket doors)...

A couple of questions?

It appears that you have two sets of stairs heading up stairs? One from the front entry and then one from the kitchen/dinette area to a landing half way up? Is that right?

Do you teach music lessons regularly?

My thoughts:

I am wondering who will actually use the stairs going up from the front entry and whether you might consider removing them and just have stairs going up from the kitchen area? (or from the family room end if you switched up the direction of the stairs)

If so, you could then either switch the hall closet to the other side of the entry hall or enlarge the other closet (now facing into the music room) and make it the hall closet. Either way, this would allow you to reposition the doors between the music room and sun room to make them more centered (you might also be able to make them slightly larger?). The effect would be a more useful/open area when you had recitals. Additionally, if you used the other closet as a hall closet, this would open up the entry hallway so you could put a chair or two for students waiting on lessons? or just a nice table.

Upstairs -- I'd give some more thought to the layout of the bathrooms and closets between bedrooms 2 & 3. I, too, like the idea of natural light in the bathroom, so might swap things around a bit.

If you decided to go with the layout of this area as it is, I'd consider a pocket door between the vanity area and the shower area instead of a swing door. I'd also consider a pocket door in the master bath for the w/c. A swing door there makes getting in and out of that small space tricky.

Congratulations on the new addition to your family. I'm impressed you can deal with a newborn and a house build -- brave lady!

Hi there!

Since you'll be using the formal dining as the office, will you still need the butler's pantry there? If not, can you flip it around and make it a double door, shallow pantry? Accessed from the mudroom hallway. That would enable you to remove the corner pantry and will give you more space on that counter run!

Also, I'm not a fan of the two doors leading in to BR#4's bath. I would just leave it a hall entry, and use the space from the old bedroom door for a linen closet.

Good luck!

Congrats on the house build & the new baby! Between both big things happening practically all at once, it is no wonder you are second guessing yourself! Overall, you have a very nice plan that flows well. It just needs a few tweaks here & there IMO.

My thoughts are more about views within the home, functionality in certain areas and then some kitchen questions (definitely post those plans on the kitchen forum, BTW).

Mudroom/Powder Room-I would remove the door between the mudroom & the powder room hall--odds are it will always be open anyway. I would also change the swing of the powder room door to the side so the door lands on the backside of the butler's pantry wall. I would also consider flipping the sink & toilet in there so as you enter from the mudroom, you don't see the toilet, but a pretty vanity instead.

Upstairs J&J Bath- I would make the bathroom doors pocket doors to eliminate the door issue between the linen closet & bedroom 2. I'd also turn the tub/toilet room around so the tub is on the back wall when you enter and the toilet is on the right. That would allow a nicer view vs. seeing the toilet through the doorway. It would also give whoever was using the toilet a little more privacy if they forget to lock the door and someone opens the door on them. You could also make the door into that room a pocket as well. I don't care for the setup in bedroom 3 where you have to close the bedroom door to get in the bathroom, but if you leave the setup the way it is, I don't see any other way to do it. There seems to be too many opportunities for someone to get whacked with a door.

Bedroom 4 & bathroom-I would most likely delete the door from the bedroom into the bathroom. Again you have door issues. Even though the doors won't collide, your daughter will be constantly opening the door to the bathroom and having to close the other door to enter. Could you maybe extend the wall out a little further where the open railing is to give her a short private hall and then she could use the main bathroom door via the hall without sacrificing her privacy so much?

Kitchen-How much space do you have between the island and the refrigerator/oven wall? In the elevation from the KD, it does not look like enough to allow someone to be seated at the island and still be able to move around behind them opening the fridge & ovens. I liked the idea of possibly turning the island 90 degrees as someone else suggested above. That would fix the clearance issue. Definitely post on the kitchens forum--you can get some excellent out of the box help over there.

Hope this helps!

RMSAustin- I'm actually on a bit of a break from teaching right now. Actually pretty much anything that doesn't involve little kids is on a break. I will never teach so many kids that I will have a line... that would drive me nuts! lol! We are pretty attached to the double stairs. I totally get that it's "wasted space", but I guess it's one of our quirks. I'm definitely going to pursue getting natural light into the shared bath upstairs. Hope our architect can work her magic. I just got an email from our builder who told me it only costs about $10 more to do a pocket door. I'm not a fan of their style, but they are certainly functional. Now that I know the cost is basically insignificant we'll be adding several throughout the house. Mudroom and master w/c are first on my list! And, this whole building house with a newborn wasn't exactly planned out.. but he is the big reason we're moving as quickly as possible.

Kelhuck- We're using the butler's pantry as a wetbar and coffee bar. DH jokes he likes the proximity to his office. I just like to have a separate place to store wine glasses, mixed drink supplies, and liquor. Plus, we're putting in a small beverage cooler there so eventually the kids can grab drinks without going in the kitchen. I think I agree with you on the BR#4 bath. DH really wants DD to have an entrance from her room, but I really don't think it's necessary. It's right outside her door!!! I worry more about people walking in on one another.

Thank you so much everybody! You are fantastic to take the time to help out. I truly appreciate all your suggestions.

So, the new sketch of your kitchen makes your island a barrier island--it blocks your path between sink and fridge. You will def. want a prep sink in the island in this case, and you will likely prep on the "outside" of the island. This is not a good setup for your kitchen, and so I'd definitely take your space to the kitchen forum.

I think the ovens can fit okay by the stovetop.

And, my prayers are with you. You have a big job on your hands (well, 4 of them). I get it. We'll just help you build this house so it functions well for you and your family.

I like the plan overall, but I really don't like the placement of the master bedroom. I guess I prefer to have the master a little more private. I know it is easy now to get to the little ones, but they will grow up and I'm thinking your going to want more privacy. Sound will carry from there so you'll have to be really quiet in whatever you do in there.

Unfortunately I don't know what the dimensions are etc. from your drawings, but would there be a way to switch the master suite and your girls/laundry etc. At least you'd have some privacy from the kids room. And I think sound can be contained better there to the stair well too than through the double doors at the top.

Two things...your daughter has the small vanity area, while the boys have plenty of room and probably won't need it. Maybe you could include a nice vanity area in her room...that could 'theoretically' be a desk when she gets older, but will probably be (at least in part) the vanity :)

Also, if you do find a way to rework the ovens, I found this picture and thought of your kitchen. Very pretty prep sink (it could be by the fridge or ovens) and I like the glass upper cabinets, too. Just an idea! {{gwi:1421772}}From Kitchen plans

LOve it!
The mudroom has a wasted corner with that closet in there. Also the 1/2 bath should be tweaked. maybe even turned 90 degrees? the set up here is odd and you could get more in there with some changes.

Also,what if you put the toilet where the tub is and centered the tub on the remaining wall. You would have to move the window. The door to the closet could me moved up to the window wall and the shower where the toilet is. It may even allow you to place a tall linen closet next to the tub.
The shower would move to the toilet area. It may even fix the vanity which works but looks odd.

How do you even do all this with that load of kids on your hands!
Good luck! Kitchen looks nice!

I think Lisa asked this on the kitchen forum, but is there anyway you could move the fridge, to the right of the sink? That would give you a much better layout and if you could 'steal' a few feet from the garage (maybe move it over a bit) you could add a few feet to the dining area. Is that possible?

Also, I just noticed...your sunroom is not even with the piano room. Any chance that could be moved over, along with the great room? That would give you a larger dining area and I don't think it would impact the upstairs too much. Would that work?

OK... first time all day that someone is not screaming or crying in my house. Crazy day today.

Lavender- I wish I could see more pics of that kitchen. It's great. It even has the same cabinet style/color, island color, and flooring that we are planning to have in our kitchen. The 1 car garage is 15'10" wide. Is that big enough to steal space from it? I'm pretty sure we are limited by the property line restriction on the sides of the house. Our lot is 110' wide and 235' deep with untouchable natural green space in the back 1/3 of it. (100'x235' treed natural green space on the west side that is owned by the development.) Bump outs are a bit tricky because of our lot limitations. We hesitated to bump the kitchen out too much because it will limit our backyard patio and landscaping space.

A lot of the odd bumps in the floorplan is because during the design process we did a 1' bump out of the kitchen, and several feet to the music room. Both rooms used to be even with the rest of the house.

Lyfia- we put the master in that location of the house because of the view. :) Plus, I've never liked the idea of the master bedroom or bath being on the front of the house.

Peytonroad- Thanks! Someone else pointed out the wasted space in the mudroom/powder room area. I'll have to keep thinking about that one.

You all have given such great ideas and things to think about! I'm not sure if I mentioned this on this thread, but we've hired an independent architect to oversee the build. I'm meeting with her soon so that we can go over any of my concerns. This thread has been wonderful to collect ideas and issues to bring to her. Would love to hear any other ideas if you think of more. You all have been wonderful! Thanks so much!

Here is another view of that same kitchen.

[East Edina Home[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~352401)

[Full kitchen view[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~352429)

Link to entire house album

Your Master placement is just fine. In fact, I think it is great. Why? Because it is over the more noisy areas of the house. You can put your kids to bed, and have your evening in the LR/kitchen and not worry about noise under their floor.
I'd keep that layout the way it is. (excepting getting rid of the door from bedroom to hall bath for your daughter as already mentioned...)

Kirkhall- Our plan is to use the bonus room as a playroom but also as a guest room. We will keep a pull out sofa in there. We don't have visitors too often, but we do want to offer a place when we do have grandparents visiting their grandchildren. That's why we opted to put a second door on bedroom #4 bath. So people could use a restroom without going through a child's bedroom. We have talked about eliminating the door from the bedroom to the bath, but our architect didn't recommend it because of the open view of the hallway door there. Do you have other suggestions for this? I really agree with you about not wanting that extra door from the hall to the bath, but I don't know how else to have a "public" entrance to a bathroom.

aa- thanks for the links! :)

aa- WOW. I thought our house had a lot of windows. the back of that house is crazy! I love it though. :)

Is there a reason for you to have that area open from below over the area where the bathroom entry is? Could you just make a short hallway there and have just that part enclosed? Just 2-3 ft to allow some privacy?

I guess would it make enough of a difference in what you are trying to do with that being open to have just an extra few feet to the wall that is already on that side?

If the bonus room is meant to be a playroom/guest room, it's a long walk to a bathroom that has hallway access. Have you considered putting the hallway access in the bathroom for bedrooms #2 and #3?

Also, this is probably just personal preference, but in the master, I'd prefer to have the closet first and then the bathroom.

I have not read the entire thread to know if you somehow need your daughter's bath to be shared. If not, why not move the entrance to the bedroom to just between the bath and the laundry room. This would give her a nice suite and room for a larger closet.

I noticed you asked about how to help with the bathroom issues that has public + bedroom access. I wrote alot in an earlier post, so you might have missed it...

Bedroom 4 & bathroom-I would most likely delete the door from the bedroom into the bathroom. Again you have door issues. Even though the doors won't collide, your daughter will be constantly opening the door to the bathroom and having to close the other door to enter. Could you maybe extend the wall out a little further where the open railing is to give her a short private hall and then she could use the main bathroom door via the hall without sacrificing her privacy so much?

Hope this helps!

Mydreamhome- sorry I missed that before. I think that is a great idea and I'll have to see what we can do to get that. DH is overly concerned about our DAUGHTER having a private entrance to the bathroom. Such an overprotective father already. Lol. He wouldn't care at all if it were for one of the boys.

So I had another thought this morning. Do you think we should have a door to enter the 1 car garage from the backyard? We haven't given much thought to the garages except that we need 3 (2 cars and lots of baby/kid gear), and they have to be oriented this way due to our slope in the front of our house. I want to make sure we don't mess up potential storage space.