I just realized that I mislabeled the first and second floors.

Very nice and compact, arvono. Did you draw this plan yourself? Fantastic stacking of the plumbing!

What would be the ceiling height in the attic? Would you consider including a small, round window centered in the front wall of the attic? How about on the back wall?

It gets cold in Massachusetts. Would you like a fireplace on the back wall of the dining room instead of the single window? That would be charming (and useful if the electricity ever fails in a storm). How about adding a row of windows on the western side of the dining room to bring in natural light?

Do you have a plan for a linen closet or a coat closet? I know our family never has enough storage space. Will you add a small roof or portico over the front door?

I appreciate the small footprint of the house. That should keep your building costs down.

Good ideas!

I noticed the mislabeling.
It's a very good start.
I am not sure how the right elevation will look because some windows will not be aligned but maybe you can shift the kitchen window.
Too bad the master closet is not 5' but I can see why you want to keep the overall width at 30'.
On the other hand, moving day will be hard but I am under the impression that you will be very resourceful.
It's great you are using 2x6's at the exterior wall.
Good luck.

Good point about the coat closet. The foyer is long, so you could add a coat closet adjacent to the stairs and shift the opening - or the opening between foyer and living room could be aligned to the windows.
What about a bump out fireplace? A stone one! pleaseeeee make an effort :)

I would be concerned about storage too; I realize the attic will probably help you but storage for linens near your bathrooms and bedrooms; how about a pantry in the kitchen? Are you sure you want your washer and dryer in that powder room? I did not pay enough attention to my laundry needs in my floor plan, now it is too late. I have a very small laundry room plus I have to use part of the space for a litter box, very cramped! Don't forget also about how you bring in your groceries as related to weather, steps, etc. Looks very economic to build though!
Good Luck!

Hey all,

Thanks for your comments...you guys had a lot of good suggestions.

I agree that the dining room probably needs a little more light so I increased the window on the back wall of the dining room to a double window.

I also agree that the attic could use a little natural light so I added a small round window to the front and to the back. Plus it looks kind of nice as well.

Regarding fireplaces...I have thought about them. If you have a wood stove and ten acres of wooded land you could heat an average size house indefinitely for free. And although I do like the idea of being self sufficient, I'm leaning towards getting a heat pump (ground source or air source - haven't decided which).

The linen closet has been a very popular recommendation and I probably could make either the kids/guest bath or the half bath smaller and fit one in. However, I think that I can do without one. With all three closets being anywhere from 8.25 to 11.5 feet long, I think that sheets, blankets, pillow cases and pillows could easily be stored in their respective closets. And with all of the vanities being 4 feet long, there would be enough room to store towels, wash cloths, toilet paper and other toiletries.

As for a coat closet, I haven't decided yet. I may put a closet on the wall between the foyer and the living room or I may leave it open and put in a bench and a couple of coat racks for a more open but old-timey feel (plus it would probably fit in with the hardwood floors throughout).

And I have to accept that the house may not look symmetrical from the sides or back. As long as it looks good from inside and the front.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I would vote for a linen closet as well. They take up very little space to be adequate (I have a 20 inch wide one servicing 3 bedrooms with room for extras (pillows, sleeping bags).

Also, I wouldn't want folks who come over to visit to have to share the bath with a laundry room. At a minimum I would put doors (even bifold would be better) to screen it off. I don't know about you but I always have something on top of my washer or dryer, whether it be folded clothes, clothes to be ironed, etc.

Someone on here ages ago had a great laundry closet - Peg is sticking in my mind but not sure if that is right.

Your layout reminds me of a classic foursquare, which is fairly popular around new england.

One of my favorites that I've saved away was designed by Building Science Corp (in Westford MA) who specialize in energy efficiency.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Hidden Springs Four Square plan

Nice Four Square plan ... I like the way you managed the stairs.

We're planning a slightly larger one with a downstairs office. They only "work" a few ways, unlike a ranch, but the compact energy-saving box is hard to beat.

Something to think about. I always look at a floor plan and figure out where certain things will go. I look at my house and take inventory of everything I have. For instance, the vacuum cleaner. Without any closets on the main floor, where will you put the vacuum/broom/dust mop? I know I have a mop in my kitchen pantry, because I use it so much.

I buy some things in bulk from Sam's Club (like a Costco), so I had to find somewhere to store extra paper towels and toilet paper, as well as things I can buy cheaper by buying on sale. Laundry soap, cleaning supplies, etc. Then there are those things that don't fit any certain place, but it's nice to have them handy, like a basic tool kit, light bulbs, etc. Maybe if you put bifold doors on the washer/dryer, there will be some shelves to put that kind of stuff. And there might even be room for a vacuum, if you brought the wall far enough out.

It's really amazing how fast the vanity fills up, so I wrote a list of everything in my current vanity, to make sure I had plenty of space at the new house. Blow driers and curling irons are kind of a space hog. And as soon as my girls got to be teenagers, their vanity suddenly became too small for makeup and hair equipment, much less the towels and toilet paper. I had to find a new place for first aid stuff, too.

Things like bird food, dog food, extra blankets...it never ends!

Of course, you'll make it work. There are some great space-making gadgets out there.

As suggested, I've put folding doors in the half bath to separate the sink and toilet from the washer and dryer. With the addition of the folding doors, I've removed the small window and put in some wall cabinets. Now the laundry area will give me a place to store some stuff.

Regarding kitty litter, I was planning on going with one of those kitty litter base cabinets in the foyer. To the untrained eye, it'll just look like another piece of furniture.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Consider adding a window in each bedroom on the walls that have none now. If you have the opportunity to let light in from two sides, the room always seems to feel better. I don't think it has to be a large window, just enough to let light in from that angle too. If you were going to put your bed in the master against the 'north' wall, a high window above the bed can look nice although window coverings can be difficult.

First of all, I think that is a very smart and efficient plan. Good work. I would get rid of the foyer wall and walk right into the open living area. Consider one large bathroom upstairs. Two seems like overkill and is not generally something youÂd want to do for a home of this size. One larger one and/or a slightly larger closet in the master may be better. Alternatively, ditch one upstairs bathroom and expand the landing at the top of the stairs. As it stands, itÂs a too-tight situation up there. You walk right up into 4 doorsÂeek. Heck, IÂm weird so IÂd even combine the two kids bedrooms and bunk them or have a half-height wall in a large bedroom area for some privacy, but maintain a large communal bedroom for them. Looks very good overall to me though.

I haven't really studied it thoroughly but wanted to add to the bathroom thing.

Our previous home was this same concept, but built in 1920. I know it was one of the first with electricity, so I am not sure if the plumbing was an after thought or not, not even sure when homes started getting indoor bathrooms, but it all looked original to me.

But anyways, with children, the exta bathroom upstairs, although small and cramped, was very very nice to have. Especially in the mornings when people are getting ready for school and work.

Everyone had different hours, which often changed daily, so it was nice. The kids had their stuff in their bathroom, and we had ours as a nice little retreat, and someone always had to go to the bathroom....

We had a small landing area at the top of the stairs which was a nice transition and then there were the doors to the bedrooms, attic, and bathroom. We also had a little back hall way to the other bedroom because there was a back staircase at the end of the hall.

We also had a foyer, which is where our staircase was, with french doors into the living room. It was a nice receiving area, as people didn't just walk right into the middle of everything, especially if it were unwanted/uninvited guests, they couldnn't just see everything going on in the house.

Our laundry was in the basement, no laundry chute, great exercise. We also had a bathroom down there which the previous owner used alot, he was a farmer and it came in from the garage which was a much lower elevation than the rest of the house, it was an add on later so would have had an exterior door to the basement. We didn't really use it that much until I made a home office down there.

Anyways, it was a great house and I miss it.