Our usage is about the same as yours.

Our dining room in our new home will actually be my work room or office. In the future when I have fewer projects and our parents are hosting fewer family events it can easily become a dining room. Our living room is completely open on 2 walls so it will actually flow with the other rooms so I see us using it more often than a completely separate room. I plan on having a room divider between the living & family rooms for the times I want it to function as a separate room.

Like you we didn't need a large master bedroom. It's bigger than we'd originally planned b/c the house needed a symmetrical approach and to even things out it needed it bigger.

Our usage is about the same percentage wise (hrs are a little different as garage gets a little more use in our house, but close enough). Though we don't have a separate living in our current house. Dining is used maybe once a year. We either sit at the island in the kitchen or on the couch, even though TV is visible from all but one spot in the dining room. I use the bedroom a little more than you awake as the treadmill is in there.

In our new house we will have a breakfast and dining area, but the plan was to make the breakfast area or dining into a play area. Now we don't need either at the moment so will wait to decide what to do with the space. We will have an eat at peninsula that will be in perfect view to see the TV.

"How do I justify either having a living room, and never using it, or NOT having one at all?"

Most people justify that, assuming they designed their own home, as being there for "resale" purposes. And now I read that formal dining rooms are making a comeback, so we'll all get scared into having one whether we want it or not, too.

I think you're doing a really smart assessment of your usage. I'd like to think we did the same when designing our--soon to be built--new home.

We put two offices in ours, but arranged them--like everything else--so they could serve other purposes at resale (hopefully after the last one of us dies). We wanted only one dining space and made it as big as most formal dining rooms but it really is just the end of our galley kitchen (which is small because I'm old and tired of cooking).

We made the living room small, connected to the dining room so the two work well together for those rare occasions when we entertain. It also is a walkthrough room. We had to have a circulation space from the foyer to the dining room, so we essentially made a wide hallway, and named it the living room.

Because we're getting older, yet live as if we're not, we are subject to ongoing orthopedic injuries from our excess activities. So, our family room, where the TV is, always is littered with braces, linaments, surgical wraps, heating pads(2), plus our books, catalogs, furniture designs and drafting materials, cats, etc. We LIVE in the family room, and too messily to ever get it cleaned up for guests. That is why we, the most casual of couples, have a "formal" living room. The family room opens off both the kitchen and the rear hallway so it has good circulation for us. But both openings have real, closeable doors so I can leave it as it is. Just like some parents close off their children's rooms when visitors come.

That is my long-winded way of saying you can have exactly what you want/need if you design it to suit you now, and build in flexibility for your own future changing needs and for eventual resale.

Have fun with it!

The "dining room" of our new house will be my husband's office as he works from home. This way, for resale value there is a formal dining room if one needed. We did not put in a formal living room; however, we have a great room open to kitchen and also a covered patio with a wood-burning fireplace. The patio also has mechanical screens so it can be very comforable during the insect season. I anticipate us being outside during spring and fall as our seasons have warmed up considerably here in Missouri.

Go with what you use and don't hesitate to have rooms with dual purposes. You may also want to check out "The Not So Big House" which gives great ideas. I'm not crazy about the decor in those homes but the ideas are suited to how families live today.

Teresa

We designed our home with only rooms we will use on a daily basis. We don't have a formal living room, only a great room, nor a dining room. We'll have an area in the great room for a table and chairs and the kitchen bar. We won't be having a lot of people over for formal dinners so a dining room wasn't necessary. Any gatherings we have will be buffet and strictly casual.

A friend came to see our progress and she was the first to comment on the practicality of our house and said she wish she had built hers the same. She said you don't have any rooms that won't be used everyday.

Instead of rooms that won't be used we opted for porches that will be used every day when the weather permits. We figure we'll be on the porch as much as in the great room!! Everyone who comes to the house, walks through the house and ends up on the back porch enjoying the nice breeze. We figure when people come to visit, the back porch will be the place where they'll end up if the weather is nice. I went out and bought my first 2 wooden rocking chairs so when people come to see the house in progress they can sit for a spell on the back porch.

like brutuses, we forgo the formal rooms. We have a large great room that will house or dining table (gets used daily), tv, couches and whatnot. We are a strictly casual family and expect our guests to act the same.

I did opt for a larger masterbedroom. Like many folks, ours gets used for sleeping and love making and not much else. As my family grows up, I need some private space for things I am not allowed to do around my kids (herb smoking mostly). So my master bedroom will have sitting couches and plenty of space.

We designed our house for entertaining. I LOVE to entertain. Big open spaces inside and out.

We use every room of our home but sometimes it takes an effort. We have a formal dining room so once a week I cook my kids favorite and we will eat in there. Or I will have my coffee in there. One of those HGTV shows said to use every inch of your home and I try.

I'm not a fan of formal living rooms plus family rooms. We aren't formal people. The main reason for a formal dining room was to use it as a buffet room when we entertain. My builder tried to talk us out of that.

Looks like you have a good handle on what you need based on what you have had in the past. Maybe give some thought into a room you would like to have that you never had before. (craft room, library, music room etc. etc)

In designing our home, we also studied how we used our rooms (not quite as detailed as your study, however).

Result is that on the main floor, we have the master suite, great room with a dining nook, kitchen and utility room. We opted not to have a formal dining room because I don't like paying for square footage that will be unused. In the finished basement, we put a guest bedroom (also DH's office), full bath, TV room and exercise room.

I spend most of my free time in my loft space which was designed for my computer and sewing machines.

Every room gets used. Of course, where we live, a formal dining room isn't a "must have". That seems to be more a southern and eastern requirement. But putting in a room soley for the resale argument doesn't make sense to me. Down the road wants and needs can change.

You are taking a smart approach.

I wish I knew those elusive people who love to entertain.

My experience is that my friends and acquaintences are too cheap to throw a lot of parties.

We are very casual too. Instead of a dinner party, it's just friends or relatives dropping by. We're not fanatical housekeepers, either, so it's nice to be able to keep some areas of the house cleaner, some more 'comfortable'. I know it may be foolish, but we're not considering re-sale at all. We plan to die there, and want it the way we want it. My current thinking is to have a decent sized great room, with comfy furniture and a fireplace on one end, and a dining area on the other. In an 'L' shape, the kitchen will be open to the dining end of the great room. I'm changing my thinking, and considering having our TV in the great room, maybe behind doors over the fireplace, like I saw in the 'TV over fireplace' thread. At least that will guarantee that the room will be used! The 2nd bedroom can be an office/library, with all the bookshelves and the computer. A futon could be used in a pinch for overnight guests. Since we'll have a full-sized walk-out basement, there is a lot of 'bonus room' for storage, game room, and maybe a guest suite. One thing I didn't mention in my room usage is porches- here in FL, we do a lot of living and entertaining on the porch, and SC should be the same. All this efficiency study is so that we can keep the house size down- in the 1200 sq/ft range. Part of it is upfront cost- we don't want a mortgage, and part of it is to keep down future costs- heat, A/C, taxes, maintenance, etc. I'm not a die-hard tree-hugger, but I do believe in minimizing my impact on the environment within reason. The easiest way to do this is by living in a smaller house! We lived surprisingly well in an 800 sq/ft house for a number of years, and part of me feels that that should be possible again, but I use the excuse that there may be grandchildren someday!

Your home runs completely differently than mine.

I spend twice as much time in the kitchen as you do. I cook every meal, usually from scratch. I spend probably 9 hours a week in the bathroom between hour long baths/showers, putting on makeup, and doing my hair, more if I am going somewhere important. My husband spends about 5-6 hours a week in the bathroom because he enjoys soaking as well. The time varies for how many hours per week he spends in his office depending on his paperwork and projects, I devote anywhere between 5 to 10 hours a week at the piano, a few more each week to the violin. We watch 2-3 hours of television a week (only during weekend meals). A huge chunk of our time together is outdoors and at the lake. The rest of my time is in my office, outdoors, cleaning, and exercising.

I think that analyzing times is only half the story. For instance, my husband and I do not use the bathroom at the same time (I have heard that some couples do -we are much more proper than that).

Also, time does not necessarily predict space as much as other factors like family size and region. Example: I live in the south where winter gear is usually a sweater. (I knew a kid in school that had ear muffs who was teased mercilessly.)

As a couple with no children, we gave priority to our leisure areas, our master suite, the library, and our offices. A family with the same size house would probably opt for larger tv viewing areas, children's rooms, and a play area.

Your choice is how much are you willing to risk by building what you want vs. what other people may want to buy in the future.

The idea of putting your money where you spend your time is the central insight of the 'Big Enough House' books, though some of the plans to come out of that movement are ridiculously ineffecient...

I have several guest rooms that I won't use often, and a 'family' room to house my pool table that really doesn't get much use, but otherwise I plan to use every room every day.

I don't care for plans with massive redundancies, like an island with seating, breakfast nook, and formal dining within feet of each other; or separate famliy and living rooms on the same floor. If I were house shopping, that sort of thing would be a minus, not a plus. Just a thought for those of you building for resale...

As we are still in the 'tweaking' phase of our design this is a great thread!

Something I will add is to measure all your rooms, think about how even 6" or a foot might make a difference in the space. If you have a room you love now, take note of the size and proportion of the space, how it relates to other rooms and the sun exposure. When I'm visiting a friend or touring a show home I try to take mental note of these things when a room either feels really good to me or leaves me cold. Try to incorporate what you have now that works for you, and improve upon what is not working or add what you lack.
Our plan combines our own ideas, things we like about our current home and about three different stock plans 'frankensteined' into each other. We have given alot of thought to how we live and how we want our home to function. We have added some personal features that are just for us, but they are not so far out that they wouldn't appeal to another family. For example, we are planning a sitting area in our kitchen large enough for a sofa and chair because that is what we like, but someone else could use the space as an informal eating nook, and use our everyday dining room as the 'formal' dining room. Another way to look at resale is in positives vs negatives. Our master bedroom is likely going to be small by some standards but it will have alot of great positve features that will hopefully offset the smaller square footage.

I think it's important to consider not just how you live, but how you WANT to live.

Unless it is a working adult household with most meals taken outside of the home, I don't think 7 hours total in a kitchen or a dining area is enough. I'm not a cook, but I still can't imagine this (with kids). That's 20 minutes a meal, including prep, eating, and clean-up. How is that possible? Designing a house around eating habits like that probably isn't a great idea. Granted, an particular couple's lifestyle may make 7 hours/week in the kitchen realistic, but I think that this is one situation where planning for resale might be a good idea.

I think the list of hours used is a great starting point, but the next step should be to examine how those hours might change if you were living in an environment more conducive to a different lifestyle. If you had a comfortable breakfast room with a small pull-down TV to check the new/weather the news, would it keep you from eating on the couch in front of the TV or grabbing a donut on the way to work?

We planned our house to fit what our needs and found that we liked the idea of smaller bedrooms. The only time that we spend in them now is sleeping. The master in the new house is 15 1/2 X 17. Each of the kids' rooms is 12 X 14 compared to the 15 X 19 that they have now. Their current rooms are a huge waste of space and I would have loved to have the additional SF for other uses.

The kitchen and eating areas are whole different story. I love to cook and they love to eat. The result is that I spend several hours every day in the kitchen. We have the neighborhood gathering house and there are always extra people here. We do have seating planned for the island, so the kids can have snacks & quick breakfasts, etc (I don't allow food outside of the "eating areas"). There is a breakfast room for everyday family meals. We will also have a formal dining room. Overkill? Not for us. Sunday dinners with the extended family are common and I'll be taking over holiday meals when the house is finished. We also entertain...alot. Not to mention having 3 boys (13,11,9) who will undoubtedly be bringing home "extras" for meals. They already do it now, so I don't expect that to change. :o) We planned a screened in porch and deck with eating areas too. We do a cookout for each of the boy's baseball teams every season. They play in the fall & spring, so that's 6 official cookouts. If you feed them they will come...... :o)

We won't have a formal living room. Instead we planned a great room that's open to both the kitchen and sunroom/computer area. I like to keep an eye on what the boys are doing on the computer. There will be a game room, office and bath upstairs otherwise it's all on one level. It probably wouldn't work for most, but it's just what we need!

7 hours in the kitchen might be a little light, but we don't have an eat-in kitchen, and the only significant meal we prepare is dinner. Breakfast is pretty light (but healthy) and lunch is brown bagged. Since I usually eat left-overs for lunch, it literally takes me about 5 minutes to put lunch together. About 80% of our meals are on paper plates. Right now, we watch TV, and do much of our eating in a small bedroom we use as a den. Although it sounds bad, what difference does it make if I eat breakfast on the couch, or in a breakfast nook? In the interest of full disclosure, I have to add that I grill out every weekend, rain or shine, and we sometimes grill on a gas grille during the week. I guess I would have to add those hours to 'kitchen time', although it will probably be about the same in our new house. All that being said, we are both good cooks, and the kitchen will be large in relation to the rest of the house. Our current kitchen is a whopping 80 sq/ft; our new one will be nearly double that.

One thing I'm putting in my plans is a dressing room, for want of a better term. Basically, it is a huge walk-in master closet, with room for the ironing board and maybe a dresser or two. I'm giving up some master bedroom size for it, but I think the net space in the BR will be greater by getting rid of the clutter. The dressing room will be app. 10X10, and feature a window, and good lighting. We're also committed to having 2 bathrooms, because we don't want to have to keep the master bath spotless at all times in case an unexpected guest needs to use it. Also, it lends more privacy when having overnight guests. Our property is way out in the country, so anyone who 'pops in' will probably stay a while.

As for resale, well, a 1200 sq/ft house plunked in the middle of 7 acres is almost comically small by today's standards, anyway. We are on a very tight budget, and I plan to do much of the work on the house myself, possibly taking a year off to build the whole thing ( a life-long dream). So building a much larger house simply isn't an option. I'm sure we will be able to get our investment back out if we have to move unexpectedly (we could already make a nice profit on the land alone). It's great to have this discussion, and hear everyone's ideas and experiences!

"7 hours in the kitchen might be a little light, but we don't have an eat-in kitchen, and the only significant meal we prepare is dinner. Breakfast is pretty light (but healthy) and lunch is brown bagged. Since I usually eat left-overs for lunch, it literally takes me about 5 minutes to put lunch together. About 80% of our meals are on paper plates. Right now, we watch TV, and do much of our eating in a small bedroom we use as a den. Although it sounds bad, what difference does it make if I eat breakfast on the couch, or in a breakfast nook? "

"Experts" will tell you that eating on a couch in front of a TV tends to results in mindless eating and greater comsumption of calories. And given current rates of obesity and related health problems even among the young (have you been inside an elementary school lately? - a lot of overweight kids), I think it's something to consider (although it may not be an issue for you).

It sounds like you don't have kids and aren't building a "family" house and aren't concerned at all about resale, so my points may not matter to you. I was making more general comments. I think a family house should be designed to facilitate healthy attitudes towards food. Like persnicketydesign, we don't allow our kids to have food outside the eating areas and any house we bought or built would have to accomodate that. The adults in our house do often snack at night outside of the eating areas and that is something were are going to have to work towards changing as the kids get older. So I don't mean to sound overly judgemental, it's just that I know if we didn't have a comfortable place for eating at a table our habits would be even worse! Which is what I meant about designing for how you WANT to live, rather than how you necessarily live now. Aspirational design, perhaps?

We did the same thing before we built our new house and we eliminated a family room from the design and have a great room instead and love it. We do have a formal dining room that we use maybe once a month for dining, but for us the big table in the dining room has always been a nice back up work area so a dining room is not wasted space for us. We ended up building a 3100sf house with 3 bedrooms, office, living room, kitchen with eating area, dining room and loft plus 900 square feet of rec area in the basement for our two boys and we use every room every day. Our old house was a little smaller than our new house, but it had more rooms and we never used our living room in that house because it had a family room. I'm so glad that we don't have both a living room and a family room in our new house. Our old house had a huge master bedroom and tiny secondary bedroom and we made the master bedroom in our new house smaller (15'-6" x 15'-6") and the secondary bedrooms bigger (all 15' x 15') and don't regret that either. We also put a walk in closet in every bedroom and a walk-in pantry and finally having adequate storage is wonderful.

Dig through some of the "Not So Big" house books. She talks a bit about dual use for rooms and designing your house to fit the way you use it. You don't need to have a "not so big" house to use some of her ideas. For instance, I wanted a separate office, because I do work from home, but after I thought about it, nearly 90% of my working time is spent on a laptop computer, sitting on the couch. I need some space for filing papers, but even that is getting less and less. I nixed the separate office, expanded the window seat area, added a small desk to sit my laptop on when I am not using it and added some bookshelves. I now have a library area that just thrills me.

We have a large great room, with an area for a dining table and chairs, as well as an island for eating. It goes with our more informal entertaining style. We can use it as a place to eat every day if we want to get away from the island and it an be dressed up for a more formal dinner.

Here is a link that might be useful: My House Building Blog

flgargoyle,

I like your idea of planning for only the rooms you will use and need and adjusting their size accordingly. While looking for floorplans, I did exactly that - I determined what rooms I wanted and how I wanted to allocate the area to them. Although we will spend more time in the kitchen, I'm trying to pack a lot of punch into the kitchen space. I will spend the extra money on bathroom space, not because we spend a lot of time there, but I don't want to be crowded when we have to be in the same space at the same time.

We aren't giving "resale" a thought. My dream plans right now are at about 1300 sq feet. People will either like that it is a well-built, energy efficient, low-maintenance property or they won't.

Sometimes a room's use doesn't match its label. We read in our LR and watch TV in our 'library'. We eat breakfast (and lunch and dinner) in our 'breakfast room'. Our island 'bar' is often covered with overflow from my kitchen desk if DH and I want to look at the material together. I dress entirely in my walk-in closet. DH still wants to use a highboy in our MBR. Our grandson naps in the 'guest room'; real guests have to accept that there's a crib in there!

A MBR doesn't have to continue to house dressers, etc. in these days of walk-in closets (unless you have a DH like mine), but it should be large enough for two people to pass without having to 'dance'. Our MBR houses a king bed and side chests, DH's highboy, a mainly decorative desk and chair, and a chaise and side table.

Our screened porch gets lots of use for six months a year. Our house is traditional in style, so it does have a formal DR. It's rarely used -- but we prefer using it to hosting people at a restaurant, which isn't the same thing at all, IMO.

Most used are the kitchen, breakfast room, back hall (laundry, powder room, huge storage closet). We do live all over our 2900 sq ft house. Least used are DR and guest room and its bath. However, 'least used' doesn't mean unnecessary.

I just moved out of a house with a formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, separate living and family rooms, and a host of bedrooms, all on the smallish side. It didn't fit the way I lived at all, and I designed this house completely differently.

I have a large great room. It's in an "L" shape, so the dining table is at one end, and the kitchen opens right onto the dining table. I never ever used the formal dining room in my last house, and this is much nicer.

I did put more space in my master suite, but that's because of how I live. I've got a whirlpool tub and steam shower both in the bathroom, so I wanted the space. I also made my office as part of the master suite. My bedroom/bathroom have become a retreat, and that's exactly what I wanted them to function as.

By the way -- while you're designing for your lifestyle, don't forget to design for your furniture as well. I laid everything out on my plans, so if I needed to tweak a wall by a foot or so in order to have enough walk space I could do it -- cheaper in the long run than buying new furniture!