I like what I can see, but I find the 3-d rendering very hard to follow, especially with no dimensions.

I think that if you are paying $450 for the lot, then economics would probably dictate a larger house if you care about resale. What you have drawn is really not that narrow - just the main structure itself is narrow. There is ALOT of covered outdoor space taking up some of the width of the lot.

I didn't see in your post where you live. I like the idea of the porch surrounds for a warm or tropical climate- not in VT! It appears as though you don't have any (?) windows on one side of the house. One of the reasons these style houses were built one room wide was to take advantage of breezes. I have our windows open as much of the year as possible, but that's just me- I like fresh air! And where are your external doors? I'm sure you have them; I can't quite tell where from the drawings. Nice Sketch-up work, BTW. I can't seem to get the hang of those programs- I get frustrated and go back to my graph paper.

I agree very nice work on the computer.
Question 1) 450k is total budget or lot only?
Rectangle table in dining area doesnt fit with its shape. It will be very tight in the angled corners. Use either a round table or make the nook larger and rectangular. It may not look quite as good but it is important that this room be very functional as it is the only dining area.
Maybe ditch the odd shaped closet in the upstairs bedroom. it may work on paper but just wont work in real life. You dont want something to look like it was done as a remodel compromise when you are building new construction. The bed location will always seem out of place. Make the closet recangular and put the bed next to it. when you take up all your wall space with doors and windows you should try topreserve the interior wall space so dont do both
good luck that will be one great vacation home!!!!!!!!!!

Whoops, i've been lurking on this forum for long enough, I should have anticipated the "where will this house be built" and "what's you're total budget" questions. Sheesh what a noob.

House will be built on FL coast, probably Ft Walton Beach area or St Petersburg area.

Projected total budget is $450k - I figured about $200k would buy a nice waterfront lot, and about $200k - $250k for the house.

Re: Where are the doors?
The main exterior door (i.e. the 'Front Door') is on the porch just before the diningroom bump-out. There are is a corresponding door upstairs at the end of the hallway. There are also lots of french doors - three off the living room, three off the MBR, one off the second upstairs bedroom, and one off each room of the guest house.

The overall structure is 48 feet wide, from roof overhang of the garage to roof overhang of the 'blank' wall of the main house (46 feet if you ignore roof overhangs). Reasonably narrow I think, as it ought to fit on a 55 foot wide lot, depending on setback rules.

The 'blank' side of the house has a total of 6 windows on it - five following the stairs going up, and one in the utility room/half bath downstairs.

And I should probably mention that I plan to achieve a 2500 sq ft house with extensive porches/balconies for only $200k to $250k by doing much of the finishing myself. I am quite capable of doing just about everything if the builder will give me a drywalled, wired, and plumbed shell - I can do the floors (wood & tile), kitchen (IKEA cabs, granite tile countertops, tile backsplash), molding, and probably a lot of the bathrooms (I've never done a shower pan, but I can install toilets, counters, sinks, etc.).

But is a $250k - $300k house (including sweat equity) on a $200k lot a good proportion? One poster mentioned that a 2500 sq ft house on a $450k lot would obviously be out of whack, but is there a general rule of thumb as to how much to spend on a lot vs the house itself, considering that waterfront lots are so expensive?

Some measurements, for those interested:
Garage: 21' depth x 26'
Kitchen: 15' x 7.5' w
Living: 15' x 19'
Dining (as pictured): 15' x 8' (minus bayed corners)
Downstairs bedroom: 13.5' x 12.5'
Downstairs bedroom's bath: 5' x 10.5'
Upstairs bedroom: 13' x 13.5'
Office/Nursery/SittingRoom: 14.5' x 11' (minus bayed corners)
MBR: 15' x 19' (minus angled closet)

Guest bed: 14' x 10.5'
Guest living: 11.5' x 17' (max dimensions - room somewhat odd shaped)

All doors are 36"
Stairway is 36" wide
Upstairs hallway is 45" wide
Balcony is 8' wide at all points except where office/dining bump out.
All columns (interior & exterior) are 12" x 12" square
All walls are 6" thick as modeled. I probably need to make the exterior walls thicker (especially if I want to try ICF or similar).

Roof is standing seam metal, though wind-resistant tiles would be an option.

There is no fireplace. I currently live in TX, and have lived in FL before - I don't need/want one. The 'blank' living room wall is my home theater screen (front projection), and a fireplace would just get in the way).

Here's a link to a design that at least partially inspired mine: ePlans Charleston Row Style
Though I borrowed some elements (courtyard/pool layout, angled MBR closet wall), my plan significantly rearranges the floor plan for efficiency, and trims about 400 sq ft (assuming you believe their numbers, which may not even include the guest house 'bonus' space). I also get a downstairs bedroom with private bath, a bigger / better defined 'guest house', a connecting balcony, and hidden stairs (a pet peeve of mine, I don't want to see the stairs when I walk in unless they are some big masterpiece).

I will play with the model, and see what kind of closet I can get for the MBR without the angled wall - it does bug me.

I will also see what it looks like if I bump out the dining wall all the way to the porch edge. One wouldn't be able to walk all the way from the front gate (between the garage & the main house) to the back of the porch, but that might not be a bad thing either - makes the back porch more private.
I think...

I certainly don't want to rain on your parade - I love it when anyone DIY's anything - but I think you might be being overly optimistic about lot prices in Pinellas County at least. I can't speak for prices in Fort Walton Beach.

Perhaps you know something I don't about St Pete specifically, but for example a 50' wide lake front lot (too narrow for your proposed house) near here recently sold for $360K as the investor owners were desperate to offload it. It was previously on sale for $650K!

$200K might buy you a pond front lot, or possibly a river front lot in Pasco or Hernando Counties, but Gulf front lots are waaaay out of the $200K price range.

Also the minimum setback here seems to be 6', so even for a 46' wide house you would need a 58' lot. Canal and riverfront lots do tend to be 60' so if you can find one within your budget you should be OK.
The very best of luck with your project, don't let the naysayers stop you! LOL!

I like the design for FL- just make sure you 'overbuild' it, esp in Ft Walton Beach. This is hurricane country. I would have to echo what sis3 said about lot prices. Waterfront is insane here, even in the depressed market, and I think FWB is as high or higher. You might be able to find something on a small backwater. My BIL lives on the water in Panama City, but you can only get a rowboat up to his dock. As for building cost- I think it can be done in your budget. As a matter of fact, I'm betting on it, since I plan to build my house in a similar fashion- with a lot of 'sweat equity'.

I'm unhappy with the straight runs of stairs, especially with 10-foot ceilings. Not only do they induce vertigo, they can be killers.,

I do better "reading" floorplans. Maybe this wouldn't feel too cramped to me if I saw it that way.

Check out the feature house in the new issue of Cottage Living. It is a New Orleans type row house, and very similar, at least in general appearance.

Hi,
I counted 22 risers to get upstairs? I think you could get away with 18 or 19 at the most. That would save more space which would allow extending the Mbath over the stairwell, at least the sink could be recessed, also consider a high window on that wall for some natural light. Then, rework the master suite. The angled closet is a killer. I think a wall of closets will do well here, allow a more conventional bed arrangement.
Over all, I like the plan very much, and wish you luck with your project.
Casey

Yeah, waterfront lot prices on the FL coast are a bit steep (understatement). But I did find some in my price range though, like this: ICW Waterfront in Mary Esther

Exceedingly odd lot, I can't really read the dimensions off the plat map and I don't know which side is the "right side" that can't be built on.... but it's true waterfront and in my price range. It'll be sold by the time I'm ready to move of course, but I hope something similar will appear (maybe after the next hurricane clears out the riff raff?). I haven't done full investigation into property costs or building costs in the area, still in the very early planning phase. I might even be able to increase my budget in a few years.