I think the layout to the left side is really convoluted, and the layout to the right is so open that you are going to have trouble figuring out where to put furniture.

Why are there a 3/4 bath and a half bath in such close proximity to each other and why is the one only accessible from inside the house if you go through a storage room?

Why is the laundry room accessible only through the pantry?

I also think the second door from the pantry out-swinging into the dining room is not going to work like you think it is. There is not good place for that door to "rest" in the open position. The refrigerator, if it is that smaller rectangle to the left of the pantry door, isn't drawn nearly big enough.
I don't think the L shaped island will function.

In the Family room there is no place for anything but furniture floated out in the middle of the room, so what starts out as a big room ends up with a relatively small area for furniture because you need circulation space for the exterior door and from the entry of the house. I would also try out dining tables and chairs in actual sizes because it appears you may be walking around the table to get into the kitchen and family room from the front.

I'm not trying to be mean, just direct. And since this is all on paper it's not difficult to improve upon at this point.

Thanks for the feedback.

Did you get a chance to look at the second floor?

I can't access it from this thread or the other. You could post it as a follow up to the threads.

I've attached the second floor here. Unfortunate you are unable to access the link (much better picture!)

Let me know what you think.

Bea

Are you using an architect? You may want one.

There are some neat ideas here like the curved staircase, but there are also some serious practical issues with this layout.

If you were a good friend and wanted to do this without an architect, I would tell you to set this plan aside, spend some time looking at classic house plans online (Sears, etc.) and start again.

Here are a few questions:
Why not combine the pantry and storage so you could bring groceries in without going through the formal dining room?

Why are there two bathrooms near the entry but not sharing a wall on the first floor?

Why no hall bath upstairs? Even if the studies are not used as bedrooms, you or a future buyer may want the option.

Why have the big laundry down on the main floor when laundry is generated upstairs?

I should add that I was up all night with a teething baby, so that came off crankier than I meant to be. There are elements of this that look great - balconies and the stairs - I just want you not to miss the way you will actually live in the house.

Hi -

Thanks for the input! This is only a first cut at a plan and we will be using an architect before we build so no issue with feedback (positive or negative). That's one of the reasons we posted it here :)

Here are answers to some of the questions you raised to help provide some guidance as to some elements of the layout:

1. The house is situated on a lake and so the 3/4 bath at the side is for people heading in from a swim.

2. The access to the laundry room through the pantry is a good point. This is something we were concerned about as well.

3. The furniture on the plan isn't all to scale so the fridge is a bit small. Just haven't had a chance to adjust things yet. :(

4. I hear you about the open space. We're big fans of open spaces so we may have gotten a bit carried away. Interesting point you make regarding outfitting the space.

5. We wanted to highlight the dining area (since it is open above), but you raise a valid concern regarding the walk around the dining table.

6. The pantry door is something I'm not a big fan of either. Do you think an arched entryway would make more sense?

Let me know your thoughts.

Bea

Hi barlowmom -

Here are answers to your questions (if I didn't address them above):

1. We actually combined the pantry and laundry originally so that's probably something we should think about again. (Note: My husband doesn't like the noise from the laundry so we tucked it away in this plan).

2. The side bathroom I talked about above. We thought two bathrooms on the main floor might be overkill as well but we figured the half bath would get more use in practice.

3. We thought about the two studies being converted to bedrooms and had the same discussion regarding a hall bathroom. Something to reconsider...

4. See #1 about the laundry on the upper floor :(

BTW, cranky might be good! More honest input :)

Bea

There's something un-cozy about a dining room that is open to everything, including the entry, the stairs, the upstairs halls, seems a bit like the central reception hall in The Sound of Music.

On the other hand, I can easily imagine a beautiful round table, following the curve of the stairs. But I can't imagine where there might be a buffet or sideboard.

On the third hand, if I had a house on the lake I'd take all my meals on the terrace!

What's that little closet upstairs, it looks like it says "laundry"? Is it a stackable, or is it a chute to nowhere? Or am I misreading it?

The kids' closets look kinda small. If they shared a bath, they could have more closet space. But they might not be cool with sharing?

If you are going to use an architect, maybe you could take this plan to one as a starting point. You'll know you have a good architect if she points out the practical issues :)

In the meantime if you want to iterate on this plan, check out Hirsch's book called Designing Your Perfect House. He uses a method of laying out the rooms that might help you, particularly if you want to capture lake views.