here are the elevations:

front:
[img]

rear:
[img]

east:
[img]

west:
[img]

Maybe it is just me but I can barely make out the floor plan as it comes up too small of a print. I understand your need to have your son in the den and the locked pantry but am wondering how long you expect him to live at home and if long term wonder about his door openings.

hmmm, i don't know why it looks smaller here than my original. Let me try this:

to answer your question about my son, he will stay with us indefinitely (he's 12 now). He is not physically handicapped but the doors on the main floor would accommodate a wheel chair anyways. Is that what you meant about his door openings?

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This post was edited by illinigirl on Thu, Sep 5, 13 at 5:43

bonus level

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walkout level

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Very pretty house!

Is your special needs child able to use the bathroom independently? If so you might consider a design where he has a shorter and more direct route to the facilities (one that does not go through your bedroom).

Would you consider a door that allows your son to go from his room through the MB closet to access the bathroom? It allows for a more direct route and will afford some privacy for the MB if needed. (A little latch lock on the MB side of the MBa door)

I think you guys have made an excellent point about bathroom access. He doesn't use the bathroom independently for the most part, and never at night. At night security is the main concern for him. I will have a baby monitor and I'm planning on having the security system wired so that if he were to open his door we would hear a notification "ding". Although the plan is for him not to be able to escape his room at night because that would be too dangerous for him since he doesn't talk. Securing the house is priority.

Bathroom access- yes, that is a concern. He is able to learn where things are. I think he will learn where the new bathroom is in the new house. We still work on potty training even though he doesn't use the bathroom independently for the most part. Our current home is smaller and therefore the bathroom is a little bit closer to the living areas than in the new house. But I still think he will learn where that new bathroom is and hopefully still attempt to use it a similar percent of the time after we move and adjust. I expect setbacks initially.

We have to help him with shower, dressing, and teeth brushing/hygiene so that is why we just expect to do those things in our bathroom. We are going to put two shower sprays in the shower, one a handheld, because that will help us bathe him.

That is the main reason why the staircase is back out of the way and has no loft/open spaces. If we need we can shut the staircase off completely with the pocket door by the kitchen and he will stay where we can watch him on the main floor. When we are in the basement his playroom is separate but able to be shut off with a large barn door, and again, there will be large double doors at the bottom of the basement stairs so if we are all down there together he won't sneak upstairs without supervision.

Thanks for the input so far.

In the den /bedroom, if you move the closet to the wall by the door, you could have windows on two walls. However, I don't know if that's wise or not, given that you have concerns about night-time security.

The master bath could be reduced in size without loss of function. The corner cabinet where the vanities meet looks like a clutter-catcher to me. I'd slice some space off the master bath and make a small bath for your son. If his bathroom is closer, you increase the chances of him using it successfully.

Though it's a bit unconventional, in this case, I might consider sort of a jack-and-jill bath for your master /son's room. Make most of the bath for you . . . but give him a toilet /sink on his side, and he has indirect access through his bath into your bathroom so he can reach the shower easily.

I wouldn't bother with a closet inside the utility /laundry room. I'd just have open storage -- after all, this is a working room.

I like the arrangement of the living room -kitchen -dining room.

With two boys sharing the upstairs bath, I don't see any point in dividing it -- sharing between two isn't tough. However, if you're going to divide it, I'd definitely flip-flop it so that the toilet room comes first. A person will stay in the bathtub for possibly an hour or more, whereas a person using the toilet is in and out quickly.

Just throwing this out there in case you decide you might want to tweak the master bath area. You could have a walk-through closet as BINK5 suggested, or a jack-n-jill arrangement, or a second powder room that is closer to the living areas as MrsPete suggested. Here is our layout if you are looking for other ideas:

{{gwi:1501131}}

Love your large mudroom, utility, and pantry spaces!