I am not a fan of the pantry and master closets in the corners.
The pantry is in an awkward area in general.... removed from the kitchen and far from the garage. You will be lugging right through the heart of the kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen... are there enough cabinets?

Will your TV be on the wall common with the master?

Do you have kids? With my family, I know there would be a bottle neck coming in from the garage and hanging coats in that closet adjacent.

This post was edited by LuAnn_in_PA on Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 12:37

Thanks for the response! I'm not a fan of the pantry either but I couldn't figure out anywhere else that would work...

Yes, the TV will on the wall common with the master and no, we do not have kids - just lots of animals. The guest bedroom on the side where the master is will actually be our "dog room" and they'll have access to their own private run outside. :)

There is storage space under those stairs. Will bedroom 3 have access to this space so it isn't wasted?

I agree the pantry is in a bad spot. The walkway from garage to kitchen could be closed off, and the pantry could be placed there. It wouldn't be as large, but it would be in a much more convenient spot. The other positive to that is keeping traffic out of your kitchen, but it makes your walk to the laundry/garage longer.

How big is the walkway between the island and the bridge? I can't read the dimensions, but it looks tight considering you need room for the doors to open and a person to stand.

I would put this plan on the Kitchen Forum. They will be able to help you optimize this space..... specifically the kitchen areas.

Thanks! Yes, there is going to be access through the 3rd bedroom closet to the storage space under the garage and that is where we will keep the cat litter box and food (they will have a small cat door leading into the laundry room).

4 full bathrooms for a house of this size seems to be overkill. I'm all for lots of bathrooms, but one for every bedroom, for 2 people seems like a waste of space ... unless you've taught the dogs and cats how to use them! ;-)

Haha, Chispa, I agree. We're not doing the bathroom upstairs.

I think the master bath floorspace is excessive. I'd rather see that smaller and give the space to the closet.

Also, it'd be practical to move the two secondary bedrooms together (so they can share a bath). Yeah, I see that you're using #3 for a dog room, but someone else in the future may have more traditional plans. Saving the cost of one bathroom would be huge.

I think a dog room and their own run is brilliant. I assume they'll have a doggie-door entrance that they can use anytime?

For the kitchen floorspace, you have very few cabinets. Although I like the general layout, I think that space could be used better.

I, for one, like the idea of a bathroom for every bedroom. Our dil takes a long time in the bathroom. It just takes so much longer when people are trying to get ready in the same space. We have perked for a 4 bedroom. They count bedrooms, not bathrooms. It doesn't seem like overkill to me.

We also have a bathroom for each bedroom. It may be overkill for us on a daily basis, but when our adult children come (and when one comes, they all come) it goes from a 2 person house to a 12 person house.

Consider making the door to the pantry a pocket door and the exterior door in the dining room a slider. The swing into the dining room will cut into the floor space.

Swing out the door on the master closet. I switched mine and have more room for a small seat to sit on when dressing and laundry hampers.

Have fun and best of luck!

Thanks still_waters and motherof3sons! We've thought about it some more and are going to go ahead and keep the bath upstairs but make it a 1/2 since the upstairs will just be craft room. As for the pantry - I was thinking about doing an old door on a sliding barn track. My kitchen is decorated in a rustic country style. Do you think that would work?

Those of you who mentioned the pantry - do you think it would work better to have a door in the laundry room opening to the space under the stairs and making that area the pantry?

I like the idea of moving the pantry under the stairs. You will also have alot of wall space opposite the washer and dryer. My pantry is a closet that is above the stairs to the lower level. We have shelving floor to ceiling and everything is in there but the turkey roaster. It is used once a year if that I am not going to give up prime real estate to have it in close reach.

If the pantry stays in the dining area, the barn door would be unique.

Consider running the plumbing in the craftroom bathroom for a tub or shower for future use. We did this in our finished basement for a kitchen at the urging of some friends. No regrets and when the money tree starts growing again we will add the kitchen.