To some extent, it is doing you a favor because you could but the TV on the blank wall to the left of the fireplace and focus the furniture grouping toward both, but the TV would take precedence.

I am assuming that you will have a TV in the family room? If so, then if it is at all possible, maybe you could get them to put the fireplace in the living room so that you don't have two competing focal points in the family room. A fireplace between the two windows in the LR would be very nice.

I'm with pal on this. We had a corner fireplace in our second home and it worked out great with the TV off to one side. A sectional would work great in this room too.

Glad to hear I won't hate it. If this is the model we go with, we would like a sectional for the family room and likely make the livingroom more of a library with bookshelves/leather furniture. I thought about the fireplace in the livingroom but I'm not sure what it would look like as in all the other models with a fp on a wall, it "bumps out" (for lack of a better term) the exterior wall in a weird box. None of the lots are very wide, and the bump out is ugly, so they usually put them out the back.

Nope, I think you'll like it.

I think the corner FP will work also...

However, I do have a couple of friends w/ corner FP's that wish they were flush to the wall instead.

It depends on how you plan to decorate...
In having a corner FP, it doesn't allow you to hang art/mirror etc above,but as some others have said, it allows you to place the TV on another wall.

Unless...you'd want to check out option of FP moving to the left/blank wall and an option to hang the TV above it (depending how high your mantle is) and maybe even built-ins on either side allowing that entire wall to be the focal point. We've done this in our family room and I must admit it took some getting use to as the TV was higher (above the mantle) than we were used to looking at before we had the FP installed.

Not a decorator, don't even play one on TV so take my comments with a very tiny grain of salt.

My family room is not as large as yours.....ours is narrow and long.
I can tell you that in the almost 30 years we've lived in this house, our corner fireplace in the family room has been my Achilles heel.
And it's not like I haven't tried hundreds of furniture arrangements over the years and tons of different furniture pieces...no matter what I do, it's....well, it's just Big, in the way and THERE!

I've used graph paper and reconfigured the fireplace and furniture and found so many more options if the fireplace was on the long or short wall instead of in the corner.

For me, and my large family, a corner fireplace doesn't allow me to use the room as well as it could be used.

Just one person's opinion. *smile*

As someone else has written, the ideal would be to move the fireplace into the living room. I have the same problem as Amity with a corner fireplace. Mine eats up a lot of space in the room.

You could cross post on the Building a Home Forum if you want people looking over your plans. But unless this is a custom built home, the builder is probably not going to be willing to make many in any changes.

I don't have a family room at all- but if I bought a new house I would like family room with a corner fireplace- it seems cozy to me.

I would want the fireplace to stay in the family room--i would want to watch tv with the fire on. The corner fireplace seems fine to me as like everyone said, you have plenty of wall space for the TV. And a sectional will allow you to see both. (But I have never had a corner fireplace, so no experience)

If you like the look of the TV mounted above the fireplace, than maybe check into centering the fireplace on the long wall, with shelving on either side and the tv above.

Good luck!

I have always disliked corner fireplaces, corner sinks, and corner stoves. The angle gives off a weird vibe to me. This is a personal thing, nothing more, and not intended to offend. However, if that is an abiding issue of yours, it probably won't change. Yes, I believe that you will be able to decorate around it, but I do not believe it will ever be optimal.

I see several things that if I were building this home I'd want change. The fireplace is number one. I've looked at houses with corner fireplaces and all but a very few were a huge decorating challenge. Much depends on what the builder actually installs in the area he has designated for the fireplace.Just looking at the blueprint tells you nothing about what he's thinking other than that they will use that space for the fireplace. You need to see what the elevation looks like.
If you are looking for things to worry about I'd be concerned about the powder room door. I'd insist on a pocket door and not one that opens out ward and possibly crashes into another door.
I'd also be concerned that the amount of space by the fireplace for curtains to hang when in the open position was not enough.
And I'd rethink doing sliding doors and do French doors instead. With a slider you only have the option of opening one door the other is stationary. Not always good if you have a patio or deck out side those doors. Sliders have a habit of dating a house sooner rather than later where as French doors are timeless.
You may also want to check with your insurance agency about the door linking the garage to the house. Some will not insure your house unless that door is steel and has a dead bolt on it.
While on the topic of the garage, I think yours is too small. I'm taking for granted this house will be built where grass needs to be maintained and a mower and lawn tools are needed. Once that stuff is placed in the garage you've reduced the amount of space you have for your cars greatly. I'm not even sure looking at that layout that you can open both doors wide enough to get in and out comfortably.

That's funny, the garage is the first concern I had when I looked at the blueprint. I'm not a fan of attached garages at all. Make sure yours is insulated and sealed well enough to have usable space above it; seems there's always the safety issue related to carbon monoxide fumes. I dislike the whole idea of corner FPs. It just seems wrong.

As long as we're changing the layout of the house, consider having the kitchen right next to the garage. It's sooooo much better for hauling groceries in and hauling garbage out.

Plus, if you have kids, you don't have a mudroom. Maybe you could rearrange the foyer somehow and get one in there.

Carol makes a good point about the garage. In addition, that's quite a haul carrying groceries into the kitchen - into the foyer, through the living room, down the hall, into the kitchen.

How does the corner fireplace look in the model, and how do they have the furniture configured? The room itself is on the small side. It's smaller than our master bedroom, and I think of it as smallish. Your layout options are going to be limited due to space restrictions, and a corner fireplace will limit them even further.

Dee

I live in a house that had a corner fireplace in the plan and we ditched it altogether. It was because of the behemoth piano and now I don't have a fireplace at all. :-( But, I have seen how they arrange the L-shaped sectional around that corner FP in the model home and it is awkward.

(My belief is that TVs belong somewhere where I can't see them! So I'm no help to you on that issue.)

What I want to talk about is the bump-out. I am assuming you mean the big ugly silver thing. (If not, read no further...) Our houses, at least the ones with fireplaces, have this big ugly silver thing on the exterior wall. In my home, it would have been right at eye-level ON the patio. No opportunity to hide it with a shrub. Mind-boggling to me.

I know you don't want to have it show from the street, but do consider how it is going to interface with your outdoor living area out back. It could be much easier to hide it with a shrub if you put it in the LR. I personally love the idea of the FP in a Library. A grown-up room!

I just noticed that you are considering making the LR a library sort of room. Excellent idea, but it will never be a quiet room/den unless it has walls and doors. All the noise/music/kitchen clattering will be heard right in that room.

For that reason, I have never understood why so many houses have a usually-idle LR down the hall from the noisy family room and kitchen in an open-concept house. In my observations, the LR just becomes an unused room - not quiet enough for reading or privacy, just sitting there, wasting space and needing dusting! With the current floor plan, it looks to me like you may have two seldom-used rooms in the front of your house - the LR and the DR.

I think it would be fairly simple to rearrange the house for better efficiency. Move the kitchen to the dining room, the family room to the living room, the living room to the breakfast area.

Sorry to be a jerk, but I'd need a "reversed" floor plan. But that is because I had to live in a house raising kids in a similar floor plan to this one, and it was not right for us. If you have kids, I strongly suggest having the family room downstairs. It's amazing how beautiful and cozy a basement can be.

I have no input on the corner fp. I've seen them work both good and bad. Depends on how you live and use things.

One thing that stood out on this plan and would make me want to change it is that you have to go up stairs to use the powder room. I'm not sure what age you are or your parents etc. or how long you plan to stay there, but with aging parents/grandparents in our family that would mean they couldn't make it to the bathroom by themselves.

I agree that the powder room up a few steps is an inconvenience - especially if you have any friends or family with mobility issues. As for the fireplace, I would move it to the center of the wall in the family room where the windows are. And change the windows to one on each side of the fireplace. That leaves the long wall totally free for your TV (and you'll be able to see it from most of the kitchen and breakfast area). If your gas fireplace is like our bump out, there is no tall chimney. I've even seen a long horizontal window going across, above the fireplace. That brings in light, gives you privacy, and allows for easier furniture arranging. However, you can't hang a picture or a mirror over the mantel. Just depends on what your style is....

(If 2 steps are a problem, just go looking for the bedrooms. :)

That the corner FP could be made to work doesn't fix it for me. It'd keep me from doing other things I might like even better. Have you asked if you can move it without surcharge yet? If not, how much to put it where you want it?

Without seeing your property, I'm wondering if I wouldn't want it in the middle of the back wall, with flanking windows, one on my sight line as I strolled through the house so the view continued right on instead of just stopping at the back wall--a great device for making a space feel larger and add interest. That would allow bookcases and TV on the side wall, watchable from kitchen and main dining area too. Or vice versa--FP on side also good.

Have you actually tried laying out furniture?

Thanks for all of your input!! At this point, we're just looking at a couple of models - this is a builder in a development, not custom, so the options for re-arranging rooms etc. are pretty limited, but I do appreciate the feedback. We are also considering a smaller model with no livingroom, just a livingroom/diningroom combo and familyroom, because I do question how much that front room will ever be used. We know we will eventually finish the basement for a familyroom and office, so again, do I need a livingroom/familyroom/basement and there's a media loft upstairs? Seems like way too much unused space to me! LOL
The attached garage is something we are looking for in this house, as we have no garage in our little house right now, but I doubt we'll ever park cars in it. LOL It will likely be a storage spot for hockey equipment and everything else. These homes are Energy Star, so they are supposed to be spray-foamed above and they are fully drywalled, but I know drafts are still a possibility. The powder room is on the landing to the basement stairs, so down about 4 stairs, although this model is not built, so I haven't been able to walk through it and get a "feel" for it (which also bugs me). The other model we're considering is the model home for this development, so I know how it flows. Here is the other model.

LOL and I just noticed that this fireplace is in fact on the side wall - so that solves the bump-out problem! (Forgot to address the above post that it is bricked in the same brick as the rest of the exterior, not steel)
I don't love that there is no mudroom or main floor laundry off the garage in either of these models. None of the models with mudrooms did it for me. I also don't love that little weird wall between the kitchen and livingroom. It houses the thermostat, etc. in the model home. I'd rather see this be a free-standing island.

If you have a media room on the 2nd floor and will be finishing the basement also, them maybe this 2nd plan makes more sense...provided you're fine without having a formal dining room.

These plans seem similiar to my house (also not custom, but builders development) We have open concept ktichen open to family room space (which would be small though so we use as dining space) and in the 'combined' living/dining room (accoriding to floorplan), we use as a living room. Our powder room is down 3 steps from the living room on the landing to the basement.

We also have a Media room on the 2nd floor and spend lots of time here. (Have a FP in this room with TV above) We're also now starting to do the basement for a den/office.
More than enought space, even though rooms aren't huge.
mmm...maybe we're in the same nieghborhood,lol! (except garage is in a back laneway)

On this plan, like you mentioned, I would also prefer that there wasn't a wall beside the island. I think it would be better to just have an island opening into the other room.
I do like having the FP flush to the wall rather than in the corner.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for your thoughts Lisa. I forgot to mention the second model doesn't have the media room on the 2nd floor. It's 4 bedrooms and lanudry room upstairs, but downstairs is more than big enough for a good sized family room and office eventually. We only have 2 kids, so there are 4 of us. Now we live in under 1000 square feet so no matter what, this will be a big improvement! LOL The second model is about 2300 sq feet, the first about 2500.
We have an old dining set that we inherited, so the living/diningroom would be used for dining.
I would love the room for a detached garage really, but space is at a premium here in the Toronto area, so lots are not big - about 40x120, and you pay a pretty penny for them!

We have a corner fireplace in our great room and I have had no problem decorating it or around it.

You CAN hang a mirror (or anything else) above. I have a mirror above mine right now. The fireplace is not corner shaped, there is a wall built across the corner that houses the fireplace, chimney, etc. It makes a nice focal point.

tina

Hi maanda....Wow...we really are almost neighbors!! I actually live in Oakville so I totally get the small lot thing in GTA! Where are you building?

That's too funny! This is in Courtice (Oshawa).

Pretty close...just the other side of the city:)
My husband just started a new job in Markham so we've briefly discussed moving to the East-side. However, his co. is allowing him to work from home-just be in the office 1 day/week or every other week...thus, finishing our basement for another home office. I already work from home and am taking up one of the spare rooms...2 of us working from home...OMG, house is getting smaller:)

Keep us posted on what you decide...either way, 2300-2500 sq ft. for a family is sufficient space and yes, better than 1000!! Good Luck!!