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BTW...you're probably not receiving emails of follow-up postings, even though you checked the box requesting them. This is b/c you don't have the email option turned on in your profile. See the "Read Me" thread for more information. Scroll down to the post with the subject "Getting Emails Sent To You...3-step Process".

Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!

Thanks Buehl, I've tried to check that box many times but get an error message. I guess I'll resort to checking on the thread until I figure out why.

Here is my first attempt at a layout.

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Um, I think you should post the house plan over on the Building a House forum and get more input there before you work on the kitchen. When a bedroom opens into the living room, and the master WICs are about the same size as the master BR, I think there's room for improvement. I know this sounds negative, but it just seems like there are better ways to get more out of all of your spaces, and IMO if you build this house as presently designed there may be regrets later.

Anne

I agree that I would make some general changes to the floorplan. One of the things that I see is that each area that requires a stack for plumbing is far apart--so for three bathrooms a laundry and a kitchen I think you would need 5 separate plumbing stacks. This can be done, of course but each one adds expense.

I also see a Master walk in closet as big as your entire kitchen area, and redundant circulation with a hall-like area connecting the MBR to the other bedrooms but two bedrooms, including the master that open into public living spaces.

Its really...convoluted...and it looks like some of the rooms would not be very easy to do furniture layouts in... the Living room and Bedroom #1 look almost impossible to furnish in a comfortable, functional way, and the Front Entry looks like it will be a mean little space, while the garage entry is large.

I am not trying to be harsh, but I think there are a lot of problems with the floor plan. They will be more harsh in "Building a Home".

But right now its all on paper (I hope), and the time to do something about it.

You have a nice big area for a kitchen. Your kitchen idea has some possibilities, and some problems. Your list isn't too much for the space, except for maybe the dbl island idea, especially with the large sink so close to the seating. I'm not really sure how that sink is meant to serve you, since you have the dw by the prep sink.

You'll want to avoid placing the fridge on the direct opposite side of the island from the prep area and stove, which turns the island into an aggravating barrier around which you'll be running laps.

Is there a reason you left the prep sink off the island? In my experience, a prep sink on the island only enhances the usefulness of the workspace.

All in all, though, you've got enough space to have a kitchen that lives larger than the one you've planned will. But you have to start somewhere! :-)

I have to agree with Anne that there are some things about the overall plan you might want to look at twice or several times. The bathrooms are oddly configured, and actually, a lot of the rooms seem to be oddly shaped. Be sure you map out traffic patterns, and furniture and fixtures drawn to scale to see if you can get a reasonable arrangement you'll like. The living room, for instance, is wide and irregularly shaped, but the focal point fireplace funnels things down fairly tight.

The left half of the master closet uses a lot of sq footage, but because of all the doorways, will only serve you with storage space down the left side.

There are no household closets, except the tiny one off the formal entry. For when kids come along, you'll want to figure out where they'll enter with muddy boots in a hurry to get to the bathroom...and you might want closet space and storage for sports gear, etc.

Best wishes. Getting the plan 'just right' can be a long and difficult journey, but worth it.

First of all, I'm with Anne on the above. What about switching your master walk-in closet with the MBr so that your bedroom opens up into the central hallway like the other bedrooms. A bedroom opening up into a living room is definitely odd - then back up the current MBDR door to be even with the back wall of Bath 2. right now you are also walking through the MBath to get to the closet - that never makes sense to me. There is a little piece of wall at the top left corner of the current walk-in that could be your entrance from the bedroom to the closet if you reversed them

Can you put Bedroom 1 where the laundry room/entry way currently are. Where the door from the garage currently is - put the door into wall on the left and reconfigure that Bedroom 1/bathroom into entry way/laundry/bath. By doing that you get the bedroom entrance out of the living room and you are coming into the house closer to the kitchen for groceries etc. So the current entrance into the laundry room would be the new entrance into the Bedroom 1 and the current entrance into Bedroom 1 would become the entrance into the house from the new entry way.

For the kitchen - move the fridge to the oven wall. Walking around the island to get from the prep sink will drive you nuts. There are probably other minor changes to be made as well. I'll look and think.

Try to put the plumbing of the laundry room and bathroom 3 back to back. It's cheaper. try to enlarge the front door entry way .

Thanks a lot for the comments. I'm sorry I didn't post the very latest floor layout. I was just posting for the Kitchen layout on this Forum. I didn't realize that I would get advise on the other area. Here is a later version. Still has some challenges. My builder isn't concerned about the bathroom placement. Should I be?
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I've made a few adjustments in the Kitchen. I took out the extra Sink I don't think I need it and move the one sink to the Island. I'll keep working on it. I'm not very good with my software yet so hang with me!!
We have a large mudroom in the basement so I'm not worried about extra coats and the small front entry.
However, I think I should maybe move the fireplace and forget the double sided fireplace. I think It's causing challenges.

Your builder isn't concerned about the bathroom placement because the builder gets paid way more for building five plumbing stacks than he would for only building two or three. Don't give any weight to the fact that your builder isn't concerned about something. (Whatever he IS concerned about is another story--bring his concerns here so you can get the collective wisdom of everyone here.) But we are concerned about that, and suggesting that you be concerned, because you pay a lot more for five plumbing stacks and the building process takes a longer time. You can save time and a lot of money by designing the house more efficiently.

One thing that sticks out to me is the "right side" and "bottom right" of the house (as viewed on your layout). First, who is bedroom #2 for? If you have kids and are planning on giving them those bedrooms, whoever gets #2 will feel like you're being unfair, especially if the kids aren't far apart in age. "Why does she get a bathroom and I don't," etc. That would also be a concern for buyers if they had a family. They either need to share a bathroom or each have their own. Also, I have never seen a full bath that opens right into an entryway. (It looks like BR #1's bathroom opens to BR#1 and to the garage entryway--that's weird.) Was the intention there to have both kids' bedrooms share that bath, with the kid from bedroom 2 walking from that bedroom across the entryway to the bath? I think you can do better than that, and for less money too (see below).

The other details that look to me like you would regret them are the cramped entryway from the garage (it's not small, but it's cramped because the layout makes you walk through a hallway--actually the front entry has the same problem); all the hallways in the layout; and of course all these plumbing stacks. The other weird detail that jumps out at me, though perhaps it's just how your drafting program draws things, is the stairway shown above bedroom #1. It looks like the floor is open over the entire length of the stairs (I am assuming "downstairs" is below the level shown on this floorplan), and in any case I'm not sure why the stairway starts where it does. Putting it there gives the front entryway and that bedroom an odd configuration.

So here's a random idea for that side of the house. We can look at the kitchen later. All these suggestions work together to create a new layout--see what you think:

(1) Move the stairway to the right, and if necessary reconfigure it (e.g. put a landing halfway down and have it turn there), so that it starts 2 or 3 feet further to the right. Now move the left wall of BR#1 the same distance to the right--this will shrink that alcove with furniture in it, so turn that space into the bedroom's closet instead. ADVANTAGE OF STEP (1): Now you have a nice spacious main entryway, and have started the process of making BR 1 less weirdly configured.

(2) If you want BR #1 to have its own bathroom, reconfigure bath 3 so it doesn't open to the garage entry. This will let you make bath 3 much smaller since it doesn't need two doors--I would suggest moving the sink wall in so that the entryway isn't so cramped. ADVANTAGE: no more cramped entryway from the garage.

(3) and (4) (two great steps that work great together, haha): First, in the master bedroom, rotate everything: bedroom where the bath is, bath where the closet is, closet over where bath 2 and part of the bedroom is, but reconfigured (more rectangular than square--perhaps with this shape you'll want "his and hers" doors into it). Second, outside the master BR area, put a small full bath where the hall closet and BR 2's closet are currently shown. (I'm not saying to make it so small it fits in those closets, just to put it in that space.)
ADVANTAGES OF STEPS (3) and (4):
- Now BR 2, like BR 1, has its own bathroom.
- And you now have a single plumbing stack that can be used by both the master bath and a full bath for BR #2, AND ALSO BY THE LAUNDRY ROOM, as shown in step (5)...

(5): Put the laundry room over in what's now the bottom left part of the master closet.
ADVANTAGES:
- The laundry room, master bath and BR 2 bath are now all on a single plumbing stack--WAY WAY cheaper and more efficient than the current plan of having the laundry, master bath and hall bath on three separate stacks.
- Also, because you have moved the laundry room, you can make BR 2 a bit bigger (reconfigure the entrance to BR 2--maybe put it roughly where the washer or dryer is shown on the current plan) and still have a more spacious entryway.

(6) And the final crowning glory (haha) of this floorplan is step (6), where you scoot the hall bathroom (bath 2) down to the other side of the hallway (where the entry cubbies are now) and shrink it from a full bath into a powder room solely for the use of your guests. (This means your garage entry is now oriented to the right, towards the space currently shown as a laundry room, instead of to the left.)
ADVANTAGES:
- This lets you put that powder room and "bath 3" (the bathroom of bedroom 1) on a single plumbing stack. Now you have 3.5 baths, instead of 3, and a laundry room, yet they only occupy two plumbing stacks instead of the current four stacks. You just saved THOUSANDS of dollars and got yourself an extra half bath to boot!

Obviously you would need to rejigger lots of interior walls to figure out how this would all fit together. Toilets might have to be pointed a different way, the master closet might work better as a different shape, and so might the laundry room (maybe you'll find that stacked units work best instead of a side-by-side washer and dryer). But that's the beauty of building a house from scratch: you can rejigger everything at no cost. You can do it right the first time, instead of having to work around existing problems.

PS if you do want to keep your double-sided fireplace, which requires keeping the master BR where it is, then in steps (3) and (4) don't rotate everything--just move the bathroom down to where the closet is. If you do that, it would probably make more sense to split the closet into his-and-hers, with one of them up in the corner where the master bath is currently shown and one of them down closer to the door from the master bedroom to the rest of the house. That way you would definitely still have enough room at the bottom right of the master bedroom area to put the laundry room right outside the master bedroom--i.e., to have the master bath, small full bath for bedroom 2 and laundry room all on the same plumbing stack.

Your builder, as mentioned as above, doesn't care how many bathrooms you have or where you put them. Are you working with an architecture or interior designer (not decorator) who specializes in spacing? If not, find one. Because that lower right section is not very conducive to good function. When you come into the house from the garage with your groceries you are doing a lot of extra walking. Reverse the bedroom 1 with entry way/laundry room. Puts the bedrooms together and brings you closer to the kitchen when coming into the house from the garage.

I agree that the number of different plumbing stacks is insane. I don't think I have ever seen a floor plan like that in my life.

Quickly, about the kitchen: I'm sorry but I think we need a total do-over here. Rather than protecting the range and working areas, this layout shoves them all to the front, separates them with aisles that will have traffic, and provides little prep or working space. The range is way too close to the end. The island sink has too little counter around it. Etc.

I'd perhaps start with the range about where the DW is now, and a sink below the front window, and go from there.

Thanks a lot for the comments. I agree I'm going to scrap the old layout. I posted a new layout over on the home building area. I was told to post over there for layout help. But below is the newer layout that I did. The other layout was my builders. He also had the house to big for us. I want to stay at 2300 sq feet. This layout is smaller but seems to flow better. I tried to take your advice.
I know that it's weird to have a bathroom open up to the Back Entry but we have two dogs and we live on 140 acres so they need to be cleaned often without going through the house.
I posted the walk out basement too so you can get a feel for the whole house. We both office at home so that's why I can't find a plan in a book that actually works for us!!
New plan:
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Walkout Basement:
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Thanks for all your help!!

I would consider running the pantry north to south rather than east to west, so you can have that doorway where it works best, allowing you configure the kitchen wall as you'd like, rather than being tied by the pantry door location. That would also make your walk in closet wider and shallower and maybe allow for another walk in closet beside the pantry, facing the hallway for linens, games, etc., etc. I often wish I had a walkin for those types of things. You're probably thinking the kids will play downstairs, but in my experience, unless you're down there, they won't be either until they're about 12 yrs old or older.

That looks like a way better use of space (and plumbing stacks!). I like how the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms are above each other and the kids' bedrooms are more "fair." I'm sure you'll get plenty of help tweaking your layout on the home-building area.

It definitely makes sense for the kitchen to be more central and closer to the entrances and to the deck, so moving it looks like a good idea. That will be good for entertaining. The problem I see, though, is that the dining room is very far from the kitchen. It looks like you would have to carry your Thanksgiving turkey about thirty feet to get it from the range to the dining room!

So, what would you think of changing the footprint a little--at least on the main floor, but possibly both if that works better for you--so that the area with the dining room was right next to the kitchen (i.e., on what's now the covered porch) and the deck wrapped around the dining room instead of stopping when it reaches the dining room?

Or you could have it so the dining room is, say, five or six feet from the kitchen--as opposed to what it is now, which looks like about 12 feet--and in that five-foot space is a French door to the deck. And then the deck wraps around the dining room. What I'm picturing here involves moving that deck wall with the French door up several feet (up on your drawing) so that there doesn't need to be a separate kitchen door to the deck, just the one French door. That would drastically reduce the distance you have to carry the Thanksgiving turkey/lasagne/whatever you're serving to people in the dining room.

And it would also have another plus. I've been at parties where there was a deck wrapped around or partly around the dining room, and it's fun--in summer with the windows open the person running the grill can talk to people in the dining room, people milling around on the deck can talk to people in the dining room, etc. And if you choose to take a screen or two off for the party, food can be passed through the windows between the deck and the dining room. Basically it lets there be some interaction between the two spaces, which is fun.

Wow- what a difference. Seriously, now you have something to work with. (in my opinion) Yes, there is probably some tweaking to be done in the bedroom area - but way better flow between the bedrooms and the path from the garage entrance to the kitchen. However, I'm not a floorplan expert so what do I know.
The only thing I can quickly see is to sound proof, if possible, the walk-in-shower in the masterbedr. If one person is trying to sleep, listening to water fall onto tiles isn't very quiet. - unless you can reverse the shower and the vanity - but then where to put the toilet?
In the kitchen - can you enlarge the plans? Is there a sink by the DW? I can't tell.
More work to be done - but starting to see something that will work.

Here is a close up of the Kitchen. I did switch the Pantry and the WIC I think it makes better sense.
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Rhome- I'll look into the extra closet. Good idea!!