Cliff- I already left my comments on the Building a House forum- I'm too lazy to type it all over again. I will add one, though- if the living room was a bit wider, the porch would be too- a big deal to those of us in the southern US.

Cliff, I really like the plans! It might help us to know where you are located so we can factor in the climate issues. Here in the South, I would make that covered back porch a screened in porch.

If this were my house, I would do away with the breakfast bar because the dining area is very handy close by. Of course, if you have school age children, that breakfast bar might be a keeper. Since I hate to sit on high bar stools, I have no use for these breakfast bars in all the new homes. LOL! As you become a "mature" person and into retirement, climbing up onto bar stools might become more problematic. Just my opinion.

I might put a pantry where that breakfast bar is. I love pantries for food storage, but then I love to cook too. Have you thought about storage near/in the kitchen for recycle bins, pet food bags, large cooking pots, etc.?

I think the use of the 10' ceilings in the living areas will make the rooms seem bigger, even though they are not too small. Personally, my 9" ceilings in my home are enough for me. I never understood why people thought they had to have cathedral ceilings in a bedroom or bath....but hey! this is the Small House forum...right?

Thanks for the info to your blog. I look forward to visiting there.

Teresa

I love these plans. I think it's great for a single person, couple, or with one child.

You have four doors to the outside in this house. Do you really need that door over by the dinette?

I understand why you like the breakfast bar with a toddler growing up.

If you have the bench near at the side door built in with the top hinged to open, you can use the space inside the bench for boots, mittens, scarves, bike helmet, etc.

Usually the fireplace extends out from the outside wall of the house and is more or less flush inside. Do they build them differently in Canada?

I think one thing that you might want to look at is the depth of the front porch. If it is just for an architectural detail, the depth is fine. If you plan to use it as an extension of your living space/entertainment space, you'll want to make it deeper than 5 feet. In my area, the standard is considered 6 feet, but depending on its intended use, even that can be tight.

I just took another look. Since I tend to love closets, could you make the bench/hook area into a closet with bifold doors? Also, do you have your heart set on a true laundry room? If not, you could reorient the washer and dryer and have them face the opposite way and install them behind bifold doors (which would wind up on the wall opposite the stairs-- which lead to???). Now, where you had the door into the laundry, you have a door into a new closet or you could slide the bathroom down and use the extra space to give you a deeper closet in the second bedroom. I hope the way I have described this makes sense to you. The only caveat to changing this might be the chance you take on the potential change in noise level.