By the way, here is another shot of the niche between the kitchen and the living room that I had in my desktop. Have a great weekend.

Yes, that could work and also provide a little sense of privacy to the toilet. However, consider instead of building a standard closet, the purchase of an armoire that could serve the same function and add so much more character or charm to the space. An armoire with mirror doors would be ideal.

Yes, move the door. Having the sink right in front or across from the door and the shower to the right, in front of the toilet, is the preferable layout.

There is another viable alternative. Consider putting a closet or armoire where the sink is located now, facing the toilet, and installing a sink or a double sink on a 6' or 5'6" long vanity on the wall to the left.

Here is an idea. Going back to doing things in phases. Consider adding the room shown above in the near future. This structure would feature large expanses of double-pane sliding glass doors and stone walls, and allow you to exercise throughout the year while taking in the view of the lake and landscaping in the rear of the property.

It also serves as a private reading and working space if you wish. In warm weather you can open the doors and let the outdoors in, go for a run or walk and right back in. It connects to the house by a corridor right off you master bedroom and bath.

Here is a variation of your layout for the bedrooms to give you a different perspective on possibilities. Notice that the expansion of the master bedroom next to the master bath is very cheap to build and could be used for you exercise equipment now and as a study in the future.

This arrangement meets your desire for symmetry but also cuts your great room in two, which is something you can work around by creating two seating areas - one focused on the television for example and another on a fireplace or study or game table.

My pleasure.

I would suggest printing out the images above and showing it to your husband after a good meal. "Sweetie, look what a pretty exercise room I could have if we build it this way."

The master bedroom by the way is 22'x13'6", the exercise room is 9'x10'. The second bedroom is 12'x14'. The space between the bedroom doors is 4'.

Remember that the images are build to scale and each square represents 1'.

Cheers!

And by the way, do not let the contractor deter you from placing an opening anywhere you want it. The support poles are every 8' is true but they are wood. It takes time and time is money of course, but the contractor can move a pole a few feet in any direction and add additional support poles as needed if it is important for you to have an opening precisely where you need it to be.

In the meantime you can put your equipment by the two windows at the back of the master bedroom, and once he hits his big toe a couple of times, the money will appear! lol

No, that does not look like a standard placement of doors within a wall frame. How thick are the exterior walls?

Anyway, you can always use a large square molding to finish the look and keep it modern.

Check this diagram. The gray is what needs to be added to create a more substantial frame around those doors. Every square is 1".

I guess the inside is now designed to perfection, so it may me time to add a few thoughts for a few years hence, when you think about the outside.

Maybe you could afford a few saplings to start reforesting your farmland:

a. Clusters of weeping willows at the points of land that jut into the lake.

b. London plane trees 30'-40' on center along both sides of the straight entry drive, or beech trees if you want a tighter head, or ginkgo or honeylocusts if you need to avoid leaf-drop.

c. If doing a circular drive loop to the right of the entry drive, keep it well away from the house, at least 40', with a broad walk to the entry.

d. Use the entry to the drive loop as a backup space, so you can back into the garage at night, or get turned around in the morning to whip out the drive to town.

Wish I was designing a house, so I could appeal to Uncle Felix.

Enjoy the next few years of dedication and hard work, as it all unfolds,....... and teach the dogs to swim.

cascio.offsite@gmail.com

Garage to living room in alignment with what will be the most prevalent foot traffic.

Toward the view you want the repetition of the narrower lines to hold you back and impel you to sit and enjoy the view rather than pushing you out - given that you are going to have a sitting arrangement in front of the doors facing the lagoon.

I would actually lay they tiles one way, look at it from every corner of the room and then move then the opposite way, do the same and take pictures of both, you can think about it with ease.

A cozy seating area close to the front door is always a good idea. I do not think it would be as effective as dining area. For that I would suggest a large round table since they fit anywhere within the space by not having to be aligned to any wall or corner.

It all depends on your personal preferences. I do not care for most fireplaces in a corner or at an angle. They upset the balance and focus of most rooms. Let me get back to my drafts of your space in my pc at home and think about it. I was thinking you could put the work desk in the closet to the left of the front door so when you close its doors, the main room looks tidy. And please consider a round dining room table. Round works better in this type of space. Cheers!

Ok I changed it and I think you are right. It does look better I think. Sorry about the not so great pic! Is this a little better?