OT -- I've heard of "Old Dog Trey", but what is a trey ceiling? haha

No reason to have a formal "dining room" if you are happy with a more casual space. I'm not a fan of 'nooks', but could see a table that could expand out into an adjacent room from its normal place in a 'breakfast area'.

LOL - @chisue.

@mrspete - we had the opportunity to meet a nearby designer and I really liked some of his work. This one is nice and clean and with my untrained eye, seems efficient enough. Hoping to meet with them again to discuss custom options. The one I posted is a modification of their Highland II plan, but it's not on the website. It's 2400+ SF.

http://sdhomedesigns.com/shop/

It all depends on what you like. Do you want the dining area separate from the kitchen? Do you have times you do NOT want to see the mess? Or are you a very neat cook?

I'm not (LOL) so while I'd love to have a kitchen table, for only one dining area....it's separate. And I like that! Ideally, I'd have two, but space is at a premium, so the 'nook' will be a little seating area to chat with cook.

Think about how you really use your space, how you plan to use it...and what you would like to do. Best of luck with your new home! :)

Please don't plan for 20 years from now and selling -- NO ONE can tell you right now what will be "in" then. If you plan to live in a place long term, design for your own needs, short and long term - and yes you might want to consider some ADA ideas in this design. I do like the plans you have posted so far!

Beware the stairs -- a straight run with no landing is a "killer staircase". Moreover, you don't want *any* stairs in a retirement home, so scratch this unless you'll move again. (You also don't want to heat/cool, maintain, or pay taxes on unused space.)

I wouldn't enjoy accessing my closet via the bathroom, and I like a powder room close to the family (garage) entrance. I also like the kitchen near the garage (which might be a foot or more wider than it is for easy door-swing).

I agree with all of the above.

Our first home was built in 1997 (not by us) - one eating space similar to what this one is but the kitchen was more closed off. Current build (2014) and we didn't build a nook or a formal space either. We did make sure that we could expand the table for a larger crowd if we needed to.

We've never had more than one and most of our friends/relatives only have one eating space too. We DO have some seating at the island though and I can see mrspete's point about wanting a smaller place to share a meal for two.

Now a hearth room off of or adjacent to the kitchen - oh that would be lovely. We don't have one of those either though, lol.

I had a separate very formal dining room in the house we lived in for 42 years and sold a month ago. We build our forever, retirement home with an open floor plan and no separate dining room. I always said I would never have an open floor plan and wanted a separate dining room. BUT, I love this house! We really only used the formal dining room a few times a year and the table became a catch all. I like the open floor plan because my husband and I don't have to yell when one is in the kitchen and the other in the living room with the dining room in between. We sit at the island for breakfast and lunch and in the small dining area for dinner. The table can be opened to seat 8 and that's all we need. Any overflow can sit at the island or even on the sofa with trays and still be a part of the conversation.

Zorroslw1 - I've always wanted a formal dining room, but the more I think about it - just not sure it makes sense for the reasons you mention. Other than a few times a year, my parents use theirs as an office. :)

Yes, this one is not my dream FP. I posted more to give an idea of what I meant, but I do think the designer has good ideas and made me reconsider a few options.

Looks like we're going to spend more time on picking the floor plan than I initially thought. We thought we'd be building in October HA. 2016 is looking real good now.

No formal dining room here. Just a small table in the kitchen area but that's what works best for us. For big crowds, you could always eat outside if the Tennessee weather allows.

No formal dining room. Room for a table that unopened can seat 4 and opened can seat 10. We also have a separate breakfast bar being built for quick meals, chatting or coffee. It's what we have now in our condo and it works perfectly. I'd rather use any additional space for more useful things like an office or tv room.

Our new house is almost exactly what you've posted, at least in the kitchen/LR/dining area. We have an area in the old house that's designated as a dining area, and we NEVER use it. Even when we have people over and try to force its use by putting food out there, nobody but the kids and the dogs gets at the food. Everyone hovers in the kitchen.

I have a large eat-in space in my kitchen, with a table as large as my dining room table. While I make use of my dining room table for puzzles and board games, we eat with family and friends in the kitchen. I prefer serving buffet style with a wide variety of dishes, so the kitchen island becomes essential. It just seems silly from there to tote filled plates into the dining room, when everything we need for a pleasant meal is right there in the kitchen.

As I contemplate options for a future home, I could definitely ditch the dedicated formal dining room. But there's lots of other "spare" rooms I'd be loathe to give up: a dedicated first floor office, large solarium, family room, and seperate formal living room are all well-used parts of my home. And my husband wants a house with a bazillion-car garage, so downsizing isn't high on my priorities.

I'm remodeling and building an addition. No formal dining room. Eat in kitchen, that can be closed off from the rest of the house. We will have a big family room, (no formal living room) so if I have a more formal meal, I could set up a table in there, but that's rare for me. I could also use the room for a table if we had a larger party of people.

I've had the luxury of living in a few different homes that really helped me understand how I live. We had a formal dining room, but we would rather eat in the kitchen that opened to the great room. I could care less if my kitchen looks used or messy, but some people do.

So, think of how you live, and plan around that. Good luck!

Our last house didn't have a formal dining room. We sold it quickly, but, we did hear comments that it was not considered by a few potential buyers because it didn't have a formal dining room.

The house we just built has a dining room which we tried to eliminate from the plan, but we gave up because we didn't want a room next to the foyer that was closed off. The room is open on two sides. So, we have a dining room that will most likely never be used by us as a dining room. We are now trying to figure out what to do with the space. Currently, it's empty. We have a few ideas, but are just trying to decide what one will work best for our family.

We have a large counter height island and a smaller dining area where we have our dining table. We aren't formal people, but we do cook most of our meals at house so these areas are used often.

I think you have to do what is best for you and not worry about resale value, there will be people who insist on a formal dining room and there will be people who don't care that you don't have one.

I am definitely the odd ball...I have and love a formal dining room. :) We use it anytime we have more than 2 people over (our informal eating area only seats 6.) And even though this only averages one time per month...I just love having that room. It is beautiful, and I love hosting committe meetings in there at that big table. It is the first room you see when you enter our house, and I love that it always looks "company ready."

That said, I have totally seen many homes now with one eating area , and most of these are nice and large and open to the kitchen. If that suits your lifestyle, I would go for it! I do think this set up works best when it is a very open area on more than one side. In the plan you referenced, I would add a couple of feet to the dining area.

Oh my, I thought the downstairs was cute, but I don't care for the upstairs at all ... the loft and the living room may be two separate spaces, but they'll have no acoustical privacy, and furniture arrangement in the loft would be difficult ... and the bedroom on the left is far from its bathroom. I'm also surprised that it's 2400sf; the rooms are moderate in size.

Digesting and commenting on several people's thoughts: Yes, it's absolutely essential that you figure out whether you personally will use a dining room; don't build such a room because you're interested in resale -- that's a guessing game. For every person who wants a formal dining room, there's another who considers it a waste of space.

And something no one else has actually said: Setting aside a room as a formal dining room is an expensive choice. You're probably talking about 120-200 sf, and houses are expensive. Especially if you're financing your house, this is a real consideration.

It also depends on how you set up your dining room. Ours was the
living room and we made it into the dining room, with a bigger table. Now that my mom is moving down in a few months, we're going to have more
of the holiday dinners here.

But, I've never been a fan of the
formal, small dining room that everyone walks past and no one wants to
sit in. We're still finishing the space, but here's a few pictures :)

Our old house has a dining room, but you have to walk through it to get to the kitchen. We eat in the kitchen when it's just the two of us, use the dining room when anyone else is around. New house has public areas in an L shape, with the kitchen on the shorter leg. It has a dropped ceiling (compared to the vaulted LR and dining area) and a peninsula to separate it. Dining is at a long farmhouse table with windows on 2 sides, so somewhat nook-like. there is an L-shaped banquette plus 4 chairs for those who prefer that. There are also a couple of swivel stools at the peninsula counter so you can chat with the cook and stay out of the traffic or we will sometimes eat lunch there, even though it's just a few feet away from the big table.

We decided against a formal DR. Had one in our previous home and it got used 2-3 times year. For us, it was just a waste of space. In our new home we did a larger eat in area in the kitchen and love it. I do wish it was a foot or two deeper, but its still much preferable to me to what we had before :)

We have just what you describe. Our dining room is in the same space as most floor plan's breakfast nook would be. It's 18x12 and we have a 8.5x4 farm table. I think it's very usable with a couple of caveats:

1.) Have two eating areas. We have the table - DH and I eat alone at the big table all the time. It's not like we have to sit at opposite ends yelling, "Pass the salt!" We also have an island with four countertop height chairs.

2.) Have a room that is multi-functional were a formal dining room might logically go. This is if you are concerned about resell. We had that concern, so my office can easily be converted to a dining room.

Lavender, You make a good point about our houses needing to "evolve" as our lives (and the people in them) change.

We are building now with no formal dining space. Our "nook" is 14x11, with the width not confined by a wall. I think I can seat ~10 there.

Our "formal" meals are all served buffet style from the island anyway, so I don't need food being traipsed through the house to a formal dining room.

Would I have been upset if the floor plan had a formal dining room? No. Is not having a dining room a deal breaker? For us, the answer is YES if we can't seat 10. I need to seat 10 for holiday meals. A "nook" wouldn't cut it.

Agree Mama Rachel -- will be curious to see how your space turns out.

Thank you all for sharing. So many decisions to make going into this process. Aghhh.

We tore the wall down between the DR and kitchen in our current home and put a large countertop, lower cabinets, and room for a couple of stools. Next party, NO ONE EVER left the kitchen. So in the house we are building, we are catering to the way we entertain--large kitchen, large island with seats of 3 sides so people can face each other instead of me, and a large dining area that flows off of it. Somewhat similar to your plan, with opening into the GR. Can't wait to get in it!

In our last house we had both a formal dining room which was too small for my 8 foot table as well as a breakfast area. We ended up putting the table in the breakfast for holidays since we could use the adjoining hallway for overflow space. For our lifestyle a formal dining room is more of a trophy room; lovely to look at - but not very practical. In the house we are planning currently there will be just one eating area big enough for the table and then an eating area on the large Island. Good luck with your project and keep us posted

how many square feet is this??

Six years ago, and it wasn't even the OP's chosen plan, just a "f'rinstance".

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