If the 4th bedroom is the "bonus room" be sure the windows meet the escape and rescue opening as well as the 4% clear open area requirements of the building code. There are also requirements for the room area under sloped ceilings. Room area is usually measured where the ceiling is higher than 5 ft above the floor. Draw an accurate section through the bonus room and locate the knee walls to see how furniture can be placed in the room. You might want to add a dormer or a skylight.

It's cute, but I do think it's small.

The laundry room is under the eaves, so don't bump your head taking the clothes out of the dryer. That room is small anyway, no room for prewash sorting or the "laundry lineup", you know, the days when you do several loads and have a kind of assembly line going. Also (especially with a baby) there is no place to soak.

the dining room is mall, and far from the kitchen.

i think you need an "away room" as Sarah Susanka calls it, and maybe a place to store records and paperwork. Kids mean paper! You may want to use the Dining Room for this.

the kids bathroom has no storage. As the kids get older, they need space for hair styling, makeup, razors, skin care, orthodontia paraphernalia, etc.

The kids bedrooms have only one window each! And it's in a corner. Dark.

The upstairs hall is a long, dark tunnel.

Do you keep a really tidy garage entry? Because you and your guests have to walk through it to get to the powder room. And does everyone close the door (during and after?) because you can see right into it from the kitchen.

The view from the front door is of the family table (if you will eat in the great room most of the time) and it will likely have schoolwork, craft projects, etc on it when it's not set for meals.

i think you could keep looking and find a plan that works better, or work with an architect to create a house that suits YOUR family, not a fictional family. Do you have a lot already picked out?

Thank you, yes we own a lot already! I will take everything into consideration! You brought up some great points!

I really hate the bathroom on level one. I hate it when toilets face the sink, which probably has a mirror over it.

Yes we would add a closet in that space. The only thing is that my 3/5 year olds are a boy and girl, my 5 year old being the girl. Since this baby is a girl, I guess I just felt like they would be better teamed up together and we would use the other small room as the guest/playroom, as we already have a sleeper.

Kids can always move rooms as the needs arise. My brother and I had separate rooms till the baby came. Then Big Bro and I shared for a year or so, then me and Li'l Bro in "my" room, then the Bros shared, then Big Bro set himself up in the (finished) basement.

I notice there's a basement, so plenty of room for storage and playroom for the older kids who don't need constant supervision (just an ear cocked for too noisy...or too quiet lol)

I do like the man-door and extra space in the garage! Room for trash bins and bikes and Big Wheels and stroller!

The second floor bonus room plan is not drawn correctly. This house design has a large front facing gable over the garage that makes the bonus room very large with an additional window and space for closets. Also, the roof pitch is steep so the height of the knee walls is probably 5 to 6 ft. and there would be large under-eave storage spaces and a dormer or skylights could be added to the back side of the roof (there's a thin one over the adjacent bedroom closet already so why not extend it. With a dormer the space would probably be large enough for a play space with a bedroom beyond it.

The 1,775 sf gross area did not include the bonus room or the front gable space so if the bonus room is finished the area of the house would be closer to 2,100 s.f.

The perspective is quite nice but the elevations are so poorly detailed that I suspect you will need to have them redrawn. Its a very nice classic Colonial Revival so don't ruin it with expensive trendy brick column bases and a brick perimeter skirt. The segmented arch over the front windows is a bit odd too. The front has distinctive classical "cornice returns" but the sides and rear have pork chop trim and that needs to be corrected. This could be a very nice house if you let it be what it wants to be or you could make it something completely different.

Does the space over the garage also have a gable over the rear elevation? That area could be a very nice space, but having three bedrooms on the second level share a single fixture bath may not be a good idea. I'd give some attention to redesigning the bath and laundry room areas. I like the front elevation, and would give attention to the comments by JDS to make the house consistent on all elevations.

Oddly the sides and rear elevations are as plain and un-fenestrated as a tract house.

I like the exterior. The house isn't overly large, and the only room that is really generous in terms of space is the master bedroom. However, it'll work for a family of five, if it matches your expectations of "cozy".

Downstairs:

I agree that I don't like the dining room being so far from the kitchen. Could you flip the great room and the kitchen? This would mean you'd come in from the garage and enter the family room. Not typical, but also not horrible.

I'd definitely skip a breakfast table. You don't need a dining room AND a breakfast room AND island seating -- and in this space, you can't afford all those seating options. Skipping the breakfast table will allow you to enlarge the family room. I'd consider moving the fireplace to the back wall -- it'll then be on the "wider wall" of the family room and will allow you to orient the sofa towards it. It'll also mean you enter the house from the "back" of the family room instead of the "side".

I agree that I hate the downstairs bathroom -- awful location, awful layout -- but I don't see anything to do about it within this space.

Upstairs:

Your plan of putting the two girls into the bonus-room-turned-bedroom is good. It'll work really well if you have the two gables someone else mentioned; you'd have windows on three walls, and each girl could have her bed in an "alcove". And, yes, you'll need to be sure you have egress windows and closets -- don't skimp on the closets for two girls; I'd think you could have two closets flanking the doorway.

That leaves one bedroom as an "away room" -- which is good. An upstairs office isn't a great idea -- the paperwork won't really make it upstairs. No, the kids won't use it as a playroom; kids never really do use playrooms. But it could be a quiet den type room where kids or adults could go for quiet time. And it'd be a good video game room when the kids are teens.

You have plenty of space in the master for a seating area, or that could be an adult office space.

Overall, I don't love the house -- I don't see that it has anything special enough to make it worth the effort and cost of building -- but it does look functional on a cozy scale.

SHeesh....."not big enough for a family of 5"...... ya all do know that until the mid-late 1980s, the median house size was under 1200 sq ft.

Millions grew up in families with 3 or 4 kids in houses 2/3rd the size of this. My college dorm room - room for 2 - were no bigger than the 2nd & 3rd bedrooms! Bunk beds and 2 desks and 2 dressers - and yeah we survived quite nicely .

Millions in the US grew up - and still live in - houses with 1 bathroom for 3 -5 people . 1 bath not 1 1/2 or 2 or 2 1/2

Now I would flip the Great room so the kitchen is opposite the dining area - and lose the seating at the island. You can only eat in 1 place at a time and that is not a large kitchen-living room to start with.

ANd an "away room" (ridiculous name for what use to be called the study or library) is a WANT - not a 'need)

According to the US census bureau the median single-family house size in 1987 was 1,755 s.f. and the average size was 1,905 s.f. The only thing different about this house is the use of the space above the garage as an additional bedroom. The only thing that allows this house to work for a family of 5 is the open plan.

The housing you are referring to was built during and after the war and it has pretty much been replaced. I remember those houses quite well and it was tough when the weather was bad. Its no coincidence that the children of that era have been building larger houses for themselves but this is not one of them.

Cute house.

love the idea of swapping the family room and kitchen as MP suggested. Then you could have a larger family room, use the dining room as your real dining space and only have two rather than three dining spaces. It's not that far of a hike from the garage to the new kitchen.

i have your powder room....and I loathe it. At least make sure the door opens out.

Ann...

"ANd an "away room" (ridiculous name for what use to be called the study or library) is a WANT - not a 'need)".

Lol...Yep, have to agree.

We purchased the house my dh grew up in from MILs estate. Tiny, cute brick ranch with basement. Three bedrooms, one bath. Built post war by his parents. They raised six kids there. Dh says he never thought it was small growing up, but feels tiny now.

Tough to respond to "too small?" without more info.

How big are the folks living there? Planning to finish the basement? What are the expectations/desires as to personal space? Lot size? General neighborhood conditions? Location/climate? Etc.

There are a lot of post-war ~1200ft2 3BR/1BA ranches in our area still going strong for families with multiple children but I figure it's because California allows for a lot of outdoor living (and even so nowadays it seems like many folks are trying to figure out how to pop-up or at least add a master suite). In Canada, for example, I think more indoor space would be a higher priority.

kjswags's ideas · More Info

Does anyone like this plan better?

kjswags's ideas · More Info