If you want more space on the west side of the lot, flip the house so the garage is on the west. Having your living room face south west is probably least ideal in summer anyway. And let the garage block the late afternoon sun. Unless you're in Northern Canada where it doesn't get too hot in summer

I'm not understanding why the elevations would make a difference. And driveways are easy to change.

I'm guessing leavesdancing means elevation of the ground, not the elevations of the appearance of the house.

I like the entry that is shared -- no formal foyer. I'm not sure about the 'back hall' and powder room.

Why the large basement? Seniors don't 'do' stairs. DH and I are mid-seventies. Our unfinished basement houses the HVAC and water heater. Our house is the minimum inches above ground (one step up everywhere, including the garage).

North is the best place for a garage in a cold climate.

Do you want washer and dryer in your MBA? Where will you vent the dryer? A toilet room on an outside wall can have a windows. Odd for a secondary BR to share the MBA. Will you use that BR as a den?

The MBR is small. Without a walk-in closet to dress from, you'll need space for dressers in the MBR.

The door to your refrigerator will block access to the dining area when it is open.

Is there a market for a 2BR, bath and a half house in your area? Is it a good location, near shopping, library, medical services, etc.?

Just a thought without changing much of the interior, how about a side entry garage?

I also like that the entry serves both the front door and the garage entrance; however, I prefer the garage tucked towards the back. This puts the garage entry door in a better spot, and it looks like guest parking would fall into place nicely with this layout.

I don't like the living room being allll the way across the house from the entry. It seems to cause two problems: First, it means that a guest who arrives at your front door has to walk across two rooms to reach your living room -- seems odd. Second, it places the living room (probably the noisiest room with the TV and conversations) nearest to the master bedroom. And another item: With the kitchen nearest the front door, you're pushing all your big windows towards the left of the house -- without having seen an elevation, this may appear lopsided.

The bathrooms, too, have some serious issues, especially for a retirement house: The nose-to-toes half bath layout isn't comfortable. Ever. Anywhere. The master bath /laundry room has only a small sink area, and it's crammed up against one wall ... and a toilet-in-close isn't elderly-friendly at all. Is that a 3x3 Japanese style tub in the corner? If so, it and the shower work well on the back wall together, keeping the "wet areas" together. Where are your towels going to hang? Don't say behind the shower door! This bathroom will work fine for the corner bedroom, but it's not comfortable for the people in the guest bedroom to walk through the living area to reach the bathroom.

What I'd do: I'd move the washer/dryer to the half-bath-in-the-entry area, and I'd start from scratch with the master bath.

All your exterior doors are on the right side of the plan. I'd look into a door somewhere on the left end. Why? Fire safety. My RN daughter worked home health during college, and she says that fire safety is one big consideration in deciding whether an elderly person can stay in his house or whether he needs to go into a nursing home.

I also wonder whether you have enough closet space for two spouses to share, and I don't care for a closet up against the head of the bed.

I'm almost 73 and have serious chronic pulmonary problems but I DO do steps! My house has a basement garage, basement has w&d and my desktop computer. MBR is on the 2nd flr. Yes, I do plan my steps but all my doctors agree that the biggest mistake seniors make is giving up steps. They keep us fit! Basements are also an excellent place to send grandchildren in inclement weather.

I would add a shower to the half bath. I would also move the w/d out of the master bath into the closet/extra bath area. I would try to fit a bathtub into the master bath. What is the 3x3 ' area by the master shower? Is the walkway to the shower wide enough?

It sounds like you are still relatively young. If you did decide to sell someday, these are things future buyer might be looking for.

No kids, no grandkids.

And you don't mention entertaining as a priority ... why do you need the basement?

Are you familiar with ms paint? It comes with MS Office suite and allows you to cut and paste, flip, rotate selections so you can tinker within your foot print.

Just a quickie - it really closes off the kitchen. If you could move the stairs maybe over by the garage I think it would be better. I am not an expert at anything but doodling with MS Paint. ;)

I like designing so a bedroom's path to a bathroom is private.

Your floor plan is exceedingly tight and utilitarian on the first floor. It may be a good starter house, but not one I would imagine living in for "the rest of our lives (three decades)". Have you considered eliminating the basement and putting some of that area into a larger, more usable and inviting first floor for the rest of your lives?

BONUS POINTS for any friend who gets the film reference!

I had to google (the answer is Real Genius), but that movie brings back so many memories of childhood. What a classic. Looks like I know what I'm doing for the next two hours...

Andy WINS!!

I'm an inveterate quote collector and that's always been one of my favorites.

I think I'm going to watch it again, too, this evening.

Leavesdancing, I fully understand your comments. Your plan shows a first floor of 1,156 SF composed of small and tight spaces. You note a basement of 1,336 SF. What will the basement space be used for besides resale?

Adding 200-300 SF to the first floor would make a substantial improvement in livability and for resale.

Your public spaces are oriented to the front of the house, making privacy and usable outdoor spaces challenging at best (unless you have a very large property and the front of your house will not be visible from the street or front property line. The rear of your house has no orientation or relationship to the rear of your property.

Just responding to your comment: "... Also, any comments about design / spacing / layout / functionality welcomed..." Good luck with your project!

I'm almost 73 and have serious chronic pulmonary problems but I DO do
steps! My house has a basement garage, basement has w&d and my
desktop computer. MBR is on the 2nd flr. Yes, I do plan my steps but
all my doctors agree that the biggest mistake seniors make is giving up
steps. They keep us fit! Basements are also an excellent place to send
grandchildren in inclement weather.

That's wonderful -- and you should keep it up! However, the fact that you can do it doesn't mean that everyone can. At 90 my grandmother could have managed an upstairs bedroom. At 95 she could go upstairs, but it was such a chore that doing it daily would've been problematic. At 99 a curb in a parking lot stymied her.

Autumn, I definitely prefer your layout -- same basic house, but it places all the public areas to the middle and pushes the bedrooms to the far side. It could still use some polishing, but this general layout is betterin terms of public /private separation.

I like designing so a bedroom's path to a bathroom is private.

That's not just you.

I know even the advice I didn't ask for with my house, helped me, if for
only to reinforce what I wanted for my house. I felt everything had
merit and didn't dismiss it outright.

Even if you ultimately reject an idea, the process of thinking through it is valuable. Defending your idea forces you to enumerate your reasons, and that's a good way to evaluate your choices.

Confirmation bias is a strong pull, but if you ultimately want a house that suits you, you must fight against it.

No ones life is so individualistic that they don't fall into one of a
dozen patterns of living. Either learn from their experience, or learn
from your mistakes.

This bears repeating. House details are used over and over for multiple reasons: Some details are cheaper to build, but many are used over and over simply because THEY WORK.

Even if you ultimately reject an idea, the process of thinking through it is valuable. Defending your idea forces you to enumerate your reasons, and that's a good way to evaluate your choices.

Confirmation bias is a strong pull, but if you ultimately want a house that suits you, you must fight against it.

Thanks, mrspete - just want to leave this little pearl of wisdom here again. Or shall I say "Wow. Great ideas, thanks!"?

Haven't been reading recent posts since the thread devolved into
trolling, abusive, and hostile mob mentality behavior. I don't need the
drama.

I did receive some very useful comments and questions, and I heartily
thank the contributing individuals for those. They have helped me
improve some design aspects and reassured me about others. I really
appreciate several of you and wish we could continue the conversation
unmolested.

I may try some posts in the future. My best wishes to each and every one
of us; life's too short to get one's grundies in a bundle as a first
resort. Peace, my friends.

Does that mean you are selecting a site and designing a home to fit it?