Nope. Not odd to me. In fact, rather convenient since guests will know where it is.

The powder room is fine. I don't want to burst the happy bubble but an awful lot of the rest could be better, though it may take a few more square feet.

The laundry is in the mud entrance........UGH!! and sorry , but far too highly trafficked for the purpose......murder to keep neat and clean and not the best spot ever.

The mud leads to a direct view into a bath, and that bath is far better, shared by two bedrooms in a more perfect plan, with no access from living space other than each of the bedrooms.

Relative to the total home sq footage, do you actually need this much dedicated office?

I'd lose the master tub in favor of separate vanities, linen.......in a heartbeat

Desk and linen changed to pantry type storage in kitchen, a walk in is NOT the only useful pantry. storage

Pantry space better used for well thought out laundry function . Even porch entry closet could be reduced to one half, if the existing mud area lost the laundry function and had more closet and dedicated storage........

When a house is very compact, you need extreme thought to every inch and function. If you're thrilled, fine, but for me, I'd need some changes. Sorry: ( !

The bathroom is fine, and here's a thought, if you ever have tradespeople/gardeners/(clients?) etc they can use that washroom without fully entering your house. I'm a tub person, so while I love a big shower, big tubs are my happiness. To each their own. The walk in pantry, hard to say, I have one and I find it useful because we have very little storage on the main floor (it uses a space that would be hard to use otherwise, over a set of stairs). Guess it depends on how you shop, what you store. The closet on the other side of the bathroom might be difficult if two people are on the same schedule trying to get out of the house. I like the fact that office is separate from the living areas.

it seems your guests will find the bathroom associated with the bedrooms before they'll wander all the way back to the front door. if thats not what you want to have happen, you need to better disguise the 'family bath'.

Yes I agree that a laundry sink is indispensable, and having access to the pantry from the kitchen makes sense.

I think it is an awkward location and would prefer to reorganize the design to have the coat closet next to the door and the powder room next to the master bathroom. In a house of that size, I would probably skip the tub in the master bathroom and enlarge the shower. I would also consider dropping the powder room completely as the family bath is easily accessible from the kitchen and living areas. Rather than dedicate that space to a room for guests, I would enlarge the mudroom space to include a utility sink area

However, the powder room/office area makes complete sense if you anticipate have business clients visit your home office

Wow! Thanks everyone for taking the time to read through my question and respond. The feedback is much appreciated and gives me a lot to consider.

My suggestions are to use all pocket doors. Look at all the “swings” you have taking about 3’ of space each; closets…you don’t have many. Turn the pantry into a large closet and design your kitchen with pantries in addition to cabinets.

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If a sink in the laundry is not an option, I would for my own personal tastes, put in a very deep sink in the powder room.

We put an extra deep sink in the garage with surrounding IKEA cabs. One of the best things we did.

Here that would not be practical, you don't put plumbing "outdoors". I knew people who lived in Florida where that might be feasible.

Sorry to disagree with most of these comments, but the answer to the question in your post is yes, it IS odd to have the powder room be the first thing you see upon entry. For the most part I agree with Linda and would consider doing away with the powder room altogether given the convenience of the full bath to the living area. The whole entry sequence from front porch to living space should be rethought.

I think it's fine that it's there because it's to the side. Most people will probably actually think it's a coat closet. I even like it that it's somewhat private from the kitchen and the living spaces.The thing I do think is weird is to walk into a kitchen instead of walking into a living room.

I don't find the bathroom location odd (right inside the entry). My husband would actually prefer it there next to the office, so he could go to the bathroom without the kids assuming he was done working. ;-)

The biggest thing I would change is having a separate laundry room. I can't stand having a combined space and will never have our laundry off the garage/mudroom again. That said, we live in a snowy climate and I have three kids, so the mudroom is always filled with slushy boots, jackets, hats, and lots of salt and sand in the winter. Despite vacuuming it daily, I still get sand on my feet when I walk in the mudroom to do laundry. If I drop anything (moving clothes from washer to dryer, or unloading the dryer), it ends up dirty again from the mudroom floor. I much prefer having the mudroom separate from everything else. But it is personal preference more than anything -- I have friends who love having the laundry off the garage entrance so they can just toss any dirty stuff in from outside. And having it near the kitchen to switch loads can be a plus. It is a bit of a walk to and from the master, but not bad. Looking at your floor plan, the mudroom may still be the best location for the laundry, and having a combined mudroom/laundry may never be an issue with your climate and your future needs. I agree that having a utility sink somewhere in the house or garage (depending on climate) would be a huge plus.

I love the powder room by the front door. It's out of the party area and in proximity to the office. If you actually work from home, that's a big plus. And if you use the office as a guest room, another big plus.

I like Beverly's suggestions for the master bath. I don't like having to walk through the bathroom to get to the closet (in general), but by isolating the toilet in a closed room, you alleviate some of that issue.

Thanks AuntThelma! My husband actually does work from home so he thinks it will be very convenient to have the bathroom right there for his use. Thanks for your insight!

Once upon a time, I commuted 45 minutes or more to and from work. There were times I wished there was a powder room just inside the door. ;)

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Personally, I like your layout. Having that full bath across from your laundry room in the back serves your garage entrance, but that little 1/2 bath is certainly convenient to your office, especially if you work from home & may have an occasional client in need of the facilities. Enjoy your new home!

Wendy, I hear that! I have a long commute. My routine when I get home is, "Hi, honey, gotta pee!"

Thanks again for all the feedback. As far as the original question was concerned (regarding the location of the half bath), I basically received the same answers upon asking family and friends. I appreciate the further validation/support from all who responded on this forum! For the most part, people thought it was no big deal. Although I did have a couple individuals (my sister included whose opinion I truly value), who responded with "No way! I do think it is weird to have a bathroom right there when you first walk into a house!" (thanks for your honesty, @RappArchitecture).

My husband and I went back and forth... and then back and forth again and then ultimately decided to keep the bathroom. I believe it is the best decision for us! Our general contractor gave us some great feedback which convinced us accordingly, such as: 1. it is better for resale value 2. the full bath next to the main living area will be our kids bathroom as well... so not the best option for guests 3. when our 2 boys get older it will be nice to have the extra bathroom.

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond! I am sure I will have more "design dilemmas" that arise throughout this home building process. I can see where this forum will really come in handy!

As fur the entrance bathroom, I don't see a problem with it being by the entrance. Especially because is to the side.

As others have mentioned, I think there are problems in some other areas, I wouldn't make the access to the closet through the bathroom, and in your plan you have little clearance through the master bath as it is.

I would also suggest the other full bath to be a little wider. Seems a little out of proportion.

^ I totally agree.

This is my favorite layout for a powder room. Hides the toilet when a guest enters the room & provides you with the opportunity to do something spectacular for the vanity & mirror area.

I bet you are glad to have that powder room by the front door now! I am looking for house plans to build my house and one thing I will always want from now on is a place to wash my hands when I come home.

As a parent of a toddler, I would literally kill for a bathroom right by the door....