A very compact, but livable plan--congratulations. Won't you want a deck (possibly with a roof over a portion) on the south side of the house so that family and friends can have indoor and outdoor activities on the most favorable side of the house (for much of the year)? Do you have a barn in which your vehicles will be parked?

I am by no means an expert on floor plans but two things stood out to me. Your dining room is very narrow and guests coming into your entry will be able to see right into your mudroom without a door.

Your ensuite: in our last house, the bathroom was about the same size. In our current house, the bathroom is only 8-10" wider but it's a world of difference. That extra bit means we can pass each other easily, gives that much more elbow room, makes it a bit easier to get in and out of the shower, and makes a shower a bit bigger so we have room for 2 (blush) and a bench at the end for our stuff.

Mudroom-front door connection, love it. You might want a pocket door to close it off when needed, not just for guests but maybe a muddy dog.

Would you like a sink in your laundry room? I love mine. Great for rinsing cleaning rags and dumping mop water, or cleaning muddy shoes.

You might like a door from mudroom to dining room. Since your pantry is accessed there anyway, it's not reserved for "show".

The pantry should be wider to accommodate the freezer so you can open the door beyond 90 degrees.

The dining room at 9' wide is just wide enough for a table and chairs, but if people are I the chairs not much room to squeeze by. And no room for a side table, if you use one.

You will want to take your kitchen to Kitchens. The fridge seems far from everything it serves: sandwich making, drink-pouring, produce and chicken heading for a rinse before prepping.

Upstairs seems fine to me, except I'd do one sink in the girls' bathroom. My two boys only ever, ever used one sink in their bathroom, but could have used more drawers and counterspace. Girls have just as much, if not more, "stuff".

You will leave the basement unfinished (perfect for floor hockey!) But do you need a home office, place to store home and family and school records, pay bills, etc? I see the bonus room, but will that also be a play space for the girls?

I would get rid of the desks in the kids' rooms and expand the closets. My kids have never had a desk in their rooms as they do homeowork at the kitchen island or table. In this day and age, you also don't want them to lock themselves in their room with a computer. Best spot for computers is in the open, where parents can glance at the contents once in a while.

I really hate using a "public" powder room with a pocket door. It just never feels private and the latches never really lock the door properly.

I would try to add windows on the left and right sides upstairs. The bathroom could use a window over the toilet. If there was some commotion outside and you were upstairs, you would have no way of seeing to the left or right of your property. People do this for some privacy on small lots, but you have 160 acres!

I agree with Chispa on the kids' desks. I had that setup as a teen and didn't use it. Me, I work much better at an open table, though DH works better at a nook like that. Maybe move the closets over to the outside walls, so there's a little more space as they walk in the doors, room for a mirror maybe.

And yes, more windows upstairs! Maybe one over the toilet in the bathroom (a high one) for nice light.

It’s a great looking home. How wide are the aisles in the kitchen? I have to agree about the desks - I’d opt for more closet space. I also agree with chispa about the pocket door in the powder room not being private. Also, agree with bpathome about more windows. Will the basement be finished?

Oops I forgot to add the laundry room in my comment. It seems too close to the entry? Cpartist brought up some good points! I missed the pantry, but I have to agree - having it open into the dining room is odd. Also agree that you need a second door in the dining room. Maybe the house needs to be a little bigger?

I laugh every time someone says they are building a "forever home"; I've had two so far. Eat dessert first, life is uncertain.

I agree with others about the dining room...to me it is too small to be that closed off, even with the pretty windows. Also...I know some people aren't as interested in form as much as function...but I find it hard to believe an architect would design your facade with such a lack of fenestration, particularly in the master bath/closet area. That is just a huge blank wall of siding.

Label secret spaces shown on published floor plans, "Utility Chase".

but I find it hard to believe an architect would design your facade with such a lack of fenestration, particularly in the master bath/closet area. That is just a huge blank wall of siding.

Ugh I missed that looking at it quickly the first time.

Agree with you that it needs...something.

Too much typing to mention everything.

Educate yourself on what makes for good design and then talk to somebody who can actually do it. You can start your reading here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3281434/book-suggestions?n=10

And read a bunch of other observations on good design here. I posted 80 there myself http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3285825/what-makes-a-house-have-good-design?n=39

But good luck with your build. Exciting times ahead!

A lot of things seem just a little tight on the main floor. A few inches here and there would make a big difference. The master closet has wasted space in such a compact design. Either find room (7' wide) to hang clothes on both sides, or make it a reach-in somewhere.

When orienting your house, try not to have it face dead north. North sides tend to be cold and uninviting, mold and algae grow, and snow and ice will linger much longer in the shade. I rotated our house some so that it gets at least a little sun on the 'north' side.

Take a look at your dimensions. As pointed out above, the dining room width is really too small to accommodate a table and chairs and the room needed to comfortably pull the chairs out and sit. It is 9'-3" and really needs to be a min of 12' (IMO) to work. The same thing with your master suite. You have a 14' x 12' room and if I were in your shoes, I would have at least a 14' x 14' room. Do take the time to read the links and comments posted above.

I'm not an architect, but it seems like some of the mid-roofline awkwardness (roofs above main floor areas) could be solved by extending the porch across the length of the front elevation. You could do a similar thing in the back that extends the roofline currently above the living room area bumpout to both sides and create smaller covered areas off dining and master bedroom, this potentially connecting the hipped rooflines on the sides (note the left side elevation roofline is currently not drawn correctly per the 'hip' shown) to covered porch areas in front/back. If done right, this could give a more cohesive/ unified 'wraparound porch' feel that would also have more of a true farmhouse feel to boot. Otherwise the layout seems nice and functional to me- good luck!

The mud room seems like it will function mostly as a hallway. You have 2 entry doors so close together, which doesn’t make sense to me.

I would remove that side door and just use your main entry. The mud room could then have much more storage, which I’m sure a family of 4 on a farm with a cold climate would put to good use.

do you have any elevations for this house?