Without much of a review, I can safely say you can do a lot better. When I have more time I will tell you why.

This appears to be a tract house in a subdivision by a builder. Don't they have a process to help you with these selections?

Why do you have to stay in the same footprint of an old home?

We have to because it’s an undersized lot and to avoid variances.

Why is so much of your first floor devoted to eating?

I would want a room on the first floor where the doors can be shut for reading, watching tv, etc. This will live like an apartment.

The location of your dining room guarantees you will never eat in it. That’s fine! You have a dining area. Make this room something else that you would use.

I think your elevation could be a whole lot better.

Hi Katie S,
I see your point. I do like the idea of going from the garage to the kitchen with groceries. That’s the big reason why I have the kitchen there. Then I like being able to cook in the kitchen and have an open view. The big open area to the left is where the my children can play. Then the dining room you’re right it’s like a wasted space except for special occasions.

Bpathome yes I see your point with the bathroom. I was just trying to fit two sinks, but any idea how else can I make it work?

Two sinks aren't necessary in a kids' bathroom. Storage is more important. They won't be in there at the same time.

Bpathome- yes you’re absolutely right. There’s not much room in there, they probably won’t be in there at the same time, and I can save money by getting rid of the sink. Thank you

@katie s what do you mean by making elevation level better?

Nicole,

There are professionals here who are very good with elevations. But I think if it were simpler it could look very classic.

I would strongly prefer a coat closet where the pantry is. Normally when you bring in groceries, you put them on the kitchen counter, then unload them. (Or at least I think most people do!).

And having the pantry right in your kitchen, where you will be need to access it multiple times per day, is way more important than the occasional grocery shopping trip. Imagine going in there every time you need a teaspoon of vinegar. I would go nuts. If you are using it for bulk items only it makes more sense.

I would switch the pantry with the mudroom. Put the pantry on the left. Have the mudroom come in on the right side of the garage. I don't like all incoming traffic being forced through the kitchen anyway (pet peeve).

I'm not sure where I would put the powder room though. Do you HAVE to have the entry (and possibly stairs) where they are? If the entry was moved to the right, you would have a fantastic place for landscaping between the garage and entry. I don't love the long dining/living space. You already have a nice dining space between kitchen and living. I would maybe do a nicer open, maybe switchback style stairs where the entry is now. With the new entry on the left side of the "dining" You could do a more intimate family room at the front of the house, or even an office space. Regardless, I think the entry/stairs/eating/dining/living could be reworked.

My suggestions for the first floor would take more time than I have at the moment (sorry! lol), so I'll just drop a few little second floor notes....

(1) Do you need the space labeled "unfinished" off the master bedroom? I would consider eliminating it completely. See how it looks. An additional wall for windows in the master would be awesome, as would a less-emphasized garage.

(2) Maybe think about switching the master closet and bath, so that the bathroom could gain another window. If you flip your current bath fixtures so that the toilet and vanities are on the outside wall, you might be able to put a window between the sinks.

(3) Can the kids' bath be rearranged so that the toilet is on the exterior wall, in line with the vanity, with a window above it? Maybe steal some space from the laundry? I agree with others, to reduce the sinks to one, and center it on the counter.

(4) Add windows to secondary bedrooms, on blank exterior walls.

I don't normally like to make specific suggestions on floor plans that I think should be completely reworked. My thoughts here are mostly intended to be used as general ideas in identifying possible design defects (less emphasis on garage, avoiding closets on exterior corners, adding windows wherever humanly possible, etc.). :-)

So what you're saying is you have to stay within the boundaries of the old house with the basement?

If so, then I highly recommend you find a person of design talent (architect) who can create something so much better and more functional. Unfortunately, this isn't it.

If you're building new, why not get exactly what you want and not just a canned builder looking plan?

Your kitchen is dysfunctional in terms of its layout.

Your dining room is too far from the kitchen to render it useless.

The dining/living room is one long corridor of a room.

Does the fireplace have to be where you have it shown? If not, and it was me, I'd have the kitchen where the dining room is and the dining room above that with a hearth or away room in the upper left area.

I'd make the kitchen area into the living room space. Then I'd have the garage entry into the foyer.

If I'm understanding you correctly, upstairs the laundry, your master closet and bathroom and the kids bath all have the south exposure which is the best exposure for natural light and for passive solar heating/cooling?

The exterior I'm sorry to say is not good. None of the things relate to one another. You have 3 gables on a hipped roof. And each gable has a different return on it.

The window above the door will look like a blank hole and has no relationship to the other windows.

Then there are the too tall porch roof and columns and there's no beam across the porch that the columns support.

You can do so much better.

what do you mean by making elevation level better?

That means making the exterior of your house look better : ) .

Seconding the suggestion to hire someone with design talent and skill, such as an architect, to come up with a houseplan, especially given the existing constraint of the footprint.

Is anyone at home during the day? What region do you live in? Where do you usually eat dinner? Do you like to entertain or have company, including grandparents/other family, over often? How long do you plan to live in this house? I wouldn't make any plans -- like a large open play area -- based on your kids' current needs, because kids grow very, very quickly and their needs change.

I would look at your plan and think about what you do in each and every room, and see if there is room for the necessary furniture and then to move around the furniture.

@beckysharp we have an architect working with us, and we are staying in the footprint so we don't have to go to the town planning board again. Unfortunately we are too far and too much money in already to change the plans. We do live close to family so I like the openness when family comes over it's an open floor layout for the most part. I see us eating at the kitchen table and island. I see our furniture fitting in front of the fireplace. Originally we have the fireplace at the end, but with it being gas we liked it in the center as focal point.
I see other points about walking through the kitchen. That's a good point too. I just didn't want kitchen chaos when you first walk in the house.
A dining room for the most part is clean so I like it being clean when you walk in.
It is a very long narrow area so yes I am trying to figure out how to make the best of it.
It's our forever home because our family is close by.

@cpartist thank you. I'm going to talk to our architect about the exterior. I know it's a long and narrow open layout unfortunately it's not a square. Hmmm?
@onedevoteddame I love the idea of a lot of the windows I just know it is very costly that's why I am trying to add windows where I can brighten things up and get rid of windows where I don't need them. The unfinished space will eventually be a closet and storage. I like the idea of having windows on that side but at the same time I don't like the bedroom being right underneath the garage... I am going to look at the plans and see if the closet can be moved. The bathrooms are close to the laundry so it's easy connection with all the pipes does that matter? If it doesn't matter then maybe we should switch the bathroom and closet?

we have an architect working with us

Are you sure it's an architect and not a draftsperson?

Unfortunately we are too far and too much money in already to change the plans.

If this is your forever home, or you think/hope it's going to be, you owe it to yourselves to slow down and rethink your plans. If you go with the plan above, you're going to spend more money than you have to on a plan that's not that great. You owe it to yourselves to make your forever home as good as it can be.

Originally we have the fireplace at the end, but with it being gas we liked it in the center as focal point.

The focus from where, the kitchen? I would recommend laying out your living furniture as you expect to use it and see how it works for you.

I just didn't want kitchen chaos when you first walk in the house.

You could have a proper mudroom separate from the pantry and from the kitchen if you gave yourself the opportunity to rework your plans.

It is a very long narrow area so yes I am trying to figure out how to make the best of it.

Good luck!

Is he/she a licensed architect or a draftsman/designer. There is a huge difference and quite frankly, from the exterior elevation, it looks more like what I'd expect from a draftsman and not an architect.

And the poorly laid out downstairs and especially the upstairs with the southern light being blocked by laundry, bathrooms and closets says to me this is a draftsman and not a licensed architect.

You need an architect to create a home that will work well for now and into the future. Don't shortchange yourselves. Trust me it's a lot cheaper to get it right on paper, than to make mistakes with the build or to have to live with a less than ideal layout.

@cp the kitchen right now is facing the backyard and that’s on the east the same side as the laundry room. The dining room is on the west side looking out to the sunset.
I have a lot to think about. Thank you

I don’t think your architect is doing a good job. The exterior needs a lot of work. The downstairs plan really is odd. Can you switch architects? I know you dont want to invest anymore money in the plan, but I think it’s in your best interest to get the design right before building.

@rockybird maybe we should. I’m not an expert so yes they’re a licensed architect and from the town we are building in that’s why we used them. It’s been a 3 year process not to mention 2 babies later. (Now 3 and 15 mos)
I’d hate to go through engineer costs and architect costs all over again. Definitely feeling defeated and haven’t even begun.

@rockybird maybe we should.

Yet another vote for this : ) .

N Cho, there are architects in this forum who work remotely and their fees are reasonable. Read this thread to see that the house you want, need, and deserve is not that far away,

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5307456/need-help-with-picking-exterior-materials#n=104

If it helps, I'm married to a builder, and when we were first married about 25 years ago I was told that a new house was about five years away. What started off as a "five year project" turned into a 20-year project, and then because of various family emergency events, it took us four years to complete the build which we did ourselves, and we just moved in in June. But we used the delays as opportunities to research and learn more, and the house we have now is so much more suited to our needs and wants. Plus it gave me the opportunity to discover the GardenWeb forums lol.

@beckysharp thank you that’s helpful. It’s hard because the old footprint is like a parallelogram. My husband likes having a foyer in the front.

It’s hard because the old footprint is like a parallelogram.

For many of us without design talent, and I'm including most draftspeople and myself too (with a history degree lol), it's a discouraging problem.

For talented design types, like architects, it's an intriguing, juicy puzzle and a chance to use all their skills, creativity, and imagination.

It makes me think of the bridal shower game where you make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. What I would come up with, and only if I were forced, would be dreadful, both in inspiration and in execution. But then you have someone like gifted fashion designer Thien Le who can make this out of the very same materials,

You deserve the beautiful dress, NC : ) .

N Cho, I’m so sorry you have spent so long on this and it might need changes. Maybe the changes will not alter the structure terribly so that engineering will not be affected much. I doubt they will take more than a few weeks to finalize. I know architectrunnerguy has helped posters on this forum redo their plans and everyone always seems very happy with the results. Hang in there!