Do you have an option to work with an architect to develop a true custom plan?

That is an option if there isn't something that will work for us in the end. We are about to meet with builders to get ballpark estimates on cost. We just don't want to spend 8k on a custom plan without ensuring the plan will be in line with what we are wanting to spend.

It might help to edit your question and add numbers to each design so that people can easily reference them. I didn't look at all of them. But I liked the first one, it has a good use of space. I'm also looking at a custom home with my bedroom opening up to a porch (my current home has one and I very much want one in my new home). What I don't like about your first plan is that the living room and your bedroom open to the same porch. So if people go out to sit and chat on that back porch, you'll hear it. Or possibly have people peeping into your bedroom. The second link has an awfully large master bath, which might be exactly what you want. But my personal opinion is that I hate cleaning bathrooms and that is one heck of a large floor to wipe up.

I like the first one, though the master shower looks quite small.

Second one, I wouldn't want just a jack and jill bathroom for the bedrooms and then the powder room adjacent to the master. Plus in a smaller size house, do you really need three eating areas?

Third one is nice but upstairs looks very cramped.

Fourth one I liked a lot (though master shower is tiny) until I saw the upstairs. I don't like two story rooms.

I like the fifth one but the dining room is not beside the kithcen, which is just odd. Great outdoor space.

Sixth one seems like an outlier...sort of meh to me.

I can't say I like any of them, really. They are certainly very cute houses from the outside, but each plan has some weird layout defect, like the one plan that puts the walk-in closet in the front corner of the house and also places the laundry room before the main/entertaining spaces in the front hall, the other that has bedrooms immediately off the foyer (I see this a ton but I don't get it and I don't like it), one where the kitchen and dining room are not next to each other, another that has the master suite and other bedrooms on opposite sides of the house, etc. There is more but I don't have time to really get into it, especially being on my phone.

Thank you for the feedback. We would like the master bedrooms separate from the other bedrooms for many reasons.....when our children will be teenagers, when we have guests in the future, etc. We know that it is possible to have 20 something year old children in college that are still living at home. I love my kids, but I don't care to have our bedrooms right across from each other when they are older :)

I suggest you have a look a the book The Not So Big House by Susan Susanka. It's not about tiny houses. It's about making the house space function well for you, especially as your needs change. It will give you the information that you need to evaluate house plans.

I'm sorry to say that I'm not a fan of any of these plans, either. I am totally opposed to having to walk through a bathroom to get to a closet; do not mind walking through closet to bath, though. The size of the dining rooms in all these plans are ridiculously small - you might be able to seat 4 in them but it will be a tight squeeze unless the table is very small. People don't realize how much space one must have behind each chair, in order to get in and out, and particularly in order to have any other furniture in the room. A DR with nothing but a table and chairs - no sideboard or other furniture, looks stark to say the least.

Another place people end up being disappointed is with walk-in closets. Most people have no idea how much room each hanging rod consumes when the clothes are on it - at least 24". And one needs a minimum of 36" between the edge of the clothes on each side - 42" is better.

Corner pantries in kitchens are a waste of space.

Porches, while charming, can make a house very dark. I have a small porch on the front of my house, over the front door and covering a window to a powder room. The house faces east, and I must keep lights on in my entrance hall at all times. This porch is only about 4' wide! They're expensive, and most end up being rarely used, between heat and bugs. I loved the front porch with a swing on my grandmother's house in Arkansas. But this was in the 1940's & 50's before AC and it was the only place to possibly escape the heat. I end up, in KY, rarely using my lovely brick terrace, again heat and bugs.

DD has a friend who has a house with the MBR on the opposite side of the children's bedrooms. She was horrified to discover when the smoke alarm went off one night, that one of her college-aged children had snuck a girlfriend into his bedroom on that opposite side of the house! Pretty easy with Mom and Dad on the other side!

I strongly urge you to figure out your budget and then hire an architect to design exactly what works for your family. As you say, this is family land, not just a lot in a subdivision. If this house doesn't end up working for you, you can't just sell it and move to another subdivision. Get it right the first time.

I only looked at your first plan.

"Forever" homes suitable for Seniors do not have stairs to get *into* them -- or *within* them. It's difficult to build a forever home that is also a family home.

I live in a Mitch Ginn home, but it was a custom design. I'm the third owner. He put a toilet facing a window next to the front door at porch level! The Dewey Rose plan you ridiculously small rooms. They aren't usable. You won't like it.

Allison Ramsey does some nice designs. But, porches are as expensive to build as heated space. That 2,038 square feet will easily be 3,400 square feet under roof with the porches. Why not a design with more interior square feet and smaller porches? The house will be very dark. In the South, that can be good, but it's expensive. Try to find one of her plans with fewer porches.

Your problem is you are looking at homes that are designed to be built in a subdivision rather than on acreage. I've built from internet floorplans. It turned out well, but in the end I made so many modifications that I should have just had one designed. It wasn't the first house I built or my forever home, either.

A word of warning. Develop a really thick skin about internet plan reviews on this forum. Those of us who hang out on these forums have seen so many bad plans that we can get a little short and brisk about them when we offer our opinion. If you will stick with us, we'll make it a better plan. But, it's a long process. Don't take it personally and don't get frustrated when you have to explain the same thing to three different posters. It's an imperfect format.

Should you need a real architect to create a design that you can take to a draftsman or a full set of construction plans, let us know. We can refer you to some very competent people who do remote design. We can also explain to you what is good design and what is poor design. There is a difference.

Thank you so much.....and I'm not offended in the least bit. I didn't design any of these plans. lol. I want the best plan/house for my family. So a little brutal honesty will only help me. I guess I'm a little afraid to go to an architect and tell them my wants/needs, and then having to fork out alot of money for a plan that I don't absolutely love. And, it will be on a slab.....so if plan is elevated, that part would be changed.

That's the beauty of a custom design. There is nothing too ridiculous that you could request. It's only a question of budget. Play with the online plans for a little while. Learn what you like and start making mental notes. Don't bother trying to draw one because it usually ends up in frustration.

You will be given a few resources to research and some homework by the good folks at this forum. Use them. It will make you a better consumer.

Here is my favorite: Bubble Design

The great thing is that you're asking these questions now, instead of later e.g. "My house is framed up and ready for drywall - how do like my plan?"

Well...you've asked folks to do a lot of work to respond to your post, i.e., click on and analyze six different plans. That would be a lot of work if all of the plans were posted here, as photos, much less having to hunt them up using Internet linkages.

May I gently suggest that if you are looking at six different plans you really haven't yet created a clear, decisive needs vs. wants list, which is the starting point. And even though you have your property, it seems that you don't yet understand that good residential design grows out of the specific property. It doesn't result from looking at a generic Internet plan-factory plan, and plopping it on your land. Plopping is an architectural term!

I understand your concern about costs, architectural fees and final design. But I guarntee you that there are some folks on this forum who have been in your shoes and who have found it rewarding to contact and use some of the architects who hang out here.

You might consider contacting some and inquiring about how they might help you and their costs. I am not one of those, so I have nothing invested in this.

Good luck on your project.

Would you have any recommendations on architects? I had been in contact with Mitch Ginn, but someone on here in this thread just said they lived in a custom home he designed and mentioned something negative.

Some quick things that stood out immediately for the plans; these are often things that are not-great about internet-plans...

Plan 1.

- two (!) bedroom closets taking up a corner

- other than utility space, only 2 non-bedroom closets (no front closet!)

- cramped bathrooms with no room for storage

- laundry far from bedrooms

- no real mudroom/hooks for family entrance by garage

- eat-in nook is probably too small (b/c a hallway goes thru it, it's not really 11x12)

Plan 2.

- "her" closet takes up a whole corner

- eat-in nook is probably too small (b/c a hallway goes thru it, it's not really 11x10)

- one non-utility/non-bedroom closet; none by the front door

Plan 3.

- cramped bathrooms with no room for storage

- dining room is probably too small (b/c a hallway goes thru it, it's not really 11x11)

- one non-utility/non-bedroom closet (by the front door)

- no real mudroom/hooks for family entrance by garage

Plan 4.

- dining room is miniscule

- no non-utility/non-bedroom closets on first floor (no closet by front door)

- laundry far from bedrooms

- what is going on with the Master shower/toilet room???

- Master suite is in the front of the house (all other plans have it in the back of the house)

Plan 5.

- one non-utility/non-bedroom closet (by the front door)

- staircase shares wall with master bedroom (love to hear those kids run up and down the stairs)

- conflicting doors of toilet room + closet access (+ shower access)

- laundry far from bedrooms

- bathroom + "bunk" space upstairs is awkward

Plan 6.

- no non-utility/non-bedroom closets on first floor (no closet by front door)

- laundry far from bedrooms (and only accessible thru the pantry?)

- no real mudroom/hooks (where would the family enter?)

make a list of actual needs, then make a separate list of 'wants'. Based on furniture you actually own and plan to retain, decide on how large the room needs to be to fit the furniture and allow space to walk around said furniture. There is a kitchen forum that will be glad to help you with ideas for the kitchen, arrangements of appliances, space needed to navigate, etc. Now you have the information you need to consider plans (and if you are building on acreage, most likely the on-line plans are NOT the best for your site.

Jessica P, I'm the one that mentioned Mitch Ginn. He's local to me and we have common friends and associates. I live in one of his designs. He is not an architect. He is a designer and there is a difference. I really like some of his on line designs. But, I would have to make significant changes to them before they would satisfy me. I would be better off starting with a bubble design and finding a good, experienced architect to guide me through the design process. This way, I get exactly what I want.

My suggestion is to do a search for ArchitectRunnerGuy on this forum and take a look at the portfolio of houses he has designed for people on this forum. He does excellent work, is very experienced, works remotely and doesn't waste your money with overhead. Read some of the threads where he has designed for folks. He's just an email away.

Does he design the house, and then a draftsman would have to draw it up?

Hi there, yes, exactly ARG, designs a concept based on your land, wants, desires, needs etc... and then you would find a local draftsman to do the construction drawings. There are other architects on this forum who you can contact as well https://www.gardenweb.com/user/architectrunnerguy

Thanks so much. I contacted ARG.

Whatever you go with, please consider a larger master shower for ease of access (read old person with walker or chair) and no/few steps. Nothing kills a happy attitude quicker than being faced with daunting steps. That rules out 2nd story for me even though I wouldn't be using it daily.

ma in Michigan.....for sure. I am debating forgoing a clawfoot tub in favor of a large stepless/zero entry walk in shower. My first choice is a one story. But if budget constraints force me to choose a smaller 1 story or an ideal size 1 1/2 story.....I might be choosing 1 1/2 story. I don't want to skimp on kitchen, den, and storage spaces.

Typically, it costs less to build up than out. Foundations cost a lot. So do complicated roofs and multiple corners. ARG will guide you.

I’ve been fortunate to build more than one home on acreage, not fronting directly to a street. One “absolute” for me is a garage convenient for us, but inconspicuous from the front, along with a welcoming, unambiguous driveway and front door, for everyone else. There were many other “musts” for me inside, but as far as outward appearance, stock plans are nearly always oriented with the garage prominently in front. If that doesn’t matter to you, then just make sure you build what works for you, not some plan designer.

Yes, I agree that I don't want to have a prominent garage. I'm more interested in our house, than our vehicles house. We don't even park in the garage, we just use for storage of our camping equipment, kayaks, and seasonal decor. Our driveway will be winding and gravel....so for sure a country, non formal look.

I don't totally love the exterior of this house but I think the simpler floor plan is superior to the others by a long shot.

https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/130007

What is your square footage range? Will you have a basement? What direction will the house face?

around 1900-2000 sq ft. on slab. facing SW

Jessica - we just did a design with ARG and could not be happier. Our plan is beautiful, ARG is wonderful to work with and very reasonable! I think you will be very happy with that decision!

No shared bathroom for the boy and girl, especially if it does not even open into the hallway, so number two is out. (Otherwise, I like it.) If your house will face southwest, you must have a porch to ease the entry of the afternoon sun. Also, if you plan to live there as you age, you really should consider a custom designed house with wide doorways and wheelchair-accessible bathroom for you and your husband.

I would change the location of the bedroom door on plan #2 so that it is only accessible from the hallway, not to be a jack and jill. I would also make the first dining area as you walk in an office. The one problem I"m having with #2 (which is actually my top plan I've found) is that there is not window for sink. I don't want the sink in the island.

A challenge with plan #2 is that there are no windows in the kitchen to align to a sink (no matter where the sink is) due to where the kitchen is located. If you make the dining area on the front of the house an office, the only dining area then is the 11X10 breakfast nook. Don't forget the high traffic area that would be in and out of the mudroom and the hallway leading down to your bedroom. Taking away a few feet that becomes the natural walkway leaves you with very few options to place a table and chairs.

Jessica P, we are building your third house plan's bigger sister: https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/country-home-plan-with-marvelous-porches-4122wm

We felt that the extra 300 sq ft to make the room sizes slighty larger was worth the minimal cost increase, which is why we choose the larger plan. It has better size bedrooms, and a larger kitchen and living area. With this open floor plan, remember you need room for pathways between rooms which takes up usable space, and makes the dining room/living room become smaller. One major criticism of this house is the covered porches, however this was a selling point to me. We spend so much time outside, that we felt it was okay to lose some natural light for awesome outdoor spaces.

If you have any questions about this plan, let me know!!

Thank you...if we choose this plan, I might have some questions for you.