2acres isn’t as big as you think. Reduce your ambitions.

@GreenDesigns I don't understand your comment. We had already lived on that lot for years before the house burned down, so I know what we can and can not do there.. We'd hosted a wedding and could park over 25 vehicles easily. A 2500 square foot home with a pool is not an ambition that needs to be reduced.

@Virgil Carter Fine Art our first meeting with the architect we purposely did not make any drawings. The first draft was not a bad plan but was not what we wanted. This is my rough draft revision of the second plan and I'm waiting on the third draft. I felt that I made it clear that I am working with an architect and am simply looking for feedback on what I've posted here. You are welcome to provide feedback, or not.

My point is that conceptual or early design (schematic design) is an exploration of design concepts and ideas, until a workable and desirable direction is discovered.

This is done together, architect and owner, exchanging ideas and ideas verbally and with quick drawings and sketches.

It is not done by the architect alone, turning a drawing over to an owner and asking the owner to identify changes that they would like to have made.

In architectural design, especially conceptual design, the first idea is seldom the best idea. It always takes a second, third, fourth, etc. series of ideas and discussions before a workable concept is developed.

Feedback on what you have developed in your sketch is frankly not going to help you or your architect. It will only further separate you and your architect, with you increasingly becoming attached to your own sketches, and the architect increasingly hampered from using her/his experience and talent.

Put your sketch away. You are only making your process more difficult.

That is unless your architectural education, experience and talent equals or exceeds your architect's.

It's constructive advice, from experience, and meant to be helpful. I hope you can understand.

I would definitely add a powder room. One that is accessed from a hall. Given the lifestyle you've described it strikes me as very important. When we did our extensive whole house remodel, the pictures I took to the architect worked better at conveying what I wanted than my "plan". As ever, YMMV. Best wishes on your project.

@hollybar thank you for your suggestion, I do have a powder room off the hall that opens to the back porch. But I might move it to the entry area, I'm still trying to decide.

My only suggestion in plan one is to make an opening from the master to the laundry room. That seems to be solved in the second plan. My pet peeve is hauling dirty and clean laundry around the house. As for the rest,I am sure you will build a beautiful home you will enjoy forever.

Your Moth Makes Valentines? . . . Young Marmots Mingle Victoriously? . . . . Yellow Money Means Vampires? . . . Yesterday My Mother Visited? . . . Yams Make Marvelous Vegetables? . . .

The rough plans are a good start, but more detailed plans would be required for better review. I do not like bathrooms with more than one door into them, and bathrooms that are shared with a guest and a child I don't like even more. Post the plan the architect draws and you will get even more useful comments (hopefully).

@Mark Bischak - YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary

@Mark Bischak- YMMV - Yokefellow Mark's Merriment Valued

As for an owner producing their own plan and sharing it with us before the architect, it may be that the OP has lost confidence in the architect. And not all architects like to have extended design discussions with their clients. I'll admit I would need to have a retainer before reading all of the original post.

True...each architect has their own, individual approach to design.

If the OP has lost confidence in her architect she should select another, not try to design her on her own and crowd source it here.

I wonder if the OP understands that architectural design is a simultaneous consideration of site planning, interior space planning, exterior massing and style, and roof design.

In other words, design is a three-dimensional activity involving all aspects of a house.

A decision made in one sphere has direct impact on all the other spheres.

Architectural design is never a single isolated consideration of a floor plan, one floor at a time. That's what drafters and CAD operators do to manage their clients and minimize time on each project.

I hope the OP can work closely with her architect, and not in isolation from her/him.

I'm going to disagree a little with Virgil. I don't mind a client sketching out a floor plan as long as they don't get too attached to it. The exercise of sketching a plan gets the owner thinking about the relationship of the spaces, circulation, flow and zoning. If their minds are open, we can have a robust discussion about what works and what doesn't.

Every architect approaches design from a personal direction, which includes owner sketches. Some architects don't mind; some architects do.

There are two significant challenges when an owner has created their own sketches: 1) Because an owner has invested so much of their own time and energy, they often get personally attached (fixated)) on their work, and 2) An architect has to often spend a great deal of extra time demonstrating why the owner's sketches don't really work vwry well and aren't really a very good direction to pursue.

Strong architect-owner time is spent on "what if" and "what about" ideas, searching for concepts and ideas worth developing based on owner needs and wants.

While architects are very experienced in doing this in three dimensions, few owners are.

YMMV.

Well...What usually happens is a client will bring in a floor plan with an area they're not quite happy with. It's like a loose string in a knit sweater, pull on it just a little and the whole thing unravels. Usually all I have to do is let them spot the flaw and pull on the string.

I agree with SSA, if a client has a sketch I don't mind them showing it to me. When I look at it I'm looking at it as more of a diagram as opposed to an actual floor plan and then we use that as a point of departure exploring the "what ifs" and "what abouts". By that time we've already covered the "open mind" topic so all should be good.

YMMV-You Make Me Vomit

First off - I am so sorry that you lost your home in a fire - that has to be terribly traumatic. Thankful that you are okay and can see the way to make lemonade out of the fire lemons.

I think that you have a good start.

I agree on the 2nd bath / half bath that has easier access from the bulk of the public space and the office. Current 1/2 bath location is great for the pool, but less great when you are trying to sneak in bio break between conference calls. (or during, mute button....)

If you are daughter will likely be with you through adulthood, you might want to spend more time on her suite and think about any future needs as they may relate to accessibility, and also egress.

+1

OP, do you (did you) live in Paradise? We have extended family members there who lost everything, and they are also hoping to rebuild.

Wherever you are, kudos to you for rebuilding when your whole town was destroyed. NoCal (if that’s where you are) is lovely, and we’d still be there if we could afford it in retirement.

As to your question, I hope that you can continue to work with your architect until you click.

Also agree with above re your daughter’s physical and emotional needs. What else is important to her besides warm temperature?

I only "Like"'d Architectrunnerguy's comment for the YMMV. The rest is good too.