Post a floor plan, please. :-) Thanks!

Just did :)

I'm guessing you're using a builder that gives you a list of "upgrades" to pick from?

There's no easy answer. Do you need the breakfast nook? How close is the dining room? is there another eating space like an island? In terms of the other "upgrades", what quality of laminate? How would the double vanity fit into the bathroom? Would the fireplace chance the layout of the home?

Correct, we get a list of upgrades. Yes there is space for a table, it's an open floor plan, the dining room is between the kitchen and living room. No, the fireplace does not change the layout. The dual vanity just takes away counter space. My biggest concern really is the 8' ceiling height - is that just too short?

There are completely different kitchen layouts in those plans and the living room varies a lot. Which kitchen will work better for you? There is a lot more to the decision than laid out above.

I am not sure what the lines are on the island but if you go with the 9' ceilings I would make sure that is a one level not two level island

The kitchens are very different, and I actually think I like the second one better, even with less square footage. It provides a usable island, not one taken up by the sink. ( although I don’t love a corner sink , as in the first option.) The pantry takes up less floor space, and I like that the dining room sliders face out to the yard, assuming that the view is nice. The great room has smaller dimensions, but that can be adjusted by dining table placement. The mud room will have to be kept neat since it provides access to the guest bathroom. Nine foot ceilings will give a much more spacious feeling to the home. Good luck with your new home.

If the choice is between breakfast room and 9' ceilings, I would opt for the 9' ceilings, I have 8' in the kitchen/dining and I would prefer to have higher ceilings. I also prefer the plan without the breakfast room, as

My second choice would be the choice of floor, particularly if the living spaces are carpet. It seems less interesting if only the bedroooms are carpet, though I would prefer engineered hardwood rather than laminate.

railings and fireplace are nice, but not as important in my opinion. Not sure you have space for a double vanity, and it really depends whether you would use it or not (I would not).

Skip the nook; go for the resale value items!

Go for the 9’ ceilings because you can’t add them later. Down the road, you can easily swap out the carpet for real hardwood, and probably at a better price. Also, as this is a family home, you will appreciate the bigger yard.

The nook appears to be smaller than the open-concept dining room, but because it’s separate it might “live” bigger. And If you need to, you can still add an extra table in the space between the kitchen and living If you have a lot of company.

The nookless kitchen is a better layout, and the dining area is bigger.

So, think about how you live, what your family size is, and especially consider how you use a kitchen.

re 9’ ceiling: Personally, I think they are a waste because you don’t do anything with them but pay to heat and cool them.

Both the breakfast nook and the dining area in each plan are so small as to be virtually unusable.

You need to find a way to make either one larger.

Any nook under 10' is barely usable. A client once insisted on an 8'x10' nook on a 3,200 sf. house. Looked terrible. I'd go with the upgrades, especially the 9' ceiling.

Because the space between the kitchen and living room is the same in both plans, I might go for the nook. You can always use the middle space for dining, but the nook can be a nice sitting area, space for kids to do homework, crafting, playroom for toddlers If you have them, plants. And you could still do the L kitchen, though I’ll bet the builder doesn't allow that,. The only thing you can do with 9’ ceilings is watch the heat waft up away from your tootsies.

Anytime there is a higher ceiling the room feels bigger. I would never ever look at or opt to buy or build an 8 ft ceiling. Ever....I am almost certain no one else would either. A lot of things as said above can be changed later but raising a ceiling would be the most difficult if not impossible.

If you raised the ceilings to nine feet and then floored over the living area you’d gain more valuable square footage than if you were to add that little bumpout. Besides, two-story living rooms are a pain in the ass to decorate, light properly and heat/cool.

Good point about the 2-story living room. If you go 9’, is that upstairs as well? You could make the living room ceiling 10’, then have a cozy 8’ space above it, perfect for an intimate den or kidspace.

I’ve lived with 10’, 9‘, and 8’ and high sloped ceilings. I’d still rather not waste the money on the air.

How do you plan to use the flex room?

@bpath we'll use it as an office/homework area. And no, the 9' is only downstairs.

Thanks everyone. Looks like we'll be moving forward without the nook.

I would consider ditching the open great room for the extra square footage upstairs as suggested - some of those bedrooms are pretty small. Another option I would consider is just making the WHOLE house 1-2' deeper. The nook sq footage is ballpark 128'.

If you can do the 9' ceilings (which you should definitely do) AND still do a little more, the back of the house is 37-38' feet so about 1/4-1/3 the cost (though the builder might charge more for the upper level square footage).

Add sq footage to the back to give you a little more space in your great room/kitchen/dining area. Make sure you check you garage to be sure it fits two cars (and bikes and lawn equipment and sports stuff, etc). Widen or deepen as needed. You cannot easily add Sq footage later.

Go with cheap builder grade carpet and do rough-ins (framing and gas/electrical for fireplace, future wet bars etc. Do the double vanity for the plumbing. Always find out the $ for upgrades - sometimes it's worth upgrading for a small amount. And almost all drawers in the kitchen. You can replace flooring and finishes later.

That nook is too small anyway I would also firget the 2 storey great room and exchange that for a much nicer master with big walk in closet. BTW put the laubdry on the main floor it will save you many trips while doing laundry .IMO the flooring is a big item that should be addressed now As for ceiling height if you love 9’ go for that but not any higher and I would stay with 8’ on the second floor IMO in the future homes that save money on heating and cooling will be the ones that have good value. I will be honest that size of great room is not that great. Get a KD that knows how to avoid corner sinks . You should have got an architect that pantry space is useless in both cases

One other little thing. If you live in a colder climate, a coat closet near the entry is desirable, especially for guests. Enjoy your new home.

9' ceiling for sure! I would not even look at a house with a 8' main floor ceiling.

Definitely think the kitchen and nook layout is pretty awkward in the expansion. If you don't have any ability to modify the plan except with the builder approved upgrades I would skip the nook and go with the 9' ceilings, which can't be done later. If you have the money in the future and find that you want more space you could always add a 3 seasons room or small addition off of the dining room.

As far as the other upgrades, I agree that I would much rather have a real wood floor instead of laminate, and I think it would do more for your house value. If the builder doesn't offer that option, I would take the carpet and upgrade to wood in a few years.

The fireplace depends. Do you think you would use it? Does your furniture layout work with it taking up space on the wall? Do houses in your area usually have a fireplace. Here in the Midwest a house is usually considered missing something if it doesn't have one, so it may hurt you in resale, but it other parts of the country it's not an expected feature.

I generally prefer a stair railing over a half wall, but in your case the half wall will give you an additional surface to place furniture and art against in the living room, and assuming it will also be on the upper landing can help give the upstairs a little more privacy (and to some small extent, deflect some of the sound transfer). I would skip on the railing.

One last thing: if you have any ability at all to rearrange the kitchen, I would move both windows and the sink to the wall overlooking the back wall. This will get rid of the awkward corner sink and give your stove a little more workspace on either side of it.

I would trade off fireplace for coat closet or kitchen improvements or darn near anything. Yes, they are pretty but don't add anything to the functionality of the house. If anything, they reduce your options for furniture placement. I'm not a big fan of double vanities. I sleep in the same bed and use the same toilet and shower as my husband, so what is wrong with using the same sink?

Nine foot ceilings are nice, but not even close to a necessity. It is hard to comment about options without prices as upgrades are nice to have but you will be paying for them for years. Upgrades have an upfront cost but also higher mortgage payments, utility bills, insurance and property taxes as well. Sure the house will sell for more money at resale but probably not as much more as the upgrades added to the original price and the commission charges will be higher too.

I would agree with your choice to proceed without the nook but would want to emphasize refocusing that budget towards structural improvements over finishes/flooring. You can't change the ceiling height in your home later on nor can you easily add in a fireplace but it is easy to upgrade your flooring in a few years.

@Owen Homes LLC that is what we’ll be doing. We’re going for the 9’, fireplace, gas range, maybe a hood for the kitchen. Thanks for your help!

Remember to get that kitchen sink & windows moved.

Another thought. Since the area to the left of the stairs in the garage is wasted space, can you grab that to create a coat closet in the entry hall?

Fireplace is actually pretty easy to add. We’ve done it in two homes. The biggest expense is running the gas line so have them run it now but add fireplace when budget allows.

If you are having a gas range, definitely have the hood.