Can you add some windows on the sides of the bedrooms, dining, and kitchen?

I mean to put February 2021. we are currently in the process of getting electric and water set up on the property. construction will start as soon as thats done

2021 is backwards in time. ;)

lol I swear my brain is stuck in 2020

You ask for opinions - just general ones?

The 3 that jump out to me ]

- "forever home" is a fantasy.

- 95k in upgrades is way too much. Upgrades are huge markup items and should always be approached with caution. Some of your neighbors have a 205k house of the same size and layout in the same neighborhood. That is horrible for resale when forever doesn't happen.

- Wow that is going to be a dark house. We had a rental townhome with a garage like that - had to break the lease, it was so dark!

We're childfree and we've always had 3/2's because it's the most logical home for resale.

I echo the sentiment that $95k in upgrades is a lot. does the final price reflect what they're selling spec homes for? That's our goal; to keep our purchase price the same as a spec homes in the neighborhood.

I will say that forever homes aren't reality.. 2012 we retired from the military, moved to Austin and built our forever home. Job change forced us to move after 4 years to Fort Worth. We knew we weren't going to stay in Fort Worth and only stayed 3 years and recently moved to Raleigh. We're building again but now it's only going to be our 10-year home because we are 46 and 50. Keep forever as an aspiration for your marriage not for your house.

I agree that depending on which direction your house is facing East/West or N/S you will find that so few windows will make it dark.

I can’t quite read the measurements. Have you considered how you will lay out furniture in the living room, while accounting for walkways from between bedroom and kitchen and dining?

The great room looks very difficult to find a furniture layout that will work with the flow of traffic if you also want a TV. You need a lot more windows. Consider smaller, high windows that will not make furniture placement more difficult. Do you use a bathtub often? We went without a tub in the master to increase the size of the shower. You don't need two tubs in the house.

houses of the same size with the same or less upgrades are selling for $450,000. The subdivision we bought land in is really nice and the houses there sell almost instantly. Nevertheless, there were things that I was unwilling to not upgrade. cabinets, countertops, flooring were all things I wanted specifc things and would be unhappy afterwards if they weren't the way I wanted.

the front of our house faces North.

Having two bedrooms and a bathroom off the main entry to the house (with views into each) is a very bad spatial relationship. That would kill the deal for me. No need to continue.

The kitchen will be very dark and will require lights 24/7. Actually all the rooms will be dark.

houses of the same size with the same or less upgrades are selling for $450,000.

Are you saying resales are selling for $450k or new builds? BIG difference.

If resales, what do they have that your new house won't have? If new builds, you can't make a comparison because in a few years if you go to sell, your house will be "old". Will the neighborhood still support the higher prices for older homes or just for the new ones. New homes almost always sell for more than resales.

Both new builds and resells are selling for that price. some of the houses selling for that much are the same size and almost identical Floorplan that are 10+ years old. it's a newly gated subdivision with a giant children's/dog/relax park in the middle of it. the plots and houses sell almost instantly when they are on the market. we were lucky enough to jump on one the day we saw it posted. our subdivision is about 30 min from a big city, and the prices are considerably lower than in the city, so many people jump on the houses in the town because they can commute to work.

I do really approve everyone's opinions. im really excited about building this house and I personally really like the layout. I just wanted to see what other people see when they look at it and get some opinions from people I dont know. while I started to feel discouraged when I started seeing negative comments, I realized that as long as I'm happy with the house, that that's what matters most. I do appreciate all of the suggestions and concerns though :)

I dont mind the use of lights too much. to be honest I kind prefer my house to be a bit dimly lit but to each their own.

IMHO, this floorplan feels like a couple's first apartment, not a forever home. That long skinny entrance, the lack of windows (which will hurt that resale), the walled in patio, recessed entrance, and the weak kitchen design? I think my first apartment was actually nicer. Sorry.

Congrats on getting a lot in a great community! Here's a couple of things to consider:

-Flip front door entrance so you'll open and first glance can be a decorative console table instead of bedroom hallway

-Square off island and make it one level

-Shift both laundry doors to the left and make room for storage and bench dropzone

-The short wall between the living and master is going to limit tv and furniture placement. Sketch out a scale version on graph paper and draw in furniture placement. Key dimensions to know:

A Helpful Collection of Visuals · More Info

Space for seating at bar:

A Helpful Collection of Visuals · More Info

@cd77233

Id like to thank you for being the only one on this thread to actually give me any actual things to consider without just immediately crapping on my plans. I really appreciate you giving me some things to consider and take in.

I like your idea of switching the swing of the front door.

the laundry room. has lower and upper cabinets. upper above the water and dryer, and upper and lower across from them.

I will definitely sketch out some ideas for the living room furniture. I agree that the way the living room is set up, we will have to be creative.

again, I really appreciate your reply!

I would definitely add more windows. If you like dim light, use blinds. Future buyers will usually prefer an option for added daylight. Cd7733 does have great ideas.

Damn it - who's crapping on her plans? That's gross!!

First rule of Houzz: don't ask for general feedback and then passively aggressively complain to somebody - who gives you what you want - that everything else is useless even though you profess that you really appreciate everybody's comments. it just wastes people's time - either battle every response or no response.

I asked for advice on backsplashes for two colors, responses said I should use a third color that I didn't even ask about. But the collective probably has a good idea and it'll go with me to the design center.

The responses aren't from novices; they take their free time to provide experienced opinions albeit some are not wrapped up in a neat little package.

Without more windows, selling if you need to will be difficult. Most people prefer a house with lots of natural light.

And note that right now everything is selling quickly. What will happen when the market slows down? Which houses will sell more quickly?

A few things.

What is preventing you from putting a window or two in your kitchen?

I agree with others' comments about the living room not being very conducive to furniture placement. While I think cd7733's suggestion is an improvement, I would move the entire master entrance down to the end of that wall, which will give you a lot more space to work with in the master bath/closet. It wouldn't give you the little master hall, though, so if that's important to you, use cd7733's long master hall.

If you have cabinets across from your W/D, the doors will not open fully or you will have only one cabinet in the middle of the wall to avoid door swing. cd7733's suggestion there is a good one. Although I would consider a pocket door into the house to avoid conflicts with the dryer door.

Agree with removing the tall bar in your island. Also would recommend moving the sink and dishwasher to the end of the island so you have sufficient prep space to the right of the sink.

You are likely in a narrow lot and this layout is dictated by that - front facing driveway / garage that limited your front rooms, and neighbors fairly close on either side which likely drives the lack of windows.

With these restrictions, the plan is tidy. Small vestibules were created for entires into bedrooms so they just don't dump you into the hall or the great room. It's 2 rooms wide.

I agree with squaring off that island and making it one level. In fact, I'd like to see that small stub wall across from the fridge removed, and the island extended to make just a simple galley kitchen. That would actually make your great room more useful because it changes the path into the kitchen more along the perimeter and the walking path doesn't cut off a big corner of the great room. I'd them move the fridge to the other end MAYBE. Right now, people invade your space to get to the fridge- it would be less so with the true galley. They may put it here to avoid having it hanging off the end of the cab line and exposed. If you move it - you'd have to cover with a cabinet panel.

I would definitely try for more windows if you can - transoms that are above kitchen cabinets or beds - they will keep privacy if houses are close, but provide light. It's a challenge with the tight, deep, narrow lots in some subdivisions, but it will pay off to differentiate your house from others with fairly small things when the time comes to sell.

I keep looking at the laundry room and wondering if you would like the door to open to the foyer instead of to the living room? It would let the foyer handle more traffic, keep the view out of the living room and make it more peaceful, and it would let you use that wall for, say, a credenza, bookcases, etc. However, it either loses or shrinks the closet, which might not be an option for you.