I would add windows to corner bedrooms for cross ventilation.

Where are the elevations and how it sits on the lot? How big is the lot?

I've posted this many times but it obviously holds true because too many get too much of it wrong:

The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling (read up on passive solar heating/cooling. Your house's main rooms will be dark most of the day)

The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped.

The best houses are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case. (Yours is 5 rooms across and up to 4 rooms the other way)

The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls. (the only room with windows on 2 walls in your whole house is the kitchen.)

The best houses do not have you take a circuitous route to get from the bedrooms where most laundry is generated to the laundry room.

The best houses have a kitchen where you're not having to use roller skates to get from the sink to the fridge and or stove.

The best houses do not put toilets or toilet rooms up against bedroom walls, living rooms or dining areas.

The best houses do not need to use angled walls to create good living spaces.

If you want to have windows on the southeast side, design it that way. Perhaps you can flip the living areas so that the kitchen is on the left, and the living room on the right, which will give you lots of soace for windows.

The right side of the image would face southeast.

This means your best light is going to hit the side of the house with one window to the kitchen /one window into the laundry /the garage.

We are maxed out on width (maybe an extra 2 feet to work with), and are trying to limit ourselves to the roughly 2500 square feet currently in the plan.

2500 is a big house, especially since the staircase suggests either a basement or an upstairs. You have large rooms here ... lots to build, maintain, clean, heat/cool. You could easily cut down some of this space -- the foyer, for example -- without loss of function.

Random thoughts:

- You have lots of zig-zags around the perimeter of the house, which have no particular purpose ... but will drive up the cost and will require a more complicated roofline. For example, why is the master bath slightly "dipped in"? Why is the living room slightly "bumped out"?

- The kids' bedrooms are large, but their closets are on the small size.

- Consider getting big furniture down the hallway to the kids' rooms.

- I wish the kids' bathroom had a window for natural light.

- I'd add an exterior door between the master and the back yard. This will make moving furniture in easier, will give you a good fire exit, and will give you direct access to the back yard.

- I like the master bath ... except that the vanity doesn't appear to be large enough to support two sinks AND give you the at-vanity storage that you need.

- The laundry room /mudroom area is nicely designed, but you'll have to carry laundry loads a long way to the bedrooms. A thankless, endless task.

- I'd flip-flop the half-bath and the pantry. This will allow the half-bath to have natural light. You don't want light in a pantry anyway.

- I can't read the dimensions in the kitchen, but it seems to be too long for practical use -- you'll run yourself ragged walking back and forth, especially since the sink (the single most used item in the kitchen) is on the far end. The kitchen could use a of tweaking.

I like it. Kitchen will be somewhat dark. As a one story you have a skylight option. Does it have a full basment?

If you don't do the deck now you will wish that you had.

I'd save the deck and roof over it until you've lived in the home. Our builder was going to put in a 12x12 deck and we refused. So glad we did - 2 years later we built a patio.

Kinks seem to be worked out pretty good. A lot of positives baked in. 3 things I would play with:

- Not a fan of the toilet next to a freestanding tub. But large shower kinda nixes anything I can think of alternatively.

- Powder mirrored so as to not see in from Kitchen. Flipped with Pantry an option depending on Mudroom/Laundry.

- Laundry and Mudroom flipped so garage door is closer to exterior wall, and mudroom is tighter including closet and both benches. Then Laundry may benefit from more counter space as 'L' or 'U' if fits. Wait, maybe nix that, checking again I see "drying rack" next to window.

I think you have a well designed home that utilizes the space very efficiently. I would add windows to the corner bedrooms for air flow. Don't build in the shelving in the dining area for the play space. You can use more modular shelving while the kids are young and then move it to the basement later on. I would wait on the roof over the patio area. You don't have much light in the kitchen, and you may want all the light from the dining area. That's also a very small size for the deck and roof. You may want a much larger space so you have room to enter and exit the house as well as have a table/chairs or other seating outside. I'd move the refrigerator to the corner so you don't end up with a small countertop area that's not very useful, and the refrigerator is more out of the way from the island. You just have to leave room for the refrigerator doors to open completely.

The only thing I see that we would not like is the powder room so close to the kitchen and dining area but not sure where it would go. We did not like that in our last house. But in yours it may be further away than I think.

I think the pantry has a lot of wasted space. There’s a good 4’ open on the inside to …

what, stand and decide which pasta to make for dinner? You could make it shallower, and add a foot or two to the kitchen cabinet run, add a window.

Consider a door from the laundry room to outside. it will be handy when the kids get a dog.

What part of the country are you in? climate?

I always like a house where there is more than one way to get from one end of the house to the other.

It would be nice to get from bedrooms to laundry and garage without going theough the dining room and kitchen. At the very least, i wish the basement stairs could move for a straight path across the house.

For the little ones, my friend had a sunroom that became the play area. Basically, all the legos were there. It was positioned rather like your ”future covered deck”, and when the kids didnt need it anymore, and could play elsewhere in the house un-shadowed, it became my friend’s personal space for working, reading, visiting.

How will you use the study? work from home? household work? Do you think you’d like it to have access to the right side of the house?

Ok, this might be too much to consider since you’re almost set on your plan... Have you considered putting kids’ rooms further from the Master? Right now your kids are young and you may want them close, but time goes fast. If this is a forever home, do you really want to be that close to three teenagers? And their friends? I speak from experience. Thankfully, each of my homes had kids far away from Master, though the Master was big enough to accommodate a crib temporarily. Plus, as others have said, I’d like bigger closets but I always want bigger closets, lol. Good luck!

A couple thoughts- I’d increase size of window in kitchen- above sink, make it a real focal point for your backyard. Also would rearrange the mud room/ laundry so you can close off laundry area if necessary. The entire kitchen wall could bump out a bit to give you additional room in master bathroom (and mud room/laundry). The toilet next to the tub ruins the ambiance! Do you really need the large linen closet? Maybe that could be reconfigured to create a more private toilet area. I agree bedrooms and closets are too small. Also is it possible to move bed placement in master to the other wall to have a bigger window? For great room, I’d build in bookcases with cabinet below for toy/game storage instead of using the dining room. Put in more lighting and wire for sconces when building is easier than redoing later. It seems important to put the money into big things that will make a big difference- windows, etc.

If you really want this to be a forever home, you might want to consider a doorless shower without a curb and that the master bath at least has generous enough doorways and proportions to allow for the use a wheelchair. Also, might reconsider the stair from the garage entry. I can't quite read the dimensions on the halls, but I'd make them wide enough for a wheel chair.

Actually I would include all of these things in a new home even if I didn't plan for a forever home... you never know when a disability will strike. So much easier to plan for reduced mobility ahead of time, rather than when it's needed.

I did add these minimal things when building a home, and there is no negative effect in terms of looks... in fact a few tweaks made it more spacious and easier to bring the groceries in from the garage and easier to move furniture in and out :)

My impression is you won't miss an extra foot in the great room, but you will notice a massive difference an extra foot in the bathroom will make, and an extra 6" in the hallway width will make.

Just my thoughts. Good luck with your new house!

@cpartist I agree with you that how the house is oriented is one of the most important aspects of building a house. A house that utilizes passive solar design principles is bright and full of natural light. Energy bills are also cheaper. I am not sure if the OP can change lots but worth considering IMO. Artificial light can only compensate so far. Nothing beats alot of south facing windows and proper overhangs. Sunplans.com is a good resource for house plans based on passive solar design.

I see another thing that would be critical for me. The washer and dryer should be over by the bedrooms. That would drive me crazy. If that could be moved, the powder room could be shifted further away from the dining area. If not, I would make sure to put soundproof insulation in the powder room wall shared with dining room.

Not a fan of the toilet next to a freestanding tub. But large shower kinda nixes anything I can think of alternatively.

I don't care about this myself, but you could flip-flop the toilet and the vanity, placing the toilet on the shower side.

Laundry and Mudroom flipped so garage door is closer to exterior wall, and mudroom is tighter including closet and both benches. Then Laundry may benefit from more counter space as 'L' or 'U' if fits. Wait, maybe nix that, checking again I see "drying rack" next to window.

Disagree because it moves the laundry farther from the exterior wall, making the dryer harder to vent.

The only thing I see that we would not like is the powder room so close to the kitchen and dining area but not sure where it would go. We did not like that in our last house. But in yours it may be further away than I think.

Note that guests can also use the hall bathroom on the bedroom wing, so not such a big deal.

Ok, this might be too much to consider since you’re almost set on your plan... Have you considered putting kids’ rooms further from the Master?

I'm not hung up on this ... but I'd rather teens have to walk past my room to reach their own rooms. Of course, I'd also rather have my room face the back yard, so ... can't have both.

I’d increase size of window in kitchen- above sink, make it a real focal point for your backyard.

Good idea.

Do you really need the large linen closet?

Sleeping bags, board games, wrapping paper, craft supplies ... yes, keep the large closet.

I can't quite read the dimensions on the halls, but I'd make them wide enough for a wheel chair.

If universal design is a concern, you could do about 100 things that are statistically more likely to be useful before moving on to the possibility of a wheelchair.

My impression is you won't miss an extra foot in the great room, but you will notice a massive difference an extra foot in the bathroom will make

Agree. That space in functional spaces (like bathrooms) makes a big difference.

You’ve got lots of space in the kitchen, but everything is a little more spread out thsn I’d want. I’d slide the range and fridge a foot to their left (towards the top of your image) and then I’d put double wall ovens in to the right of the the fridge.

I’d then put a prep sink on the island so you don’t have to constantly schlep back and forth between the fridge and sink.

And I’d also put a substantially larger window over the sink to get more natural light in the kitchen.

Mrs Pete- my point is that you don't have to engage with all concepts of Universal Design in order to reap benefits today, as well as in the future. Very simple changes preclude injuries (for instance, no stairs), and make the home easier to live in when any injury occurs (broken leg, kid with broken leg, knee injury, friend who needs a walker visits, etc.) to live in.

I made these changes in my home though we were relatively young when we buit it. None of the changes were obvious, everyone loved our house. And it would have made aging in place much more possible. Unfortunately, we had to move and ended up with a house with stairs from the garage into the house and from the front door into the house and from the back door to the patio.

The people we bought their much-loved house from sold it because the house was no longer liveable for them after 40+ years--- the changes I suggest would have likely allowed them to stay longer.

P.S. These types of changes make a home more interesting to a larger demographic in the event you ever do decide to sell.

Just my thoughts, your mileage may vary!

It's very difficult to create a 'forever home' that's also a good 'family home'. Two seniors don't need a 4BR house, and 'the elderly' don't do stairs. (Your basement.) I suggest you build what you need *now*. Your family will love it. A future family will want to buy it. Then you will be free to cash out and move -- even across the country to where your adult children have settled!

I think most people have had more than one forever home. I know I have had two . . . so far.

* Windows on two sides of every room

https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/aplsample/apl159/apl159.htm

When they have a choice, people will always gravitate to those rooms which have light on two sides, and leave the rooms which are lit only from one side unused and empty.

Therefore:

Locate each room so that it has outdoor space outside it on at least two sides, and then place windows in these outdoor walls so that natural light falls into every room from more than one direction.

* Minimize steps from garage to mudroom

* Use a single garage door rather than two with a column in the middle.

Agree on the single garage door! My plan was for 2 doors, my builder talked me into a single door. Thankful to him for that great advice!

@cpartist I agree with you that how the house is oriented is one of the most important aspects of building a house. A house that utilizes passive solar design principles is bright and full of natural light. Energy bills are also cheaper. I am not sure if the OP can change lots but worth considering IMO. Artificial light can only compensate so far. Nothing beats alot of south facing windows and proper overhangs. Sunplans.com is a good resource for house plans based on passive solar design.

* Windows on two sides of every room

https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/aplsample/apl159/apl159.htm

When they have a choice, people will always gravitate to those rooms which have light on two sides, and leave the rooms which are lit only from one side unused and empty.

Therefore:

Locate each room so that it has outdoor space outside it on at least two sides, and then place windows in these outdoor walls so that natural light falls into every room from more than one direction.

My house has windows on at least 2 walls in all bedrooms, all public room, our office and studio and even in my upstairs hallway. One is always walking towards or living in the light and it's one of the best things about my house. It's light, bright and feels homey.

My daughter is living in an apartment now with little natural light and it's the one thing she regrets about her place. It always feels dark and gloomy.

Agree on the single garage door! My plan was for 2 doors, my builder talked me into a single door. Thankful to him for that great advice!

I disagree for the following reasons:

1. It doesn't look like a huge hulking mass on the front of the house. It will be more in scale with the rest of the house.

2. If one garage door goes, you still can get in with the other one and 2 9' wide doors are easier to open by hand even than one 18' wide door.

Garage doors are counterbalanced with springs for their weight, and have emergency pulls for unlatching on the inside so you can always open them by hand. One door (and one opener) is one less item to buy/install/break. And there is no column to scrape against or get in the way should you need more than half the width.

A single door can appear to be divided, and include a false centerpost to break up the width.

With two garage doors it does not have to expose the entire contents of your garage to the elements and view when the door is open. Two garage doors accommodates better alignment of each car in the garage and eliminated alignment mishaps.

The site greatly influences the design of the house and it remains unknown.

Have you thought about adding a closet to the office? Your laundry room/mud room look very big, you could reverse the closet shown now and add a new closet to that room.

Thank you to everyone for your comments. Some of the suggestions we had already considered and some we hadn't, so there's been lots of discussion and we appreciate all the feedback.

Late to this, and didn't read all the comments, so may be repeating some things.

In general, the layout works well, I think. My biggest thought is that there should be more windows, especially in the corner bedrooms and kitchen. Even if neighbors are close, windows will bring in more light and ventilation. In the kitchen, I would move the refrigerator down on the plan, next to the pantry, and add a window between range and fridge. Also put a larger or double window over the sink. You have a vast amount of lower cabinets, so I don't think the loss of upper cabinets is an issue. You will value the additional light much more than storage space.

The back of the house faces northeast, not a strong sun direction. For this reason, I would definitely NOT cover the future deck, which will make the dining room very dark.

I can't read the dimensions, but the living room looks very large and open. I would play with different furniture layouts to insure that the room will work for your lifestyle.