It looks like a great design, although I'm sure there are talented people here who can improve it. I'm just commenting to say you have the first Jack and Jill bath design I've seen that is actually a good idea.

Consider moving the double doors into the primary suite closer towards the his/hers closets so the gym exits into the main hallway and is more accessible to everyone.

The 300 square foot storage area has 3 exterior walls (does it have good views?) and seems more private than bedroom 4. Have you considered reconfiguring that end for bedrooms 4/5/bathroom and moving the storage area to where bedroom 4 is?

If you can widen the his/hers closet area by at least 1-2 feet and center the door, you would be able to have usable closet space running down both long walls.

Gosh i don’t even have an ensuite bathroom and my toilet is closer than that and involves fewer doors! i would not want my bedroom wall to share wall with kid room with nothing in between, so i would look at swapping bedroom and bathroom in suite. i don’t understand double doors - decreases privacy and sounds annoying. i don’t care for j&j or a seperate toilet room, especially in small baths and when this is a 4+ bath house. there’s never going to be a bathroom shortage here! but i understand this set up is popular.

If you are intending to age in this house,you may wish to rethink the long trek from primary

bedroom to the toilet.Being stricken in the night and then having to thread your way around corners and obstacles before attaining comfort seating may encourage you to consider less distance when allocating bathroom fixtures.

This is intended to be an inter-generational home. I have four children, two girls, two boys and the pairs will be sharing a bathroom. The oldest is 22 and moving back home after college and the youngest is 14. I don't know when this will be finalized, but I want to have space for all my children to stay at my home even after they have their own families. Downstairs, is another primary suite where my parents will be living when they are in the area for about three to four months during the year. Also a small, ensuite guest room and a very tiny powder room.

The J and J is requested by the girls, who don't want to have to be fully dressed to go use the bathroom in the middle of the night. The storage area is over the garage which here makes it less ideal as bedroom space.

@lharpie There is a double wall between the primary and the other bedroom since we could not prevent being next to at least one bedroom. We might put a reach in closet or bookshelves along that wall as well.

@rosiembog I agree that the primary bathroom is not set up the best it can be, but I am having trouble finding a better set up. My parents bedroom is directly below where the bathroom is. I do not want my bedroom directly above theirs, and they do not want the gym above their room because I tend to use it very early in the morning.

@Design Fan The gym is set up for privacy so that my husband and I can use it without having to be dressed appropriately for non-family members. If someone wants to use the gym, they can come and use it, but right now my husband and I are the only family members that utilize it on a regular basis.

@bpath the hall bathrooms are set us as requested by my children. The girls would like direct access to the bathroom space and the boys would rather no one have access to their rooms from the bathroom. Since I know there will be multiple people using the bathrooms at the same time to get ready I wanted the undressed areas to have privacy from the vanity space.

As I mentioned initially, I am not fully happy with primary suite space. I don't like our bedroom doors open into view of the vanity. Any suggestions on how to set up the area differently are appreciated. I would like someone to be able to be using the vanity/bathroom area without disturbing someone that is asleep in the bedroom. While in an ideal world, that might only be my husband and I, having four kids I never really know who is going to be where.

What sort of gym equipment is going in that small space? It seems way too tiny, unless it's just a cardio machine of some kind and a couple of mats and DBs. Also, if it's a treadmill, the sound of running feet is going to echo through the whole house, so you'll need full sound dampening in walls and floor. And you might need extra structural support. I'd still move the doorway to the other side of that wall for better access. And for all shared walls, DEFINITELY add sound dampening materials!

Coordinate the second floor plan with the first floor plan and the site.

Many great ideas already. Personally, I'd locate the vanity along the left hand wall of the primary bath room by 'stealing' a few inches out of every room only the entire edge (ie., closet, gym, etc.). That way I'd recapture all of the vanity space into the main bedroom. And yes, I'd swap the toilet for the tub.

Possibly flip the master tub/shower/toilet to shorten the path from bed to toilet.

JnJ never work, consider a private hall between the rooms with a single door to the bath. really bad mock up attached. obviously the vanity would need to be relocated.

Did a professional come up with this plan? A second story is heavily dependent on the first, unless you have millions to invest.

A concept that isolates the master bedroom and the opportunity for three walls to have windows providing more natural light and ventilation.

Master bedroom suite does not justify double doors.

Are the girls going to be happy with that J&J bath when they share it with the sister's spouse?

@D M PNW we discussed it and they seem to think it will be fine. Will just need a lock of some sort on both sides of the entry doors.

Why not give the girls their own ensuites (WIC space is nearly big enough for this) and then a sizeable reach-in closet between each bedroom, and between master & BR 2? Walk in closets that size do not give you significantly more hanging space than a reach in but take up way more space (you currently have about 10' of hanging space, but 2' of that is not accessible as it's in a corner. A standard 8' reach in gives you the same but you get 16 SF more space in the bedroom.

If you keep the J&J, do one sink and two drawer stacks so your girls each have their own storage. A sink is used for a short period of time but storage is always needed.

Your criteria for being not fully dressed and walking around upstairs in the family wing of the house is interesting to me. Why are you concerned that you will be working out (in the early morning) and people who are not related to you are going to be waiting in the hall and see you in...workout clothes? Is that not appropriate? And what do your girls wear to bed that makes them uncomfortable with the idea of walking 2 steps out of their room in the MOTN to go to the bathroom when presumably everyone else is sleeping?

What is the issue with having your bedroom over the main floor bedroom? Why is the bedroom over the garage not ideal?

I think you would be able to have a better layout if you reconsidered some of your restrictions. Otherwise, try this closet/bathroom layout. Highlight is closet space. Configure how you want.

Eliminate the jack and jill bathroom until both your daughters are able to discuss it with their sister's spouse. Bathrooms with more than one entry door are rarely a good idea for multiple reasons.

Agreed. I assumed the doors to the vanity area would be unlocked, with a lockable entry to the toilet/shower area. If you have locking entrances on each side of the vanity area, it's just a normal Jack and Jill, and it will drive everyone crazy.

Spend the 1M and a year in rental on a completely different house that fits your needs. A second floor main suite never works for an aging in place multi generational home.

@Minardi 1M is what this second story is going to cost. The starting price of a house here is 2M and I can't buy that and tear it down to build something else. It is probably 3 or 4M to find a house in the area that even comes close to what we are looking for, and even that would still need work. There is a first floor main suite as well that we would eventually move in to as needed.

For your girls, I would considering giving them each their own bathroom - there is space for it. But your future DILs would probably appreciate a private bathroom as well....

The vanity area in the primary seems like wasted space. But there is also a lack of storage in the bathroom. And the closet could be a lot better configured. I like the layout that @anj_p came up with - separate closets seems more appropriate for this size primary. I would explore that idea more.

I would also make it so that the door to the primary suite could easily be moved so that the door to the gym is in the hall instead. The gym could be made into another bedroom/office/study/craft room if ever needed (and the gym could move to the storage above the garage).

When you have grandkids, make the storage space into a game room with built in bunk beds for them. Or after moving downstairs, make the gym into a bunk room.

I would consider this a "first stab" at just solving an equation for your program requirements (add full 2nd floor for a Master+4 beds, gym + storage). Don't expect the layout to look the same after making necessary decisions refining your requirements, estimating costs, and developing the exterior elevations, roof, and MEP.

Those things will greatly affect the layout and first floor and may not have been confronted fully yet. I see a couple 1st floor spots that might need large beams, even if you use open web floor trusses for long spans. Your HVAC will now be in the 2nd floor attic, which has to come down through the 2nd floor and into the 1st floor ceiling (open web trusses are not magic in making ducts disappear) which may have some conflicts with a clean ceiling. Your plumbing will have to tear up your 1st floor slab/walls in many rooms because the 2nd floor bathrooms are separated at far ends of the house. You now have 7 bedrooms + office, but the same tiny Family Room downstairs. The Master Ensuite is disjointed. A little leeway (the "refinement") in some of the atypical living (e.g. the J&J and the Master-adjacent gym as necessities, avoiding living space over the garage or stacked bedrooms) might lend to more opportunities for a much better overall layout.

And I would like to put this in the back of your mind in evaluating this concept of adding a full 2nd story, which will probably be very near the cost of theoretically building a mid-grade stand-alone house next door. In my experience, most people undertaking such a transformative project would expect the final product to be greatly improved in lifestyle, amenties, and aesthetics over the original. However, this addition appears very, well, meh. Your program requirements are squeezed to the max and chained to the existing footprint. Other than a new gym and soaking tub, there isn't much beyond to match the effort. Flat vertical planes of 2 story exterior walls. No rec/media area for all the families. No enticement of a Master Ensuite, like say a balcony or sitting area taking advantage of a view. No grand entrance. Still an appliance-only Laundry stuffed into the Mudroom. Still that small Family Room.

I'm just commenting to say you have the first Jack and Jill bath design I've seen that is actually a good idea.

I'm in the minority on this board in that I actually like a J&J -- when it's done well, and this one is. This one makes sense because it allows you to have a linen closet in the hallway that otherwise wouldn't be possible.

I would downsize the sink to a single + a bank of drawers for each child. Storage is much more useful than duplicate sinks.

The negative of this J&J is that it has zero natural light. Could it be flip-flopped so the sink area could have light?

On the other hand, the divided bath to the back of the house isn't great. One small vanity with essentially no storage and a divider to clean around.

In all bathrooms ask yourself, Where are the wet towels going to hang? Where will the hamper and trash can be placed?

The first thing to do is remove the apostrophe from the ”Hers” closet.

Yes, please.

And, I imagine the toilet is used more often than the shower and tub, perhaps move it closer?

You're speaking of the master bathroom? Yes, the toilet is poorly placed. First, why bother with a door, when it's all the way on the other side of -- well, everything. And if you're going to burden yourself with a door, why not bring it straight out from the shower instead of creating a stall like they have in a retail store?

What are your goals and intentions for the addition?

Good question.

The 300 square foot storage area has 3 exterior walls (does it have good views?) and seems more private than bedroom 4.

Good question.

Gosh i don’t even have an ensuite bathroom and my toilet is closer than that and involves fewer doors!

Yes, the master toilet is poorly placed.

The gym is set up for privacy so that my husband and I can use it without having to be dressed appropriately for non-family members. If someone wants to use the gym, they can come and use it, but right now my husband and I are the only family members that utilize it on a regular basis.

As time goes on, the children may want to use it. I suggest you add a second door to the gym, which can be accessed from the hallway. Put a lock on that door so that when you want it to be private, it's your own space. Consider that second door a step towards "future-proof".

Note, too, that the gym door's hinge would be better flip-flopped and the door's "parking space" should be against the right-side wall.
As I mentioned initially, I am not fully happy with primary suite space.

Thoughts about the master suite:

- People put these double doors in thinking they'll be fancy in a ta-da! type of way, but -- in reality -- they look silly. They don't match the rest of the doors in the hall. They create a problem with lightswitch placement.

- You could turn the vanity and place the bathroom entrance in the bedroom. That comes with pros and cons, of course.

- I'd move the bed to the bottom wall (front of the house) instead of on the side. This'd allow for a better traffic flow: each sleeper could enter the bedroom and walk straight to his or her side of the bed -- the sleeper on the left wouldn't have to walk all the way around the bed.

- On that topic, consider moving the master suite to the left side of the house. This'll allow you to have the bedroom nearest the top of the stairs. That's better, especially as you age, than walking past empty bedrooms to reach your own.

- You have a lot of empty, wasted space in the bedroom. Why?

A second floor main suite never works for an aging in place multi generational home.

Agree, though -- in theory -- the OP could move back downstairs into the grandparents' space at some point. Have the grandparents actually expressed an interest in moving in?

But your future DILs would probably appreciate a private bathroom as well....

They well might ... but does that mean the OP should build a private bathroom for these future spouses to use occasionally when they visit? I really think the project is over-blown, given the "children's" ages. I'd build less space for the children to live in as adult ... and use the money instead to take the whole family on great vacations every couple years.

Are the girls going to be happy with that J&J bath when they share it with the sister's spouse?

The adult children + spouses won't be home at the same time often. It's not likely to be a problem.

Why not give the girls their own ensuites

Just because something will fit doesn't make it a good idea.

Extra bathrooms require more money to build, more cleaning, and they will develop leaks and need maintenance over the years.

Your criteria for being not fully dressed and walking around upstairs ... and see you in...workout clothes ... what do your girls wear to bed ...

I agree that the OP is considerably more concerned than I am over privacy in the home. Perhaps it'd be smart to skip these upstairs bedrooms and instead consider a couple small "bedroom cabins" out behind the house, which could give the adult children complete privacy?

1M is what this second story is going to cost.

I understand your goal is to provide a private room for each child and bathroom between each two rooms ... but this is a lot to spend, considering that the youngest child will probably have chosen a college by the time the project is finished. I suspect all four bedrooms will rarely be used at the same time.

And while you're thinking of your children (and, to a lesser extent, their future spouses), I don't see any consideration of grandchildren, who will likely stay overnight with you more often than their parents.

Number of times I've slept at my mother's house since I married 34 years ago: ONE. And that was to help her after a surgery.

Number of times my children stayed at Grandma's house: CAN'T COUNT.

If I were in your shoes, I'd build two nice bedrooms appropriate for adult children + their spouse ... and assign them to the youngest children, who will be in the house longer. Then build two bunk rooms ... one for granddaughters, one for grandsons. Finish the project with two hall bathrooms to serve the upstairs.

However, this addition appears very, well, meh.

Yeah.

Other thoughts:

- I'd rather have my primary bedroom at the top of the stairs ... fewer steps for me, especially as I grow older. You don't want to walk past those empty bedrooms to reach your own space.

- With all these bedrooms upstairs, I'd like to see a laundry room upstairs.

- I don't see any consideration for a return air in the upstairs hallway. With this much space, you'll definitely need a separate HVAC.

- I'd move the girls' doors so they create a flat wall in the hallway. Let the little indent hallways exist in the rooms.

@3onthetree I appreciate your comments, and understand your disappointment in the small family room. I originally wanted the area over the garage to be a playroom type space, but that became cost prohibitive and there isn't enough storage in the house. We currently have a pull down attic staircase and I don't want to continue using one of those as we get older. Building a full staircase for a third story attic seemed to close in the second story too much and was a large cost of another banister. I'm not sure how to make an open feeling with another staircase to the third floor. In addition, we live in basically tract housing in Southern California, the houses are built of plywood and stucco and have horrible insulation. A bedroom over a garage is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

We cannot expand on the footprint, the city won't allow us to take up more space of our lot. While it would be really nice to have a large space for everyone to fit and watch a movie together, that requires a large room for all 8+ of us and doesn't happen very often. We would be able to make it work in the family room space that is allotted right now though it wouldn't be the most comfortable for everyone. We find more often everyone is watching their own thing on a small device in random spaces around the house.

The bigger argument in my family right now is where to put all the Lego's and it seems that the small area between bedroom 3 and bath 3 is going to become a land mine. We have already done some cost estimates which is why I am trying to limit the number of bathrooms. These aren't ideal situations, but they are all much better than what we have now and there are no more adjustments we can make to our current house. The fact that my parents have a 2200 sq ft house that they are only in 3 months out of the year is why we are trying to wedge my families' needs onto an existing layout that my parents don't want to change. There also is not enough space in my home for them to sell their house and stay with us instead. The costs here are ridiculous. Building is going to cost way too much, but buying another home would cost almost twice as much. The housing costs are really non-sensical and we have outgrown the space we are currently in.

I really want some help figuring out the primary suite. The kids are happy with their bedroom set up, my parents are happy with the downstairs set up, but I feel like the primary suite is wasting too much space yet I'm not sure how to make it better. We have already asked to make two entrances to the gym, one from the hall and one from our room. I dont' want to walk through a closet to go to the bathroom and I don't want to walk through a bathroom to go to the closet. We currently have our sinks separate from our toilet/shower and it works out well for us, especially since the kids come in all the time to ask questions or grab things from the cabinets. Thinking it over, we are pretty happy with our bathroom in our current room, its just a bit too small, so maybe I just need to redo it with larger dimensions.

We will probably make the windows in the main room bigger, but we currently have a balcony and find it is only useful for cleaning the gutters. We have nice paths and parks behind the house, but can also see into seven other houses and yards. I was hoping in the bedroom space there might be room for a sitting area or desk.

Well, as I said below, all of your criteria are driving the layouts. It's challenging to give advice when all of the requirements are not stated initially. Maybe list them out and you will see that your wants are driving the awkwardness.

None of this was explained initially:

1. Separate room with vanities.

2. No walking through a closet to bathroom

3. No walking through bathroom to closet

4. Need a direct door from master bedroom into the gym

5. Don't want the master bedroom on top of the main level bedroom

6. Don't want to use the space above the garage for living

etc.

Your list pretty much leaves you with what you have. We don't know why you have these requirements, so it's hard to give advice. For example, the separate vanity space - why is that a requirement? What are the kids grabbing that they couldn't have in the hallway linen closet? How much time are you spending in the bathroom that you need to layout your house to accommodate kids interrupting while you are in there?

Unless you are willing to compromise on some of that for the sake of a better flow, it will be hard to find something that works better and meets your requirements.

The closet/bathroom layout I posted below is my personal favorite layout. You are not walking through hanging clothes, you are walking through a hall with doors to his/hers closets, maybe with some built in cabinetry if you need more closet space.

Charming Cape Cod Renovation · More Info

I agree with just about everything Mrs Pete says. She doesn't comment often, but when she does it is worth listening to what she says.

The OP is asking for advice about the master bedroom layout, NOT the bedroom/bathroom arrangement in the rest of the house. Everyone in her family is fine with the layout, so useful comments should be confined to the master suite. I would try and put the bathroom along the top wall, with the closet more or less where the vanity is shown now. Perhaps the gym could be enlarged somewhat as a result. A functional bathroom layout sometimes has the vanity/toilet on one wall opposite the shower/tub on the other wall. I'll leave it to someone with more time to maybe make a sketch of this.

And yes, eliminate the double doors to the bedroom and add a door to the gym from the hallway.

Perhaps the advent of the electric toothbrush allows sinks to be tight to a sidewall but I would not do it.

Excuse the scribble. This is an approximation of an idea I have to give you a sitting area in the master bedroom, and maintain the privacy of the bathroom/closet from the bedroom.

You could shift the the rooms at the top by a foot or two. Or you could narrow the exercise room by about a foot. Then enlarge your master bath. Maybe 11 feet wide. Toilet room about 40 inches wide, shower about 4 X 6 and two vanities. 7 foot space for the tub. I like a pocket door for the toilet room, but you might have to have a double wall between the shower and toilet room to fit the pocket door and shower controls.

Single door into the bedroom.

You could do a larger hallway by the guest bathroom on the left to facilitate moving furniture and beds into that room. Maybe a small linen closet outside the bathroom.

What does the first floor plan look like?

Again, the OP is specifically looking for advice about the master suite layout. Knowing which direction is north would be more helpful than seeing the first floor plan, which given the implied budget constraints is not going to be changed. Posting the first floor plan will just divert comments away from what the OP really wants help on.

To be fair, the OP has stated that they do not want the master suite bedroom over the main floor bedroom (something that was not communicated initially) so the first floor plan is relevant to the conversation.

I am attempting to provide good professional advice for the benefit of the OP for free, and anyone else interested. None of us needs to be manipulated by any controlling person that lacks enough information to make viable advice. If the OP choses not to provide any requested information, then they will never benefit from those asking. Shame on those that impede the inquisitive mind.

The kids will all be out of the house by the time this kind of project is actually completed. Two years of living in a rental while they are still in the house is not going to be that great on the family dynamic either. You cannot add back that time, or take away those experiences to "fix" that later. The type of stress that is a remodel affects more than just the parents.

Buy the house that already has the everything that you want. It will be much easier on your family, even if it is not easier on your pocketbook.

@Karenseb Thank you for the layout suggestion for the bathroom/closet entrance. I think I'm going to play around with that idea a little bit.

@Mark Bischak I'll try to post the first level later today, but I already know people don't like it and have opinions on it but nothing is going to be changing on that layout so it doesn't really matter as much

@Kimberli There are a lot of assumptions about what my family will be doing in a few years. I have a college student that is moving back home, two that are about to be in college and one that is just starting up high school. Even if some of them are lucky enough to afford to be on their own in a few years, I still want some place for them to all be able to stay at my home for holidays and other family event. There are numerous times I have stayed with my parents since I got married, I hope my children will do the same. We won't be living in a rental, this isn't our current home. It is my parents current home, and they are only there a few months out of the year. It is about 1/2 mile away from my house and it doesn't make sense to spend so much keeping up two houses. There is nothing in our area that even comes close to what I need, and it would be way beyond affordable if it did.

This whole project is going to be way beyond affordable. It should be a teardown, as that will be cheaper than all the alterations you want done. A teardown will also be a much better end result than leaving the questionable, old, cramped, first floor underneath this not great design.

You may be surprised how a first floor layout effects a second floor layout. With any comment you receive, you choose which ones to accept, respond to, and/or ignore.

Here's a layout which might meet most of your criteria.

Teardown. For sure.

Those closets are not big enough for stairs to serve a second floor. They are also really awkwardly located for stairs to serve a second floor. Stairs are not shameful, to be hidden away and impossible to get furniture up. They are a major home statement, connecting two floors together. Are you actually working with an architect?

Following

Here is the lower floor plan right now with the stairs

I try (not always possible) to group like spaces both horizontally and vertically, they tend to function well that way although usually many factors are involved.

Think through the vertical spatial relationships that are created. You may not want toilets flushing above your master bedroom or your family room/nook. You may have to choose between two evils, or more.

Carefully review structural requirements.

Have you read how poorly additions give back value to a home? Put some curb appeal lipstick on the house, and get the thing on the market while you can. Then buy that bigger house. You will come out dollars ahead. https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2024/key-trends-in-the-2024-cost-vs-value-report

All the "you need to move" advice is silly. "It will cost the same" is just not true in some markets, and OP knows their market and options better than we do. In my market it would certainly be cheaper to build a $1million addition that doubled our home size than it would be buy an existing home of that size. And new homes have a lot of tradeoffs too--I don't see a lot of well-designed floorplans in the new homes being built.

Mark Bischak's advice is worth noting. Your plans put your master bathroom over your parents' bedroom. They aren't going to like that much more than having your gym or bedroom above them. Could you swap the girls' bedrooms with your closet/bathroom/gym space, and get the toilet for that shared bathroom above the downstairs master bathroom? The noise from an upstairs sink or shower is less disruptive than the noise from a toilet.

See if your designer can come up with a layout that locates the second floor bathrooms above or nearer the first floor bathrooms. It will not be easy but worth a try.