Nothing at all on these drawings should be shown to an architect, You do not want a preconceived notion brought to an architect and handcuff him from doing his work. Bring a list of wants and needs and your budget. 60' wide and 72' long will fit on an infill lot?

I would deem that 2,984 sq feet of not good at all.

I don't know where to begin....

Stop wasting time on internet draftsmen.

Get an LICENSED/local architect to the site.

Bring only a list of:

MUST HAVE

WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE

Budget.

Start there - and whatever that "budget number" is, you add 15/ 20% contingency. All of that will still not include landscaping.

Begin adjusting the "dream" or get further from the goal, should be the plan, and the money wasted on "draftsmen" makes the problem worse.

You consider how many kids, how many guests, and the fact that an entry from a front door AND a garage that takes you through a ridiculously sized family room to a kitchen is your very first issue- both quite unattractive and equally inconvenient.

This virtually never happens, thus reality check in order.

"speaking to a couple builders that could build a new house with Everything We Wanted in our price range " : ) Nope.

It looks to be designed for you specifically . Which is, I guess, the fun of designing it yourself. I am not in love with entering into a media room. Why the giant fourth bedroom instead of two? Are you thinking of a bunk room for the cousins? Or do you have twins?

In terms of practicality of building, if you flip the primary br bathroom and closet to the oposite wall, you have all the plumbing on one wall, better privacy from the bunk room, and more opportunity for windows in the bedroom.

P.S. sorry for the troubles chasing this crazy real estate market. Must be very frustrating.

Except the "fun" isn't fun when it doesn't get you to a goal. When it does not get you to a great marriage of interior, exterior and the site - in combination with resources available.

Mortgage rates may come down a little in the near term, but they are not predicted to fall back to pre-pandemic rates. Home prices are not expected to come down much, if at all, in the near term. Investing additional time and resources in design of a new home may be an exercise in futility and may even move you farther from your goal if costs continue to escalate. I suggest you consult builders in your area regarding current costs, and Realtors to assess the economics of selling the lot and purchasing a resale home before spending more time and money on a design that may never get built.

Designing your dream house IS fun. I agree that when it comes time to put in the money, time and stress, you MUST have a team of prfessionals. But that doesn’t mean we can’t plan and dream in the meantime. 😊

Take the money get a good architect tell them your budget and do not bring your plan that is what an architect gives you. It is a decnt amount of footage but simple exterior structure costs less to build and can hold amazing living spaces . Think about what you NEED in a home like do you need 4 bedrooms, a kitchen with no natural light . Get tht architect NOW

Charles Ross makes an excellent point. Perhaps it is time to alter the plan to fit the availability. My friend was priced out of his desired area and went to the neighboring state. He LOVES his new home. Much more land than he could have found in his target area, and only about 15 more minutes added to the commute.

Why are you renting instead of trying to build equity in a home, which will then help you build a custom home? Is this your first house?

I don't know where you live, but custom homes are generally not entry level homes, and they typically don't save you money. We did the same thing - designed a house with a builder in early 2020 and bid in late 2020 - and our initial estimates went up 25%. That's just bid cost. It would've probably cost another 20% due to the inevitable unknowns (and that is IN ADDITION to whatever construction loan you were approved for - most people need to have that in cash). We could have afforded it, but decided financially the benefit was not there for us. Thankfully we just had a hold on the lot while we did our due diligence so we hadn't purchased it outright. We didn't move forward and built with a production builder instead - a bigger house for 20% less than our custom bid was (in the neighborhood across the street).

I agree with everyone else with regard to your plan not being great, and holding on to this dream might not be in your best interest. Most of us can't have everything we want in a home. I don't see anything particularly unique in your plan that couldn't be found in an existing home. Unless the enormous sizes of some rooms are what you're looking for.

If you want budget, that is NOT it. Too large. Too wide and fat. Too complicated. Too too. If you want cheap to build, look at mobile home plans. They are simple boxes, or 2 boxes, that don't have all the jugs and jogs, and aren't huge engineered spans that cost $$$$. That design was created by someone with zero knowledge of any building process, and it shows. Pay for someone with building knowledge, and shrink and simplify. You are still going to be baseline $200-$400 a square, depending on location. That's entry level. If that simple nothing type of house as a custom isn't affordable, then buy an existing house and sell the land.

So I’ve been enjoying playing with a design program making a dream floor plan in case we ever get the money to build.

Friend, I'm saying this gently: No. This is not good. You've drawn up a too-wide GARAGEhouse with two large bedroom wings sandwiching the living space into a dark, uninviting middle. The overall shape, proportions, and traffic flow are lacking.

If you enjoyed drawing it and if it made you consider what you want in a house, GOOD. And (unlike most people on this board) I'm not against layperson-made drawings -- I grew up in a farmhouse my grandmother drew up on graph paper, and it's as nice a layout as I've ever seen.

But nothing here is worth reviewing. Say to yourself gently, "I am good at many things, but this isn't one of them."

For another viewpoint, save this plan if you want, or if you like playing around with the program. And you can bring it to an architect some day, but only to point out what you're thinking about. For example, when we first met with our architect for the house that we've now lived in for 10 years, I took a hand-drawn plan I had been messing with for year, but only to say, these are concepts that I like, such as, in our case, a front entryway that also had an entrance from the garage; a living area that was one room deep. It was an example of concepts that we wanted, not an actual example of the house plan that we expected.

"Friend, I'm saying this gently: No. This is not good. You've drawn up a too-wide GARAGEhouse with two large bedroom wings sandwiching the living space into a dark, uninviting middle. The overall shape, proportions, and traffic flow are lacking.".........ala Mrs. Pete

Yup..........All the words I didn't feel like typing. : )

I like drawing up my dream house, I used to do it when I was a child!!! ( I wish I could find those drawings and compare now…).

We are in the process of building.I had made a plan but did not give it to the architect to see what he would come up with. I did not like his plans but once I became soecific about our wants and needs, his plan came very close to mine with the bonus of some ideas that had not occured to me

Consider going to an architect (a real architect, not a "designer" or home builder). Before you go, create a "bubble diagram" to show him/her what you think you want with regards to room relationships, etc. Be open-minded and honest w/ the architect.

Here's one thread that discusses bubble diagrams to some extent. I seem to recall a thread that was focused on bubble diagrams, but I haven't been able to find it yet.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4220928/first-attempt-at-a-bubble-diagram#n=9

Found it!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4351651/beginning-bubble-diagram-for-a-custom-home

It is ahuge home with IMO no redeeming design on the exterior. It is expensive to build and for no purpose other than you want a huge house .You need an achitect to design both something you need and something beautiful to look at . As for the floor plan it is too small to really get a feel for the space I never like kitchens in the center of a house with virtullay no windows when you are designing a U shaped home it makes no sense. Are the room sizes absolutely necessary for your family size or just huge to inpress? You do not share your budget but I did comment before and fogot but I stand by my first impression. I like the idea of steeping into a huge house after first living in a home you can afford to inmprove and then move up . Renting never is an option if home ownership is a must We started off with atiny house we renovsted doing lots ourselves and the moved to another bigger place that still needed some work both of those gave us huge ROI we can now go buy what we want and pay cash.

C'mon, @Patricia Colwell Consulting, you really have no idea what the OP wants or needs in a home so your claim that "It is expensive to build and for no purpose other than you want a huge house" is speculation at best. You'd be more credible as a designer and do more good for the OP if you would at least ask a few questions about their needs before drawing a conclusion. Your idea that you like the idea of "steeping (sic) into a huge house after first living in a home" is noteworthy, if only for entertainment purposes. You're retired, right?

Really I asked lots of questions and many of us had questions and not one answer from the OP so IMO they asked a question they did not want an answer to like so many here . The house is ugly with honestly no style any part ime draft person could do better We get no answers there can be no wa to help

I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to answer. I received several answers to my question. It’s not a good floor plan and when I’m ready I should just get the services of a good architecht. Thanks!

I bought the book recommended and took the advice about looking at manufactured home floor plans and the diagram exercise and came up with a different floor plan that has everything we were envisioning.

Who shops and carries in the groceries?: )

Buy the book that recommends looking for a local architect to work with you to develop a design that meets your needs and fits your site.

I am wondering what you are envisioning.

Laundry in the garage is a mild-climate thing, but even that isn’t being done anymore, especially when the machines seem to sit right were a car would be parked.

Hallways can be your friend. They can help separate private areas from the public ones.

I’m kind of getting into the gym-and-music room idea! But it faces the front, for all visitors to see as they approach the house?

The trash and recycling station is a little far from where the trash and recycling are generated.

The toy closet is not near a play area but rather in a foyer (although, our large upstairs landing was a favorite place to play, as it had no furniture.)

There is an avoidance of natural light.

So: Natural light. Separation of public and private spaces. Put things where they make sense.

Don’t just envision. Experience in your head day to day life. Not just what you think happens, but as you go about your day today, imagine the whole family experiencing the same day, warts and all, in the proposed space. Imagine what you will see as you move from one space to another. Internal views are as important as outside views.

Make a list of how your family goes about their days, the things they love, the things you would do if the right environment supported it (I’m still really getting into the gym-music room!). The things you like in other people’s houses, or other homes you’ve lived in, and the things you don’t. That’s what you talk about with an architect.

Not everything is DIY, and that includes getting the best home you can have on the site you've chosen.

Please get an architect? After that? Try to listen to him or her, knowing a GOOD one will be listening to you. Everything you say, and everything you don't.

Start with how DARK that house will be, because it is so deep front to back. The best houses are no more deep than 2 rooms, and that keeps the structural spans to something reasonable and affordable. And this is why home of this square footage are usually two stories, or L or U shaped. There's only so much width on a home before it looks like an airport runway.

It has a big giant ugly nose of a garage on the front, as the first thing you see. Then, no occupants have any sound privacy at all. The closets and bathrooms are not placed between bedrooms as sound buffers, or between private and public spaces. Bedroom 2 hears all the activities happening in the primary, and the primary hears all the loud TV noise and other racket from the public spaces.

You are learning, but not fast enough if you want to build any time within 5 years.

Quick look it appears almost the same as the others. Not good, deep and dark and the roof will need to be a monster to cover that.

I'd question why you are basically clinging to the same dim/dark and inconvenient plan, that isn't even attractive from the exterior.

But keep asking.................................

Take it to a local architect and see what they have to say.

Do you have thick skin? Do you take criticism well?

I design something completely different than houses (data solutions), but their is something in common. The better the requirements gathering is done, the better the results.

Have you gone through your current home and measured every room, every piece of furniture, every drawer and cabinet. Have you then taken time to keep a journal of the things that work and the things you would like to have work better. Is the space you have adequate for the way you live your life? How much time do you spend in each room of your current home. What activities do you do in your current home. How much time do you spend doing those activities? Study your life and the lives of your family members. Think about exactly how you live. Then you have a strong basis for building what you need.

Just drawing spaces without understanding your routine and how you spend your time and how much clothing you own and how you use your kitchen and what types of cooking you do and knowing how much room you need for linens and for cleaning supplies and for small appliances, pots and pans, dishware is wasted time.

You need to know that you need 6 linear feet of hanging closet space for your clothing and 15 linear feet of hanging closet space for your spouse and you need to store 3 pairs of shoes and your spouse needs to store 87 pairs of shoes and you need one drawer in the bathroom for your comb, toothbrush and deodorant and your spouse needs 2 shallow drawers for the same things + makeup and hairstyling equipment. She also needs more outlets on her side of the vanity and they should be placed so that her cords don't hang over her sink while doing her hair, so is she right handed or left handed? So many questions that need to be thought through and answered before you can begin to plan a space that will optimally fulfill all of your needs and not leave you wishing you had done something different.

Tried to address some of the concerns. Maybe I could add some skylights.

Pocket doors could be used to make the guest room and the daughter's room into suites.

I like all the comments that basically say to start over with a competent design professional, not for my sake but for your best interest.

I agree with the rest, there are way too many changes that have to be made to make this house functional.

Apparently you do not want help so carry on by yourself.

I agree largely with what is being said here. However, the biggest issue people have is the cost of the architect. I realize that architects will comment that they save you money. Perhaps that's true. In fact, I am certain it does.

But here is the issue. My local architects wanted a ton of money up front. You are asking people to put perhaps 30k into a design. This is money that has to be fronted. No bank is going to loan money for plans. Then what happens if the architect you choose designs a plan that you dont like? An architect is an artist. I see lots and lots of art around that I am damn sure the artist loves. But I don't like everything I see.

99% of the houses I see on house I like but wouldn't want for myself.

So, if architects would be more reasonable with their cost structure, you'd have way more people interested in using one.

Many people like the idea of looking at plans online and finding something they like. The plan is done, others have built it, renderings are often available, and you can see the work product before you lay out money.

So when an architect says, oh my services are 10% of the overall cost of the project, and I'll need 10k upfront, many people don't want to use one.

There is a good reason that architects have historically had low penetration into the residential market. At least in my area.

So, all you architects on here can say get an architect until your head explodes but until your services are more economical for the average person, or more easily acquired, no one will use you for their 500k home. If they can be, I 100% agree. You get a plan to fit your needs and a plan that fits your lot.

Addendum and edits above...

A few years ago as I used ARG from on here to draw my plans for me and obviously he is an architect. Fortunately for me I very much liked the drawings that he created. He was super easy to work with. And his fee was something I could afford. And all of that was for a fraction of the cost of a full service design with all the cross sections etc. He wasnt able, then, to get me buildable plans however.

He worked with me to create a home that fit my needs very well. However, prior to using him, I shopped locally and it was clear to me that I would not be able to get a quality set of plans for a number I could afford from anyone other than a draftsman. Once he gave me his drawings, I took those to a local lumberyard and for the cost of getting my lumber package from them, they did my construction drawings from ARG's plans.

So I apologize as I should have clarified my comments.

Now, reading posts below, if it is possible to get a full service set up drawings and custom plains from many of the architects on here, I stand corrected. I didn't mean to offend.

There is a reason that most homes are not custom made from bespoke plans and the reason is the cost in many cases.

So perhaps some on here could reach out to ARG as I did and get a much better home than above.

I do agree with what was said about the OP's plans. They need a lot of work.

An architect is an artist IMO. Thats the point. Aside from the building science etc of course.

Do you not drive a car because a Porsches cost too much?

Your reasoning, generalities, and facts are flawed, misleading, and teeter on the edge of libel.

If anyone wants a well designed home they should shop around for a local qualified architect that meets their needs.

The biggest issue people have is NOT the cost of the architect.

Most architects DO NOT want a ton of money up front.

An architect is NOT an artist. That is why they are called "architects" and not "artists".

John Farrar - I will design you a house that meets your needs and fits your site and give you buildable plans for $10,000 and I will work with you as long as it takes to get a plan that you are happy with. And I won't charge you a dime until I produce a solid concept drawing that you could see building.

"but until your services are more economical for the average person, no one will use you for their 500k home."

I suspect a pretty large number of$500K homes built in the U.S. are, in fact, architect designed. The big names in the stock plan business (e.g. Donald Gardner, Stephen Fuller, Frank Betz, Jack Arnold, etc.) are all bona fide architects. Some production builders employ architects on staff to design model homes. The economic reality is that there is a considerable effort and associated cost that goes into designing a single home for a particular client and a particular site. Stock plans take this cost and amortize it over dozens or hundreds of homes built based on a single home design. Doing so decreases the cost of design for the homebuyer willing to accept a design that might not fit them or their site as well as it fits their budget.

I meant to refer to custom one-off homes not stock plans.

But yes, I get it that they are architect created.

I didn't mean to imply architects aren't needed. What I meant is that the services that an architect offers is a luxury that many, apparently, can't afford unless the circumstances are correct.

But if I am wrong and you can get a custom on off full set of drawings for under 10K I stand very corrected as that wasn't my experience in my area prior to working with ARG. Whci is why I reached ouyt to him. To find a way to get a great home for something my wife and I could afford at the time.

To be sure, homes which are true custom (i.e., designed to meet the needs of a particular client and particular site) tend toward the affluent end of the homebuyer spectrum. That said, not everyone needs full custom nor are most people prepared to make that kind of investment in design. Stock plans and model homes--with or without customization--are designed to meet the needs of a broad range of the homebuyer market. To expect the same service level you get at the high end of the market at more modest, market-average price points defies economics. The same is true for restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, car repair shops, etc.

I agree with that.

I have been posting a lurking here a long time, one unwavering theme is 'get an architect'.

Why do you suppose such a statement is needed? Why aren't people getting architects from the outset?

Why do so many on here need to be told such a thing when everyone knows the best houses are designed by architects not draftsmen or 'stayed at a Holiday Inn' architects as so many people who mockup their own plans seem to be?

Honest question and one I'd like to hear the opinions of the architects on here about.

Many people do not know what architects do. I could not tell you how many times people have asked me, "Do you draw blueprints?"

Everyone does not know the best houses are designed by architects. Many people think they can take someone else's design they think is close and can easily fix it to meet their every need.

Instead of many people educating themselves about architects they rely on hearsay from people that speak in baseless generalities of experiences they have not had.

How many people here think houses are designed by designing the front elevation with masonry and leave the other elevation to happenstance with no windows and vinyl siding.

I haven't been or posted here in a long while but noticed Jeff's post (I designed his house remotely) and thought I'd ring in.

Getting a house designed by a CREATIVE architect doesn't have to be expensive. I know what we charged Jeff to design his house and I thought it was pretty reasonable. I'm sure he would agree.

I think it's best to forget the focus above on titles....architect.....designer.....draftsman..... and get someone who is CREATIVE. Given 100 architects and 100 designers, the average CREATIVE ability of the architects will very likely be much higher than the designers/draftsmen but when it comes down to the INDIVIDUAL, it's anybody's guess. That's why when I do post here I never use the term "architect", it's always "a person of design talent".

I personally know architects whom I wouldn't trust to design a house for my dog, yet they are busy (and when I use the term "architect" I'm referring to people who are registered architects. Some designers/draftsmen use the term "architect" to describe themselves which is illegal). And of course the same CREATIVE yardstick applies to designers/draftsmen. Many think mastering a CAD program is all there is to CREATIVE home design. Please note that JK Rowling didn't write what she did because she went out one day to Office Depot and bought a fancy word processing program with all the bells and whistles. All of her CREATIVITY came out of her head. It's no different in home design.

But getting back to cost, it doesn't have to be expensive. For the local projects, I work in what's called a "design charrette" format. It's an inexpensive, intense three or four hour design session with all decision makers where the basic concept of the house is developed. I do these all the time and they were very successful. The pen changes hands many times and the design is created in real time. Ideas can be tested and accepted, modified or discarded as the session flows....."We like the pantry size but can we get it a little closer to the kitchen?"....as I take the pen, start drawing saying "Ok, how 'bout if we move the powder room here and slide the pantry over here....." etc.. In three or four hours we get a basic concept hammered out. I'd need to take it back to my shop to fine tune it up but that's all. It's inexpensive, efficient and effective.

And I like the builder present at these. They're best at keeping costs in proper perspective and the ones I work with have some pretty good design ideas also.

Here's some photos of what they look like. The builder is in two of the photos and he's taking the photo in the other two.

Working with an actual CREATIVE architect doesn't have to be cost prohibitive as is commonly thought.

All readers should review this thread and note the dramatic difference in commentary/tone/advice between two pros...

Mark Bischak, Architect

Architectrunnerguy

Good point. Not all architects are the same. When looking for an architect to help design a home (or any building type) meet with several local architects and see which one(s) you think would be best to work with. Speaking in generalities about certain groups of people is not constructive no matter what the motive is.

"All of her CREATIVITY came out of her head. It's no different in home design..........."

Yes to that....

It's the ability to SEE what CAN be, before it shall exist, no matter the discipline.