New build design help

last year

I’m interested in feedback on this plan I have drawn up to be built on our country land. Rustic/cottage style. I am struggling with the placement of the two kid’s room doors in the front of the home. I like the layout of the back portion of the home, but not loving the feel of the kid’s doors being right off of the entryway… I haven’t been able to figure out an alternative placement. We have not designed the 2nd floor yet, so the staircase could be moved. 9’ ceilings everywhere but the great room (vaulted). The 2nd floor will need to be finished down the road due to cost. Design help and feedback welcomed.

Featured Answer

bpath

last year

last modified: last year

If you must put everything into a square, swap all the bedrooms left to right, and the stairs and bath. Put your bedroom on the front left. with bath where the stair are currently. Put the kids and their bath on the right. You will have room to insert a small common hall to their rooms and bathroom so they are not entered off a larger common space.

btw, I see a love of symmetry in the plan. Symmetry is overrated. Balance and rhythm are what you want to shoot for.

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Comments (14)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
Start over. Use what you learned in putting together this design and make the next one better; then repeat. If you have not come up with something better, contact a local architect to design a house with you that will meet your needs and fit your site. Design each floor and all four exterior elevations at the same time. Lots of improvements ahead.
Kathryn Parsons
Original Author
last year
Thank you, Mark! I appreciate your time to comment. Do you feel the back part of the house is bad or only the front, if you are willing to share? I’m trying to fit everything in a simple footprint, for cost reasons.
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la_la Girl
last year
last modified: last year
I can definitely understand the budget piece, is there a reason you want to design it rather than buying a house plan online? https://www.thehousedesigners.com
Kathryn Parsons thanked la_la Girl
jinwpg
last year
One thing that caught my eye is the fact that whenever someone in one of
the two front bedrooms needs to use the bathroom, they’ll need to cross over very public space.

.
Kathryn Parsons thanked jinwpg
AnnKH
last year
I think your problem comes from having a square box to start with. "Country land" makes it sound like you have room with work with. A rectangle, L, or T shape will give you more options for a central "spine" to provide better room placement - and may give you more windows, better cross ventilation, and more livable spaces.
Kathryn Parsons thanked AnnKH
PRO
PPF.
last year
I’m trying to fit everything in a simple footprint, for cost reasons.

Then move the 2 front bedrooms upstairs.

You reduce the foundation/floor structure for the first floor, and the roof area.

Longer term, the option to close off the 2nd floor and only condition the first.
Kathryn Parsons thanked PPF.
just_janni
last year
Stretch this out. I don't see dimensions, but looks to be about 50x50? that's going to give you a HUGE roof with very expensive trusses. 50' is a large span.

You did a nice job of spacing all the rooms around the perimeter to get windows and light, but that's easier to do in a rectangle vs a square and even an L will give you more corners to play with and allow for bedroom separation a bit better.. It will also be less expensive and more attractive when you scale the exterior / show the elevations. And - lastly, you can fairly easily only do a partial second floor.
PRO
Norwood Architects
last year
Biggest concern is the shared bathroom for the two downstairs bedrooms being in a very public area.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
There is a method of laying out a house that groups all the private spaces together and all the semi-private spaces together and all the public spaces together. Here the three bedrooms (private spaces) are spread out to the corners of the plan. So to answer your question the front is bad, the back is bad, and both sides are bad.
Sigrid
last year
What are you planning to put on the second floor? What are all the functions you need in the house? It's certainly more common to have the bedrooms and full baths on the second floor. n fact, if you chopped off the house at the wall on the left of the primary bedroom all the way to the kid BR on the right, moved that upstairs, you'd have plenty of room for all your bedrooms and will have solve the BR off the entry problem.
freedomplace1
last year
last modified: last year
I have only skimmed the comments and have not analyzed your actual floor plan. But if what I am seeing in the comments is accurate: It seems that you have bedrooms both downstairs and upstairs. And the shared bathroom for the two bedrooms on the first floor is in a very public area (?)

I am not an architect.

I don’t know how you came up with this plan. I do not know your overall thinking on this. But I think you need to start from scratch. Back to the drawing board.

My advice to you would be to put all the bedrooms on the second floor. And budget for a residential elevator. Elevators are becoming more standard and less luxury these days.
freedomplace1
last year
Ok... so I think you are building a one story house with plans to add a second story at some point in the future. Money is the reason you’ve stated for this. I don’t know if this method will ultimately save you money. Or if it will even save you money in the short term.

This is beyond my scope.
freedomplace1
last year
last modified: last year
It just doesn't seem to make sense to me in any way, including economically; but I could be wrong.

And these below are just random from quick searches. I’m sure that you have done, and can do, your own research .

https://www.quora.com/If-you-already-own-the-land-is-it-more-costly-to-build-a-one-story-house-or-a-two-story-house-if-the-square-footage-is-equal?top_ans=129467891

https://boutiquehomeplans.com/blogs/the-design-blog/is-it-cheaper-to-build-a-1-story-or-2-story-house#:~:text=Our%20customers%20often%20ask%20us,per%20square%20foot%20on%20average).