Can you share the actual plan? Where is the home and what is the site like? Who wolllive in it? Just two people?

The link to my plan is https://planner5d.onelink.me/stDT/j69g6tk2. I didn't include the designer's first draft - is that what you wanted? I will be submitting my desired changes to them soon. It is located in TX panhandle on almost 2 acres, rectangular lot, level but slightly sloped toward the back. House faces east with nice view out back. East and west length 193', north and south 377'. 2 retired people and I am concerned about resale in about 15 years.

Yes designers draft, not what you made. :)

Prior post: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6509766/screen-porch-with-new-custom-built-home

Here ya go ..

The plan from the designer is more streamlined than yours but still has tons of not needed jigs and jogs. In your previous thread you received lots of advice about how the screened porch and covered porch will impact light etc.

I agree and I flipped the whole house because of the great advice. I had requested the screen porch be 3 sided and stand alone so we could get the southern breezes and light. I had requested the master be beneath it. I didn't get exactly what I requested, likely due to an honest effort to conserve square footage by the designer. I am trying to convey my wishes again by making the layout I did. I also want direct access to master bath from the bedroom, not via a hallway.

Is it possible to give advice on the layout I did or do the experts here only work off an official designer's layout?

Thank you.

Building a house takes patience and time. Pretty sure we went through 15 iterations of our house and even then made changes once framed. First draft is never best one. We just made numbers on Tue plan in spots we had concerns and itemized the concern. Sometimes we knew the solution and others we left to them to try and resolve.

House faces east? Have you thought what that will do for any afternoon entertaining you do during the warm months? Even with a large covered patio it won't be great.

We lucked out that the lot we found allowed the back of the house to face east, so even in the hot FL summer we can still entertain out back, in our covered patio and pool, without getting baked and blinded by the sun!

Our previous house in CA had the back face west and it was unbearable to entertain in our patio during late afternoon and sun-set. My outdoor kitchen also faced west, so I got double baked if I needed to cook food on the grill at that time! Also all the rear facing blinds needed to be closed at that time, so you didn't get to enjoy any views to the backyard.

With 2 acres you can definitely design something where your entertaining space doesn't face west.

With 2 acres you could also have a detached or semi-attached garage, so it doesn't cut out the light and air from that side of the house.

Thanks Diana - that is great advice, but I'm stuck with the albatross shop/garage. :(

Chispa - I'm jealous but am stuck with this paid for lot. I could install misters all across the back, or to avoid getting cooked with the burgers, move the grill to my front porch! :)

Oh, and WestCoast Hopeful - Wow! I hope we don't have to go 15 rounds. I'm gonna need some Prozac! :)

It is absolutely worth it to go as many rounds as are needed to get the home you want. We had a lot of site restrictions you don’t seem to have because of the size of your lot so you can definitely do better

One member here went through several rounds, then bought a different lot (refresh my memory, were they already in permitting?) and a few rounds later, have a house that they love. It’s been a few years, I wish cpartist would return and let us know how it continues to live. But still, be prepared. My parents designed their house with an architect and there are soooo many iterations of the plans.

Prozac for sure. Start taking it now.

I don't know if I addressed this in another iteration, but the route from car to kitchen could be more direct.

I mentioned how many iterations my parents’ house went through and for me, I ‘d gone through a few more, One end of the hiuse was pretty convoluted. The plan shown at the top is convoluted. Nothing flows nicely, it isn’t organized.

Why does the bedroom in the bottom left not have an ensuite?

It looks like you could get a wheelchair around, but it’s a long way from anywhere to the bathroom, and the toilet room is not wheelchair-user usable, especially if the user requires assistance. And if you are elderly and infirm enough to need a wheelchair, you likely need assitance.

Why not move the door from bathroom to closet to be in line with the laundry room door? Then more of the closet is usable for clothing.

Bpath - thank you. The plan at the top is definitely convoluted, mainly on the left side. I gave up on trying to arrange it.

...The door into master closet could easily be moved in line with the door into utility. I thought the best path through it was in the middle, but since you can't exit in the middle, might as well make the path across the top.

...The master toilet closet side entrance does seem more difficult to get in/out with a wheelchair than an entrance on the end. When we get to the point of needing assistance to transfer, it's time to move to assisted living.

...The guest bathroom on the bottom left is the primary bathroom for visitors. The guest bedroom would be used rarely for guests and primarily as my hobby room/office.

I look forward to the designer's next iteration and a fix for the messy master bath and closet along with path to utility room. I just thought I would post here for ideas before I sent back to her.

Kendrah - thank you. The current path is convenient for the most part. The pantry is 3 steps inside the back door and where most groceries/supplies are offloaded. The kitchen is a few steps more and refrigerator on far end so it may work best to move it on the side by the pantry.

Looks like there are lots of corners / jogs in the outline of the home. It will be interesting to see the roof plan. Has the designer provided elevations?

Have you considered using an actual architect? That designer doesn’t really have good sense of flow, circulation, proportion, or expense control

chicagoans - They have not provided elevations. Maybe because it's the first iteration?

Monique - Not yet.

You design a house from the inside and outside at the same time. You don't devise a floor plan and then figure out what it's going to look like outside. I don't pretend to know how it's done, but that's the job of the architect.

What does "I'm stuck with the albatross of the shop/garage" have to do with how they are connected to the house? They both could be connected by a glassed/windowed breezeway, placed on an angle, or some other configuration. They don't have to be butted up against the house. Here are some ideas:

Thank you so much, Diana. You are always so helpful and nice. I can definitely see the light and breezes would not be restricted with this type of layout.

A few things that affect decisions ... We wanted a side entrance garage for curb appeal and property value, and I like the convenience of a few steps to the pantry with supplies/groceries. The 2nd garage is my husband's lifelong dream of a shop and he wants easy access to the patio, house and quick walk from the vehicle garage, especially the older we get. The shop also houses hot water heater, water well tank and softener tank but not sure those have to be close to the house. He wants the shop garage behind a fence for privacy since door will be open a lot. We were going to run a fence between the two garages out to the side fence.

I will definitely ask the designer about this to see if they can find a solution or compromise. I'm sure my husband will be open to ideas that improve the overall plan. You have such great ideas and it would be wonderful to implement them! :)

Thank you for your kind words, Mary. I try very hard to offer the best advice I can in the best way possible. Thank you also for considering another way--many posters here on Houzz don't even want to consider the free advice they receive.

If your lot was 1/2 acre, you probably wouldn't be able to use a breezeway but you have the opportunity to create something very special on 2 acres. We have a similar situation and only 1 acre.

I would strongly suggest enlisting the help of a good architect.

Thank you so much!!

Haha! Love it! Thanks, Mark.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC -your home is so pretty. I'd LOVE to see the rest of the front elevation!

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC - Do not post pictures of the rest of the house; just post the address and the date & time of the housewarming party and we will see it then.

" They have not provided elevations. Maybe because it's the first iteration? "

Designers design a house one piece at at a time, a house is not a game of Tetris. I suspect when the elevations get drawn later you wil not like them nor the expense with the floor plan all chopped up with the jogs. Design the entire house together in concert with each other, NOT This way, you will end up setting or way over budget.

Thank you, millworkman!

One thing to avoid in designing a house is faces.

Once you see them you can't unsee them.

Haha .. you are too funny! You should see it now .. more faces and furniture! I even cleaned up the edges. https://planner5d.onelink.me/stDT/21qhjngy. Gives me something to do while waiting on the next iteration. :)

Are you sticking with the house designer you are currently working with? I would think if "they strive to maintain the highest level of professionalism" they would do what it takes to become licensed??

Good morning, Mark. I appreciate your concern but feel like I need to give it more time since this is the first iteration. They are highly recommended, and my builder has worked with them for many years. I am going to be clearer with my expectations and utilize the knowledge I have gained from experts like yourself.

Dealing with a drafter, when you need a designer, is a big recipe for wasted time and money both. Drafters are favorites of builders, because they just "take dictation". They do what they are told. They don't bring education and creativity to the job at hand. They bring the mastery of the technology.

Thank you, Minardi. You guys never cease to amaze me with your insights, experience and knowledge! Especially when dealing with untrained commoners like me! :) I spent some time researching what you said and understand better the difference in home designers with design certification or great drafting skills.

We are sure what we want in our home including general room placement and flow, unless it isn't structurally possible, or will be a big deterrent for resale. I don't think we can justify hiring an architect, but I believe we should hire a designer to look over the initial plans, or even an architect to look over as well. Do you think these services can be successful using online help? We live out of state from our new home build but do visit.

"I don't think we can justify hiring an architect"

Why??

If you look at a hanging clothes layout in some of the closets, it looks like you can justify hiring a local architect. Less that two foot wide isle-ways and clothes hanging in front of a door.

What state do you live in and what state are you building in?

OK - building in TX

As bad as that design is, you cannot justify continuing with the current doofus. It is a sunk cost fallacy to do so. https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/the-sunk-cost-fallacy

Very good article. Thanks - I needed it!

Although I appreciate how some on this website constantly ask for an actual Architect's license, because it promotes the profession and reinforces the importance of the service, it really is not the be all end all for something in this wheelhouse. There are many licensed Architects who aren't competent in the design aspect of the service. There are also many interior designers, HVAC techs, and probably some cooks who comment on this website who also aren't very competent at every single aspect in their widely-encompassing craft.

But what is important is you have a person who has some talent, who understands your needs and can translate your communication, and can help you understand that communication in the medium they present to you. After decades in this profession working with many types of people, many types of projects, and even reading competent comments from non-pros on this website, my world view has softened as to who can provide you service that meets the needs of your project.

So since this is the first iteration, if you are patient to at least see some of it through, you can reevaluate the direction it's headed if it does not feel right. Especially because you have a project that is already conceived through a builder and that setup has some limitations.

Keep in mind you have some very specific desires and preconceptualized ideas, and are trying to get someone who may not live those (e.g. the "shop" portion) to make it match what's in your head, but no one knows if what's in your head may be a perfect idealization or a disaster once it hits the drawing board. It is a process for anyone else to arrive at something that works well for you.

Thank you, 3onthetree! Very well put and much appreciated!

Designing for wheelchair access would be vastly improved with a skilled architect with similar experience.

More than just 34-36" openings...

Account for offset space needed to open doors (recommend 14-18" added to latch side), 60" radius where needed, space in front of major appliances. When a 36x36 freestanding refrigerator doors need to be opened, a washer or dryer sitting 36-38" away from the back wall needs the door opened. No micro/hood combos.

Great advice, Jeffrey - thank you! We wanted to keep from having an ADA home and thinking wheelchairs may only be used a short time, so a few twists and turns are OK. However, we need to be more aware of items like you mentioned. I agree a skilled architect would be more helpful.

We've already invested in a home designer and now waiting for the 2nd iteration. I submitted requests for changes, many as a result of expert advice I received here. I'd like to see what they come up with and gather feedback before making a switch.

I have looked at this plan more than once and honestly it is a game of tetris you have rooms accessed through other rooms or so it seems . We have no idea of your needs in a home . You do not take a drfters plan to an architect for them to check it . You NEED an architect that is a fact .A well designed home is a must and you ay now or later when it is not well designed . Not sure what you mean by a wheelchair only needed for a short time . You either design for ADA or not there is no medium .