To help you visualize things, a couple details...

• I’m a big fan of Swedish homes, so windows will likely be like this and we’ll detail the gables like this
  
• Sunroom will connect to the dining with slider doors like these:
  

  Farmhouse Kitchen · More Info
• Main staircase is configured like this (we still have to decide how far to extend the wall between the dining and library/music--it could extend all the way to the main staircase....all depends on how open or private we want the library to be with the main living area of the house)
  

Thanks for the nice words Katie! You're too kind.

Fun project and owners. From the original we cut out nearly 500SF without giving up anything and greatly simplified the framing (although we only reduced the length slightly LOL). For those interested here's the original http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4331315/is-this-house-too-long-honest-opinions-on-our-elevation-please

Very nice! Is there an exterior/ separate entrance to the sport court / basement area? I know in your previous thread you mentioned hosting sports practices from your home, and that is a feature I would want.

hi there. I quite like your sun room
I prefer closets first as yours currently is, when bathrooms and closets lead to each other
some questions:
would the vast open spaces not enhance the cold you experience
as you frequently have guests do you not need a guest room?
Do the boys share a bathroom with 2 showers?

lllhhi, currently when you walk into the mudroom, you hit the stairs immediately to your left that feed directly down to the sport court (so that kids don't have to traipse through the house). I'm torn on doing an exterior entrance on the back of the sport court--on the one hand it could be handy, but I also have concerns (security, excavating a staircase down to basement level introduces flooding concerns b/c of the slope of our lot, and it would be no use in the winter b/c I would never ask people to trudge through so much snow to access it).

Najeebach, We will have multiple guest rooms in the basement (basements are standard here and finished beautifully) with a kitchenette, etc. so our guests who stay for multiple weeks can sort of have their own living quarters. Re. open spaces and the cold, I live in an open concept home now and never noticed an issue with it--the bigger cozy/happy factor for me in the winter is LIGHT and on that count, I've found an open concept really helps to flood in light from multiple directions.

Yes, our four boys who are close in age will share the bathroom upstairs with the double shower (it will be one big shower that has a hinged partition (kind of like a cattle car!) that can provide a privacy partition when two need to shower at once, or can fold flat against the wall when just one is showering and for ease of cleaning....(or we may do a shower rod with a dividing curtain).

sounds good, regarding the guest areas.
heating too, if you're currently ok with it open plan.
that shower arrangement is not something I'd like, particularly, I thought, for when the kids later move out and visit as adults, but as you do have the basement, that won't be an issue. I'm not a fan of it even for kids, but if it works for you go ahead
also, what is the structure above the garage, indicated on the front and not rear elevation?

Najeebah, are you referring to the cupola on the garage?--that's just a decorative element on many farm homes.

Great job as usual.

Wouldthe master a couple feet bigger.

Depends on what you need it for. We made ours smaller than in our condo as we find we only sleep in the room. We made sure we had room for a dresser and two night tables. If you like to relax in the bedroom, then yes make it larger, but don't make it larger just for the sake of making it larger.

We are most likely scooting the back kitchen door and sunroom about 5’ to the right (because I want a big stretch of counter with a sink on the back kitchen wall—and all windows behind it!)—it will disrupt the lovely symmetry the sunroom currently has with the family room, but I don’t know if that will be so noticeable when standing inside the house, and think I’m willing to sacrifice it to get a big stretch of counter and sink on the back wall of the kitchen. It will also give more room for traffic to clear the island and we can then square up the sunroom wall (currently at a diagonal to give us enough clearance around the island). Thoughts?

I can see this working if it's done right.

I'm toying with swapping the locations of the master bath and closet (so that you hit the bathroom first from the bedroom and the closet will be one big closet on the front of the house with the W/D connected to it….Doug is less keen on that, but I keep thinking I would prefer having one big closet and the toilet closer to the master). The only requirement I have on bathroom layout is that the shower (about 4-5’x6-7’) be on an exterior wall because I love showering with open windows all summer long (we’re out in the country, so privacy is a non-issue!). Would love any ideas on how you would lay out bath & closet within the current footprint (or only bumping walls in/out by a couple feet).

So what you're saying is that when someone is doing their business in the bathroom, (whatever it is) it would mean walking through the bathroom to get your clothes. So if you forget an item, are already dressed, it means walking through your bathroom to get the item you forgot.

The distance that Doug drew your closets is only a few steps; not worth switching the two. Plus it gives a bit of separation from the bedroom so if one of you needs to go into the bathroom in the middle of the night, when the light is turned on, it will be defused by the hallway closets. If the bathroom is first, then the light will blast into the bedroom when it's turned on. (Ask me how I know.)

ok if you'd quite like a single large closet, and a more direct, if not shorter route to the bathroom for the toilet, you could move the left closet to the right, eliminating the walkway between the closets, and have a walkway along the left of the closets directly to the bathroom (left closet being that on the north east side and right that on the south west side) in other words, you can switch the walkway and left closet.

cpartist, after chatting with Doug, we've decided to definitely shift the sunroom to the right (and also rotate it 90degrees so that it is deeper--that will allow for more windows on it and also help define the back kitchen patio as an outdoor room of sorts). So re. your comment ("I can see this working if it's done right"), I would love to get your thoughts on the "right" way to do this so that I don't inadvertently mess something up.

You missed my comments on your bathroom. ;)

As for getting it right, I'm a firm believer in leaving it to the expert you are working with. It sounds like what you're both thinking of will be wonderful. Especially with the extra windows.

PS: Doug won't let you mess it up if you work with him closely. :)

For example, it was because Doug offered me some advice with my master suite that it is now working so well. :)

Roger, cpartist, we'll rely on Doug for quality control on the sunroom!

I am still digesting your bathroom/closet comments ;) The fact that I'm still chewing on them is actually remarkable because my mind has been leaning hard towards changing (it's the layout we have in our current house and you know how easy it is to anchor on what you know and like). If I leave the layout as-is, I lose some wall space, pluswhat I would really miss most is having natural light through the whole closet (I have a window in my current closet that streams in light and LOVE that), particularly because the W/D will actually be part of the closet (the dividing wall you see on the sketch won't be there) and I find natural light hugely helpful for doing laundry.

One more thought. I can't speak for other areas of the country but in my area of SW FL, all the higher end houses I've been in do NOT have the master closet through the bathroom. They either have a setup like Doug designed for you, or they have a separate door for the closet or closets.

If you're looking for light and one closet, how about something like this. (Please don't stone me Doug!) However, with this idea, then you lose looking through to the double vanities and mirrors.

what cpartist depicts is what I was referring to above, yes, I can understand your wanting natural light in the closet, I would too

I like the two closet plan, but this one is a nice layout, too. The left hand wall can have mirrors and a spot for accessories while you try them on. And, this is just personal, Id rather look over from the bed at artwork than the vanity or light spilling from the electric toothbrush as it charges. (Amazing how strong that is, I've gotten up in the night to unplug it.)

Those electric toothbrushes do make a nice night light (if you want one). We are putting a plug in the vanity so it will be stored out of sight. Makes a good place for a hair dryer too.

Our current house is the first one that has closet access from the master bath and we really like it (personal preference) as I have direct access to clothes after showering. I also like the idea of a window in the closet. We are putting two smaller square windows mounted high to get the light but still allow closet shelving below.

If you put something on the shelf, won't unlock the light? I might do flat hanging like hooks for scarves, belts, ties, jewelry, or shallow basket racks for same, or a combo.

I'm coming late to the party, but here are my thoughts:

- This is a lovely house and huge improvement over your original design.

- The sports court, as you say, is a beast and is very thoughtfully integrated. I wouldn't change a thing on that part of the house. I also like the pantry entrance area.

- Two garages ... needed? Why have a double-door on one and two single doors on the other? I think it'd be better for them to match.

- I'm not wild about the pocket study. On paper it looks like an efficient use of space, but what's going to happen when you have two teenaged boys in there together? They're going to back their chairs into one another ... one boy sitting in a chair nearest the kitchen will block others from entering the room. It's just to much for the space.

- Is the idea that the pocket study is for the kids, while the library is for the adults? If so, I think I'd like a door between the master and this room. With frequent guests and sports-kids coming and going, it'd be nice to have a way into this room without coming out into the public arena.

- I'm also in the camp of bedrooms-are-just-for-sleeping-don't-splurge-on-square-footage-in-the-master. This one looks like a comfortable size; however, you could probably bring this one out a single foot on the right side /make the wall flat and come out paying the same amount.

- The drawing looks like you have too much furniture for the space ... I'd consider a built-in window seat to streamline this area.

- I'm completely ambivalent about closets and bathroom locations (and also one closet vs. two), but in this case I like the layout: The closets are providing acoustical privacy ... and they allow the bathroom to be placed on a corner, allowing for lovely light. I would consider replacing the closet doors with pocket doors (to prevent the doors from covering up a portion of your clothing).

- If this is your forever home, I'd reconsider the toilet-in-a-closet. Those are difficult, if not impossible, for elderly people to use ... and with this one placed next to a shower, it'd be impossible to reconfigure this in the future without re-doing the whole bathroom.

- I don't like the double-showers in the boys' bathroom.

removed 500SF without giving up anything and greatly simplified the framing

That's a HUGE money saver ... give him a cookie.

This is an amazing plan. I love the Swedish style also (I leave for norway in 40 days and hoping for more house inspiration there.) Nice job, I can not wait to see this house being built!

Have fun, mnphotog!--One of my favorite things when I was in Sweden was going out for drives and looking at all the yellow, red, and white homes in the countryside!

Fabulous house!! Oh my. Love the elevations....

This is such an improvement over the first effort. Bravo, Doug.

You will want to remember to soundproof between the master bedroom wall and the open family room and the wall between the master bath and hallway.

One item in closet planning that many forget is to make sure you have a landing zone for luggage packing, laundry folding, etc. If you are sharing the closet with your spouse, two landing zones. We put double stacks of dressers in our closet plan, his and hers. It's worked really well.

I understand your desire for light due to your location, it's just the opposite where I live, in the deep South. But, we try to avoid much in the way of lighting in walk in closets due to light fading our clothes. I would much rather have light in the bathroom than in the closet, if you have to make a choice.

lovely!

Love his work.

Three-year-old post and it’s bumped now?

Always nice to see Doug's work.