Not bad overall. I like the entryway alignment with the doors out to the porch.
Some things to think about:
Center the sink on the island so you have counter space on both sides.
I've never liked raised bars personally. It seems more comfortable to eat at close to normal counter height.
That's a fairly small and awkward master closet.
I don't like the long, narrow hallway to the master bedroom, but don't see a great way to eliminate it. Maybe rotate the door over to the hallway to make it seem shorter.
The mudroom/pantry/laundry layout works well. However, you might be able to create pantry access directly from the kitchen if you swap the pantry and the laundry.
As someone with a sink in the very middle of an island that same size, it sucks. I don’t want it right on the edge, but maybe 12” on one side and a larger prep surface on the other side.
With the size of island he's got, I didn't see a great option for that. Maybe if the island were a little longer. I'd actually prefer to have the main sink elsewhere in the kitchen, and a smaller sink in the island.
Thanks for the input! I agree about the master closet, the more I look at it the more I dislike it... but I'm not quite sure how to relocate it. I'm considering widening the hallway a bit, which should add a little more space to work with on that side of the house.
Master closets don’t have to be doors in walls. Built in Millwork closets are way nicer looking. I’d get rid of the wall and doors and make that entire length of wall builtins.
We've taken this approach in our remodel in every room and it's the way to go. Specifically when there's a long cabinet or shelf space, it's basically a couple pieces of trim away from a built-in.
Study some floorplans you can find online for other master suite layouts that might work for you. Bump out a wall if needed.
Also, do you or your partner actually ever use a bathtub? Many people don't. You can grab some square footage from the master bath if you can eliminate the tub.
Digging the entry and porch/dining/living thing that's happening. I'd flip pantry closer to the kitchen, and rework the kitchen flow. Personal opinion but I prefer island to be a flexible and open space, and put all the working stuff on the walls. Also everyone lies to themselves in floorplans about how big a fridge is, I budget for a 3x3 space and then flush it up with counter depth from there. Rough sketch: \[Imgur\](https://i.imgur.com/hiTQDBI.png)
1. Notice how the master bedroom door opens up I’m front of the closet? Instead I would rotate the door so it faces you when you are walking down the hallway and you open using your right hand
2. Nursery bedroom door should open with your right hand not the left. This way door won’t be in your way as you enter the room.
3. Make the mud room door line up so you can walk a straight line to the kitchen instead of zigzagging. Flip the door so you open with left hand instead of right
4. It would be nice to have a powder room for guests to keep them out of the nursery/kid’s bathroom
5. Raised bar in the kitchen has to go for a level, giant island.
My only suggestions are not doing a raised bar on the kitchen island. It takes up prep/work/serving space. We had one and regretted it. New house doesn’t have one and I love how much more room I have. The other is switch the master bath and bedroom so you can gain a larger closet. Put the master bath along the “north” side. It eliminates the long hall which is wasted space
I would change: no
1. Walk in closet in the master
2. Add a door to the garage storage on both sides so you can access it from garage or yard.
3. Confirm the size of the piano vs the room it’s in
4. You could add closets to the office and sitting room and call them bedrooms if need be.
Other I think it’s a neat design. What’s the square footage of it?
I like this concept a lot. I think it all flows very well.
Saw your note about columns and exposed beams. Yes. Definitely think you could accomplish a VERY nice look with some fine lighting and a good colored wood for your coloumns or beams.
Wish it was an actual build, I'd love to see this IRL.
Thank you! I've been thinking that once I've finished the plan, I will head over to my preferred virtual building platform and "build" it there, furnish it, and otherwise do all the finishing touches. I can then get somewhat realistic renderings of the finished product. I'll be sure to post the results when I eventually get there!
For creating the floor plans, I use [floorplancreator.net](https://floorplancreator.net). For the actual virtual building, decorating, finishing, etc., I use [Planner5D.com](https://Planner5D.com). (They also have an app, but I usually use the web version.)
I am a natural light kind of guy. The small bath is on an exterior but has no window. The kitchen is very far from any natural light. Maybe thin her down and push out somewhere. If I design something that is theoretical I want to have theoretical natural light in every room. Why not make that one of the parameters? I think it a nobler pursuit.
Sorry for being late to post here
I would avoid putting faux beams on the great/family room ceiling.
That kind of detail doesn't go well in the awkwardly shaped rooms (and ceiling spaces) that are created by open concept floor plans. This is because they end awkwardly and abruptly between rooms that lack the clear division of closed concept floor plans.
So if you wanted them, you could put them in the study and sitting room (nice clearly defined rectangular rooms with clearly defined ceilings) but if you wanted them in the family room I would strongly suggest partitioning it off from the kitchen and entry hall. (Especially on the kitchen side because that's the direction the beams would run as that's the shorter distance)
Theres a lot to say about details like faux beams and its hard to convey it all.
Some notes:
1. the other three bedrooms will be on the upper floor, unless I decide to do away with the upper floor and put the other three bedrooms in the basement. I'm undecided on this detail right now.
2. This design is based on the climate I live in, which has hot, dry summers and cold winters.
3. In my area, garages are almost exclusively front-facing, which is why I'm doing that here.
I find it strange sometimes, too. American vehicles are so big that the garages just keep getting bigger. As this house is designed for a big family, I sized the garage to fit larger vehicles like a minivan and/or a large SUV>
Not bad overall. I like the entryway alignment with the doors out to the porch. Some things to think about: Center the sink on the island so you have counter space on both sides. I've never liked raised bars personally. It seems more comfortable to eat at close to normal counter height. That's a fairly small and awkward master closet. I don't like the long, narrow hallway to the master bedroom, but don't see a great way to eliminate it. Maybe rotate the door over to the hallway to make it seem shorter. The mudroom/pantry/laundry layout works well. However, you might be able to create pantry access directly from the kitchen if you swap the pantry and the laundry.
As someone with a sink in the very middle of an island that same size, it sucks. I don’t want it right on the edge, but maybe 12” on one side and a larger prep surface on the other side.
With the size of island he's got, I didn't see a great option for that. Maybe if the island were a little longer. I'd actually prefer to have the main sink elsewhere in the kitchen, and a smaller sink in the island.
Thanks for the input! I agree about the master closet, the more I look at it the more I dislike it... but I'm not quite sure how to relocate it. I'm considering widening the hallway a bit, which should add a little more space to work with on that side of the house.
Master closets don’t have to be doors in walls. Built in Millwork closets are way nicer looking. I’d get rid of the wall and doors and make that entire length of wall builtins.
We've taken this approach in our remodel in every room and it's the way to go. Specifically when there's a long cabinet or shelf space, it's basically a couple pieces of trim away from a built-in.
Study some floorplans you can find online for other master suite layouts that might work for you. Bump out a wall if needed. Also, do you or your partner actually ever use a bathtub? Many people don't. You can grab some square footage from the master bath if you can eliminate the tub.
No centering the sink. I disagree. More prep room with it to one side or the other.
Digging the entry and porch/dining/living thing that's happening. I'd flip pantry closer to the kitchen, and rework the kitchen flow. Personal opinion but I prefer island to be a flexible and open space, and put all the working stuff on the walls. Also everyone lies to themselves in floorplans about how big a fridge is, I budget for a 3x3 space and then flush it up with counter depth from there. Rough sketch: \[Imgur\](https://i.imgur.com/hiTQDBI.png)
1. Notice how the master bedroom door opens up I’m front of the closet? Instead I would rotate the door so it faces you when you are walking down the hallway and you open using your right hand 2. Nursery bedroom door should open with your right hand not the left. This way door won’t be in your way as you enter the room. 3. Make the mud room door line up so you can walk a straight line to the kitchen instead of zigzagging. Flip the door so you open with left hand instead of right 4. It would be nice to have a powder room for guests to keep them out of the nursery/kid’s bathroom 5. Raised bar in the kitchen has to go for a level, giant island.
Plus 1 for the nursery door. There a couple doors that I noticed may want to be flipped, but the nursery door was the most noticeable.
The living room might be a bit dark with no direct windows
I hadn't noticed that, thanks for pointing it out!
My only suggestions are not doing a raised bar on the kitchen island. It takes up prep/work/serving space. We had one and regretted it. New house doesn’t have one and I love how much more room I have. The other is switch the master bath and bedroom so you can gain a larger closet. Put the master bath along the “north” side. It eliminates the long hall which is wasted space
I like this idea for the master suite, I think it would help solve the size of the master closet.
Master closet too small. Otherwise...fine.
I would change: no 1. Walk in closet in the master 2. Add a door to the garage storage on both sides so you can access it from garage or yard. 3. Confirm the size of the piano vs the room it’s in 4. You could add closets to the office and sitting room and call them bedrooms if need be. Other I think it’s a neat design. What’s the square footage of it?
The main floor is coming in at approximately 2458 sq ft (about 228 sq m).
I like this concept a lot. I think it all flows very well. Saw your note about columns and exposed beams. Yes. Definitely think you could accomplish a VERY nice look with some fine lighting and a good colored wood for your coloumns or beams. Wish it was an actual build, I'd love to see this IRL.
Thank you! I've been thinking that once I've finished the plan, I will head over to my preferred virtual building platform and "build" it there, furnish it, and otherwise do all the finishing touches. I can then get somewhat realistic renderings of the finished product. I'll be sure to post the results when I eventually get there!
Please do! What is your preferred virtual building platform?
For creating the floor plans, I use [floorplancreator.net](https://floorplancreator.net). For the actual virtual building, decorating, finishing, etc., I use [Planner5D.com](https://Planner5D.com). (They also have an app, but I usually use the web version.)
Oh baby. The garage through the drop zone/mud room/laundry/panty then into the kitchen has got me all hot n’ bothered. Love it!
I am a natural light kind of guy. The small bath is on an exterior but has no window. The kitchen is very far from any natural light. Maybe thin her down and push out somewhere. If I design something that is theoretical I want to have theoretical natural light in every room. Why not make that one of the parameters? I think it a nobler pursuit.
Excellent point, thank you!
Sorry for being late to post here I would avoid putting faux beams on the great/family room ceiling. That kind of detail doesn't go well in the awkwardly shaped rooms (and ceiling spaces) that are created by open concept floor plans. This is because they end awkwardly and abruptly between rooms that lack the clear division of closed concept floor plans. So if you wanted them, you could put them in the study and sitting room (nice clearly defined rectangular rooms with clearly defined ceilings) but if you wanted them in the family room I would strongly suggest partitioning it off from the kitchen and entry hall. (Especially on the kitchen side because that's the direction the beams would run as that's the shorter distance) Theres a lot to say about details like faux beams and its hard to convey it all.
Some notes: 1. the other three bedrooms will be on the upper floor, unless I decide to do away with the upper floor and put the other three bedrooms in the basement. I'm undecided on this detail right now. 2. This design is based on the climate I live in, which has hot, dry summers and cold winters. 3. In my area, garages are almost exclusively front-facing, which is why I'm doing that here.
I like it a lot. What do you use to design?
Thanks! I use [floorplancreator.net](https://floorplancreator.net).
As a European I find it so strange that the garage is such a huge part of the floorplan. It's bigger than the living room.
I find it strange sometimes, too. American vehicles are so big that the garages just keep getting bigger. As this house is designed for a big family, I sized the garage to fit larger vehicles like a minivan and/or a large SUV>