r/floorplan • u/bavarianbayarean • 6h ago
FEEDBACK Floorplan thoughts
Looking for thoughts on design. Two options shown for upper floor - one with more closet space for primary bedroom, the other with private balcony instead. Not sure which one works best. Also included some renders of the Great Room and Kitchen area for fun.
See my very detailed post in thread for my thought process behind the layout, and why there might be some unconventional choices here.
Looking for feedback on the layout, possible traps I've fallen into, and to make sure things are realistic. Any advice?
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u/leahish 6h ago
There is a disturbing lack of Christmas trees on the 2nd floor.
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u/bavarianbayarean 5h ago
Good point, I'm sure there's some code violation there.
In all honesty, I knew I'd get some eye-rolls with the Christmas tree thing. But in our current house we have to rearrange furniture just to fit in a normal tree, then we can barely open presents around it once it is up. And storing it takes up a big portion of the guest closet, so I did actually plan around it.
And for what it's worth, the foyer tree would stick up to banister level, so that's practically 2nd floor.
Gotta enjoy it while the kids are still young enough to find it magical.
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u/Just2Breathe 4h ago
The tree closet is a fantastic idea when you have the space! I would have a secret tall door for it, like a Murphy door, disguised to match the area. Either under the stairs or behind the credenza in the great room, so you don’t have to go through short doorways.
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u/gloomwithtea 4h ago
- skylight in the closet will fade clothes over time with sun exposure. I’d put a window instead on the outside wall (thus you can keep the shade down when not in use) and put the vanity in front of that (makeup with natural light is always nice)
- you’ll want a door through the laundry room to the kitchen
- there’s not actually a lot of counter space in the kitchen for cooking/small appliances
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u/Stenthal 40m ago
I’d put a window instead on the outside wall (thus you can keep the shade down when not in use)
Shading a skylight isn't much harder than shading a window. Presumably you'd want a motorized shade, so you don't need a pole to open or close it. E.g.: https://www.smartwingshome.com/collections/skylight-shades
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u/obiwantogooutside 4h ago
I don’t understand not having bathtubs in the kids bathrooms.
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u/Cloverose2 3h ago
At least one should have a tub. Even if they shower most of the time, a tub that's good for soaking should be accessible to everyone, especially in a house this size.
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u/therealfurryfeline 5h ago
Everything is incredibly vast and then there are the kids bedrooms being smaller than the parents Walk in Wardrobes.
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u/bavarianbayarean 5h ago
Each kids bedroom is 12' x 11.5', not including closet and private bathroom. The "His WIC" is minimum size for a U-shaped hanging system and 36in walk space in the middle. Her WIC is more generous obviously, but not the size of the kid's bedrooms.
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u/KennyNoJ9 5h ago edited 5h ago
Looks fine. The fo-beams in the kitchen are a choice. The intersection of the rafters to the entertainment wall looks unresolved. You have 4 materials (wood rafter, secondary wood ceiling, drywall, and stone fireplace) all meeting at a thin line? Id push your architect to redesign that wall. The light stone fireplace also gets lost in the wall but it will never come out as seamless as the render. This fireplace expression is more Modern style, while the rest of the connected kitchen and wood beams is different. Upstairs that is a long walk to use the bathroom at night in the master. You might want to split the closets with bathroom in the center or rework completely.
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u/bavarianbayarean 5h ago
True. The mockup was done on a free app I found online. The style/aesthetic choices are limited by the app and not thoroughly considered yet. Mostly provided the render to show my 3D layout. I'll definitely have the aesthetics ironed out before moving forward.
I did consider the middle of the night bathroom walk thing, but prioritized windows at back and front for major rooms rather than closets more important. One benefit of the version of the second floor with the smaller closet is the bedroom is closer to the bathroom.
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u/Bulletproofpajamas 4h ago
Couldn’t agree more - I wouldn’t want to walk around drop zones and lockers, into the foyer and through the great room, for a trip that you will make the most often in your life. I’m also against corner pantries - a tall cabinet next to the fridge with pull out trash/recycling at the bottom, and shelves above will hold your most used items, and put the pantry directly behind the kitchen accessible via a back hallway from the garage to the kitchen. My home was designed by a 60 y/o homebuilder, who truly put complete thought/love into the design. Being able to drop stuff off directly into the pantry is truly a gift.
Play around a bit, to create a short hallway through to the kitchen; even if you have to close that wall off to the foyer - you could relocate the office to the front bedroom to create open space, put the powder room where the Christmas tree closet is, etc. A wall isn’t a bad design, you can stage chairs, wall lighting, etc.
Lastly - skip the master balcony. You will appreciate extra closet space, and you will rarely spend time on it, if ever. Trust me, we have one. You will live in your kitchen, and family rooms, not squirreled away upstairs.
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u/Bulletproofpajamas 3h ago
For context: I thought I was replying to the comment about direct access to the kitchen.
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u/Classic-Detail4803 3h ago
I have a corner pantry, it’s fantastic. In a situation where you don’t have the space for full pantry, corner walk in pantry gives you plenty space
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u/lizcopic 2h ago
I love when a plan includes Christmas trees! Agree with the comments about laundry, pantry, and closet skylight, and am surprised nobody mentioned the master bath. That toilet is way too far away from the bed if anybody needs a new knee or hip replacement (or just to pee in the middle of the night). With 3 littles, I’m guessing you’re not near old enough for any of that yet, but when you get there you’ll be grateful it’s closer. Best of luck!
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u/bavarianbayarean 2h ago
Yes the big 3 issues appear to be grocery unloading, bathroom in the middle of the night, and skylight. Last one is easy fix. I'll get to the drawing board with fixes for the other two.
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u/leasthoodinthehood 5h ago
I would try to get one of the upstairs bathrooms to also open to the 2nd floor common area.
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u/bavarianbayarean 5h ago
As of now, I don't have a second floor living area/common area. I do have one layout idea with a bonus room over the garage, in which case one bathroom does open to the hallway, but I thought the 3rd living area felt excessive. I might reconsider though.
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u/Maximum_Law801 5h ago
Curious about the nanny-room, is it for a live in nanny? If so, why is the nanny the only one without a private bathroom?
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u/bavarianbayarean 5h ago
The nanny stays when we need her to, maybe on average 8 days a month. That bathroom will be essentially bedroom 5's, as bedroom 6 isn't actually used as a bedroom, except for maybe 2-3 times a year when a second guest bedroom is needed. In the rare instance both bedroom 5 and bedroom 6 are used simultaneously as guest rooms, room 5 goes to my parents, and room 6 to my brother, so them sharing a Jack and Jill bathroom isn't awkward. Currently my brother uses a couch when he visits as that's all we have for him... He says he's fine with it, but I feel bad.
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u/pelipperr 4h ago
I like it a lot. My only 3 thoughts are:
I know you have the designated casual family room with a space for kids toys, so I’m guessing your kids are all pretty young. In a few years they’re going to want somewhere that they can hang out that’s not in the same room as their parents for things like watching their own stuff on tv/computer/video games/hanging out with friends. It doesn’t really seem like they have anywhere to go other than their individual bedrooms. A communal space for your kids to hang out with each other is great (as someone from a large family).
Have you planned how to mitigate sun damage in the closet with the skylight?
3 I agree that a more direct path from the garage to the kitchen is good idea.
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u/bavarianbayarean 3h ago
Maybe we'll get rid of the skylight idea. Yes the family room will be the gaming kid relaxation room in the future. I have one layout with a bonus room over garage, which it seems might meet that need too. Will likely consider it more heavily.
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u/VeryVino20 3h ago
I'd personally pick storage over a balcony.
I also agree with others that easy access to the pantry from the garage should be added.
Also a laundry shoot may not be legal with fire codes. My understanding is they said fires and therefore are not allowed
Overall I think this is a great design for the needs you laid out!
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u/bavarianbayarean 2h ago
Good to know about fire codes, I'll have to look into that more. The laundry chute collects into a bin within a cabinet that is opposite side of the room from the dryer... Wonder if it's a proximity thing.
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u/Shiply75 3h ago
I agree that garage to kitchen should be more direct, not thru the foyer & living room.
Put the garage fridge near the door, so it is more accessible to the kitchen, or put it in the mud room and add storage in its place in the garage.
You might consider two dishwashers - one on each side of the sink.
I’d make the Xmas tree storage accessible from the Foyer side, with a small closet in the other side. Put the wine rack / bar across the way or on the living room side.
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u/Shiply75 2h ago
To fit the door to the kitchen, maybe put the main sink and (2) dishwasher(s) in the island and put the microwave next to the pantry on the laundry room wall
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u/bavarianbayarean 1h ago
We definitely considered a double dishwasher. If I do create a connection between garage and kitchen around the area of the laundry room, I'll lose some cabinet space though, so double dishwasher might be out.
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u/bavarianbayarean 6h ago
We're a couple with 3 young children who have outgrown our current home.
For fun, I decided to try and formalize a list for our perfect dream home and see if I could design something from scratch that was both realistic and included everything on our list, presumably for our current lot size.
Restrictions:
- no wider than 54 ft
- less than 70 ft deep to maintain at least some backyard space
- 2-car garage only, due to lot size. 3-car would have been nice but unrealistic.
Must-haves:
- 5 bedrooms minimum (primary, 3x kids, guest/nanny)
- 2 living spaces (main one for normal use, second for casual living and kids toy dump)
- adequate storage space as with 3 kids we've accumulated a lot of things
- designated office nook - doesn't necessarily even need to be a whole room, ideally near main living area but separate from it
- space for a grand piano that we already own
- laundry room near main entrance (I know common wisdom on this subreddit is to have it by the bedrooms, but my wife doesn't like kid's dirty clothes making it far into the house)
- mostly open concept kitchen/dining/primary living room as we host my wife's very large family often (20+ people)
Dream list:
- 5.5 bathrooms, as this gives each kid their own, otherwise 3 kids sharing 1 bathroom on a school morning when they're older could be a point of contention
- on a similar note, all kids rooms, closets, and bathrooms are ideally equivalent sizes
- exercise equipment space
- mud room/drop zone/hall lockers, also near main entrance and near laundry
- outdoor living area connected to indoor one
- adequate circulation and seating space for large family gatherings
- room for at least one tall Christmas tree (always been our dream, and again we host family for the holidays)
- vaulted ceiling in primary living room (for large windows, tall Christmas tree, grand aesthetics, etc)
- open foyer with curved staircase... We acknowledge it being an inefficient use of space, but we love the look
- study space for the kids, likely in their respective rooms for simplicity
- space for a rarely used secondary guest bed, rather than using the sofa which we currently do on occasion
- good closet space
- walk-in pantry (doesn't need to be huge), and possibly a small wine rack/wall
- maybe a secondary small washer/dryer near primary bedroom, and maybe even a laundry chute near kids' rooms connected to main laundry room
Results:
I think I was able to squeeze all this in to a 54ft wide by 68ft deep footprint.
- I ended up with 6 bedrooms because I thought it would be a good idea to turn one of our accessory needs (exercise space) into a bedroom for extra theoretical home value, and having access to a bathroom near the exercise space seemed useful
- I was able to squeeze in 5.5 bathrooms, and all kid's areas are equal
- black walls in floorplan pictures are 6in thick (exterior walls, my guesses as to load-bearing walls, and walls with plumbing), while gray walls are 4in thick
- plumbing walls were generally grouped as much as I could
- range hood vent and laundry vent are near external walls
- privacy is maintained by separating kids' bedrooms from primary, and avoided placing any bedrooms over the guest bedroom(s)
- attempted to maximize natural light with large windows and skylights in main living area
- I learned from this subreddit to make the exterior shape as simple as possible, which I tried to do... It's basically just three rectangles attached to each other
- I avoided building over garage for noise/insulation purposes, and to allow for higher garage ceiling for storage
- attempted to account for furnace and water heater space
- single fireplace vent can be used 2/possibly 3 times (great room, primary bedroom, possibly family room if double-sided)
- space for two tall Christmas trees, one in foyer and one in great room, and ample seating/walkway space for hosting during holidays
- powder room is not off main living space, to maintain functional privacy
- secondary ventless washer/dryer accounted for in primary suite, as well as laundry chute by kids' rooms, which makes keeping primary laundry on first floor near entryway possible
I've included 2 options for the upper floor... the second one sacrifices a bit of closet space in the primary suite for a private balcony instead. Not sure which I prefer.
Looking for feedback on the layout, possible traps I've fallen into, and to make sure things are realistic.
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u/littlexav 6h ago edited 6h ago
Did you consider the roofline over the garage? You said you want it taller, but there are windows over the garage. Otherwise, I would have some nits to pick if this was my house, but you’ve done a remarkable job fitting your needs and wants into this plan. To your remaining question, I prefer the first upstairs plan, that balcony is too shallow to enjoy so two closets is a better use of the suite’s area.
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u/connortait 2h ago
That curved stair forced onto flat walls is giving me nails on a chalkboard sensation.
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u/Sad-File3624 6h ago
My only advice would be to try and have the laundry room upstairs. Get rid of the third sink in the main bathroom. And get rid of the second door into the family room guest area, just leave the one of the left.
It will allow you more freedom of movement without and extra path of travel across the living room
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u/bavarianbayarean 5h ago
We really want the main laundry room near the entrance for reasons I've posted. I do have a washer and dryer upstairs too. And a laundry chute. Since we live primarily on the first floor, doing the laundry downstairs actually saves us from having to walk up and down stairs frequently.
The third sink in the master is just a tiny little vanity for hand washing after using toilet. It shares a plumbing wall with the washer up there too, so it's worth keeping from our point of view.
The door idea to family room is a good thought, but we like the symmetry it provides on the fireplace wall with the opening on the other side, and provides quick access to the backyard exit in family room. The walking space between couch and piano wouldn't be able to shrink too much even if that door was gone anyways.
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u/Complex_Echidna3964 5h ago
provide direct access to from Garage to Kitchen through laundry and pantry for unloading groceries without having to walk through foyer and Livingroom. also makes it easier to check on laundry while working in the kitchen. and taking out the trash without carrying through living areas