(revised)
Alternative layout
East Side of Home | Dimensions? | Sq. Ft. | Notes |
| Primary Bed 1 AIP (age-in-place) | 16×20 | 320 | |
| Possible morning bar in entrance to Primary Bed | 5×6 | 30 | |
| Primary Bath 1 AIP | 12×16 | 192 | |
| Primary Closet 1 AIP | 14×16 | 224 | |
| Primary Laundry AIP | 10×12 | 120 | |
| Garage Entry Hall | 6x? | no lockers. Console table, bench, wall hooks | |
| Coat/Storage Closet | 8×10 | 80 | |
| Bath inside near garage, shower, 1 sink, hall access | 6×10 | 60 | AIP? |
Center of Home | |||
| Kitchen | 16×22 | 352 | Range hood focal point, 10’+ island, 48” sink on south wall, fridge/beverage counter on north wall |
| Back Kitchen | 8×22 | 176 | enter from garage hall and two points into kitchen |
| Informal dining between Kitchen & Great room | 14×22 | 308 | 60″ round/oval table |
| Great Room | 22×24 | 528 | seat 10 |
| Game Room | 16×20 | 320 | no west sun glare on TV |
| Dining Room | 14×18 | 252 | 48” x 96” table, hutch, buffet |
| Office, his | 16×20 | 320 | bookshelves on two sides, L-shaped desk, 2-chair seating area, small conference table |
| Office, closet | 6×10 | 60 | Hidden room, gun safe. |
| Office, hers | 14×16 | 224 | 3 sides of desk and/or bookshelves. Center 4’x6-8’ work table |
| Office closet | 5×7 | 35 | |
| Foyer | 6×14? | 84 | |
| Coat storage in foyer | 8×2 | 16 | 3 sides of desk and/or bookshelves. Center 4’x6-8’ work table |
| Elevator Shaft | 64 | ||
| Stairway | 100 | 90 or 180 degree turn. open stairs? | |
| Powder Bath | 4×6 | 24 | |
West of Home | |||
| Bed 3, (In-law) AIP, recliner, small desk | 13×16 | 208 | |
| Bath 3 AIP, shower, 2 sinks, longer counter | 7×10 | 70 | |
| Closet 3 AIP | 6×10 | 60 | |
| Possible morning bar in hallway for public use? | 5×6 | 30 | |
| Bed 4, oversized 13×16?, queen & twin/trundle | 13×16 | 208 | |
| Bath 4, ensuite, 2 sinks, shower | 7×10 | 70 | |
| Closet 4 | 5×7 | 35 | |
| Laundry & Linen closet | 8×12 | 96 | |
| Hallways & walls? 20% of 5500 | 1100 | ||
| TOTAL MAIN FLOOR | 5666 | ||
| LOWER LEVEL | |||
| Room | Dimensions | Sq. Ft. | Notes |
| Basement Rec room, kitchenette, fridge, sink, counter, table | ? | 660 | seat 10, 85” TV, plus kitchenette |
| Sauna | 6×8 | 48 | |
| Basement Gym room (could be eliminated and use unfinished area) | 16×18 | 288 | |
| Laundry room with sink, hookups only, space for future cabinets | 10×12 | 120 | |
| Bed 2, king | 13×13 | 169 | |
| Bath 2, ensuite, shower, 2 sinks | 6×12 | 72 | |
| Closet 2 | 5×7 | 35 | |
| Bed 5, queen | 13×13 | 169 | |
| Bath 5, ensuite, shower, 1 sink | 6×10 | 60 | |
| Closet 5 | 5×7 | 35 | |
| Bed 6, queen | 13×13 | 169 | |
| Bath 6, ensuite, shower, 1 sink, ensuite, but also door for public access | 6×10 | 60 | |
| Closet 6 | 5×7 | 35 | |
| Elevator | 64 | ||
| Elevator mechanicals | 64 | ||
| Stairwell | 100 | ||
| Mechanical room | 120 | ||
| Hallways/walls allowance | 200 | ||
| TOTAL LOWER LEVEL | 1488 | ||
| (could discuss eliminating a lower level bath) | |||
There are currently two living spaces:
- Main living area–typical usage, but not the primary TV area.
- TV/Game room is adjacent and bright for grandkids to play and still be under supervision. I can’t figure out how to orient the room so that the TV would not have glare from the western sun in the evening.
Kendall wants his office (a very important room) to be finished from the start and be somewhere he can bring business guests. I may not have it in the best location. My office is located near laundry and the kitchen so that I can multi-task.
I made no attempt to draw the lower level. It needs a great room, three bedrooms and baths (two ensuite, one with public access), a place for gym equipment and hookups for future future laundry. Kendall would love a walk-out.
(The following thoughts are modified from my original notes.)
General thoughts: We want this home to be age-in-place friendly with most of our primary-use spaces on the east and south sides of the main level using zero-entry doorways from the garage and out to main patio. Front porch access can have some wide, shallow stairs, if needed. Accessibility is important in the main (east) portion of the house and Bedroom/Bath 3 on the southwest side.
Lesser-used spaces will go on the north and west sides. We would like an elevator to allow us to use the lower level spaces easily. We want to take advantage of sun positioning to give natural light and warmth throughout the most-used portions of the house. East-/south-facing garages will use the early sun to melt snow from the primary garage driveways. The detached garage location is more flexible.
I don’t know the right way to describe our aesthetic, but we will love our home if is is light and bright, organic, and comfortable. Mountain Farmhouse might come close to what the exterior could be, with with a lighter palette. We do not like minimalistic interior design, but some features of modern design are appealing like large windows, modern light fixtures, simpler trimwork and cabinetry, etc. Modern, organic cottage might be a good description of the intended interior.
I like some traditional elements like wall paneling and wainscoting, but I would want to simplify the profile–like what you might find in a Craftsman home. I love ceiling treatments but simpler versions like beams, tongue and groove, beams in a grid pattern, etc. If we used a tray treatment, it would be simple. We might use a vaulted ceiling the main living area and primary bedroom, but of a modest height. Our hope is that the architecture of each room makes the home beautiful and functional before we even bring in furnishings.
Attached Garages and garage entry— east-/south-facing facing
- 4 bays, 24-26′ deep
- Space and wiring for EV charger
- Space and wiring for future solar panel batteries
- Space around closest bay to accommodate wheelchair
- Zero entry doorway to home
- Man/service door to outside.
- Generator? Placement?
Shop/detached garage–location not selected. Cannot obstruct views, so probably on east side. Would also consider placing shop/garage spaces on west side to provide access to that side of the home.
- Total of four bays? Three vehicle bays and one workshop bay. (Might reduce to 3 bays with a vehicle lift.)
- Space for desk , a bit of office storage, and wiring for a TV.
- Full or 3/4 bathroom. If we plan for a pool, this might become the pool bath.
- Electrical and septic access one side for RV visitors.
Spaces where location is undecided:
His office space—north-facing? Adjacent to foyer?
- Bookshelves/storage on two or three walls
- Space for two club chairs
- Desk with two monitors. Cabinets for printer, shredder, trash either behind or perpendicular to desk.
- Small round conference table
- Hidden closet for gun safe/file storage.
- Fireplace?
- (Originally, we wanted both offices to be in close proximity to each other since it will usually be just the two of us. However, his office will be more “finished” and may be more appropriately placed near the common areas for guest access. Hence, the indecision on location.)
- Does not need to be focal point. Prefer entrance of stairway to face interior of home rather than front door.
Elevator location?
EAST SIDE, private spaces–east and south side of home
- Primary bedroom (Bed 1), south and/or east windows
- Primary accessible bathroom (Bath 1), east and/or south windows, (steam shower, sauna?)
- Primary closet, with center peninsula 60/40 split or an island for each? Cabinetry to ceiling
- Primary laundry adjoining primary closet
- Coat and luggage closet, adjoining or adjacent to laundry and mudroom
- Bath near garage?
Her office space—east side of home, north-facing?
- Accommodate bookshelves/storage/desk on three sides
- Have existing cabinets for one wall. About 11′ long (4 units of 32″ wide each)
- Large (4×6-8) center work island
CENTER of HOME–public and accessible
- Kitchen with island, L- or U-shaped
- Back kitchen with sink and dishwasher, fridge/freezer, beverage station, gas cooktop, freeze dryer, dehydrator, pocket door entry or Harmon-hinged door entry.
- Great room open to covered? patio, south-facing
- Separate TV/Game room, south-facing, diagonal/adjacent to main living area. Back entry to west bedrooms. Storage for books, board games and toys.
- Powder bath
- Dining room, north-facing.
- Foyer, with sight lines through Great Room
- Coat closet near Mudroom
WEST-SIDE private spaces
In-Law suite, Bed 3, accessible Bath 3 with small sitting area, 14×16?, south-facing
- Zero entry shower, dual sinks
- Walk-in closet, accessible from bathroom
- No water closet
- Easy access to game room
- Small morning bar for coffee pot and under counter fridge (
Secondary bedroom (Bed 4) on main floor
- Over-sized to accommodate a king and twin trundle beds for guests with small children
- Walk-in closet, accessible from bedroom
- Bath 4, ensuite with zero-entry shower and dual sinks
Secondary laundry room for west-side bedrooms
- Walk-in, with cabinetry on both sides, but not overly large.
Linen closet (or hallway cabinetry)
Lower level with walkout access
- Recreation room with fireplace
- Big screen TV
- Kitchenette in Rec Room with small island
- Separate Exercise space
- Bed 5 with ensuite Bath 5 and closet
- Bed 6 with walk-in closet
- Public Bath 6, accessible from public space. Could have in-bedroom door also, but not essential.
- Ample storage, can be unfinished
Outdoor spaces
- Wide front porch entry, allowing for small seating area on porch.
- Back patio extending across much of back of home with outdoor kitchen, dining area, and conversation area.
- Lower-level patio area from walk-out basement. Maybe on southeast?
- Possible concrete walkway around entire exterior up next to the house. (Ease of landscape maintenance.)
Extras?
- Pool and spa?
- Driveway gate?
- Solar panels?
- RV hook-ups outside of detached garage?
Important to Him
- His office. Well-appointed, comfy and inviting for business guests, with storage for lots of books and career memorabilia.
- Garages. A couple of sports cars, a pickup, two daily drivers, a motorcycle, a Kubota-type vehicle and trailer, and workshop.
- Walk-out basement access for egress and light.
Important to Her
- (All the rest, truthfully)
- Orienting the house to provide southern light, warmth, and views.
- Lots of places for family to hangout. Breakfast table, island, living room, game room for TV/board games and rambunctious grandkid play.
- Bed 3 for aging parent who might stay for extended amount of time. (Bed, bath, laundry, access to game room)
- Zero-entry access to outside
- Super functional kitchen, pantry, and laundry
- Her office for book storage, sewing, computer work
- Storage for gardening equipment, pots, camping equipment.
- Ample basement storage for seasonal decor