Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are already in 2900 sq feet now (2000 ranch and 1000 finished basement)--so this is not much bigger.
The only rooms we don't have now that are being included in the future home are as follows:
An exercise room (which is really technically another bedroom)
A screened in porch
Walk in closets in each room
and instead of having two 12x12 rooms --one for my collection and the other for my husbands collection we are just adding a second living room sized area and having them combined--technically we have more bedrooms now (5) and will only have 4 in this house.
We could cut the dining room--but in the grand scheme of things I don't know if that along is enough savings.
We are now discussing a 2 story option (moving the office, guest room, and collection/living room upstairs) and then finding a workable plan for the bottom story
We were hoping to stay around 375k total but want all brick.
There are really not a lot of fancy things being included in the house and when I ask for pricing to see them all layed out the cost is minimal to have a fireplace in the bedroom and heated floors in the master bath and speakers throughout the house (really the only things I consider 'luxurious'.
I'm not really worried about cleaning as we're not neat freaks and rooms that you don't use all that much don't really get that dirty--and we are planning easy to clean trim and tile floors through most. I already have 3 toilets so I can manage and we are planning a solid swanstone insert for the master shower to cut down shower cleaning as well as undermount sinks for every sink so it is easier to clean. Also toilets that have no definition at the bottom you have to clean around--I have put a lot of thought into easy cleaning.
If you plan on aging out in this house, do not build 2 story. I think your chief luxury is the square footage. A red flag went up on this sentence, ". . . and rooms that you don't use all that much don't really get that dirty. . . " Why would you build a house for you to live in for most or all of your natural life, that has rooms that are barely used? I understand being in a home that is now too big after kids move away. That actually happened to us. Build what you need, thinking about long term. You will not enjoy keeping a big house as you grow older. Probably. Everyone is different.
IMO, you need two baths. One for you to keep clean and one for your DH to keep clean.
Think about how you spend your time, and how you want to spend your time. Think about local taxes. Imagine yourself getting ready for a party in the new house. Imagine the hard work you have to put in to keep it clean. Make sure that what you get is really, really what you want.
Yeah if this is forever house don't muck it up by building a two story.
Cut the square footage to 2500 Sq. Ft. or even 2000 and go with the upgrade stuff you were trying to cut out and see where that puts you cost wise. Realize asphalt will require much more patch work than concrete.
I think we have finally came to an agreement on things with our builder and after some further negotiations we are going to keep the home as it is pretty much and just cut the 3rd car off the 3rd car garage and make some minor concessions as to no fireplace in the master and a few allowance cuts.
Let's just say after things got a bit dicey with whether we were going forward or not things 'got real' price wise.
In the end I just find it hard to cut any space as we will be using all of them except for the guest room.
I understand that the 'toy' room is a luxury--but one that'd I think we'll appreciate for many years. If we don't it just will get used as a movie room or something else. Right now this is how our house is set up:
Upstairs: 3 bd, 2 bath. my toy room is upstairs--we have no formal dining but we do have a sunroom and a patio but no covered porch.
Downstairs: 2 bd 1 bath--one bd is an office the other is my husbands toy room. We have a second living room down there.
In the end we are only gaining about 300 sq ft over what we have now (5 bd, 3 bath) and are gaining a dining room. The two toy rooms are being combined into one main level room that we can actually enjoy (have a couch and TV in and hang out in as opposed to two rooms being used for display only). Also we are going to have walk in closets in every room which will be nice. The band room is an unfinished room in our basement right now and will have it's own entrance and be upstairs (much better for tracking in dirt and scuffing up walls as well as loading in and out equipment for my husband who is a drummer)
The Laundry room is purposely on the other side of the house from our master bedroom and facing the back. We have 3 dogs and this area and mud room area will be their space when we aren't home--also it will go directly outside for them to go to the restroom.
Thank you for your help everyone. I am glad I was able to use my original plan and not have to move to a two story.
You all gave me some great things to think about.
I was looking at your plan and you have a lot of corners and intersections in the walls. Just some things to remember, every one of those corners and intersections requires additional material (3 studs instead of 1), additional time/labor to frame (3 studs instead of 1), extra time/labor to plaster, additional time/labor to paint/paper, and additional time/labor to clean.
I personally wouldn't put a cooktop on an island that narrow either, if it's to scale. I would have it against the wall near the wall oven instead. With dogs and people and especially when you are entertaining guests or children are in the home, all moving around the island, it's just too much of a hazard.
what would you recommend doing instead in those spots?
I am assuming that is in response to my last post.
There are quite a few places where you have a corner and just a foot or so over from it is an intersection with another wall, or another corner. It just seems chopped up to me.
A good architect or home designer could smooth those areas up and make the whole flow and construction smoother.
Because of the walk in closets? Those are the only areas where I think you could be talking about?--I'm sorry to sound dumb--but I am having a hard time figuring out you are referring to.
We are signing off on these plans soon so want to make sure I am not missing anything vital.
Also the cooktop will be induction so not hot--and it will be larger than pictured.
Because of the walk in closets? Those are the only areas where I think you could be talking about?--I'm sorry to sound dumb--but I am having a hard time figuring out you are referring to.
We are signing off on these plans soon so want to make sure I am not missing anything vital.
Also the cooktop will be induction so not hot--and it will be larger than pictured.
I still wouldn't feel comfortable having the cooktop there myself. Pots or pans getting knocked off, boiling water or spitting bacon fat etc. would be too much of a concern for me. It would also break up that island as a point of congregation in the kitchen when socializing, too. The only time I think cooktops on islands work is when there's a raised bar behind it (which I don't really like the look of), or it's a deep island with significant countertop behind it and to either side.
I spend so much time in the kitchen that I think about this stuff a lot!
What about two stories where the master bed/bath is on the main--we could always get us the little lift chair when we are old
We are only cutting about 276 sq ft getting rid of two rooms!
That's what I would do. Have the 1st floor with 1 master, 1 convertible bedroom and the 2nd floor with 2-4 bedrooms and 1-2 bathrooms.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
