Oct 9, 2012

floor plan of our new house...!

ta---daaa!!
here it is folks!
the floor plan of our new house! 


one of our goals was to make this house as affordable as possible to build.
a few ways we are planning on saving money with this floor plan?
*the plan is very compact and rather simple. 
the most economical home to build is a perfect square. it allows the most square footage, minimizing the amount of linear footage of exterior wall footage (i.e. the expensive stuff!), and a smaller overall footprint.
see the example below:


the more you deviate from a square, the more money it will cost to build. our house plan is not a perfect square, but it is pretty close.
*we designed the house to FIT the LOT. (a huge deal, considering the slope of the lot!)
*we involved a professional home designer.

(when we did our own initial layout, we realized that we would have to make a few compromises due to budget and size restrictions....we knew we were not going to have another sizable living space on the main floor besides the great room, and we were not going to have a porch due to the setbacks. bummers on both accounts, but not deal-breakers. after all, the house will have an unfinished basement, and a large bonus room on the second floor.)

i was absolutely FLOORED at what todd jenkins at frank betz was able to accomplish! he is a rock star.
he was able to take our diagram:

and turn it into a cohesive, livable space.
if you want to see how we arrived at this diagram, read this post!


a few happy surprises:
*i wasn't expecting the mudroom to be in its own little area. i am so happy that i won't have to look down the hall and see shoes and coats and backpacks everywhere!
* TWO walk-in closets in the master! i thought we would end up with a smaller closet, so this was a very happy surprise.
*i am really happy with the layout of the kitchen. i think the windows on either side of the range/hood are going to look great.
*the bedrooms upstairs are BIG. and so is the main bathroom. yay!
*the master bedroom is bigger than i thought it would be.
* i think the dining space is large enough for a separate seating area near the window.


we have built and remodeled dozens of homes, including 5 personal homes. through each project, we have learned a little more about how WE live in a house. i realize that this floor plan may not work for everyone, but we know it will work for our family. we had to balance what we could afford with what we thought was smart for resale.

i cannot wait to get started. we should break ground in the next couple of weeks. i will be posting instagram and twitter photos of the progress, so feel free to follow me...

19 comments:

  1. Love it Autumn! You will use every inch of your new home which is not only practical and affordable, but allows you to have fun decorating. I am living vicariously through you and this wonderful project!

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  2. Looking forward to watching as you add your special touches. I know it will look amazing! Roll Tide! dana, Athens, AL

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  3. Love it! We have a first floor master and I love it!
    xo~Jill

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  4. love it! i had almost this exact layout in a previous house. one suggestion, add a door to the backyard from the garage, if possible. we didn't and i missed it the entire time we lived there...1000's of trips AROUND the house to get into the garage when we could have just walked right into the garage from the backyard. cannot wait to follow along as you decorate!

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    1. such a great eye! that is one of the changes that we have already made...of course, the elevation of that area of the backyard is still being decided, so we MAY not be able to get a door in, but it is on our wish list!

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  5. Your floor plan looks great!!! Congrats!!! Would love to see front and back views of the exterior. Could you post the elevations as well?

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    1. heidi, i absolutely will be posting the elevations!!
      :)
      i just have to wait until all of the permits are signed, which could take another week.

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  6. Looks great! I love building! So excited for you!

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  7. thrilllllled for you, autumn! because my hubby is an architect i get to witness this joy secondhand all the time, but i'm extra excited for you! you deserve this my online friend. so happy for you (and for me to see the whole process). :)

    trissy

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    1. thank you trissy! i hope your hubby would approve of the plan...
      :)

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  8. As I don't care for houses that are just too big to be homey, this is a winner! What a wonderful plan! Frank Betz is also a favorite of mine and this houses looks so liveable. Your kitchen, dining and great room are going to be such a great place to raise a family. I am thrilled to be going on this journey with you.

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    1. marlene, thank you! i hope so. i certainly isn't big, but i hope that it has just enough of what we DO need, and not too much of what we don't.

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  9. What a fabulous floorplan! I love it! Do you know if it is going to be added to the site? Makes me want a two story again! :)

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  10. I forgot to mention your kitchen layout with the windows off of the stove is my DREAM!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

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    1. i am super excited about that too! i originally wanted a HUGE, open window on that wall with the sink, but that just wasn't in the cards. i am excited about the two windows on either side of the range for sure!

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  11. I can't even tell you how much I love this floor plan! Absolute perfection! Separate closets? yup! mudroom? yup! big open kitchen/dining/living space with a huge island? yup! 3 car garage? yup! Such a smart, simple, liveable floorplan. The only thing I wouldn't want are double sinks in the bathrooms but that's a personal choice. How exciting!

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    1. aww..thank you lisa! i am glad that people are resounding to positively to the plan. i really had a hard time "letting go" of that extra room on the main floor. i really, really wanted to have another living area on the main floor, but we decided to add the master bedroom instead. i think we checked off enough "YUPS!
      " in the house for any potential buyer in the distant future to overlook the missing extra room.
      :)

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  12. It's perfect Autumn! So so exciting.

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