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Floor Plan and Elevations for the New House

Here it is, the floor plan and elevations for the new house! I’m not even going to bother with a wordy post, we will have plenty of time to dig into the details later. No one is even reading this anyway, you’ve already scrolled down to see the pictures and I’m basically talking to myself at this point.

So without further ado….

The Floor Plan

floorplan

Second Story Floor Plan

second story floorplan

Front of the HouseFront of House

Right Side

right side of house

Backback of house

Left Sideleft side of house

If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments!

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54 Comments

  1. Floor plan looks nice and the exterior is beautiful. I do have a few comments. I do know others that have powder rooms by the laundry and then feel it is a bit messy in the laundry area to send guests to the powder room. Not sure how to fix that. I think you should make sure you run plumbing and drains to the top floor in case you decide to add more bedrooms upstairs. Much cheaper to do a rough-in now. You might consider putting fireplace on back wall and two doors on either side to outside. That way the view of fireplace would be nice when you walk in and also, you would have a nice place for built-ins and the tv on the side wall. The fireplace can bump to the outside providing more floor space in your living room. I think the tv over the fireplace is an awkward height. If you put your range on an outside wall, it will be easier to vent to the outside. Although, it looks like you have a cavity going to the second floor so you can vent through the roof. That works too. If you have wonderful views, you may want another window on the back wall of your master–even a bay window with a window seat would be nice. This will be so much work, but so fun. Good luck!

    1. Thanks Lynda! I originally had the powder room where the office nook is, and the architect (thankfully) suggested to get it away from the main living area and put it back there. I thought about the messy laundry room thing, but there isn’t really a away around it. Maybe it will motivate me to keep it cleaner…or more likely I will just embrace the mess, because that’s life right now. Also, running plumbing and whatnot to the top floor is already in the plans, as well as roughing in a place for a small guest house in the barn. Not sure we will ever need either of them, but if we do they will be ready. I like your fireplace idea, that would be beautiful too! We are putting our TV in the build-ins next to the fireplace because I don’t like TV’s over the fireplace either. I did it this way because I wanted to have a wall of windows on the back wall, plus I think having the fireplace and TV on the same wall makes arraigning furniture easier.

      You’re right about it being lots of work! Adam wants to DIY a ton of it, but I keep reminding him that we have three little kids and a full time job. Then he reminds me that money doesn’t grow on trees….ha!

  2. I only see three bedrooms, will the older boys be sleeping in the same room still? What if you have more kids, where would he or she or they sleep? (sorry my husbands an English teacher :P) I love the idea of having a front and back porch, you can enjoy all the views around your house. Congratulations on this dream home, may the Lord continue to bless you.

    1. Yup, there are only three bedrooms….one for Adam and I one for each gender of kid (or we’ll just split up the boys if a girl never happens). The loft is roughed in for another bedroom if needed, and the barn with be roughed in with plumbing and electrical for a future guest area.

  3. You are so lucky to be doing this, I think…??? It will be an all consuming task for a long time, especially if you are going to finish much of the interior yourselves (all while working and caring for little ones)! We retired last year and are looking to downsize and have toyed with the idea of building ourselves, but my husband is not to be convinced so I am very eager to learn from your experience.

    Thank you for sharing, Maria

    1. You’re right, finishing it is going to take forever. We don’t plan to move in till it is done though, because it will be way easier to work in an area if we don’t live there. Plus I don’t want to list our current house while we live here, I can’t imagine showings and trying to keep it perfect with three little kids constantly destroying it.

  4. Great floor plan. I see your bedrooms aren’t humongous, which I like. Less cleaning. How much time does a person spend in the master bedroom anyway. We Moms spend most of our time in the kitchen–and laundry room! Kids yes, they play in their rooms. Will be tagging along as you build! :)

  5. I love the metal roof, that’s going to look (and sound) amazing. Are you using that material because it’s cheap or just cos you like the look (for future house-building reference!). I think the living area is going to look amazing and spacious with the double height ceiling, and I love that the master bedroom opens to the back porch.
    We currently have a powder room that you have to walk through our laundry room to get to, and it does get very messy as we tend to use it as a bit of a dumping ground. We’re planning on walling it off and turning it into a walk-in cupboard/laundry type thing with some sliding barn doors, but that’s just cos that’s the easiest option for us with the way it’s laid out. To be honest if we installed some proper cabinets in there it would probably be just as tidy, I’m sure yours will be fine….and to be honest I’m sure we notice the mess much more than guests ever do!
    I’m pretty jealous of American house dimensions, ours is 1300 sq ft and in that are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an extra playroom on top of the usual living space, and that’s quite a generous sized house here in Ireland!

    1. Metal roofs are actually more expensive than other options, but they last forever. Also, if you want a Texas style house you gotta do a metal roof. We are actually doing two different kinds of metal, a standing seam (expensive) one over the main house, and a corrugated exposed fastener (cheaper) one over the porches and barn.
      My laundry room is a dumping ground too, for clean unfolded laundry. I can keep up with washing it, but folding and putting it away is pretty much and impossible task. In the new laundry room, do you see that square next to they dryer? That is a laundry basket tower, and there will be a removable laundry basket for each person. I plan to take things out of the dryer and put them in the baskets, then everyone can fold and put away their own clothes. I’m hoping it will be a great system and make my life easier, but we will see. I may be dreaming little too big!

  6. I love that your general living space is all on one level. Mine isn’t, and there’s nothing worse than having to tackle tons of steps to take up laundry! I also love the front and back porches. I have a tiny vestibule at the front of my home that’s big enough for a hanging swing but little else. Good luck with the build!

    1. Thanks Nettie! I grew up in a two story home so that’s what I always wanted. Then we bought this house (one story) and I instantly realized that one story is where it’s at. I think this way we get the best of both worlds!

  7. Ashley, I have been following your new home adventure, and “HOW FUN!!” I really like the three bedrooms! We have five children living at home (6 total) and have three bedrooms; three girls in one, two boys in the one and my husband and myself get the tiny one :)
    I truly like us “all together”, if that makes sense. Your plans looks fabulous! Especially like the lime! We live in western Kansas and OLD lime houses are scattered about the landscape. Beautiful…..

    1. It’s good hear to hear that the bedroom situation works for y’all, I like the “all together” feeling. Well….most of the time :)

  8. l really like your floor plan and how open it is! I don’t know how big your master shower is, but if it is 36″ or less, it will be tight. I found that out in my last house when I was always hitting an elbow on the side. Go to a bath store where there is one the size of your plan and get in it to see if it will work for you because you will be using it everyday. Good luck on this great house!

    1. Thanks Christine! I just double checked and the shower is 5′ 2″ by 4′ 8″ (with two shower heads!). I haven’t stood in a shower that size (that would have been a good idea), but I think it should be big enough.

  9. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to finalize a floor plan! I love everything! The vaulted ceilings in the living space are really going to make it feel big and airy. I love that. And I think 3 bedrooms will be just fine. There is such a weird idea these days that kids all need their own rooms, I don’t think that’s true at all. I also love that you’ll have a big mud room off the kitchen, that’s amazing! And I’m intrigued by the breezeway – is that just going to be like a carport but in between the house & barn?

    Good luck convincing Adam that it might be best to hire out a little bit more than you normally would… :) It’s fun watching your progress!!

    1. I completely agree about the bedrooms, I think it’s good for them to share. If they need to be alone there are plenty of spaces to get away from everyone (like the creek) that don’t require us to pay taxes on square footage. The breezeway won’t be for cars, I think were going to screen it in and make that the main hangout area. We added that last minute because the 8 foot deep porches didn’t see deep enough for a big outdoor dining table and whatnot. Plus I have always had an unhealthy love for breezeways :) And the barn, even though we call it that, is actually just a garage and large workshop.

  10. I live in Finnland, and since our (cold) winter lasts about 5 months, we have a lot of winter coats, overalls, quilted pants etc. I mean seriously, our family (2 adults + 2 children) needs several closets just for our outerwears (for 4 different seasons). That means we also need a lot of space and cabinets, coat racks, shoe racks etc… in the entry/hallway. The entryway in your plans seems so different to me, but i can imagine you really don’t need all that space in texas :D

    But your future house seems so lovely! And the land you bought is amazing! Looking forward on your future posts about the project. Good luck with the building project :)

    P.S. sorry about my grammar

    1. Adam and I lived in Northern New York for six years, and the winters up there are ridiculous. Coats, snow boots, gloves, hats, etc. overtook our tiny apartment! If we still lived in a cold climate we would have designed our house differently for sure. Here in Texas though winter wear consist of a light cardigan and that’s about it, so some hooks in the entry should be more than enough. My family will almost always enter throughout the breezeway/mudroom though (since we will park the cars in the barn). I can see backpacks, shoes, and sports equipment overtaking us in the future, so the mudroom will have a space (locker) for each person in order to try and keep things organized and convenient.

      Also, you have great grammar!

  11. Thanks for sharing! We bought our first home last year and are loving fixing it up and making it ours, but I think eventually we will want to build our “dream” home on a little more land ( we have an acre now). I love seeing the great ideas you have come up with, I especially love the big open living space, which is what we want in a home some day! Thanks for giving us a peek into the process of building your own home!

  12. Thanks for taking us along on your new adventure. My hubby and I are looking to build (for the first time) this year, so it will be fun for me to follow along in your progress–and maybe get some “must-do’s” and “don’t do’s” from you before I get to the same stages. :) As to children sharing bedrooms, I think this is another one of those areas where one size does not fit all and each family needs to decide for themselves what’s going to work for them. ;) If kids can share, it’s probably best, but this summer I’m going through the process of separating my two girls into different rooms. They are three years apart and my oldest is going into middle school this coming school year; not only are their personalities completely different, but soon they will be on different sleep and school schedules. For our sanity as a family and their future sister-bond, it’s better to split them apart. :) Ever since my oldest was two days old and I had to give her a Nook pacifier to get her to suck correctly, the Lord keeps showing me “never say never!” ;)
    Blessings!

    1. I had my own room growing up :) But it was just me and my brother (who is five years younger) so it made sense. My older two boys love sharing right now, but (like your girls) they are completely different in every way. We may have to shuffle kids around in the future or finish out the loft bedroom if necessary. Only time will tell!

      And congrats on building soon! I feel the same way about my brother and our friends (who are building the same house) starting before us… We’re going to learn from them :)

  13. It is gonna be a perfect family house. :) I am all for kids sharing bedrooms and I love that the fireplace is where it is. Finally, someone wise enough to plan its heat inside the house. And not on one of the outer walls (or what they call it, sorry, I don’t know the proper name).
    Also, the barn-future-guest-area is perfect. I don’t even have to see it. :) It’s connected but separate at the same time. :)

    1. Thanks girl! I’m excited about the guest “house” too, I think it will be the perfect amount of separation. Plus is would be fun to design a tiny, 300 sq ft living area.

  14. Oh Ashley, this house is going to be lovely! You must be so excited for it. It looks really pretty from the outside, and the layout looks great inside. It looks like a perfect amount of coziness vs spaciousness. I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together. That’s also a great idea to move before listing your current house. I think that will be a huge sanity saver!

  15. This is going to be so awesome! I cannot wait to see it come to life! Congratulations!

    If this were my house, I’d consider condensing that kitchen work triangle by putting a cooktop or sink on the island. My unsolicited free advice, worth exactly what was paid for it. ;)

    1. Haha, I love free advice! We actually do have a prep sink on the island (it’s on the floor plan, I know they’re really small on the computer). I originally thought it wouldn’t be necessary, but someone else who recently built a house says it makes a world of difference, so we added it.

  16. I am just beyond happy for you. Having followed your progress I sat down and designed my own dream house. Having seen your floor plan I may have to alter mine!

  17. Love the plan! We bought a house with a master bathroom toilet/shower area like this. Getting out of the shower with the toilet nearby always bothered me and seemed claustrophobic. We solved it by putting up a wall where the door was and angling the glass to make a pentagon type side. This made a way to have a pocket door on the toilet room and a recessed area where the door would have been for shampoo/soap. It gave the shower a clean look.

  18. This is pretty much the exact layout I want! Pretty much the same time you said you were buying land and building a house, my husband and I started looking for land. Ours is a 5 Year Plan though, so no serious steps have been taken yet. BUT when I’m slow at work, I go online and try to design the perfect layout for the house. I would say this is exactly what I had come up with, but I was having issues with making the rooms super long and skinny instead of looking like rooms. The mud room with powder room is a great touch. With all of your projects, (I’m sure a lot of them will be outdoors while you are working on the property), you don’t want people traipsing through the house with muddy feet to go to the bathroom! I am really looking forward to seeing all of your progress. Good luck!

  19. Beautiful!!! You are building a lovely house! If you have not already planned for it – ceiling fans & whole house fan! Ceiling fan in loft, huge, slow one in breezeway (helps with bugs too), and if you can – in the living room (don’t know how it is done with high ceiling, but I guess you could ask the architect). Ceiling fans in the bedrooms also help you not be so dependent on A/C, but they always seem in the way to me. And a whole house fan upstairs to suck out all the hot air on any cool night after hot day days :-) – huge difference and feels so much better than just A/C air. Enjoy!

  20. Hi, love your plan, you have done an excellent job. I designed a house once too and I actually went right back to the drawing board before we met the draftsman the next day! I loved that house. We had to move away and I really miss it. There is nothing quite like designing your own home from scratch. Best Wishes to you as you build.
    Sharon

  21. ♡ it!! It’s going to be amazing! Is the attic going to be one you can actually walk in and use? That would be so cool!!

  22. It looks lovely, but some things to consider: I would move the master closet opening to the opposite wall. I don’t like the closet through the bathroom. I would move the master bedroom door closer to the family room. I also think you will miss not having a true foyer. Even if you enter through the mudroom most times, it is nicer to have a foyer than to just fall into the living room. I have the tiniest entry, and it makes me nuts when someone comes to the front door and there is no place for them to stand without coming into our space.
    I hope it is all you want it to be. Much happiness to you.

  23. I’m so excited to follow along on your building journey! I love your floor plan and I think your home is going to be beautiful!

    My husband and I are considering doing something similar. We are currently living in a mobile home we paid cash for on 85 acres that we hope to have paid for in the next 2-3 years. He wants to build a pole barn type house so that we can have our dream home affordably, but I’m concerned about the toll it will take on our family with him working a full time job and then working on the house in the evenings and at night. And we only have one kid! She’s 14 months and we’re thinking about adding another soon, though.

    How long to you guys think this process will take you from start to finish? Any encouragement you could offer me as a seasoned mother? Just thinking about doing it ourselves stresses me out. I think it’s too much for me to wrap my head around at one time, ha!

    1. Sounds like you are headed in the right direction! And 85 acres is amazing, especially owning it scot-free. 85 acres here would cost nearly a million dollars, so that will never happen for us :) It’s funny that you mention a pole barn type building, because that was our original plan. We were going to do a big metal (industrial) building, and customize it from there. We figured we could save a ton of money and just fake the whole timber frame barn thing by wrapping the metal poles/beams. When we actually started pricing things and talking to builders though, we found out that the saving just weren’t there like we thought, and decided to go stick built. Just because it wasn’t there for us though, doesn’t mean it won’t work for y’all. I think it’s a great plan. As far as advice on doing this with kids, I don’t really have any advice…it’s HARD! I pretty much do one of three things with my kids while I work. 1) Let them help. They have learned a lot this way and really enjoy it. 2) Kick them outside. If I’m working inside I tell them to play outside for a few hours until I’m finished. Usually this results in about 15 minutes of whining, but after we power through that they will forget about me and happily play for a long time. 3) Turn on the TV. I hate doing it, but the TV is a lifesaver sometimes. Plus they like watching shows that they learn a lot from, so it’s all good. We’re planning to do a lot of work on the new house ourselves, and the only reason I think this is even slightly feasible with three kids is that we don’t plan to move in until it is almost complete. I know that working on a house will be so much easier if we don’t live there, and since our current house is paid off we have the luxury of time. Just thinking about all the work we have to do though, plus kids, plus jobs…it’s stresses me out. I’m right there with you. We’ll see how it goes I guess!

    1. The main floor is 2,400 square feet, and the loft above the kitchen and dining room (there’s nothing up there, it’s basically a sky basement) is 500 square feet. So 2,900 square feet total.

  24. Ashley,

    My husband & I love your design and we dream of building a house someday. Can we ‘steal’ your design & do some changes of our own? Could you do a post about the process of designing your own house plans?

  25. What is the height of the ceilings in the main living, dining, kitchen area for your house? We are working to get plans drawn up for a house to build and our floor plan is almost identical to yours. It’s been great to get to see your house being built and what it looks like in real life vs on paper. Thanks for sharing!

  26. We love all the information you have on your house and experiences in building it. Can you help with your roof pitch on the main house sections as well as the other offset roof sections? Thanks for sharing

  27. This is the EXACT floor plan and exterior I want!! Is there anyway I can buy the plans?? I absolutely LOVE it!!!

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