There are 1,000’s of floor plans available online. However, when we went to find one we liked not a SINGLE one fit our needs! I would enter my search criteria in every website that offers house plans and without fail it would come back with “0 found”. After several months of searching, we finally realized that we had no choice but to create our floor plan.
Without a doubt, we both knew we wanted a farmhouse. On Architectural Design’s website, one home came the closest to meeting our needs, and we both loved it! House plan 30081! We studied every inch of the home’s interior and exterior design determining what we wanted and what needed changing to meet our family’s needs.
In no particular order, we needed the following: a home office for Daniel, an open floor plan, a downstairs master bedroom, four additional bedrooms for the kids and a room for homeschooling. We also created a list of wants: a wrap-around porch, a big kitchen window overlooking the yard, a vaulted ceiling and large fireplace in the living room, a large pantry, a mud/laundry room, an L shaped staircase, plus lots of smaller details to make it the farmhouse we have always dreamed of!
After discussing what we wanted, we took to pencil and paper and began to sketch out our plan. I have attached the Architectural Design plan and our floor plan so you can see the changes we made. First of all, the master bedroom came downstairs. We then moved the family room to the back of the house as we wanted a large dining room table right next to the kitchen. We then moved the kitchen to the outside wall so I could have my kitchen window. I wanted the laundry room next to the mudroom, but Daniel did not want the laundry room off of the master bedroom, so we moved the entire mud/laundry room off the dining area. We pushed the family room wall out far enough we could vault the ceiling.
In the kitchen, we moved the stove to the island so I could participate in parties without having my back turned to cook. We expanded the island to make sure there was plenty of room, so little fingers would not be able to reach the hot stove. The sink took the empty area left by moving the stove, and my dreamy kitchen window inserted above it. We relocated the powder room to under the stairs and eliminated the coat closet. These changes made room for my pantry. For those who know me, I love to cook! I make a homemade meal every single night and cook for others any opportunity I get. Our current home has a minuscule closet for a pantry, and I have made it work without a word of complaint. But let me tell you, I cannot wait to do cartwheels in my pantry! Not only will it have lots of shelving to store food, pots, pans, and dishes but I will also have a counter set up with all my small appliances within easy reach. It will also have a window to provide lots of natural light.
Upstairs the changes were minimal. What had been the master bedroom became our oldest daughter’s room, and we rearranged the other bedrooms and bathrooms to fit the remaining space. We did add a laundry shoot. I also squeezed storage closets in every area I possibly could.
Once all of these changes were done in our heads and sketched on paper, we met with our architect and explained everything to him. He was able to take our sketches and turn them into workable blueprints with minimal changes. I was very impressed with what an uncomplicated process he made it. The total cost was $3,500.00 which I felt was a very reasonable price to have just what we wanted.
So if you are struggling to find a floor plan that has an exterior you love and an interior that meets your families needs, do not give up! Find an architect who will listen to you and truly understand your needs and wishes. Listen to their advice if you are hesitant about what you want. In the end, you will have a floor plan and elevation that is precisely what you need and love!
Comments