New build floor plan - any thoughts? (title edited by MNHQ at request of OP)

[Wel]

DH and have bought a piece of development land to build our dream house.

The land currently has planning permission granted but we hate the designs. Far too open plan for my liking. When the oldest is cooking and blaring music I don’t want to hear it.

Here is the downstairs of a house DH and I saw a few years ago. We loved the proportions and layout.

I find a lot of Mumsnetters are practical and sensible.

Please can you share your thoughts on the floorplan? Do you see any issues we may run into?

The house will be occupied by Dh, myself and 3 children (aged 9-13yo). 3 big dogs.

We see the architect next week and want to be able to jump straight in.

If you’re using your back door mostly your loos in the wrong place. Although where it is, is better for guests

I'm struggling to visualise this...are the plant room/WC and cloakroom on a lower level? Like a whole floor below or just down like 2 steps? If it's a floor below, I don't get why they are on this plan and what is in its place at the same level as the snug/kitchen?

Godhead, this thread has highlighted the amount of people who do not read the OPs post or understand floorplans.

I'd change:
The doors from the kitchen to garden to bifolding.
Have the snug as the office instead of the dining room - this seems that it'll be quieter.
Ensure that there is also storage space in the plant room (unless you have a detached garage too).
Definitely invest in a dog shower if you can for the boot room - there's some lovely ideas on Pinterest.

Where will all you data and electrics go? We've a cupboard for all the routers, house alarm etc, will this fit under the stairs?

I love it too. Shame not to have the study! We don’t have formal dinner parties so I’d turn that dining room into a big library-study.

@NewYearNewMNName I can read plans, just was confused with what @OP said about it being accessed by the stairs, but I guess they meant next to/behind the stairs

Dining room won't be used unless for Christmas day...better as a study or another lounge or the dream of dreams...a library. Personally I hate kitchen and lounge in same room as you get smells from cooking. Love the boot room etc. can I suggest a walk in pantry....it be the best thing you ever get. Also make utility room bigger...big enough for a heated airer in case of bad weather...and good ventilation...that is vvvv important. Needs a window, fan etc. Bigger hallway. But love how it looks op. Can I come and stay?

I think with that much space it's a shame to have such a small hallway. I have a small house but unusually it has a big hallway and it makes the house feel so spacious. I'd dump the dining room, expand the hall (have cupboards you can put things in by the door cos teenagers won't walk round a corner to hang stuff up). At least have a hallway you can put a christmas tree in!

I’ve seen a couple of suggestions to either swap the boot room and utility, or remove the wall between the two. For what it is worth, we have a set up just like your plans (and 2 large hairy dogs), with a big boot room and small utility off it, and it works really well. When we bought the house, there was no wall and it was just one combined room. I hated always seeing all the washing stuff for the utility, and wanted to make two more usable spaces (as nobody needs what felt like the biggest utility room in the world). Now with the extra wall, there is more room for shoe storage in the boot room, we can feed the dogs in there, and the mud from the dogs doesn’t get on the washing in the utility room.

I'd want a proper size bedroom and bathroom in the ground floor, for me (when I'm older) or guests who can't do stairs.

If you’re paying for an architect why aren’t you getting them to do the design.
If you already know what you want you should use a draughtsmen.
No offence.
But architects ( I’m one ) design buildings and can’t plagiarise other designs. It’s against their code of conduct and could be struck off. They can use your design of course ( if you haven’t copied it from elsewhere ) but why bother with the expense.

That aside
With three kids I would suggest a larger cloakroom. ( although I do see a boot room which may be sufficient, depends how you live really)
I would also suggest not walking through the cloakroom to get to the toilet
To create a lifetime home you might think about a shower room on the ground floor with access from the study so it can double as a bedroom should you need to use it and not be able to make the stairs.

Access from the kitchen directly to the shower and toilet would be good as well
You don’t need a plant room these days boilers and such can easily go in the loft/ roof space or cupboard in the first floor. This also lowers energy usage.

Design is a personal thing but if I wanted bay windows I’d use them for access. Ie double doors in the middle and loose the side doors in the kitchen diner for just a normal window. Either that or make a purpose built bay window seating area with table.

Good point. A family member has that and due to little accident she has to use it for three months....so glad she had the room downstairs.

If the utility room is also going to be your laundry area - it’s too awkward to get to. It’s a pity a sizeable house will have a windowless downstairs toilet and in an awkward location too.

I would have a games room - pool table, darts board, tv etc, perfect as the children get older to have friends round. I'd put it where the snug is so they aren't attached to any of the rooms you'll be in to keep the noise down or the dining room. We have one less room than you, our dining room is separate but doubles as a games room and is a brilliant and well used space. Definitely add a walk in pantry and a shower in the boot room. I'd also have more patio doors/bi-folds onto the garden.

This is just a starting point to show our architect what I like and what I think will work for us.

The utility room is tiny - I would want to increase that and avoid having to access via the boot room. I would also want the plant room accessed directly via an external door to avoid service contractors trailing through my house - it also looks quite small. Assuming you'll have an MVHR, what else needs to go in there (e.g. ASHP/GSHP controls. misting system etc)? A decent architect will reflow.

I would want a large walk in larder off the open plan area. I would also chnage the WC to a good sized wet room. The windows all look very small - do you have amazing views? If so, make the most of them (unless you plan to do this on the first and second floors wirth balconies/terraces, etc).

Consider adding a basement - great for cinema, gym/spa and wine cellar.

I assume the utility will just be for washer dryer and ironing board? It will be irritating to have to walk through all of those rooms to bring the washing down/take it back up. I’d make it more accessible from the stairs, maybe swap it with the WC so that that’s closer to the entrance and ditch the cloakroom if it duplicates the boot room anyway.

Im assuming you don’t mean to use this plan or room sizing as the size of this building is larger than your max size of 279m2 even assuming the boot/ utility is just single storey.

So assuming room sizes will get smaller. In which case I wouldn’t go below 4m for a living space in any direction. You might think about reducing the width of the room on the left to get to your desired max size.

I have a Pinterest board just for pantries. I’d love something like this. But it feels like lottery win territory.

Ours is very similar but much larger - it's an essential in our home. You're building your own home so presumably you have a large budget. My advice is don't skimp on anything or you'll regret it.

I agree about French windows or bifolds from the drawing room to the garden and more storage maybe off the hall. If you’re going to be using the back door most if the time, the boot room is the perfect size but you might want a bigger utility too so you can hang clothes up in there.

Our downstairs floor plan isn’t too dissimilar (though the rooms are considerably smaller!) but I’d love a bigger utility and a decent cupboard downstairs. We turned the tiny office to a little playroom and the dining room to a library/study.

Absolutely love pantries.
I find myself ogling at the pantries they have on Downton……..sad isn’t it. The ogling, not the pantries of course.

Have been toying with the idea of doing an upstairs utility but for us the dogs produce a lot of dirty towels and muddy harnesses etc. Being able to chuck it in the washing machine without traipsing mud throughout is more important.

Laundry chute would be amazing if possible.

So massively smaller than the house shown?
2 floors or 3?
What is the maximum length and width of the ground floor?
The plan you have shared is almost 2000 foot for 1 floor

and how many bedrooms?

do guests via front door have to walk up:downstairs to put away coats and shoes?