If you could build, what would be your favorite floor plan

Investor · Wichita Falls, TX · Member since 2014 · 382 posts · 123 votes

I love looking at floor plans and pictures!

What would be your go to plan if you could build?

Ive been to a couple of new homes and wow, its crazy how there may not be enough room to open a fridge door because of an island, or the door to the bathroom hits the toilet! Things like that I think about if I were designing a place. Of course pricing is a factor, I've learned that different styles of roof are cheaper to build than others..but in the long run what kind of maintenance will it take.

I think too much..lol.

Do you have a favorite "If I could build this and rent" floor plan?

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Ryan Toth

Charleston, SC · Member since 2015 · 34 posts · 7 votes

10y

Something like this! Seriously though, as I now have kids an open floor plan from the kitchen into a living area is important as is natural light. The place we are in now has poor lighting and it drives me nuts. I also prefer to have laundry on the same floor as bedrooms and a mud room next to our regular entry point (usually a garage).

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Ryan Toth
Charleston, SC · Member since 2015 · 34 posts · 7 votes
10y
Something like this! Seriously though, as I now have kids an open floor plan from the kitchen into a living area is important as is natural light. The place we are in now has poor lighting and it drives me nuts. I also prefer to have laundry on the same floor as bedrooms and a mud room next to our regular entry point (usually a garage).
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Jeremy Dolan
Manhattan, NY · Member since 2015 · 109 posts · 27 votes
10y
@Mary lou L.I'm open to all types of floor plans, just as long as there is room to operate. Just as you stated I hate when thing of that nature co-exist in an area. Doors hitting into each other, fridges being placed by table, etc. My perfect floor plan is one with a lot of space to maneuver.
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Elizabeth Colegrove
Hanford, CA · Member since 2013 · 5k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
My favorite is the open floor plan with split bedrooms and as little to no hallways as possible. I also LOVE large closets and where every inch is useful.
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Mary lou L.
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Investor · Wichita Falls, TX · Member since 2014 · 382 posts · 123 votes
10y
Originally posted by @Ryan Toth:
Something like this! Seriously though, as I now have kids an open floor plan from the kitchen into a living area is important as is natural light. The place we are in now has poor lighting and it drives me nuts. I also prefer to have laundry on the same floor as bedrooms and a mud room next to our regular entry point (usually a garage).
Boom! Done and done! NO nonsense! When do we start construction??
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Account Closed
Frederick, MD · Member since 2015 · 654 posts · 256 votes
10y
@Mary lou L. - just as different roof styles (and different roof pitches of the same style) are less expensive to build (over the same footprint), so too does the building shape affect the cost, along with the actual wall dimensions. For example, a building that is 24' x 48' provides a footprint of 1,152 square feet as does a building that is 32' x 36'. Yet the former building has eight more linear feet of wall, which, using a nominal eight-foot wall height, equates to 64 more square feet of wall (which is nearly 6% more than the latter building size). That's 64 more square feet of framing, insulation, drywall, siding, paint, etc.
Also, dimensional lumber is produced in two-foot lengths and panel goods are four-foot wide... most efficient use of materials will use wall and floor dimensions that are equally divisible in these increments.
The boxes ain't always pretty, but they are more cost effective!
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Todd Nordstrom
Investor · Honolulu, HI · Member since 2013 · 32 posts · 4 votes
10y
There are SO MANY things to consider when planning for, designing, and constructing a new house, especially if it is for an investment. This is why, especially if it is your first, you should hire an architect. Plan layout is a just part of it but a good architect will look at the big picture...zoning, setbacks, natural light, wind direction, building context, cost, etc...and pull it together into a wholistic vision in a step by step process. As far as plans or layout, it should be reasonable for what to expect in your particular market
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Jim Adrian
Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
10y
Contractors tend to make spaces too small and non functional to increase profit and or lack design knowledge.
I would build modern style... Less is more! Geothermal heating, sustainable, boxy but sleek, flat roofs, metal panels.... 3 car garage, 3800 sq ft or so..
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JD MartinBusiness Member
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Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
10y
Depends on where I lived, really. Certain housing types & floor plans are not conducive to certain areas. All things being equal, in a flat area with low levels of snow and medium levels of rain, I would build a ranch, side loading garage, master suite split from the other bedrooms. A ranch is also more usable to more people, so if you needed to sell, bring in an elderly parent, etc. it is not a major hassle.
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Colleen F.Pro Member
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
The style to some extent depends on where you live, you can deviate but don't think it will be easy to sell if you go too far from the local style. I have lived in many different style homes and certain areas just demand certain spaces, you can't do without a mudroom here and basements are nice too. My most disliked floor plan is a center hall colonial.
Pet Peeves for floor plans:
Kitchens on the opposite side of the house from the driveway (who thought of that!), Bathrooms off the kitchen-sometimes you have to but try for some separation.
Stairs you can't get furniture up.
Bedrooms next to the main entry.
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