Creating the perfect floor plan for your family

In my last post, I mentioned that I couldn't find the perfect floor plan for our family, so I finally created one myself. Each family is different, so it is very difficult for a floor plan created from someone else's imagination to fit every one's needs. In my experience, these are some important things to consider when finding or creating the perfect floor plan for you and your family:

 1. Bedrooms

Of course, the number one decisions about bedrooms how many you need? For resale purposes, three is always a good number, but what works for your family? Will you use all bedrooms for members of your family or do you also need to use one as an office or a guest room?

Do you want a split design or all the bedrooms together? For me, it was very important to have all of our bedrooms together when the boys were small in case they needed us. In case of a fire, it was important that we be able to get to them. If they were sick or scared, I wanted to be able to get to them quickly. Now that they are pre-teen and teenagers, I feel more comfortable with them being away from us. As a matter of fact, I think they would tell you they prefer being as far away as possible, so a split floor plan works better.

2. Bathrooms

Just like bedrooms, bathrooms definitely make a difference when it comes to resale. If you want to get the most value out of your home, you want at least two. Having a master suite which includes a master bedroom with a bathroom directly off of it, also increases resale value.

Another important thing to consider when designing your bathrooms is walk-in showers versus bathtubs or whirlpool tubs. We chose a walk-in shower in our master bath because it fits our needs the best. I don't have the patience to take a bath. I much prefer a long, hot shower, to sooth my aches and pains and wash my stress away. My hubby is the same way, so went with a big walk-in shower with a multi-function shower heads.


makeup vanity
My sewing machine cabinet
turned into a makeup vanity.
We have had whirlpool tubs in two of our past homes, and cleaning them has been more trouble than they were worth. We have also had glass doors in our previous showers, which again were a cleaning nightmare! By choosing the walk-in shower, the upkeep is much easier. I also chose to have a doorless shower. My husband thought I was crazy on this one, but I fought for it! Now, I have no more cleaning nightmares! The floor allows for drainage and the shower is deep enough to keep water off the floor of the bathroom. We did opt to put a small tub in the guest bath in case of injury or surgery where it might be needed. We put a smaller walk-in shower in the boy's bathroom.

When planning your bathroom it is also important to consider whether a double or single vanity works best for you; if you prefer a water closet (or toilet room as we call it); and if you would like to have some sort of makeup mirror and vanity.

It was important to me to have someplace to sit and do my hair or makeup. Instead of a built-in vanity, I wanted a piece of furniture. I turned to my amazing friends and creative genius's who used an old sewing machine cabinet to make a fun and functional piece.

3. Laundry Room

The majority of house plans are obviously drawn by men. Do you know how I know? Because they invariably put the laundry room near the garage. Now let's contemplate this... where is the most laundry generated? The answer is definitely not the garage. The majority of laundry is generated from the people wearing clothes, so the most logical place for the laundry room to be is next to bedrooms.

When we were waiting on our home to sell in Texas, we would have to get out of our house on Sunday's for showings. Sometimes we would have multiple showings a day, so we would have to vacate the premises for hours. We spent much of that time driving around in areas that were being developed. One of those little adventures led me to walking through a model home that had the perfect setup. The master bedroom, master bathroom, master closet, and laundry room were all together. One led into another. The master closet led into the laundry room. When I saw this floor plan, I could have jumped for joy! Finally, someone (probably a woman) had heard the plite of women everywhere!!!  Immediately, I knew the layout for our master suite.

Needless to say, the laundry room is one of the smallest rooms in the house, but it gets used frequently, so it is important to find the perfect spot to place it for your convenience.

4. Closet and Storage Space

We are now living in our fourth (and hopefully) final home. In every one of our prior homes, the number one thing most appreciated or most missed was storage! You absolutely can't have enough. From holiday decorations, kids toys, extra blanket, and coats. Storage always seems to come up short, and what storage you do have always seems to fill up! Make sure to seriously think about the most usable storage for you and your family.

In order for our floor plan to have the best layout in the master suite and bathrooms, I used stationary linen cabinets. By using a piece of furniture instead of a built-in closet, I was able to make rooms larger and have fewer doorways. I also added two of these linen cabinets in the boy's bathroom, so they have plenty of storage to keep their toiletries. The cabinets also have hampers in the bottom which, in theory, helps keep dirty clothes off the floor.

In our previous homes, the boys have had dressers in their rooms. The clothes were continuously hanging out and the drawers were always half open. It was a mess that constantly drove me crazy. In this house, the dressers are gone. Instead, I created plenty of hanging space and small cubbies and baskets to house things like shorts, underwear, and socks. Yes, the mess still exists, but not it is behind close doors instead of out in the open for everyone, especially me, to see. It is also easier for them to put their laundry away. Now they just hang it up or throw it in the cubbies or basket. Again, this is in theory, because it often still ends up on the floor, but I have given it my best shot!

5. Furniture Placement


entry table
The staircase wall had to be long enough
fit this buffet for our entryway.
If you plan to buy new furniture to fit your new house, then this doesn't apply to you. However, if you have family heirlooms or antiques that definitely need a place in your new home, make sure to create walls long enough and rooms large enough to fit them. This is a very important thing to consider before the walls and doorways are complete

When building the home of your dreams, it is important to take many things into consideration in order to end up with a space that is functional for you and a your family. It is much easier to make the decisions now than make the changes later.


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