We’re holding off on a full virtual tour of our soon-to-be new home until the sale is finalized and we’re actually living there. In the meantime, here’s a clearer idea of the layout thanks to a rough floor plan we drew up using floorplanner.com (a free tool). All measurements are approximate — we used numbers from the inspection and the sales flier — but this gives a good sense of the space. The washer and dryer are stacked in the small mudroom off the carport.
*Measurements for smaller rooms like bathrooms and hallways aren’t listed, but the house totals roughly 2,500 square feet.
If you compare this plan to our current house’s layout, some elements will look familiar. We’ve long wished for a bedroom with a true en-suite (our current home has only one full bathroom and none attached to a bedroom), and we’ve wanted a larger family room that could handle a comfy sectional. Sherry has always wanted a kitchen island, and this new house can accommodate one. So the new place feels like our current home with a few of the upgrades we’ve been dreaming about.
We’re grateful we found a house that checks nearly all of our boxes: great schools, a convenient location near family, a lovely yard for Burger & The Bean, and it fits our budget. Admittedly it’s slightly larger than we originally aimed for, but at about 2,500 square feet it’s still manageable. We prefer modest living and multi-functional rooms, and we try not to maintain a huge house. Still, having a bit more room will help when family visits — John’s sister has a 3,000-square-foot home where everyone usually gathers, and we’d love to be another welcoming spot for family events. Our typical get-together runs about 10–16 people, and right now our dining table seats only six. Extra space also means more DIY opportunities, which we don’t mind at all.
Below are the changes we’re considering to make the layout work best for our family. We’ve highlighted the modifications on the floor plan and describe them in more detail here:
You’ll notice we’re planning to:
- convert the carport into a garage (the sellers offered a helpful credit to make this possible);
- turn the modest dining room into an office and add French doors to create a distinct workspace;
- reconfigure the formal front living room into an entryway with a casual dining area that doubles as a library;
- open a larger doorway from that dining/library space into the kitchen to improve flow;
- use one bedroom as a playroom and future nursery, make another Clara’s bedroom, and keep a third as a guest room — the guests will also get a small dedicated bathroom instead of sharing with the whole household;
- Add a kitchen island and widen the doorway to the former family room to create a single, generous living area;
- convert the former family room into our main living room where a large sectional and cozy seating will encourage gatherings. We’ve learned that multiple separate spaces with sofas don’t suit our lifestyle — a single, comfortable gathering spot will be much more useful. The centrally located, open kitchen (soon to be accessible from all sides) should help create an airy, welcoming space for big family get-togethers;
- explore creating a double-sided fireplace, using the kitchen-facing side of the existing fireplace so it can be enjoyed from both the kitchen and the living room.
Update: One change we decided on after posting but before moving in was to use Bedroom #1 (the smallest, closest bedroom) as Clara’s room and make Bedroom #2 (the larger middle one) the playroom/second kids’ bedroom. Bedroom #2 will probably become Clara’s big-girl room later, and our second child will move into the nursery (Bedroom #1) in a few years when the time comes.
We won’t tackle major structural changes — like knocking down walls, installing an island, fully gutting bathrooms, or modifying the fireplace — until we’ve lived in the house and confirmed those changes make sense for how we actually use the space. We don’t subscribe to the “gut everything before moving in” approach; living in a space first often reveals practical solutions we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. That said, we’ll start with projects that make an immediate difference: painting walls, cabinets, trim, and doors, swapping out light fixtures and hardware, and slowly furnishing the home in an affordable, kid-friendly style. I’m already collecting inspiration — tear sheets, notes, and ideas are stacked everywhere. Is it mid-December yet?