Just like our first house floor plan and our previous floor plan from a few years ago, many readers asked to see the layout for our new home. So here it is: a clear, easy-to-read floor plan created on a free online planning tool. Visuals like this make it much easier to understand where walls sit and how rooms connect. One notable difference compared with those earlier houses is that this one has a second level. Who’s thrilled about a staircase? This girl.
When we posted a video tour of the new house, reactions were mixed—some people thought the house looked much larger, while others felt it seemed smaller. That surprised us a bit, but it makes sense. Empty rooms are hard to gauge without furniture, and the current blue trim and wallpaper only add to the distortion. In truth, the new house and our current house are almost the same size by square footage; there’s only a 20-square-foot difference. What makes the new house appear larger from the street is a visible second story, whereas the previous place had an addition off the back that’s not obvious from outside.
Here are a few early ideas for changes we’d like to make to the layout and flow of the house. These are initial thoughts and might evolve as we live in the space and finalize plans.
- Convert the large triple window in the eat-in area of the kitchen into a set of French doors that open onto the deck. We’d love direct access to outdoor living from the kitchen.
- Remove several interior doors on the first floor that currently interrupt traffic flow—doors that separate the dining room from the kitchen and the kitchen from the foyer will come down to create a much more open, connected layout.
- Take down the wall between the living room and kitchen, but install built-in bookcases on either side with a large, centered opening. We’re picturing something similar to the built-ins in our current dining room, perhaps with glass doors and integrated lighting to showcase items.
- Completely renovate the chopped-up bathroom and sink nook so they become a single, cohesive bathroom space. We’re aiming for a roomy layout with a double sink and a soaking tub to replace the current cramped arrangement.
- Eventually finish the unfinished storage area at the end of the hallway. Right now it’s an open, raw space with exposed beams and ducts, but in the future we’d like to add flooring and drywall to transform it into a movie room or bunk room for Clara and potential siblings and their friends. For clarity: the stairs you see in that storage area lead to the attic; the storage room itself is on the same level as the bedrooms and does not require going up or down to reach.
Watching the video tour will likely make these ideas easier to picture. We have plenty more projects and decorative plans floating around in our heads—plans that will inevitably evolve—but we’ll compile a detailed List O’ Planz soon. Expect a big, thorough post outlining priorities, budgets, and timelines once we finalize more details.
Before we forget, here are very approximate room measurements. Precise dimensions will come later—accuracy was limited by an enthusiastic toddler and a measuring tape—so treat these as general guides rather than exact numbers.
- Foyer: 9.5 x 8 ft
- Office: 16 x 13 ft
- Dining Room: 13.5 x 13 ft
- Kitchen: 21 x 11 ft
- Hall Bath (first floor): 4.5 x 5 ft
- Living Room: 20 x 13.5 ft
- Sunroom: 18 x 12 ft
- Primary Bedroom: 13.5 x 19 ft
- Primary Bath + Sink Nook (if combined): 8.5 x 7 ft
- Possible Future Nursery: 11.5 x 13.5 ft
- Clara’s Room: 13.5 x 12.5 ft
- Hall Bath (upstairs): 8.5 x 7 ft
- Guest Room: 13.5 x 11 ft
- Laundry Nook: 3 x 7 ft
- Unfinished Storage (exposed beams and ducts): 17 x 19.5 ft
Have you ever created a floor plan for your home? Did you celebrate having a staircase when you moved in? We’d love to hear about your experiences—share what worked, what didn’t, and any tips you picked up along the way.