In what country are you building this house? 9 foot or vaulted ceilings are taller than the US builder average of only 8 feet (this is the distance from the ground to the ceiling). If you have a small room, having a higher ceiling (even only 1 foot extra) will make the room feel more open and airy. In a small house of 1500 square feet, having high ceilings would go a long way in making it feel much larger than it really is. It is especially beneficial in a hot climate because heat rises so you will spend less on cooling costs. It is not so beneficial in a cold climate. It still looks nice, though!

Since the lot you describe is smaller than my open living area, I would suggest looking at some of the "shotgun" house plans around New Orleans,LA. I think you can build up and back and get an interesting home with a loft for space. It can be done, A porch with an entry to a narrow hall at the back might work best for you. Will you plan a courtyard (closed)? or what? What part of the country are you in? What are your local codes?

Pankaj, I just realized that initially you told us that the bathroom area was 12'-0" x 9'-0" and later you mentioned that it was 11'-8" x 8'-0". In the last floor plan, I forgot to change the bathroom with the new dimensions. Below is the floor plan with the correct dimensions for the bathroom. The bedroom is ok, I drew it 19'-2" x 12'-6". The new layout does not change the way things are placed. Everything still fit. The only difference is that the vanity is now 4'-4" long instead of 4'-8". and the toilet is closer to the shower by 1'-0". Can you give me the lengths of the walls K and L. They are the walls between the vanity and the shower area. I will send you the new layout once you give me the length of these 2 walls.

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.