An architect may be a good investment in this case.

What is the width of the office? It does not look like it will contain office furniture, or much of any furniture for that matter.

The office looks like it's 7 x 12. I have an office niche off a hallway that's smaller than that, but still big enough to hold a desk, a narrow credenza and a bookcase, so I think that one's usable as a home office. I'd probably put a pocket door there, though. And I'd have shelving built into the closet on the end wall.

You said it best... "affordable.. ,fast.., not very creative". Are you sure you want to save a few thousand on the first and most important step in the process, then spend $200,000 to execute a mediocre plan and live with it the rest of your life?

He’s in our price range and can get it done fast but unfortunately is not very creative when it comes to layout ideas.

So this whole house is just under 1400 square feet? With that in mind, the entryway is eating up 125-ish square feet on this floor ... maybe the same on the other floor? That's about 17% of your house wasted on the entry and stairs, which are not living space.

The stairs are going to be narrow at 3' .

An idea ... instead of a very narrow office, open up the space by the stairs as your office. It would mean you'd lose your coat closet, so enlarge the office closet into a walk-in. It gives you more living space ... but it is an awkward space and may /may not work, depending upon how you intend to use the office.

Using the clues in the floorplan, I'm pretty sure it's 7x12'

7' is roughly the width of a king-sized bed.

to execute a mediocre plan and live with it the rest of your life?

I agree this is a mediocre plan, but nothing about it says "forever home" to me. It screams "starter house".

Except in this office there is nowhere to put the desk really.

Bedroom 2 is going to hear the toilet anytime someone flushes,

You walk up the stairs and into the hallway and what's the first thing you see? The bathroom!

There's not enough sound barrier between bedrooms 2 and 1.

You are spending 6 figures of your hard earned money. Can you truly afford for it not to be right? If your answer is that you can't, then seek out the services of someone with more design skills.

Fast, cheap and uncreative are not a good combination.

Did he have a sign in their office that said, "Affordable, Fast, Creative, . . . Pick any two."

What sort of lavatory is that in the bathroom? Is it really going to be installed that way? Looks like a pet bath.

Okay I gotta ask, where does that random hallway in the entryway go? What is its purpose?

My guess is that they are stairs, but its only a guess.

Ahh okay, that has to be it.

How many people live here? Where abouts are you building? Is this the bottom floor or the upper floor? Which direction is north? What functionality/flow is missing or isn’t working in the current plan for you?

I would reconsider having an entry on this floor. It takes up a lot of space. Is it necessary?

My thoughts were with the others: office looks too small, entryway seems to eat up space without benefit and has a 3' offset space that isn't explained so I assume it's the stairway. I wouldn't want a bedroom directly across from an entry. But my first thought was about your window placement: your description said that both floors will have ground-level entrance. You show the entrance at the top (N) of your diagram, then show windows on the sides (E & W). By your description, S should be ground level for 2nd floor, so won't those E & W windows be in the side of a hill?

Bet that roof is mushroom big and not so great looking atop a pretty unattractive stem. This looks like a 3rd grader’s stick figure idea of a house. Not someone who has been in construction and knows home design. This would need to rise in skill to be builder grade. Even “track” builders want better designed homes than this.

Affordable is the worst possible criteria for a lot of work. Especially commissioned creative works.

Allie, I'd lean toward wanting the entrance, office, and bathroom on the left half of the diagram, leaving the bedrooms together on the right half. I have no idea what your 2nd floor plan is though, re plumbing.

Get an architect and get it right . I find this confusing since I do not see where the 2 floors connect I guess on the left sidewith a very narrow staircase the entry is huge for no apparent reason if this is just bedrooms on this floor. Really why does the entry need a closet at all, if this is a space for kids good luck trying to keep them from sneaking out at night as they reach teens. Cheap is what you have if that works for you then go ahead I guess.

I realize I posted the wrong photo, Hopefully these photos make more sense of the upstairs and downstairs. The 1st floor is where our front door entry is and is basically a daylight basement as well. We have a back entrance as it is on a alleyway road that is often used by people as another main entrance. This is not a forever home this is purely an investment house that needs to be affordable for us. We based a lot of our design on the comparable newer homes in our area and what people are wanting here. It is obviously still a work in progress, and If a architect was economically feasible for us right now we would definitely prefer to have one .

So you enter the front door and the first thing you see is the side of the fireplace.

Then walk down the hall and you first look into the master bedroom, then the powder room and right after that, the laundry?

And you have to walk over 30’ just to enter into the public spaces?

I wouldnt call that very gracious or welcoming

And when you walk into the master you will walk right into the side of the bed.

3’ is not wide enough to stand in the laundry room. Plus more importantly how will you vent the dryer?

And a 4'4" deep porch is useless. Not even large enough for anything more than to stand on.

Anything anyone thinks is good by chance? Or ways to make it better possibly ?

Build beautiful

Frank thank you for taking the time to review and analyze my home floor plan. I really appreciate your constructive ideas and insight into the design process:) I was feeling pretty dejected after the constant negatives. To clarify the door by the garage is not the front door it is the back entrance, and we wanted the kitchen/ living room to feel spacious (with our minimal square footage) and take advantage of our Mountain View out the front of the house. The small dining nook is the only dining area I will have, the house is only 28’ wide so I was limited on what I could do. Especially with no formal experience or training. I realize I’m trying to squeeze a lot of amenities in on the upstairs/ main floor but I feel like they’re all important to have there. I would love to have the luxury of hiring a pro but unfortunately I’m not able to at this time. So any layout ideas would be very welcome:)

OP, I'd recommend you message architectrunnerguy. He works remotely and I've been told his rates are reasonable.

As for Frank, he didn't give you anything that can help you. He basically told you the same thing we did but in a nicer way and then suggested you give him a call so he could "help" you. (I'm sure that's not free.)

Hi Allie ,

As you can see I get a lot of love on here. Message me on my profile, otherwise I have to share my secrets with these other Houzz pros. https://www.houzz.com/pro/buildbeautiful/

I'm not trying to sell you anything. According to your post, you already have someone capable of drafting. Offering you, 'lower rates,' doesn't seem to get you where you need to go.

As stated, I will sketch your floorplan for 100% free. I do plenty of avant-garde design work for clients in the hospitality and retail sector. I'm come to the forums to help people & because I love my residential roots.

.

I look forward to hearing from you.

-frank

You know what? I don't quite understand what your house will look like from the outside or how it fits into your slope. Do you have to walk up outside steps to reach your main entry into the living room floor?

But the floorplan itself -- I like it exactly how it is. Keep the downstairs closet, keep the office: desk under the window, art on opposite wall, keep the closet if you need storage otherwise leave it off and have floor to ceiling bookshelf. That little nook next to the stairs looks ideal for small bookshelf and comfy reading chair. Keep the bathroom door mostly closed (only slightly ajar) when not in use. Upstairs, hang artwork in that long hall from your back entrance through to front of your living room. (I can envision little kids on rainy days running toy cars up and down it -- but that's my relaxed way of life.)

I like the idea of tweaking the upstairs powder room using the linen closet space as suggested by frank/Build Beautiful. Or if you keep it as is, see if you can use a pocket door instead of a regular door.

Overall I think it's a great plan for a narrow lot, and suitable for starters, small families, or retirees. Sounds like that suits your neighborhood. Oh and mountain view? -- my favorite!

Overall the plan is laid out as logically as can be for a narrow lot. To make things work one ends up making compromises and aspects of a plan that may be a bit awkward ans not so efficient, like the long hallway. Handled well it could be a neat feature. Try looking around for images of homes where the designer has done a masterful job of dealing with along corridor. It can be a strong organizing element if it is recognized and celebrated. I would recommend flipping the lower floor so the the stairway lines up with the long corridor. Whatever you have on right side living room wall can fin a new home, maybe on a partial divider partial between the living dining. Divider would be bay 6'8" tall with about 42" passage at either end. I'm assuming that you are building right up against the setbacks on the sides?