Time for another installment of Building Beyeler Hollow – as you follow along as we’re building our own house – yep, the ultimate DIY! You can follow along with all posts in the Building Beyeler Hollow Series.
So we talked about how hard it was to settle on a house plan – that might have been the hardest part, and we’re already finding some things we would have changed. But anyways, I never posted the actual house plan blueprints that we settled on, and I know you’re wondering. So I just wanted to show ya those so you’ll have a feel of the layout moving forward.
Remember, we went with a basic rectangle and based the look of the exterior on this inspiration house below. We drew up the plans ourselves – DIY from the get-go. We actually searched TONS of online plans, but we wanted 6 bedrooms (4 kiddos, master, and guest room, plus a studio) and that was really really hard to find except for mega-huge houses, which we couldn’t do. Trevor bought a house plan designer software that is pretty cool – it even has a 3D mode so that after you design stuff you can flip the view and it’ll show you images like you’re standing in the room, which was pretty helpful for me to visualize everything.
Since we’re building ourselves, a rectangle was the easiest option – no fancy jut-outs, etc. But keep in mind the house above didn’t show any interior pics or layout, so that was all up to us. Here’s what our main level will be:
Even though it’s a rectangle, there are inset porches in the front on back – we liked this because the roofline is still basic because of the rectangle, yet you get built-in covered porches, so it’s a win. The one thing that was a must-have was a master on the main level – if we’re growing old here, it needed to be on the main level. All the doors are extra wide so they’re wheelchair accessible (again, thinking of growing old). I am a big fan of computers in the main living area instead of off in a back room office, so there’s a desk nook in our family room. I love how the master closet opens right into the laundry – excited about that feature! But probably most excited about having a craft room studio right there on the main level – it’s a dream!
As you might remember, there’s no attic, just a big peak loft area that we were able to put bedrooms into – so all 4 kiddos have rooms upstairs and the upstairs hall is a catwalk that looks down into the main living area below:
There is a girls side and a boys side, and each side gets a bathroom. Technically the bedrooms are really small because you can’t count any space where the ceiling is under 5 ft as square footage, but the ceiling slants almost to the floor so when you’re in the rooms they feel big-ish.
And then we also have a basement – this probably depends on the area in which you live, but almost all houses here have basements. We even excavated under our garage, so that makes a basement under the garage which will be a nice workshop type area. We did the same for under our front porches. All those areas have cement ceilings in addition to the cement walls. For now (and probably for a while) the basement will be left unfinished – just cement and studs. Eventually we will finish it off to have a guest room and family room.
So there ya go – that’s what we’re working with! Stay tuned to hear about the challenges of building on acreage (have I mentioned that our driveway is 1/4 mile long?!?)…
Your home sounds wonderful. I am already a “senior citizen” and we are planning a remodel soon to incorporate handicap features that will be in place for our future needs. You are very wise to plan your home with your golden years in mind. My main concern is the shower/bath area. I want a shower that can have a wheel chair rolled into it and will already have a seat and grasp bars in place. I think we will also have to alter some doorways for a wheelchair, but the hallways are wide enough. My mother is in a nursing home and I want to make sure I can enjoy my own home as long as possible. Wishing you joy!
it’s so hard to think of all those things, but we’re not moving again, so I want the house to fit all stages of life!
so.. I just repinned something from your blog and Pinterest showed me other things.. Oh my goodness! You are awesome! I had to come right to the blog and tell you.. just in case you didn’t already know. 🙂 I have all these ‘original’ crafting ideas that I haven’t implemented yet (how do you do it all?!) and just saw that they are not so original.. you’ve done many of them!!! I’m totally going to check’m out for your tips.. and hopefully I’ll avoid any weird mishaps
thanks so much for the blog love!!
I love the layout of the house. My husband and I moved into a house that his grandfather built and I have big dreams of remodeling. What a fun project you get to work on.
what a fun legacy to live in his home!
I would add plumbing for sinks in the very bottom and another water supply. that way could make kitchens/showers down there at some point. Easier and cheaper to do now than later trust me on that. Also try using pocket doors where you can to save space.
Just a thought I know you didn’t ask but being we’ve built home before these are things I’ve learned in the past 50 + years.
yep! on the detailed plans there are all the plumbing lines, and we’ve got sinks in the basement for bathrooms, and a full shower. I’m already wanting to finish that space and we haven’t even finished the main living area yet! and i love pocket doors – we had one, but ended up not framing it in at the last minute and we’re already kicking ourselves for that one
I love love love that you have a boys side and a girls side with jack and jill baths. Looks like a great house. I bet you are so excited!
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My husband and I are taking on a build ourselves. We’re getting the deed to our new property in the mail this week (Eeeek)! And the next step for us is to finish designing our home floor plan so we can move onto getting the building permit. Would you mind sharing what house plan designer software your husband used for your home plan?
he thinks it’s called 3D architect 😉