Michigan Build House Plans

I'm excited to share some sketches of the house plans that we put so much thought into! The great thing about this being our 6th house (7th if you count the cabin!) is that we have a lot of thoughts pertaining to what works and what doesn't, practically. We have lived in many different kinds of layouts and have strong opinions about the entry, laundry, storage, kitchen layout, window configuration, and more. We know what we want to prioritize. Every family's needs and desires are different and we are eager to build a home that caters to our busy lifestyle, and that fits our growing family. 

There are many different styles of homes that I LOVE. Selecting the overall style was difficult, but ultimately, we went with a simple Scandinavian design. Keeping the floor plan boxy and open results in less expensive construction costs, so it made sense to go with this design over something more intricate. As I mentioned in this post, we also love the look of a black, simplistic, Danish exterior surrounded by the woods. Eventually, this home will be a vacation rental, and the unique Danish look should get more interest than something more suburban. 

I spent hours searching the web for the perfect house plan. Ultimately, my Dad encouraged me to draw my own (with his help). I was eager to start from scratch, excited about fully customizing a plan to suite our family, as well as grasp a great opportunity to learn how to do something new!

Here is a list of items we wanted in a house plan:

• Two story house 
• Living space on main level, bedrooms upstairs, and an unfinished walk-out basement (to be completed later)
• Lots of large windows 
• Attached garage
• A breezeway separating the main living spaces from the garage
• Main floor laundry, entry (with plenty of storage),  and powered bath 
• Fireplace
• Primary en suite
• High ceilings (10' on main level, pitched ceilings in the office and primary bedroom)
• Dedicated office space
• Garage facing the side of the yard instead of the front (as to not have a "garage heavy" front exterior) ***update 3/24: unfortunately, we had to change this (see image above) do to the slope of the lot

As mentioned in this post, we are going with a black exterior with black windows. We'll hunt for a great wood front door to soften the modern look. Danish inspired light fixtures and minimal landscaping will complete the exterior. To the right of this sketch is the three stall garage (two stalls would have been plenty for us, but we opted for three for resale). We positioned the garage doors on the side of the house to have a more pleasant visual from the front. A curvy driveway will lead to the side of the house. We are also keeping many trees in the front yard to keep the house hidden from the road. We are thrilled to have a forest view from every angle of the house! Below are some inspiration images.
Click images for sources
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The house (without basement) is roughly 2300 square feet. If you view the plan below, you'll see that you enter the house from the garage into the breezeway, with a laundry on the right and powder bath on the left. We designed the laundry, powder bath, and entry to all coexist in the "breezeway" so that all of the clutter is away from the living spaces. Mail, backpacks, coats, car seats, and packages can all gather there instead of the kitchen island. The entry also contains a hallway that also leads to the back deck. We purposely made the entrance to the deck come from this area of the house instead of the living room. I have always preferred a living room without outdoor access as to keep traffic and mess away from the main gathering space (totally personal preference). Lockers line the back entry, situated next to a coat closet. We have been living without an entry in the Holland cottage and we are so darn excited to have plenty of space for coats and boots!!

The kitchen boasts a 96x48 window behind the sink (a Jansma staple). The large island will be a statement in the middle fo the room. The other wall will have floor to ceiling cabinets to serve as a pantry, as well as a space to hide small appliances. Open shelves will be incorporated in the space as well. Large beams will be a focal point of the ceiling! 
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To the very left, you see our office which will have French doors off the living room. Surrounded by windows, with a pitched ceiling, this will be the sunniest room in the house, perfect for creative thinking. We will fit two desks along the front wall, one for me and one for Ty. A small modular sofa will sit in the opposite corner across from a mounted Frame TV. Ty and I often share our laptop screen to the TV when working together, so we can both view the same enlarged screen. 

I've included some more inspiration images below the plans. 
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The upper level contains three bedrooms and two baths. Our bedroom will have pitched ceilings. We're looking forward to having an en suite (for the first time since 2017)! The large tiled shower will feel luxurious, and we can't wait for the 60" vanity (it will feel huge compared to the small cottage bathroom that we have been sharing!)
If you are wondering what the thing is in the top right corner of our bedroom, that is the chimney from the fireplace below.
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We'll tackle the unfinished basement in a few years, which will consist of a living room, guest bedroom, and bathroom. Hopefully, that will give us a project to look forward to, scratching the itch which is typically satiated by moving...maybe we'll be able to hold onto this house for a while! Ha! 

Our lot has been staked and should get cleared any day now. We left the placement of the house on the lot to my Dad. My parents have a great eye for that kind of thing - they always keep as many trees as possible while prioritizing a nice back yard with space to roam. Ty and I walked the lot and felt really good about the plans for the house and yard placement! I'll upload some photos once the lot is cleared!

Thanks for following along,
​Han