SFGate

Annette Batkin Designs With the limitation that you have mentioned i would create a 1st floor bedroom/bathroom suite to use as a master for the time being. Put off completing the 2nd floor till you have the money and need the space. Later the first floor bedroom will convert to a guest suite/ office. We have always had a guest suite on the 1st floor and our family bedrooms upstairs, not only does it give the family privacy, but as relatives who visit age, they don't have to do the stairs. Within the footprint that you are showing, if you were to place the full bath against the wall with your powder room you would save on plumbing, with the rest of the space in that "office" create a closet, and make the sitting room into your bedroom. Once you finish your upstairs you can easily reorganize these spaces without too much rebuilding. Meanwhile I would also put off the staircase in the breakfast area till later and use that space of your office since the 2 of you can eat at the counter until you do the upstairs.

Good Luck!

Dytecture What is it that you don't like about the architect's plan ?

Annette Batkin Designs I wasn't commenting on the Architects plan, I was offering suggestions based on your question as to how finish part of the plan and put off some of the finishing until you have more money.

I did feel that the 2 staircases being back to back made them somewhat redundant

Ironwood Builders I appreciate the desire to save money on the front end of your build...but i would advise a different staging. Build out more of the main residence with planned separate additions that tie into the main house. Don't know if you have the lot size for that, but there is an economy of scale in bringing out the builders and all the trades to complete each phase. i assume that building codes in the Netherlands are as stringent as they are here. That makes partial completion pretty hard to comply with. I'm in Northern California where we are as close as can be to Euro labor rates and control of the building process...

Ironwood Builders Beg pardon about the Netherlands....your name is Flemish/Witloof and I read over the Belgian reference...which makes my point stronger. My daughter spent a year in Belgium as a teen...

Pamela van_Kruijsdijk Thank you all for your comments. I think of putting a small stair in the mudroom and eliminating the stairs in the entry. Afterwards putting a big stair in the living room. I was thinking of making already the master bedroom and in the attic a children's room. Where all the kids can sleep together till they are old enough to sleep alone. Then we will have saved enough money to do their rooms.
I'm not really confident with the dining room. There is no space for cabinets or so on, and the room is very big - in my opinion - 6,5m x 4,5m or something like 14 x 15 feet.
Our lot size is 78 x 410, but we want to leave at least 9' from each side of the house, which makes a total of 60'. The carport and the TV nook would me added later on.

rinqreation I will respond in dutch, much easier for me (and you):
Als je een huis gaat bouwen is het wel verstandig al over de gehele indeling nagedacht te hebben. Het gehele gebouw moet in eerste instantie opgeleverd worden neem ik aan? En de kamers pas later gereed gemaakt voor bewoning? Een grove indeling is belangrijk, zonder in details te treden over de afwerking, omdat de constructieve delen en installaties in een woning niet zomaar aangepast kunnen worden (denk aan draagbalken en aan-/afvoerpijp).
Bekijk flink wat bouwtekeningen en bedenk goed welke functies belangrijk voor je zijn, maak een schetsje en teken de looppaden er in, vooral welke je dagelijks meerdere keren wandelt. Bedenk welke kamers licht moeten zijn, waar de zon binnen zal schijnen. Wat heb je nodig? Wat kun je (nog even) missen? Hecht je meer waarde aan vloeroppervlak of aan bergruimte? Wil je ooit op de begane grond een slaapkamer? Wat is de optimale plek voor een babykamer? Veel vragen kun je zelf bedenken en beantwoorden, je architect kan (lees moet) daar rekening mee houden.

rinqreation ^ more spam (it's all over the place)

feeny I just reported them.