Size and floor design

My partner and I started with the size, shape and layout of the cabin. We both agreed on a small house/large cabin of 1000-1400 sq-ft. We had an idea as to how the cabin was orientated relative to the sun and the driveway. So we looked at hundreds (probably over a thousand) of designs online as well as several books of designs that you can purchase at home depot.

I discussed space issues around vaulted ceilings and basements (both of which we decided against), number of bedrooms (3), number of washrooms (2), and a mud room? (YES!!).
Regarding the overall design I wanted a simple roof line as well as simple plumbing (ie the toilets and kitchen must all be close together), and two stories.

We decided to try and come up with our own floor design. We came up with a rough sketch that we spent several months adjusting before submitting these two drawings to the designer at Purcell Timber Homes (our framing company).


The designer adjusted the dimensions for standard sizes but the overall design is almost exactly what we proposed. I'm a bit of an energy efficiency nut and I'll post about that (and how it influenced our decisions) later.