Would you be okay...

[Nechums]

...living in a house where the bedrooms were right by the entrance to the house? We bought a ranch and have many options creating and recreating the rooms within. Right now, the option that makes the most sense is having the bedrooms right by the entrance. WOuld you be okay with this? Another caveat -- the master bedroom would be a bit farther away -- more towards the back of the house. Hard to picture, I know.

[cvanbrunt]

I wouldn't.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Not really. That layout doesn't sound ideal to me.

Beth

[kristac]

I wouldn't concider it an issue. The house I grew up in was like that.

[bluestar2]

A good use for a room like that would be a home office.

[hillview]

It wouldn't be my ideal layout. I would not put my kids there to be sure. That said my girlfriend has her 2 daughters on the main living level and her master is upstairs and they are fine with this.
/hillary

[Nechums]

So, those of you who wouldn't be okay with it -- is it because of safety reasons or because it's just "weird"?

We do have another option, but that basically means giving up the playroom. In this option, we would have all three bedrooms next to each other in the back/side of the house.

Grrr, this is so frustrating. The house seemed so perfect when we bought it and now I'm having second thoughts!

[hillview]

So, those of you who wouldn't be okay with it -- is it because of safety reasons or because it's just "weird"?

We do have another option, but that basically means giving up the playroom. In this option, we would have all three bedrooms next to each other in the back/side of the house.

Grrr, this is so frustrating. The house seemed so perfect when we bought it and now I'm having second thoughts!

It'd be safety -- also when DC gets older that I don't know coming/going as well. Maybe also if guests are coming and going -- wake DC up etc.

That said I wouldn't freak out -- like I said before, my friend has it and it works great. She has a great video monitor which seems like a good idea. Also she has a noise machine which isn't because DC is near the door just what worked for her.
/hillary

[vludmilla]

I wouldn't.

[KpbS]

The layout you described sounds very typical for many ranch style homes. I think it can work fine for many families. Could you try it out and see how you liked it for awhile before switching the bedroom and the playroom?

[carolinamama]

I think I could be if the situation were worked out in a certain way.

Safety - when young, make sure that your kids can't get out of the house easily without you. When older, some way to watch them to make sure they are not coming and going when you are not aware. Keep doors locked so others cannot come in. Our last house was a ranch with two bedrooms on one side of the house and the master clear across the house. Front and back doors split the two. We were never worried about the arrangement. That's why they make monitors!

As for noise, noise machines are great and your kids would likely adjust. Having a convenient playroom is nice imo. Do what works best for your family. And if it isn't working for you down the road, you can always switch it at that point.

[wellyes]

Growing up I always pictured myself in a big old farmhouse or colonial, but reality for me & most of my friends is little ranches and cape cods (Boston is $$$$) and we all make do, even with less-than-ideal layouts and annoying stuff like no closets, sloped ceilings, ONE bathroom, etc. So for me a "weird" layout would not be a showstopper if it was the best option.

I remember a poll on this board once where people talked about their homes, and a high percentage people were in 2500+ square foot homes (not directing this at any particular PP, just trying to put some context ere). I'm making the assumption your ranch is a little more "cozy" than that, and so compromising from the ideal may be a more realistic option.

[MommyAllison]

I can't really picture the layout you're talking about. In our house, you walk in the front door and are in the living room. Kitchen is straight ahead, there's a hallway to the left, in the middle of the house. Down the hallway is the bathroom and bedrooms. The main floor is just over 1000sq feet. The kids rooms don't feel too close to the front door for us - it's a pretty typical layout for this size of house. Is this like what you're talking about?

[happymom]

I can't really picture the layout you're talking about. In our house, you walk in the front door and are in the living room. Kitchen is straight ahead, there's a hallway to the left, in the middle of the house. Down the hallway is the bathroom and bedrooms. The main floor is just over 1000sq feet. The kids rooms don't feel too close to the front door for us - it's a pretty typical layout for this size of house. Is this like what you're talking about?

I think PP is referring to the bedrooms being immediately to your right/left when you walk in the front door. Thats the impression I got.

[MamaMolly]

I'd just be concerned about escape. Kiddos who are good at locks, that king of thing. Other than that, I wouldn't bat an eye.

[Nechums]

It's so hard to verbally describe the house, but basically the front door is on the right side of the front porch (instead of straight ahead), so when you enter the house you enter facing the right side of the house. If you turn a quick left you enter the living room, dining room and then kitchen to one side and then playroom and master bedroom to the other side. If you walk straight ahead from the front door, you walk right into two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Basically, another option would be to move the playroom to a different part of the house (I won't be able to see it from the kitchen) and then make the playroom into a bedroom adjacent to 2 other bedrooms including the master bedroom. They would be seperated from the dining room and general living space by a small hallway.

I like the layout of the second option much better, but it means I'll be losing the playroom by the kitchen and also it means that the bathroom is farther away from all the bedrooms (except for master since there's a master bath) since it's in the front of the house.

[amldaley]

My bedroom is right by our front door. I can see the sidelight from my bed.

Pros:

-I come straight in to my room when I get home. Easy to change, etc.
-When I am running in and out in the morning, I am right here, ready to go by the door.
-If there is someone at my front door, I can get to it before they wake the baby.

Cons:

I am RIGHT by the front door. In my bra, in my jammies, out of the shower...
I have to pass in front of the door, with its glass inset and sidelights to get to anything else in my house.

[MoJo]

I live in a ranch now. The master bedroom is straight ahead from the front door, and the other two bedrooms are at the back of the house. We slept there when we first bought the house, but didn't like the noise from the alley, so now we sleep in the two other bedrooms (DD in one, DH & I in the other).

Part of the time growing up, the room my siblings and I slept in was the front room, right next to the hallway with the front door. We were much closer to the door than my parents. It was never an issue of any kind.

[sunshine873]

My master is right by our front door and DDs room is on the other side of the house. It has never been a problem for me. I have a monitor and hear her just as well as if her room was right next door. Actually, it's a video monitor, so I can see her without getting out of bed too (I'm a large fan of that feature!)

Anyway, as for DCs safety being so close to the door. If you have escape artists - it won't matter where their rooms are. My nephew went outside in the middle of the night when he was 2 and his room was as far away from the door as possible (upstairs and on the other side of the house.) Mind you, this was before the child proof door handles, etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - you can make it work for you. I'd rather deal with that and have a playroom within view day to day. You can keep tabs on DC at night with monitors, high locks on the front door, etc.