Addition layout

We have to decide between two floor plans for the proposed addition. Both are good, and both have their drawbacks. Which will we decide?

This is Buster's preferred floorplan. He likes the idea of being in the kitchen and having clear line of sight into the garden. The top of the floorplan is North so there will be loads of sun coming through two large banks of glass which will open onto a large deck spanning the width of the house. The garden is three or four steps down from the deck. I've considered reducing the size of the deck to half of what we currently have it planned as and we have a couple of alternative options.

The top left corner is the proposed family room, The bottom left is the third bedroom with the door being approximately where the gap is. Buster's plan is different to mine in the orientation of the kitchen and laundry. The bottom right is the laundry space with a window (or door) on that east wall to the side walkway. There is no other glazing on this side of the addition and the window will allow for light and increased ventilation into this corner space. The walkway goes to the front of the house (south) and will be blocked to the north by two proposed water tanks (near where the dining table is positioned), and maybe a clothes line as well. 

This is my preferred floorplan. We will likely go with Buster's layout, as it allows for the rear of the house to feel more open, as well as allowing better distribution of light and increased ventilation to the south east corner. The reason I prefer my floorplan is threefold:

1. It breaks the garden into zones and reduces the size of our oversized deck. We both love the idea of a large deck but at the moment it is going to be too big (3600x9765). I think by reducing the deck, we'll immediately see a drop in cost and the proportions will appear more suited to the space. My plan is to have a step down from the laundry to ground level where we could have a sunny little clothes drying area adjacent to the deck. Sun would be limited due to the shed to the north, the fence to the east and deck screening to the west, but I still think it would be sunny enough for its purpose as well as to create a kitchen garden.

2. I think the kitchen would feel more spacious due to that widened space in the centre. Open plans should feel open to me, but not overly so. I don't like the noise created in open plans which amount to great hall like spaces. This centre part is a concern to both of us though as it creates an unusable dead zone adjacent to what we refer as "the cricket pitch". The cricket pitch is the area in the centre which is at the rear of the island. It runs the length of the entire house, from front door to back.

3. I like the idea of having a laundry which doubles as a mud room. Come in from the garden, strip off all your grubby clothes and dump them straight into the tub for a soak, then wash yourself off before heading into the house. There is always the practical element to my planning.

So this is something that requires a great deal of consideration. We've got a while to think about it, but I'd rather have our plans finalised prior to lodging our DA which will hopefully occur sometime this week.

Any thoughts?