My current house is "reversed" as well. It's 3-stories/five levels to maximize the ocean views. First level is the foyer/garage, half-flight up is the master facing the ocean, half up from that are two guest rooms facing the street, half up is a story-and-half great room facing the ocean (over the master bedroom footprint). Half-flight up from that is the kitchen, dining room and library, all with ocean and street views. Every morning, looking at the sunrise and dolphins in the waves I know it's worth it to carry groceries all the way up!

Thanks for all of the reviews. I will make sure to change the swing of the bathroom doors and will most likely make the pantry door a single outward swinging door. As for the family room, it's 18 x 18'2 including fireplace and built-ins. I'd like it a little bigger but we're tweaking an original plan and trying to only make minor changes to keep the costs down. I think since it's an open plan, I'm ok with the size. I've measured the size against our current family room and I've seen pictures of the family room in a built house and it seems large enough. lyfia, I hear what you're saying about the location of the laundry room but it doesn't really bother me. As for the front porch, I think it's 7' but that is the one last thing I have to confirm. I agree that 7' should be the minimum. Yes, we'll change the french doors to sliders. That works much better. gobruno, I hear what you're saying about the bedroom with the small dormer as the only source of natural light. Unfortunately, in order to keep the elevation the same, I don't think there's much we can do. I'm going to look at pictures of larger dormers to see if we want to make them larger. There are skylights in the playroom but I think we're going to add a large dormer instead. Thank you all for the reviews!

Hi All, Just want to say thank you for all the thoughtful and cogent comments regarding our question. Well, after all is said and done, and my daughter did check out a number of condos in R.O., Birmingham and Troy, but she agreed to look at some houses and of course, fell in love with one of them. Patser, you may know the area, it's the Red Run Golf Sub and the house is really nice. Brand new kitchen, family room new addition, finished basement, deck, painted perfect colors for her, spotless, ready to move in. Only one bath, :0, no garage, but the price was quite reasonable and she is very happy with her choice. Closing next week, so question settled I guess. I think happiness in condos, like single homes, depends on a lot of individual things and of course we can't foresee the future, just hope for the best. Now, somebody tell me how to get used to my house with no little daughter in it!!! Well, I still have my pets to keep me company, so guess I will survive. God Bless you all for your considerate responses. mh

All the issues you raise - and many additional ones - should be negotiated with the other party and covered by your contract. These are clearly legal contract issues for negotiation and you need a negotiation strategy. It is not fair for you to get paid for one plan and have the builder benefit from it 20 times, but that may not be the position taken by the builder. You should also be concerned about your potential liability to multiple third part home buyers you have no contract with, which can vary from state to state. You need a reasonable attorney with subject matter familiarity and experience and good negotiation skills, as there are multiple issues and trade offs in this scenario.