Michelle, your house is beautiful! Keep in mind that the landscaping is new but will add a lot of curb appeal as it matures. I think a couple of large, fabulous pots filled with flowers or evergreen shrubs on the porch will add that little extra you're looking for. May you enjoy many happy years in your new home.

I hear you! A bit about me, the possibility of failing has never been theee reason why I don’t do something, that’s more of my husband lol.

We’re self-employed/ work from home/ travel so it wouldn’t be a project that had any kind of timeline attached to it.

I think my major hang ups are the obvious ones.

1. Upfront and ongoing costs. Like I have no idea how much utilities would be on a place of this size but I could find out about the other things:m; age of roof, siding, etc.

2. The trailer park since we do have young children. *the other thing, our current home we have a zillion acres (again my husbands childhood home) so being outside is no worry although we’re always with them, and this would likely be more of an inside the house/ on the deck/ in the lake type of house unless we invested in landscaping overtime which we all know is also a ton of money.

I’m also thinking because there are so many random things here and there, drop ceiling with hanging wires, old installation, the kitchen was gutted, there are two kitchens.. like would this even pass inspection?

No, because there aren’t any rooms. So it would need to be a conventional loan.

Is it even worth having an inspector go out and make an assessment and use that as potential negotiating power?

In my mind I said, if it’s still there in 30 days, make an offer, the worst they can say is no.

Any guess on how much this “costs” in its current condition?

Do you guys think something like this might work?

In our last house we used some open shelving at 45 degree angle in the kitchen. (inset picture). I can use these 45 degree shelving at both ends of cabinets.

Please be brutal and honest with your comments :). I can always ignore the comments but can not go back and change the design once it is installed. LOL

You are overthinking. Do not invite perverts into your home. My biggest concern would be that the 3/4 wall will always give the feeling of being in a pit while in the living room... I'm sure its psychological from just not being able to see the kitchen area while seated. I'd absolutely have to see through the pony wall somewhere somehow.

If you are asking can you have a black house with white trim, my opinion is absolutely not. Trim needs to be black or other deep color.

Actually my mom is fantastic attorney but awful cook. Dad is the chef in the house! So both definitely need a voice in there :) She got her choice of non-white cabinets and non-white floors so hoping she’ll be flexible with countertops. Though flexibility is not typically her thing. Hoping decision goes smoothly.

This is a pretty complex and very very expensive renovation. It is quite clear that you do not have the right design professionals involved to move forward with that several hundred thousand expense.

Find a good kitchen and bath designer. Not someone focused on selling you as many cabinets as they possibly can. Someone who talks to you about the overhead ventilation and makeup air needs for such a large range. With a 40-50K appliance package, you cannot afford to be budget conscious on that ventilation. Or the design.

I think in your circumstances (tub bracketed by a wall and the shower) an alcove tub makes sense. One of the reasons your current tub is unattractive is the large rectangular flange. On an oval tub it doesn't look right. It's like that because the builder bought 100 of the cheapest tubs he could find when your subdivision was built. I know my community is full of them too. You can get a more attractive tub to replace it. You do need about a foot around a freestanding tub to be able to get around it to clean. With that amount of space you can easily Swiffer around it and you would have to be able to clean the glass on the shower on that side as well. So if you go with a freestanding keep that in mind when choosing the size. I have one because I have a bay window alcove for it where it looks nice - in our case it is a piece of sculpture since we don't use it. We had a huge Jacuzzi tub when we moved in. In our case the freestanding is a huge improvement in appearance. I'm not sure it's really right for your space. The tub fillers for freestanding tubs are astonishingly expensive, so look at that too while you're deciding. We got a great deal pre-pandemic. What we bought in 2020 now costs twice as much.

You could keep the pony wall and have a niche built in to hold the bottles, which will then be hidden from view.

I like the look of your tub and bathroom.

Wouldnt do it myself for the reasons mentioned, but the space is very pretty.