Chlorinated Detergents are not so great for rubber dishwasher seals, admittingly. However.. they are not horrific. They we're used for decades in automatic dishwashers without problems, and I'd equally say that most machines made within the last 10 years are designed to handle corrosive, high PH detergent formulations. I have however noticed that there is a significant problem with GE & Hotpoint made machines though, concerning the Main Wash Dishwasher Detergent Cup leaking or allowing water to spray in, before the main wash cycle. Because of this, most if not all of the detergent is wasted, long before the actual wash cycle.. causing spotting & lackluster performance. I correlate this problem with the the fact that most detergents are now made with Higher PH's due to lack of cleaning agents, and substitutes for Chlorine, which may be too much for the very poorly designed rubber seal seated around the interior of the cup. Despite this... GE's engineers say it's not a concern, and they believe dishes will come out "adequately clean" for consumers.

I like the way they both look, but I choose two skylights. You already have large windows around your room. With two, you would be letting in light while pleasing the eye. That way it doesn’t look like you just added another large window on your ceiling. The two skylights would also look better from the exterior of your home. One skylight would look out of place and compete with the attention of the windows on the side of your house. Two skylights would be less noticeable on the exterior, while still letting in just as much light as one.

@anj_p I've been flipping the sink/DW placement back and forth. your suggest make sense and would make the sink a little closer to the fridge. @Piney Jim and @tozmo1 The view is looking out over SFbay and beyond to the east bay hills. So making the doors and window as big as possible is our goal. I like the idea of pass thru windows about the counters. We're in Redwood City it has the motto "Climate best by government test". Nobody really knows what that test is, but we do have beautiful weather year round. I'm hoping to have the sliding glass doors be the kind that open up all the way. To really blend indoor/outdoor. We don't even have many bugs, so I regularly have our current sliding doors open without the screens. (As a transplant from the midwest, I LOVE this!) @3onthetree Currently the stairs to basement are outside. There's a deck off the family room sliding glass doors, that has the stairs down. That deck will be gone and replaced with the addition. Honestly we don't really need the extra sitting area in the family room, but the master suite upstairs REALLY needs it. Good idea to look into connecting the deck to the new space. Thanks everyone, I love the feedback!

I've run a B&B. I prefer to create a welcome coffee table book with all kinds of information, restaurant suggestions, pizza delivery reviews, house rules and emergency contact information. Most people will flop on to the sofa and someone will flip open the book/folder. I mention this because I really dislike pretty much everything about that niche as it currently stands. I like the suggestion of a custom picture or sign with the name of house embedded in the picture or art work. I was going to take some of those smaller pictures by the dining table and arrange them on the wall of the niche. Lay a large conch shell in the niche. This would also allow you to get your bigger picture for the dining area. Regardless what you do with the niche, get rid of that sign. It's jarring and looks commercial. The niche can be done well, tastefully and still convey welcome and marketing at the same time. Don't put down a throw rug. It's a trip hazard. I would only use one on carpet if I were hiding a stain. You always have to consider liability. Don't go overboard with pillows. If you put in too many, you can't sit on the sofa. I like the bright vibe and suggest you keep the current blinds. Why spend more money when they are neutral and in good condition. In the game room I think that I would paint the surround of the Lillian Disney House picture booth with a different color. Maybe the electric blue of the pool table. If you think that is too much blue and you want a pop of a different color, use the bright fuchsia pink in that feather boa or the color upstairs in that back room that is just visible. The red surround is coming off as an earth tone and doesn't work with the rest of the home. I would also add a few big poofs or bean bags for kids to flop on in the area.