buddyben--gee...what's wrong with the garage door? ;-D We certainly will replace it, and soon. We'll have to get a new opener too. This one is so old that it doesn't have the infrared sensor to stop if something is in the way. Very dangerous. Funny thing is.....we have been working with an architect for over 6 months. He's well know & been published many times in Better Homes & other remodeling kinds of mags. His thought is to build out the "L" with a big porch. I love big, classic American porches, I just don't think this house wants one. The porch & new entry would dump into the middle of the living room and make for an awkward traffic flow. It would sure be pretty though. At this point, since we aren't really thrilled with his design that (at preconstruction bids) came in at over double our budget, we're thinking we'll go back to letting me figure it out. As for the present front door, I agree that ripping out the walk & the proper landscaping will redirect most people. We'll keep that doorway for a mudroom/garage entry and for folks who come to the wrong door! Thanks for your input. I really need the back-up because my hubby feels unsure about such a radical departure. Check back in a few days. I'm drawing up plans and I'll post them.

Electrical: 1. Two-way switches at top and bottom of each stairway iucluding basement stairs. 2, Two-way switches inside house and garage to flood lamps lighting driveway. 3. Outlets on ends or sides of kitchen island counter. 4. Extra outlets in basement. There should be 2 to 3 outlets in the laundry/water softner area. There should be outlets along each basement wall. If you know where your basement workbench will be, install a couple of outlet boxes there. 5. Phone jacks in almost every room and one in the garage. Omit phone jacks in bathrooms and powder rooms. Nust have locations for phone jacks are entry hall or location of your primary phone, kitchen, each bedroom, basement, and garage. Structure: 1. Make sure that a back stoop is included. Often, these are on the model home, but not included in the owner's house plans. It may be an extra, and if so, you won't get one unless it is added. The best time to build a stoop is during basement wall construction. A beam and footing is built into the basement wall below the frost line to support the stoop and keep it in register with the house. 2. Pay attention to the ouside design of entryways, especially the main front entrance. The front step become hazardous in winter if the roof dribbles water and melting snow on the stoop. The stoop becomes iced. Rain gutters are no protection. Figure that gutters will fill with snow and drip over its edge. A cupola over the stoop or a recessed entrance is nice in northern climes. A sheltered entrance is a plus. One caveat: On a two story, the design of the entrance cover should not interfere with ladder placement to the second story roof. 3. Add anti-ice dam sheets on all lower edges of the roof. The best time to install these is when the roof is first built. This sheet is cemented to the roof board. Also, add the same to all roof valleys. 4. Consider the method of attic venting. Older constructions used vents through the roof with soffit vents. Some new constructions are using ridge vents in place of the roof vents. 5. Seal the garage floor before moving in. 6. Add chimney caps to keep birds and vermin out. 7. Inspect the framing before the siding or brick is installed. make sure that all holes are blocked, especially places where wind might penetrate. Typical places were unwanted openings may occur are at the ends of the second story floor joists, and places were the upper floor changes direction or cantilevers over the lower wall. 8. Pre-stain the interior finish wood before it is installed. You'll have to work with your builder and finish carpenter for this. The carpenter may not like to work with stained wood if the color is too dark. Woodwork finishing is easier and faster when the wood has been pre-stained. Its a pain to stain wood after it has been nailed on the walls. Its tough to keep from getting stain on the walls. 9. If there will be decorative ceiling beams, paint the ceiling and pre-stain the beams before these are installed. 10. Carefully plan where the furnace will be located if it will be a high efficiency, gas fired model. These vent through the sidewall of the house and do not use a chimney. Plan the location of the furnace and vent. If the furnace does not use the chimney, a chimney liner may be required for a gas water heater that does use the chimney. (A gas water heater does not warm the chinmey sufficently in winter to prevent condensation.)

I would go with something close in color to the background of the laundry tile. Using that for all the small areas in question will keep it less choppy.

You could, but I would center at least one to give the option of installing a hanging fixture later. What are your ceiling heights? What are the dimensions of your foyer? Do area houses have pendants or chandeliers?