ilmbg, In my area, the Washington DC and surrounding suburbs in VA and MD, there is a consumer magazine and associated website that rates Heating and A/C contractors. Like anything else, you still must do your due diligence and investigate. The Better Business Bureau and in my case, my County provides an on-line source to determine complaints made and resolution for all businesses within the County. YMMV

I would clear coat the cedar, and also add a wood door, so that you have a few things, that look like they belong together. Cedar is expensive, I wouldnt want to cover it up.

To ensure that the dishwasher you choose works for you, bring some of your dishes, bowls, and pots to the dealer. Try loading the dishwasher as you usually would. I did this and found that my dishes fit very nicely into the Bosch dishwasher so I never had all those loading problems of which many people write. I love the Bosch dishwasher. The 60 minute cycle cleans all the dishes, glasses and silverware and uses less water than the regular cycle. I use the third rack for my silverware and odd utensils (spatulas, measuring spoons, etc.) It's quiet, loads well, and cleans wonderfully.

@Karenseb Thank you for the layout suggestion for the bathroom/closet entrance. I think I'm going to play around with that idea a little bit. @Mark Bischak I'll try to post the first level later today, but I already know people don't like it and have opinions on it but nothing is going to be changing on that layout so it doesn't really matter as much @Kimberli There are a lot of assumptions about what my family will be doing in a few years. I have a college student that is moving back home, two that are about to be in college and one that is just starting up high school. Even if some of them are lucky enough to afford to be on their own in a few years, I still want some place for them to all be able to stay at my home for holidays and other family event. There are numerous times I have stayed with my parents since I got married, I hope my children will do the same. We won't be living in a rental, this isn't our current home. It is my parents current home, and they are only there a few months out of the year. It is about 1/2 mile away from my house and it doesn't make sense to spend so much keeping up two houses. There is nothing in our area that even comes close to what I need, and it would be way beyond affordable if it did.