I would like to see even more of the existing layout and how the different levels relate to each other ... to pool, 'down' to game room, 'up' to bedroom, to garage, etc. Is the pool on the same level as the existing kitchen ? Is it right by the house or across the yard ? Is there any type of patio, covered porch, or deck off of the back of the house now ? Where does the driveway run - do guests park by the front door and come in that way, or does driveway have them parking by the garage entry ? Do the stairs at the front door go up ? Up to what ? Where does the door go under the stairs at the end ? Also, what are the dimensions of your existing furniture and any appliances you will be re-using ? What about items you are planning to purchase ? I am concerned that you may not be allowing enough room for clearance around your breakfast table because I do not know it's dimensions. Take the size of your table and add a minimum of 36" on all 4 sides just to edge/slide past or scoot around seated diners. You need 44" on the sides to allow someone to walk past a seated diner. In other words, if your table is 42"x60" and you add 36" to each side, you need a minimum of 9'6"x11'0" totally clear area just to scoot around seated diners. I am thinking something totally different than the plans you have shown. To get you thinking outside the box . . . . How about if you carve a niche out of the existing LR for a more formal entry with walls and doorways so the first thing a guest sees when they walk in the home is not the mess in the kitchen. Use the current Piano room as the family room overlooking the pool area. Put the baby grand in the current dining room and the dining table where the butler is currently. The table will run long ways from the front of the house to the rear. Open this new baby grand/dining space up as much as possible into one long room or, even better IMO ... depending on the size of your dining table, move the wall a couple feet so that the new dining end is longer and the baby grand end is smaller and they are separated by a wall with a wide doorway or arched opening. If the new dining space was 11x15 or 11x16 instead of 11x13, you could easily have a dining table 4x7 that would seat 8 and have room to pass around the end of the table to the doorway into the new family room. I imagine the new baby grand room to house the piano and some limited seating. A much better view when a guest first walks into the house. : ) Where you currently have the living room, it will now be somewhat smaller because of losing space to the foyer. Use the old living space for a combination keeping room with breakfast, desk/homework, sitting room space. The remainder of the current living room along with the current kitchen/breakfast will be the new kitchen. In my experience, most people congregate around the kitchen at parties and gatherings. This layout would make the kitchen and keeping room one big space which would be a great area for entertaining. Between the new kitchen and the new dining room (old butlers) will be a wet bar and storage space similar to what you have shown on option B. Be sure to also carve out room for a coat closet, vacuum storage, toys storage, and a designated space where mail/bags/junk, etc can land very close to the garage entry (but be easily hidden by cabinet doors or something if someone comes over). Depending on the pool and patio location, it could be nice to turn the double windows at the end of the of the old butler/new dining into French doors opening onto the patio. It could also be very nice if this was opening to a covered Lanai or screened porch.

Palimpset, thanks for your input. I live in Merion, just outside the city limits. The realtor just called and is definitely coming over tomorrow, so I will get her perspective on the cost/benefit analysis of the remodel. I'm sorry you didn't get more of a return on your redo. Our kitchen is pretty yucky--chipped doors that fall off the cupboards (which are an ugly plastic gray-beige), peeling wallpaper, a panel fallen off the dishwasher, a non-working freezer in one of the fridges, and a layout that doesn't let people congregate. So we'll see what she says. lisa_a, I agree with your assessment of the DO in Layout 1, and the full baths in Layouts 2 & 3. Definitely want to combine the shower and toilet areas, and put the ovens next to a landing stage. Thanks for the info on stud walls. And your point about the traffic flow from the pool in Layout 2 is good too--if I could train the kids to use that entrance instead of the one they're used to. I like having the banquet area there, but hate giving up the long run on the bottom. This is challenging! Thank you for your thoughts.

@ Cody, Motorized control dampers doesn't specify which type, for that reason I would almost suspect a 'spring' open or close type damper. (these are still motorized but one sided 'either power open or power close' but not both. In other words if the damper is 'power open' it would be spring close and vice versa. A power open AND power close damper is a better more efficient motor. Bypass takes a lot of heat from contractors that don't know, or care to know what they are doing. A zone system is 'a lot of work' behind the scenes in prep work and then going into structure and actually doing it. If there is a team doing this the challenge is even greater because many times the design may fall on those doing the work. Lack of communication or know how and you're not going to have anything you want. (nothing but problems) The problem is that if you omit the bypass, the system is no where near as effective under all scenarios and could reduce efficiency and may even cause problems more so than it attempts to eliminate. I have a zone system in my current home and I am in the process of installing a zone system at my new home that I am moving to soon. (I am the one actually doing the work so I have very intimate knowledge of zoning systems.) I also did a zone project a year ago for a 3 level home in which there was no 'bypass' installed. How they got around this issue was to 'over size' the duct work. (There has to be some where the air can go when only 1 zone is calling.) What happened was that during hot times the upper level (3rd floor) would not get cool enough. The cure was to rip out the existing zone system and add zones for better control and install a 'powered' bypass. (replacing the duct work is not an option in a 3 level home easier to just tear it down and start over.) So with this home the problem still exists, but only when all zones are calling at the same time and it's hot outside. Which really isn't a problem because when people sleep the main part of the house that damper closes down and supplies the bedrooms, when people wake up the bedrooms damper down and the supply goes to the main house. If you have a properly sized duct system along with correct bypass, the difference is 'night to day'. I know because I feel the comfort and the efficiency of this type of system in my own home. The problem is finding someone who 'knows' as opposed to someone who just offers something from a competitive standpoint trying to sell it to you that way. 'Bypassing air confuses the TXV resulting in a loss of humidity control': This means I have no idea what I am doing. (It's complete nonsense.)

Oldrosarian, after many years I find I like best the ones I first had a strong initial attraction to. The ones I thought I'd learn to appreciate (it won the Dykes medal, or it's handsome, etc.) never do become favorites. 1. beauty 2. form 3. hybridizer When having to choose from pictures only, I place emphasis on awards won and the hybridizer. Also helps if you can see several blooms together. An individual flower may be gorgeous but lacking in a group. I have a small garden so 40 inch beardeds and very vigorous growers usually are ruled out.