Yes, I've researched the codes here. CA does have the same restriction - a legal bedroom cannot have a door to the garage. However, half the houses in this neighborhood have this same floor plan, and half of those families use this room as a bedroom - even though it's not legally a bedroom. However, we are planning to wall up that door and cut a new door to the garage somewhere else, so it will be a legal bedroom. The setback over here is 20 feet from the sidewalk. The front of our garage is 26 feet from the sidewalk, so we could extend the house up to 6 feet past the front of the garage. The house was built in 1962, and most of the houses in the neighborhood are very similar to this one. We haven't really considered a complete teardown due to cost. I think even if we did do a complete teardown, because the lot is so small, we would still end up with the same footprint - and face the same challenge of arranging all the rooms in the house. We did consider a second story, but aside from the fact that the foundation currently won't support a second story, a two story isn't really suitable for my elderly parents.

Thanks all for your thoughts and suggestions. Here's a new sketch with the island reduced to 4x7 with the prep sink centered. Does this work better and give enough room for the aisles? I also made room for a larger hood and moved the skinny windows further from the rangehood regarding other suggestions- the little "L" is holding up part of the house so it needs to stay. Its 3' long. To the left of the fridge is 36" of uppers and a wine fridge with small 12" cabinet next to it. I think I would leave the ovens where they are otherwise I wont have any landing space next to the fridge. I think I can deal with only 24" to the left of the sink with the window over the sink and the large expanse of counter to the right. The view is out the side of the house over the driveway so not the greatest but ok. After confiring with the DH we would like to keep the uppers. Probably will do glass fronted cabinets to feel a bit more airy. We talked about doing open shelving but while I love the look I think its less practical in day to day use. Would have loved the banquette in my early days with young kids but find them hard to get in and out of now. Would look really pretty though. Might think about that one. Pantry will store small appliances, food, little used dishware, etc. for our day to day we will have more than enough storage in the main kitchen. Pantry is a bonus since we have a lot of space in that area. No display for "pretties" needed! The pantry might be better tucked on the wall behind the fridge. Will try that with the architect. The covered porch opens to the side door and the driveway and offers some protection from the elements- we are in MI. It would be where groceries are unloaded. Also kids can come right into the mudroom/ laundry with sports equipment, school books and dirty laundry. There are french doors to the left of the breakfast area that open out the the deck/backyard area for entertaining and BBQ. Again thanks for all your help so nice to have other eyes to see things with!

I like a lot about it...the bedroom door in the hallway, the bathroom as a buffer against the noise in the public areas, the openness between the kitchen and other rooms, you get a nice entry area, and hallways are kept to a minimum. The only thing to think about on the exterior is you want to make the front door the most important part of the front facade which is more difficult since it is recessed behind the bedroom. So think about porch/landscape to keep it important. I'm assuming the driveway is on the left. If so, you can angle the front door toward the left and make that whole corner into a porch/front entry which will make the bedroom bump out less important.

We cannot specifically say an addition would cost less than reworking existing house, or expanding into garage. Good to know you have property to build new garage. The cost for a new garage would be part of your "total cost of ownership" because you would need garage in your climate. With a current appraisal, and your assessment of your area, it sounds like you could spend this level of money and still ultimately recover your investment. These facts, say to me an addition that reworks the current kitchen and decks to an open kitchen/family room a viable, good option. The only limiting factor is the requirements for your septic field and percolating ability. So, I would get a septic company to come out and assess your situation and give you input on where and what limits you might have building in that direction. This is part of "due diligence" and data gathering in order to make a wise decision. It has nothing to do with saving money for changes. It has to be done to establish what the boundaries are to any modifications. Not getting facts is a sure way to get rushed when you jump into something without adequate knowledge and compounds problems. There may also be "property setback rules" that would affect doing a new garage. So I suggest you get a trusted septic tank company representative come to your home and ask them questions and gather info. Ask local building officials what restrictions you may have for expanding the footprint of your overall home on your property. Get that homework done and then you can dream of the ultimate solution. It will take a year to plan a project like this before one thing starts. Then, you will need a good architect to help develop plans and explore options. Good luck. I would explain to your husband that a lot of research has to be done before you do anything and that takes time. If he resists still, then you have a different problem to solve. ;).