Hi Kats! I like the changes you've made. I agree that you'd be happier with the master shower a bit larger, especially if it's doorless. We're living with a small doorless shower right now in a rental while we build, and the splashing out is considerable, even though it's sunken by 3". I also agree that if at all possible, find a way to put a door across the hallway. I remember you saying that you entertain a lot, and if your mom moves in, I'd think you want noise control. I got the impression you were planning Bedroom 4 to be her room, but if Bath 2 is the handicap accessible one, odds are that she'll be in one of the bedrooms near it or be very inconvenienced. I also agree that you should move the bar 6" toward the dining room. You definitely don't want your fridge doors impeding your walkway. Like Chicagoans mentioned, this will put your sink directly across from your cooktop. I personally prefer them to be slightly offset, but I remember several people on the kitchen forum suggesting that you line them up. Clearly, it must be a matter of personal preference. :-) I like Bevangel's idea of positioning the posts carefully. You COULD shrink your study a bit, but I like it large because it facilitates a sitting area if you want a peaceful spot (especially if your mom moves in), and like you said, you'd like a place for exercise equipment. I'd keep it the size it is, personally. It looks like you're moving along and really taking time to get it right. Good luck!

I've used waterclosets in europe and they can feel claustrophobic. I'd lose the door entirely and have the partial wall for privacy. Is the toilet access wheelchair accessible size? THe wider the rim around the tub the farther you have to step over in order to get in the tub. Most tubs will have 3inch width on their own so 6 + 3 =9 inches - thats quite a streatch. you might mock it up and try it for size especially as you age which you're clearly planning for. Good luck on the house.

Thanks everyone! A few answers to question: Jaymielo: Yes, the addition will be two stories. There will be two bedrooms downstairs, and the master upstairs. There isn't direct access from the garage to the house right now. You exit the garage, turn, and walk two steps outside to get to our back door. The current back door is located where the new stairs start by the bathroom. is a scan of the original house floorplan before we did the kitchen bump-out. The resolution of this scan isn't good enough to see dimensions, but it will show the doors that allow garage access. Marthaelena: Good guess on a door location! That's where our back door is currently located. The bottom of the layout is the front of our house, and the main entry is where the indentation is between the kitchen and livingroom. My husband's grandparents designed and built this house in the 70's as their retirement home (hence the 2-bedroom house!), and it has ended up in DH's hands because he respects thier wishes that it stays in the family. So, resale isn't very important to us b/c we have no plans of ever leaving it. If life intervenes, property values here are such that we could sell for half it's value and still be able to buy a house outright anywhere but CA. We would LOVE to be able not to do a 3-level, but we would have to either give up a level, or sink it 18-24" because of the height restrictions here; we can't be more than 24' above our curb. Supposedly the layout shown is to scale according to DH's program there, but I'm not sure I'm buying that. I'm going to get a better layout for you guys including ALL dimensions. I know from doing my kitchen that the more info I can give you, the more you'll be able to brainstorm with me. Sweeby: I hear you on not liking that program! That's why DH has been the only one who's been working on the plans so far. Everytime he asks me to sit down with it, I just get that Ew feeling b/c that program is difficult to work with, and doesn't do a great job showing you what's going on. Graph paper plan or better program (like BHG) will follow later today. The stairs will have to be included in the 19x21 addition space, and it makes the most sense to us to put them by the garage there. The terrace will be 3 or 4 steps up from the bedroom. We may be able to gain a bit more width by raising the roof on the part of the current structure that's over the current bathroom and guest bedroom. However, we'll need to consider how that roofline will look from the outside because we don't want a funny looking house. I'm open to whatever ideas you come up with! That's why I'm posting here- we need a fresh and different look on this. Resale is unlikely, so we'd like to do what's best for us. Our house is currently at about the 60th percentile value wise for our neighborhood, even with it's current 2 bedrooms. This addition and the terrace with it's view, would probably move it up considerably. The house is pretty unique with it's atrium already. Here is a link that might be useful:

Your entire front yard is a driveway. Is this lot on a corner or a cul de sac? If on a corner, perhaps you can move the garage off the front elevation into a less prominent location. Like others have suggested, I think you need more light in the center of the home. Have you considered a large interior courtyard surrounded on all sides by the home? Four feet seems narrow and visually weak for a front walkway. I'd widen to 5' or 6' to allow two to walk comfortably side-by-side. Make the front porch large enough to have chairs and a table. Fire your architect whose primary job is to organize space.