vault living room ceiling or no? In this layout, I think no. You called this a farmhouse, and farmhouses don't have vaulted ceilings. I wouldn't vault the bedroom either. only 1 bathroom upstairs (long term functionality) One bathroom to be shared by two children is plenty. You have three full bathrooms in this house, and they're spread out -- you're already committing an hour a week to cleaning those bathrooms; I wouldn't sign on for even more. I'd lose one sink in the upstairs bathroom. Kids never use the bathroom at the same time, and the drawer storage that could go into that space would be move valuable than a duplicate sink. I don't like that the plumbing is so spread out. Expensive to install, lots of water running through lots of walls (more opportunity for leaks), and a long way for the hot water to run. We'd love to hear any suggestions you might have! It's very nicely designed ... good sight lines, good flow ... much to like. This is a small point, but I'd flip-flop the washer/dryer and the folding cabinet. In our first house, the washer/dryer "backed up to" the living room, and I hated hearing thump-thump-thump of the dryer. I don't love the location of the laundry; it's not convenient to any of your three bedroom locations; this'll mean many steps back and forth. Four separate porches ... lovely, but do you have specific plans on how they'll be used? This is a very expensive feature. Where will your kids' swing set and sand box be placed? You want your outdoor area on that side of the house ... you're not likely to use the porch on the other side of the house. I'd do away with the small porch /door into the mudroom. I wouldn't want to funnel guests in through the laundry ... I'd want them to come to the front door, which would be visible from the parking area ... the front porch will be inviting, and with some nice flowers and landscaping, this could be a very nice welcoming spot for guests -- don't divide it with a second door. I like the look /concept of the scullery area in the kitchen, but I wonder how functional it'll be from a work standpoint -- just to say one thing, the sink is not convenient to the island at all, yet you're probably going to want to do your prep work on the island so you can watch the kids in the living room. Take it to the kitchen boards and see what they say. One thing I'd definitely do: You have a ton of cabinets /counter tops, but pantries are better storage -- cheaper too. I'd make the back side of the scullery -- the spot where the refrigerator is now -- into a large pantry. I don't care for the dining area. A table squished up against the island isn't appealing to me. The upstairs hallway is wide -- I know, it's the curved roof line that's making it so -- I'd do built-in storage of some sort. Shelves, cabinets, whatever. You're paying for this area -- make it work for you! Finally, this is a large house, and you'll soon have two babies. Are you sure you're ready for this much house at this point in your life? This much money, this much maintenance, this much time? Are you ok with a house where your living room and your kitchen and dining room will get absolutely no natural light because of the layout and porches? "Absolutely no natural light" is strongly worded. The rooms won't have beams of light pouring in, but neither will the rooms be dark caves. My great room is similar to this set-up, and it's not unpleasant in terms of light; incidentally, my windows face east. I'd add a window between the living room and the back porch to bring in light from two sides.

Pella or Marvin architect series it is a trading game for anyone. You already learned that with your gables (good choice IMO-too many gables is mcmansiony). I chose certain high quality materials over square footage. 2900 sf was more than enough for my family of 5, and I didn't want to heat and maintain huge spaces that I rarely use (I don't have any need for a bedroom suite, for instance: I would never use my bedroom for sitting on a sofa or whatever people do in their 800 sf bedrooms) but that is just me. Another thing that baffles me is the 3 car garage with cheap doors. I'd rather have a smaller garage with wood doors. But everyone has different needs and priorities. Take some of these things in to consideration as you drive around and browse Houzz. Look closely to see differences between houses that you love and houses that look similar but don't have that special something. I thought I posted this last night but I don't see it here. Another thing you never thought you cared about but makes all the difference: eave returns!! http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2013/12/13/eave-returns-interpreting-gyhr-details/

First start some idea books that is what helps us understand what you like. Also we need more pictures a floor plan done to scale , a list of things you don’t like about the kitchen Are you getting new appliances and even if not we need the sizes of those . I will say it is best to live with the space for awhile before doing anything, that gives you time to see how the house works for you. It is surprising sometimes that what you think will happen in the space just doesn’t . IMO the min. amount of time is 3 months of living in the space.I assume these are the realtor pics and not your furniture.

For anyone curious, here she is with one coat of SW Creamy. Please ignore the mess of ladders and scaffolding and weeds-- I am not currently living in the house, so things get a bit messy in between my visits. I alternate between really liking it and not liking it, but I’m not sure if it’s just because I’ve never seen this house not be white white and so my mind is playing tricks on me because it is no longer the white my brain expects. (this is with basically full sun-- I happen to like the color in this photo) (again in sun) I am holding off on doing a second coat until I decide whether I’m happy enough with the color. For some reason now I’m feeling like I should have gone with either a darker tan/greige with cream trim...ugh I was so sure I wanted an ivory color, but it just looks so different between sun and shade. I’m a pretty indecisive person, so I knew this was going to happen. Does anyone have a suggestion for front door color? When I thought I was going to love this body color (and maybe I do, I'm just not sure yet because of the sun vs shade issue), I was considering a front door color somewhere on the spectrum between dusty pink and aged- brick red because I thought it would look nice with the cream and the green roof. It's a little out of my comfort zone-- I'm more of a traditionalist (like the typical New England white house with dark green shutters and matching door), but I thought it might be complimentary. I don't really know enough about colors to be confident in that, however. The front door is technically the door under the porch; would I also paint the door to the mudroom bump out to match? getting confused by too many options....