lavender , does each square on the graph represent 2 feet?

would love to see some exterior photos ...

You'll have an entirely different house anyway. You know what the Teardown Queen thinks about this.

It doesn't sound like it is 'historic', just old. Strip any doors, cabinetry, paneling, millwork, hardware, stained glass, whatever and incorporate those into a NEW house. Hang a picture of Der Bingle and the original house in the 'front room'. LOL Are the fireplaces unique? Do they draw well? Masonry OK? If so, save those.

Do you want to preserve 'the cellar'? Is the home's wood flooring worth saving? The staircase?

Salvage the good stuff and reuse it. I bet your family's carpenters would have LOVED to be able to build with today's new mechanicals and materials.

Chisue- There is very little to salvage, except the fireplaces, which are beautiful and very well designed. The stairs are terrible, there is no stained glass, no interesting features, but I do love the painted trim work, in the old part of the house (probably from the 1920's or earlier). It's only in the kitchen and bath...the front rooms were 'updated' with that 1950's skinny wood trim, when the addition was put on.

Summer- Yes, each square is 2 feet and although I didn't leave enough room for real walls, I'm using the measurements of the rooms that are there...so hopefully it's fairly accurate.

If I post any exterior pictures, I'm concerned I'll get a universal response of 'tear it down' so I haven't taken any pictures. It just started snowing out, so maybe I will tomorrow...snow makes everything look better :)

Sentimental value is priceless, but it's also a very expensive luxury that's burdening you in your creative process. You'll be many thousands of dollars ahead to tear it down and start over. As the fireplaces are the only salvagable feature, I'd engage an architect to create a design based on them, and leave the sentimentality out of the picture. Unless you have unlimited funds. Because this project will eat funds like no tomorrow.

Live wire- Actually, I've had to be much more creative, coming up with a plan that works with the existing structure. I think it would be easier to design a new house plan, but I've enjoyed the challenge.

My husband and I live on a 100 acre farm, with our horses and kitties. We have lots of famiy and friends that come out to visit in the summer, but not so many in the winter (too much snow and too long a drive). So, formal dinners and entertaining are not something we do...but baking with the kids, gardening, seeing the horses...are all very popular.

As for design details, I would say my style is a bit storybook...think french farmhouse meets english cottage (LOL)...but it seems to work, living out in the country. In the kitchen, I like the open rooms, but also a little separation, which is one reason I left some side walls between the kitchen and porch/seating area. The living room is more for watching TV and relaxing in the evenings, so I'm hoping to find one of those long sofa/sectionals that Canace Olson uses, with more netural colors. My husband is looking forward to the 'man cave' in the basement, with fireplace, bar and big screen TV (more John Wayne with a little Dale Earnhardt)...and the hot tub on the screened deck!

We needs lots of storage, since we only shop once every week or two. I love gardening, so the pantry is not only for food, but also for storing food dehydrator, maybe some canning equipment and another work/prep area. The sink is the old farmhouse kitchen sink, with drainboards on either side. Perfect for washing veggies or arranging flowers :)

So, that's my plan. I have some pictures and other details on my post at the kitchen forum, if you'd like to see it. Here's the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to kitchen forum post

Have you approached any contractors about pricing for the project? If not, then you really need to start there to be able to make an informed decision. Remodeling is at least twice as expensive as new construction. Spending for sentimentality's sake is a personal decision, but the economics and stress of the decision will affect your whole family. That extra money you spend "saving" the place could send your kids to college or fund a nice retirement. If you decide it's better spent saving this house, and other family needs are well met, and this is "forever", then that's fine---if you can fully finace the project with cash. Banks are very very careful in lending money for such projects in today's climate. That's another place for you to investigate before you get so caught up in planning for something that may not be feasable to accomplish.

Live wire- Yes we have, but thank you for your advice. It's always nice to get other opinions....especially if it could save someone money :)

Summer- May I ask what software you use? You create such beautiful plans. While my 'sketches' work for me, I think something a little larger and clearer would be very helpful.

We have a wonderful friend, who is a also a very talented GC, who specializes in lake homes. When we're ready to start remodeling (still in the planning stage) he's the one we would like to do the job. He sort of grew up on the farm, too, spending a lot of summers here, as a good friend of my husband's older brother.

While it looks a bit run down, the structure is still in fairly good shape. It will be a fun project, but one we can do in stages, since we're not living there now, and can take our time doing the work.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Thank you for your suggestions and advice :)

This will provide a nice hobby for you for a long time -- and income for your GC-friend.

It's good to have a hobby :)

I got curious about the other details of this project after you so "graciously" whined in the Kitchen Forum about people being "mean" to you by telling you the truth about this being a pretty expensive project. The reality is, the ONLY reason to tackle this project is for sentimental reasons. It's very apparent that your sentiment is ruling in this project. That's fine, as long as you can deal with a healthy dose of reality. Which, it appears, you cannot, and accuse people of lacking manners when they tell you the truth that this will be a costly indulgence for your housing. If you're financially sound, then there's no reason to worry about what folks are cautioning you about. It's your money. If, on the other hand, those cautions about this being a money pit are just hitting a little too uncomfortably close to home and this is a stretch for you financially, then focusing on the cosmetics and decorating portion of the project is doing you a big disservice.

"The roof has been water damaged and there has been some flooding in the back kitchen area" Water damage is the worst kind of home damage, and a leaky roof that continues to leak can cause a home to quickly become unsalvagable. FIxing the roof won't fix the problems that the leak caused. Rotten decking, rafters, joists, studs and mold are a byproduct of a continuing roof leak.

"The basement is mostly cellar" That, coupled with the other existing water damage means that you will need to do some type of water remediation around the foundation. Since you don't have an actual dug basement in most of the home, that means a complete reexcavation around the existing basement to lay water tiles and waterproof the walls as well as adding correct foundation/basement under the old section.

"The side porch, covered entry and back bath are all pulling away from the original structure and the small master bath also has water damage." This will probably mean additional foundation work here, as well as rebuilding the addition, especially if it's become water damaged.

So, you're talking 60K (national average figures) for the two bathrooms and kitchen, or if done to your design inspiration, more like 75K-100K. 10K minimum for rewiring. 10-20K for plumbing. 10K+ for roofing. 15K+ for foundation and waterproofing work. 10K+ to repair/rebuild the exisiting framing/drywall of the existing structure from the water damage. 15+ for new siding and painting that siding. Add in the flooring, 15K, lighting fixtures 5K, 5K+ for paint....Plus 75K for the addition with all of those surfaces as well. We havent' even talked about insulation, and a home of your vintage won't really have any. That's 20K in retrofit for spray in foam. You're already over 200K for the absolute cheapest of estimates with cheap labor and at least another 50K-100K if the damage is worse or the finish level is higher or you are in a higher priced labor market.

You can build a pretty nice home in most of "heartland" America for 300K, and it will be all modern systems from the beginning.

Hollysprings- You're assuming my cellar is not 8' tall. I didn't say how big it was, but that it was cellar space, or unfinished.

There may or may not be additional foundation work, but most of the problem is from the heavy snows on the old roof.

Since I'm planning to remodel down to the studs, to put in new electrical and plumbing, and then new insulation and sheetrock, fixing any water damage should not be that difficult.

I don't live in the Heartland of America, I live in eastern Washington, but then I guess it's easier to assume, than ask, shown from most of your responses.

If you'd like to continue your diatribe about MY supposed whining on the kitchen forum, please feel free to do so...but I think you're just proving my point.

Everyone has a right to their opinion and no need to sugar coat it...I just expected a little more diverse response. Maybe some comments about the floor plan, questions about roof lines, etc. Instead, tear it down, you're an idiot (or so it seems to be implied) seems a little harsh. Then again, it could be good advice, it would just be nice if it weren't the only advice.

Have a great holiday and Happy New Year!

Lav honey....you know I love old homes and that I am a terrible old home snob beyond most :p so I was curious to see how badly you were being beaten up by these evil new home builders....and ya know...you are off base here. You are getting real advice, some quite detailed and helpful, and all based on what you are presenting, which to even my old house snob eyes is the picture of a tear down. That might not be what your home is, but that is how it reads here. Perhaps that's where the error lies? Not in how the responses were phrased.

I've remodeled, including a gut remodel many times. And as you know we bought a house needing significant restoration as well and I can easily say that remodeling to the extent you are talking about is far more expensive than a new build even with good materials. We walked into this home figuring a remodeling budget of somewhere between 750 and a million total and as we look at the project I'm thinking we will hit the last number. Now you know I could build a lovely home for that same amount of money just about anywhere, but I have a sentimental reason behind restoring this home. Financially I'll be backwards in it for many years, but I'm ok with that. In your case that is the mindset to have and understand when you move forward. You could easily build a lively little farm house for what your eventual outlay will be, but you chose not to...embrace that :). But understand that any builder worth their salt will tell you the real picture because that is their job. :). The builders here did nothing more than that really and quite nicely too.

Igloochic, would you expand on "what you get for the money"? Was any foundation repair needed? What about moisture damage from a leaking roof? What about plumbing/electrical? How extensive were those updates? I'm assuming some structural or systems issues had to be addressed, but to what degree? I'm betting, from my armchair perspective, :P that the majority of a 1M "renovation" of your older home was cosmetic rather than structural, because it was kept repaired for the most part rather than let to itself. It would be helpful to LL I think to have some perspective of how much remodeling you can get for the money in your state. (I believe you are both located in Washington state, correct?)

Igloo- I appreciate your input. I know remodeling can be expensive...and believe me, if the number comes in way more than I've anticipated, I won't do the project. The nice part (from my perspective) is I can take my time and decide how I want to proceed. We don't live in the house, we don't have to remodel it and we may never do so...but it's something I'd like to do, if the numbers are right.

I have talked to a few contractors, about getting bids, who don't seem to think it's going to be all that expensive, but who knows what we will find, when we start tearing into it. I think one thing that irritated me (and probably taking this in the wrong way) is that my GC (and our good friend) would be making a lot of money out of this project. If he does the work, he'll be doing it for very little money, since he wants the project to succeed, as much as we do. He does a lot of his own labor, with a few helpers and expects us to work, too. If it's not feasible, he's also be the first one to say...this is a money pit and I won't let you waste your money.

Live wire- We both live in Washington, but about 300 miles apart. Labor and construction are less expensive on the east side of the state, but not quite as cheap as Idaho. Washington state has a very high minimum wage, but the cost of living on the east side is far lower, housing is cheaper, etc. Seattle and the west side have a lot of perks, including better access to seafood, fish and Pike's Place Market...which I wish we had here! :)

So a few of those numbers....and lav you of course have to remember scale (it's a big house compared to a little one) but the costs for some things aren't that much higher, assuming you aren't using illegal labor etc...

We just spent four thousand (early this week) on repair of a leaking roof (how did you know live wire lol) but we did this immediately upon discovery lav...before long term damage rook place! This was just repair of a relatively small portion of the roof and something all old home owners should expect on occasion. Replacement of the roof next year as well as a clean up of the roof line, painting the structure and repair of 120 year old trim work will fall roughly around 100k. I'm guessing lav that you have a min of 30 to 50 in exterior work necessary from the descriptions you've given and we have zero structural issues. Our neighbor just spent 100k to redo his foundation and first floor such that it would hold a second story addition to his small home.

Gutting the kitchen as it is (which is really nothing) and restoring the space with a butlers pantry, servants dining room, mud room and powder room is going to come out to around 250k minimum but we are budgeting 350 because of the additional requirements associated with the property due to it's being listed. Many mechanicals that people wouldn't have to hide need to be hidden due to a grant on the house given in the 70s. But still, scale that back with electric and plumbing and I'd guess similar work in a more modest home will easily hit 100k because of the extra work always necessary on historic properties to bring them up to code.

Our only serious mechanical issue is the sad state of our heating system. Replacing it with an efficient heat pump and the associated mechanics of retrofitting the space turned that into a 75k project just to bring heat to the first two floors.

We figure about 10k per room for restoration in the main rooms. Each room needs a couple grand in electrical work (ie replacing worn boxes, adding them to meet code, repairing lighting issues...again adding boxes etc). That number isn't terribly flexible because code requires it done when we pull permits for work. In addition we have windows to be rebuilt and insulation where possible which can drive that figure up, which you will need as well lav to make the place livable.

And again, our electric is functioning and currently legal, but installed mostly in the 60s and 70s. Anything earlier (sounds like you will have a lot) will need to be redone. In my 1980s town house that amounted to a bill of 35k for a scope of work similar to yours lav.

Plumbing, tiling, etc for each bath adds between 5k and 100k per bath (modest ones are the cheaper ones). New valves, plaster work etc all add up quickly.

So as live wire guessed, yes much of our work is cosmetics, and expensive ones because of our need/want to bring it back to it's historical greatness :) but some of the big ticket items are issues we both share. My bills are easy to dismiss because you know it's a big house etc, but lav your place is not well maintained which can increase those costs ten fold.

Live wire is blunt, but I have to say, I agree with the dude most of the time Someone has to be the bearer of the bad news. As a banker I can back up what he is saying about financing. We are excellent credit risks, our property is in a fabulous location (making it attractive collateral to a bank) but we couldn't get financing for the majority of what we have to do because it's an old home and they fall into special (like back of the bus special) financing issues. Yours is worse because it's on farm land, requiring a whole new set of hoops to through and I can tell you now that you will need this cash reserves to make this happen because the banks can't do it.

Lav any contractor who does not tell you what you've heard here isn't someone you should allow to do the work, unless you are grossly over exaggerating the condition of the property. I'm not saying it's not a good thing to do....I'm just saying that it has to be understood that if the house is as you state, it's done because you want to, not because it makes good sense.

It also made no sense for us to do the last remodel we did on our townhouse but we did it because we wanted to....but we did it without the bank because every banker and contractor worth their salt told me we were nuts. We were, we are ok with that....are you?

Igloo- A few years ago, our GC friend did our manufactured home roof (completely ripped off the old roof, new plywood and upgraded shingles) for $3,000 labor plus about $1,800 for supplies. It's a fairly easy roof (56'x 28') with one small gable. We thought it was a great price and he finished in 3 days :)

He has also replaced most of our windows (much nicer white trim/insulated) and my husband helped with the finish work and trim on the outside and touch up painting.

As for the other expenses, I really do appreciate you breaking them down for me. I would not do the house, unless we could afford new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roof and sheetrock/insulation. Yes, this will be expensive, but we'll do it over time, do a lot of DIY (helping GC) and probably be working on it during his off season.

Another thing, I don't talk much about materials, but I am very frugal. I assemble most of my own furniture (from a carton) or buy used/antiques. In our current home, I've made most of the curtains/drapes, painted all the walls, laid vinyl tiles in the kitchen and two bathrooms, and we painted the outside. I am more about practicality/function than high dollar finishes. It gave me a little chuckle, when one person thought I planned to have handmade delft tile for our farmhouse backsplash. I explained, I'm hoping to find some tile at Lowe's on clearance :)

As for bankers and loan officers...don't even get me started! We are a worst case scenario LOL. We own our own business, we have 100 acres (in open plains) we live in a manufactued home, with a 40 acre minimum on the land. The current mortgage is tied to 80 acres, so no way to refinance again...the manufactured home is getting too old (more than 20 years) so there we are.

So, first step...I need a plan! Once our GC knows exactly what I want to do, he can determine what work we should do on the roof. Stop gap or long term solution? What roof lines are going to be added? How will they tie into the existing roof? Will we have to make the 1950s addition roof higher, or (hopefully) just a shed dormer on the front? These are the things I'm hoping to do first. Once we stop the water seeping in along a few areas, where the addition meets the older home (and the bath) then we can see where we are.

As for the condition of the house, maybe I made the problems sound worse than they are...although I have to admit, I don't know why we wouldn't want to take down all the sheetrock (there is no original plaster left) to rewire, etc. It takes care of any water concerns, makes it easier to string the electric, lets us add any insulation, plumbing or ductwork that may be necessary...and we're getting a fresh wall surface. Is the house tipping over? No, but why not do the structural work right, while I have the chance?

Also, it's not a very big house. The basement and foundation seem fine. The only reason anything is slightly pulling away from the house, is from what everyone, who should know, has told me...water damage, from the snow. We had two of the worst snow falls ever in the last few years, our hay barn collapsed two years ago (on Christmas morning)...it's been around for at least 60 years...and 20 stores had their roof collapse within a few weeks. It was a mess!

Again, thank you for breaking down the costs and I really do appreciate your input :)

Lady Lavender ... Merry Christmas !
Let me know any changes that need to be made ...

SummerfieldDesigns, what program was used for this plan?
Great work.

Looking at the plan, few comments, I would close in the toilet area next to tub with a pocket door. I would really check out all the window placements, both from interior and exterior views. For example, it might be nice to have window both sides of the fireplace, or none at all. The Keeping area front window might be nice to be same size like Dining and centered and so on...

Wow, Summer, that was really nice of you.

Are these LL's real dimensions?

As far as the roofline questions go, we really need to see elevations. or, at the VERY least, exterior photos of the existing structure. LL, would it be possible to get a cheap design program and create those renderings, or, at the very least, draw it out -to accurate scale- on graph paper. It's a bit of a pain measuring the existing roof pitch (especially if your roof is covered in snow) but it would be really helpful for people to be able to give you the feedback you need for your new roof design.

it's going to be a beautiful home!

Bless your heart Summerfield. LL, you're once step closer to realizing your dream. Even if it takes a million steps (which I hardly think), hold onto those dreams even while they morph. Just take one step at a time and you'll get there, particularly with kind acts of people such as Summerfield.

Summerfield- You are awesome! Thank you SO much for the beautiful plan! :)

When I saw you posting such nice plans for everyone, I had hoped you might look at mine. This is so nice and I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Summerfield- Thank you again, I just showed my husband and he couldn't believe how nice you were to do this...and how wonderful the plan looks!

Punamytsike- Thank you for the suggestions. There's a door on the left side of the fireplace, right now, that we're replacing with a window. There's five feet on this side and only three feet on the right side, so we'll probably put bookshelves on that side.

Staceyneil- Those are my dimensions...and it is really nice of Summerfield :) The original part of the house has a steep pitch (probably 6/12) but the addition is more like 4/12. I'll take pictures, but after getting a foot of snow yesterday, I may have to wait a while, until it melts a bit.

Dar- Thank you so much for your support, here, and on the kitchen forum. You've been so nice and I really appreciate it! :)

It sounds like you've gotten good advice on the tear-down vs. building new and the costs.

It sounds to me like the roof cost your "friend" did for you is about an average price for around here. Assuming you have a 4:1 slope on it then the per sq ft cost was just in line with the same work I had done on my old house and I used architectural shingles with a reputable licensed roofer and had a little more complicated roof lines. Maybe things are just more expensive in your area.

One thing that hasn't been brought up is property taxes. You might want to check on how that is handled. If you remodel and add on will they treat it as a new build or will they just do the addition from the new date? If they treat it as a new build then in my area property taxes would be much higher vs. remodeling. If they treat it as new construction then you likely will have a large jump in property taxes. Also ask how they do it per tax year. Here they don't tax until it is complete, so if you complete a new build in June here you actually get 6 months without having to pay for the completed construction as they check in april/may time frame where you are at and only pay on partial completion for that year.

I think I'd like to change a few things in the laundry/pantry area. I wouldn't want the pantry part open like that as there is a lot of dust in the laundry area and thus just more to maintain as in dusting on a regular basis and pantry's tend to house a lot of stuff - way too much work for my liking. I'd like to be able to close it off.

The other thing to consider is the location of the washer/dryer. You want to place them so you can easily vent the dryer outside in as short distance as possible. Not sure your current location allows that - does it?

I'd also consider switching the toilet location from the outside wall or think about how to do plumbing to it without running it in an outside wall.

Also realize that all exterior corners add costs to the remodel. If you can keep them even and straight where the additions are - don't think it matter so much where you tie in as long as roof line allows the tie in, but adding corners where you're building new will cost you more than if you keep it straight and minimize corners. Keeping roof line simple is also a way to save on costs.

Summerfield- I love the plan, so much! If you don't mind there are just a few changes, I'd like to make...if it's not too much trouble :)

The vestibule, entry, living room, master bedroom and master bath are all wonderful! I like the little double doors to the basement, too. Do you see those as solid or glass? Very nice.

In the pantry/laundry, I'd just like to put a door between the pantry and mud room, to make it an air lock. In the mud room, instead of closets, I was hoping for floor to ceiling pantry cabints, for tools and fencing supplies. The cubbies are great, but on the wall to the pantry, a bench with some hooks would be a good place to hang coats and take off boots.

In the kitchen, I would like a wall beside the fridge, since that's a load bearing wall to the keeping room. Just a foot or so past the fridge, with a big opening between the kitchen and keeping room.

While it looks like an island, that's actually a 3'x 5' work table (hopefully with an engineered marble top) in the kitchen, so I can move it around and make the dining area bigger, when necessary. The chairs at the work table can be used for dining, as can the chairs in the keeping room. I was picturing something like this settee and chairs, so there would be a little more room by the woodstove (the settee is only 6' long) and a chair and very small pouf/ottoman with it, set up on the angle...facing the settee.

Here's the little Jotul woodstove...you did a beatiful job with that on the plan. I checked with woodstove installers and four feet on either wall (with the proper heat resistant backing) will be plenty of space for the stove. It's perfect in the plan :)

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Here's the settee and chairs (but I need to find nicer legs for those chairs).

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In the main bath, the clawfoot tub with plants is beautiful...just what I pictured! I think I'd rather have a half wall, between the toilet and the tub area (to let in more light) and maybe a little bookcase against the wall, on the tub side. On the other side of the tub, maybe a slipper chair and tiny end table, between the chair and tub (for a beverage or a book) LOL Love to read in the tub.

The storage, opposite the toilet, is for a small armoire. I'd like it a little smaller, with a little 'dead space' to the right, so the sink/vanity can come out a little bit further (maybe a foot). The shape of the vanity is very pretty...and I think an oval mirror with a couple of sconces would be beautiful. What do you think?

I showed my mom the plan (if she hadn't been a teacher, she would have been an interior desinger) and she was VERY impressed with the plan, the floor finishes, the dimensions...all exactly what I had described to her. She couldn't believe you got all that from my little sketch.

Thanks again and Happy New Year! You are truly a treasure and I appreciate you providing me with such a beautiful plan :)

Summerfield, I was looking at the plan and I realized that you centered the keeping room window on that wall and also centered the work table on it as well. It looks wonderful, but I might have to move the window over about a foot, towards the pantry wall. It's not as good for balance, but it does give a little more space between the furniture and the wood stove.

The window should line up with the opening, between the kitchen and keeping room, with the wall next to the fridge, added in. If you want to center the work table, it's mobile, so it can go where ever you think looks best :)

made the changes that you requested ...
i don't like to extend walls beyond refrigerators , because it can hinder opening the ref door for cleaning and shelf/drawer removal ...
your wood stove requires 55" clearance ... made that change ...
toyed with the laundry area a bit ... relocated the machines to give you a place to sort/fold laundry , and to move the machines out of view of the kitchen opening ... i utilised the space below the back window for a desk ... every house needs one , especially a farm ... all changes can be undone , if needed ...
looking at your pics , i think that the deck at the rear door needs to be covered ... snow, rain , etc protection ... added a little depth at the front door for the same reason ...

thanks all , for your kindnesses ... a better 2011 ,for everyone ...

reposting ... a few things always manage to get lost in these transfers ...

Summerfield- I love the changes! The desk is such a good idea...and the folding area is a great place to put some slide out hampers.

I love the main bath...everything looks exactly the way I pictured it! I was trying to explain to people, why I wanted so much room around the tub...and now it all makes sense. The sink with vanity is perfect.

You're right about the wall against the fridge. I just needed some place to put the supports, for the opening to the keeping room.

The woodstove area looks great and the furniture fits in the space so well. Very inviting..and still room for some plants!

The covered area on the deck is a great idea. Thank you so much for everything! Have a wonderful New Year :)

just toying around with the exterior ...
happy new year :-)))

Summerfield- That is remarkably close! The front gable is really steep (probably 6/12 pitch) but the entry is exactly what I hope to do with the remodel. We've also thought about putting a shed dormer on the front (over the living room) to bring a little more light into that area.

My husband couldn't believe how much this looks like our farmhouse. He loves the plan, too! Thanks again :)

Here's a picture of the old house, taken through the window, the other morning. We have about a foot of snow and it was -4 F. so I took it from inside our manufactured home! LOL

Please ignore the shed, but I hope you can see how tall the gable is...and the fireplace. The roof on this end looks a little funny, because my husband and his friends put sheet metal on, to keep the snow/thawing out of the few leaks, where the addition meets the tall gable.

That's the lilac hedge behind the shed. They're about 60 years old now...and while it doesn't look it from this angle, some are about 20 feet tall :)

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Summerfield- Thank you so much for the plans! Here are some more pictures, and one each of the front and back. I've also included a few more pictures of the interior...and would like to know what you think of this option. It's closer to the house, as it is today.

The woodstove is supposed to have 4' non-cumbustible material on each side...and this is closer to 4'6". I want to be able to expand the dining table, when necessary, and it's a little tight in the other plan...so do you think this would work? I don't have to have the settee and the woodstove might heat the kitchen better, from this corner.

The cotswold cottage is a little more whimsical than my style, but I love the chimney and shed dormer...and the little entry. Even a chimney 'facade' would be great, since I can put the actual pipe up through the house, if necessary. The upstairs is a big attic right now, so there aren't really any walls to worry about, except between the original house and the addition.

Also, do you think a covered deck or pergola would work over the middle of the deck? I'm still trying to figure out the roof lines. I'll try to get more pictures, when there's less snow :)

Thank you so much for looking at all this and I REALLY appreciate your input!

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Here are a few more pictures of what I like, for the interior. I know this house needs a lot of work. Right now, it doesn't cost anything to plan...and having a plan makes it so much easier to show people what we'd like to do...and then see if we can afford it! :)

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And here's a few of the bath...I can't believe how close you were to my picture (which I couldn't find) from just my description!

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Brick on front facade is not staying.

Here's one more dining room picture...love the french style, but I think a banquette would be cozier and fit better in the space.

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Summerfield- I'd like your opinion on one more thing...if you don't mind :)

I've gone back and forth on this since day one...to have an island or work table in the kitchen. With the dining room in the other location, the work table was a better choice, so I could move it to expand the table.

With this new layout, do you think an island makes more sense? I have drawn a 3'6" by 6' island, with a prep sink and a few lights overhead...with two stools. I like the extra storage and the prep sink.

The one big negative...an island, especially one with a sink, does not move. So as not to feel claustrophobic, I'd like at least 3'6" between the perimeter counters and the island. What do you think? I value your opinion and you had such great ideas about the other changes :)

Also, next to the freezer, I would like to make that little cabinet a taller unit...to store the ironing board and iron. I like to sew and need a good place to store them. I like the desk, but it would make a great sewing area too, especially during the holidays. Always lots of gifts to make, especially for the nieces and nephews!

Thank you and have a great weekend!

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Lady Lavender ...

Thank you , yet again , for your kind words! I will tweak the ideas that you have put forth , and see what i can come up with ...

The existing house appears to be in fairly good shape ... please be sure to keep the roof covered to prevent any water from entering ... i can not stress this enough! If that brick wall at the front is sound , i would not remove it ... painted brick can add immense charm :-)

The tall cabinet beside the freezer is not a problem , and if you use a laptop , the desk , with it's 30" height , would function readily for sewing.

The cabinet for the bath is no problem. A pergola would be suitable for your open deck area , as you will have roof over the other deck spaces.

I have done a few different variations of your front elevation , and i will post these ... accordingly , the final elevation will depend on what arrangement is done inside ... the vernacular style you suggest tends to work best with an extremely high roof ... 18/12 pitch , or so ... but i'll see what i can come up with ...

The same is true for the use of an island or a work table. Both would be functional ...

wow...

I am both impressed and incredulous that you are planning to "sink" the amount of money that you inevitably will into that house. Best of luck.

Summerfield- Those are just beautiful! I like them both, but the first one has a few more cottage details. I really love what you've done with the entry.

As for the pitch, whatever is there now, will be fine. It looks steep to me, but the addition roof is an attic, which probably makes it look smaller, in comparison.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with...you are so talented! Thank you so much :)

Summerfield- I found this beautiful kitchen picture today. Instead of an Aga, I'm planning on the blue Jotul woodstove, in the corner...but I think it will fit in perfectly :)

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Summerfield- Here's another cottage picture. I'm really not a fan of the stucco and half timber, but I like the overall shape of this home.

The chimney is on the wrong side, but the windows and roof line of the gable and entry are similar. What do you think? Would the chimney work, or is it going to block too much of the window?

I hope you're having a great day and plans for a wonderful weekend! Thanks again :)

After looking at your plan, I noticed that I need more wood storage. The basket by the woodstove is a great idea, but what about the fireplace?

A long time ago, I saw a really nice idea in a magazine. They put a window seat, next to the fireplace, with wood storage inside. What do you think? Here's a picture of a similar idea, but the fireplace is all wrong. Ours is brick, with a raised hearth and no room for a TV...and I'd have a cushion on the window seat...not a lamp. Also, the bookcases wouldn't have a dividing piece down the middle. Other than all that, very close! (LOL)

If the furniture shifted slightly towards the entrance, the window seat should fit..and it would make a great place to curl up, look at the view and keep warm, too :)

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I just found a great picture of a banquette. This is what I'd like to do in the dining area, but only the length of three of the windows. A rectangular table, with two chairs across from the banquette and one on each end. Very french...or at least with this fabric :)

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Summerfield- After talking to some people on the other forums, I've decided to have the island in the kitchen, but no sink. Here's the latest version :)

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lady lavender ...

finally had a chance to make your requested changes ... living room wood box fills from the outside ... no tracking through the house :-)

still working on the facade ...

Summerfield- I LOVE it! Thank you so much!!! :)

Great idea to have the woodbox under the bookshelves and I think the dining area is beautiful. So much more room to get around the table...and the pergola looks amazing!

You are so talented and it's so much fun to see how nice everything looks in the design! Thanks again :)

Summerfield- I showed my husband the plan and he thinks it's wonderful! He thinks the wood storage idea is great and also likes the pergola. He can't believe how much it looks like the farmhouse, but so much better! LOL

Is it okay if we make just a few changes? (I tried to show it on the plan.) His only concern is that the furniture is too close to the fireplace...which I told him, is the way I drew it :)

Could we move the sectional down a bit, towards the entry? It could be a little shorter on the end seat, just enough to put your feet up, when sitting there. It would also be great to move down the TV console and the chair and ottoman. It's a big fireplace, and even with a screen, the furniture has to be at least 3' away.

The good news...I have room to put the window seat next to the fireplace! There doesn't have to be a lot of room in front of it...since it's mostly for visiting nieces and nephews to use. That's why I took out the chair in front of the shelves and put the floor pillows...that's their toy area. I have a lot of Fisher Price and coloring books we keep on hand for the little ones.

In the kitchen, I made the island just a little shorter, which let me move the chair and put a plant in the corner window. I also added a plant table under the window, with the window box and plants on either side. I really want a place to have some star jasmine and some smaller plants and that's a nice south corner.

Thank you SO much for all your help! We really appreciate it and it's so amazing that you've brought our little farmhouse to life. Thanks again :)

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Lady Lavender ...

had a little free time , so i was able to work on the changes that you addressed ...

also , worked on the exterior elevations ... don't have time right now to explain all , but i think that you will see the minor changes that happened in the rear of the house , in order to make the roof construction possible ...

also , i added a floor-length alcove window in the dining area for your plant keeping ... just a thought .. easy to change :-)

thanks , yet again , for your continued kindness ... have a great week !

Summerfield- This looks wonderful! I love the big window for the plants in the dining room...and the desk in the laundry area is perfect. What a wonderful idea to bump it back, with the built in shelves on the side. It's such a great way to use the space.

The bathroom looks better, too. Having it squared off really makes it seem like it was a bedroom that was made into a bathroom. That's exactly the look I was trying to achieve.

The exterior drawings are beautiful! What a great idea to expand the entry porch...now there's enough room for a little bench. The chimney looks exactly as I'd pictured it, too.

Thank you so much for all of your help! I really appreciate it and this is going to make it so much easier to show people our plans for remodeling our farmhouse. Thanks again!!! :)

Summerfield- I would like your advice, about the hall bathroom. Since you evened out the back wall, do you think it would be better to make the bathroom a little smaller and have more room for the desk area?

Also, while I think the plant window is beautiful, I would rather have the smaller window, maybe with a buffet...and plants on both sides. The big window brings in lots of light, but the smaller window, with the window box outside, seems more cottage style, at least to me.

What do you think? Thank you so much for your input...and the beautiful plans! You are truly talented and so nice to help me with all of this :)

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Also, since I'm losing the bookcases in the dining room, what do you think of something like this, for the island?

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And this kitchen is just beautiful...I'm hoping to put a plate rack, between the range and oven/microwave.

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I found some great ideas for using dressers for the bathroom vanity. It should look wonderful with the claw foot tub. I might have to give up the armoire storage, but there would be nice storage in this kind of vanity :)

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And the bottom of this hutch would make a beautiful vanity. I'd love to find something like this :)

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