Please don't kill me on this but why do I need to own the land to know what type of layout I want to have? People buy plans off the rack all the time because they like the layout and then have them built. Yes, people buy "off the rack" plans and have them built -- with varying degrees of success. We're going with a "stock plan" and will make few modifications; after drawing and studying, we've decided that our needs aren't that unique, and we found a number of plans that'll work just fine. We are rearranging the master bath to make it more age-friendly, and we're adding a breezeway between the kitchen and the garage that'll house a pocket office and very large pantry, and with those small changes it's everything we want ... with few compromises and without recreating the wheel. However, we knew we wanted a house with Southern exposure and a few other necessities ... so we chose the lot first, and then agreed upon the plan we liked best from the dozen or so that we'd selected as likely possibilities. Here's an example of why you want to start with the land and let the house evolve from there: When we were first married, we bought a cute little all-brick ranch in a subdivision -- I loved many things about that house and have many happy memories of living in it, but one of its biggest detractors was that the windows weren't well planned for the house's orientation. The back of the house faced West, and we had a big, lovely glass door by the table, which overlooked the back yard. The problem was that every day -- about the time we were ready to sit down to dinner -- the evening sun beat down on that door, and the brick "held the heat". Especially in the summer months, the dining room was an oven. So what could've been a lovely feature -- the door -- had to be covered with a heavy, insulated curtain, which was always closed at dinner, robbing the dining room of what could've been an open feeling and natural sunlight. If the builder had considered the treeless lot and the Western sun, he could've placed the bedrooms towards the back of the house; no one would've been in the bedrooms in the late afternoon /early evening, and the house would've functioned better. Another example: you've designed a house that's essentially square and requires X amount of space to build. Suppose you locate a fantastic lot that happens to be on the small side, but its location is so perfect that you want to buy it -- and the buildable area is 10' too narrow to build this house. Or it's a cul-de-sac lot with a narrow front that can't support this wide a house. Or suppose the neighborhood requires a garage to the back, or it requires that all houses are two-story, or whatever. These aren't uncommon things. With so many variables involved, there's no point in getting down to specifics until you know that the morning sun will strike your house on the left, and traffic will approach your house from the right, and you'll have X amount of width available to you -- and more. I started making the layout over a year ago and this is what it has grown into and I can tell that I'm to attached with the layout as it is because every time I go to move the stairs I think but where it is, is a great place for the stairs. Honestly, the stairs are the worst part of the house. They're directly in front of the bowling alley entryway, meaning that the sight-line upon entering the house is a stairway with a half-wall. It's closed off, dark, and sets a poor tone for the house. The solid wall blocks off natural light to your main living area, and it impedes your view out on to the deck. The stairs in that position are going to give your living room a small, closed-in feeling. I'll try to think of a way to smash from top to bottom. Okay, I put that idea in your head, and now I see that I worded my thoughts poorly. Think instead of how many "rooms deep" your house is. Right now it's a "three-room deep" house: On one side you have garage - bath - master bedroom. In the middle you have family room - living/kitchen - dining /deck. Get the idea? Three-deep houses can work on narrow city lots, but those tend to be narrow houses that provide windows on both sides. Move some rooms around so that you have a two-deep house; at the same time, draw your stairs and closets "inward" -- and you'll see things work better.

homechef59 - Yes the idea of adding the second story has been run by a professional who came out to check the load bearing walls etc. Every piece of molding has been painstakingly removed so it can be striped of 10 layers of paint and used again once walls go back up. The house is lovely but it isn't quite worth blowing out the entire structure and reprogramming the space. If I were to do that I would certainly do things differently but as it is I'm attempting to move as few walls as possible. All of the fireplaces are staying just as they are. cpartist - I hadn't considered bumping out the wall in her room. That could definitely work. I'll measure out once I'm back at the. In your revised plan you moved the MB door closer to the opening of the front door and I'm really trying to avoid it unless I can shield it from the front door in some way. In the MB/Bath there is a double sided fireplace where you suggest putting the wall of closets. The wall of closets could work for her space so I'll ask her what she thinks about it. Thank you! I'm actually trying to be fairly kind to the current structure of the house by not gutting the whole thing which has been suggested by numerous professionals who've come to give me bids etc. Aso, not every house is worth the large investment of a total gut which I don't think is supported by comps. tartanmeup - Definitely going to attempt to come of with a less congested space plan for the back area. I think cpartist's approach of moving that wall would work as well as shopping37's approach of closing off the mudroom. I'll make a few revisions and post those ideas. decoenthusiaste - Lots of info to consider. You read the workstation correctly. There's a large monitor at my desk along with speakers/monitors but thankfully it is temporary. Having a window directly behind my monitor is functional for what I do for a living but it will be eventually moved elsewhere. Still trying to land on the best arrangement for the back area of the house. I hope not to die there! LOL I just don't plan on ever selling it. I REALLY appreciate you all challenging my ideas. It creates internal tension but the resulting thoughts/questions are helpful and I posted here for just that sort of "gut-check". I consider this homework but I promise you I'm going to hire someone who does this for a living and take their recommendations seriously.

So part of the appeal of RH style for me is they incorporate rustic, organic, industrial, or antique elements into a space that is mostly monochromatic but full of textures. Some characteristics of their style are oversized pieces, as large as the space allows. Large artwork over the sofa, often in black or white or an abstract. The largest rug the living room can hold. Statement light fixtures in every room. Natural fibers and neutral tones. Decorative elements that are large but fewer of them on display, often incorporating wood or metal. What about something like this for a coffee table?

For the intended use in the foreseeable future, I would not spend that amount of money - plus deal with the aggravation - in order to open up the kitchen. At a certain point - especially if you have been renting it, there would probably need to be major remodeling of the kitchen anyway just from use. Since it is a townhome presumably there are equivalent homes with the same layout which would provide insight into whether it is something that other people have done in the development. Obviously people are different but I personally wouldn't care whether there was an open kitchen plan in a BnB type of short rental. I would be more concerned with location and cleanliness and comfort of beds and also whether there was a great shower. Interesting about how property is assessed. I am also in an area in which taxes are based on initial purchase price with very modest increases permitted. Theoretically remodeling triggers an assessment when permits are pulled. However, when I read the regulations, it appears that most home "improvements" aren't cause for an increased assessment since "replacements" don't cause an increase. If you "add" something like an additional bathroom or square footage it would theoretically cause an increase. There is a gray area in which *theoretically* the quality of the replacements is considered but that is really unworkable in practice since anytime someone replaces the kitchen cabinets (for example), the *quality* is going to be better presumably especially in an older residence.