Great advice but I can't function on just 7 hours sleep.

Thanks so much, everyone! Rookie - you have great taste as well ;) !! I have posted on your pics before and LOVE your space!! I can be flexible on the window location and size around the range and thus the range hood size itself so I will see if I can add more landing space. I am sure that this hood will be very expensive so I'll have to see how that plays... I have been thinking about the landing/enclosure issue for a while and don't want the look to outweigh the function so that has been a big concern. I do love the look of those hoods though and how it would "make" that wall... sigh. Skyedog - thanks for the info on the combustible material (I will look into that!) and the upper cabinets. I'm wondering if I can rework the configuration on the side walls so that there is a single cabinet in the corner and then a double next to it, to avoid the door issue opening towards you... thanks for bringing that up!

Kat, I have been so busy today, I barely remembered to wear my red sweatshirt. I hope you, and all other cancer fighters are continuing to progress, and to have a GREAT year coming at you. Moni

Thanks to both of you, to clarify, I was going for a floor plan similar to that linked, with a facade similar to the picture (neither exact, as they don't match perfectly). It's hard to tell from the picture, but we have a very steep slope just past that tree line (we have a lot of work in our future cutting some zig zag paths down to the pond). That, coupled with a very deep front setback requirement (40 ft from property line, approx 60 feet from road), leaves us with a max house "depth" of about 45 ft (including any porch on front) before we get into prohibitively expensive sloping terrain. We can go as long as we want to go, but we're trying to stay with a 1500 sq ft foundation. If we do a side load garage, with our slope, we're talking about a significant extra cost in retaining walls along the side of the driveway. I'd rather spend that money elsewhere. In this area of Iowa, 95+& of garages (even on very expensive houses) face front. I guess that's why a front-facing a garage door really doesn't bother me. Update - we have a draft of the first floor plan... what do you think? For context, top is north, view is to the north. Neighbor to the east (right) is quite a distance away, and there are trees between. "Back yard" would be to the east. My first thoughts - garage and dining room/living room area might need to be a foot or two bigger. Need to add a fireplace and windows to living room. We'll have 3 bedrooms upstairs (plus bathroom and possibly bonus room), and will eventually have a rec room/wet bar/in-law suite in the walkout basement. I don't have drafts of those yet I really want a first floor master bedroom, which coupled with my max depth requirement, lends toward a little different thought process for the floor plan.