I'm going to address the functional portions of the house again: The pantry, laundry, mudroom area isn't going to work out nicely. The mudroom is the biggest problem. I'm not anti-mudroom, but I am anti-THIS mudroom. Take a minute and google or pinterest mudrooms. What do you like about them? The organization, the functionality . . . but always they're clean, light-filled rooms. Their purpose being to organize your life and give you a simple, calm, positive casual entrance to your home. You won't find a mudroom online that looks like the one you're planning -- not unless it's a "before" picture. Your mudroom is windowless, narrow and cramped. Imagine walking through the door with the kids. They're going to stop at their cubbies to put their things away . . . and in that cramped space, you'll be trapped behind them, probably holding several bags of groceries. Instead of this space providing you with a calm, inviting entrance, it's going to make you (and the kids) cranky every time you enter. One cardinal rule of house design is that every time you walk through a door, you want to see window or a door ahead of you (good sight lines). This feel welcoming. On an emotional level, it makes you feel good and makes you want to enter the room. What do you see when you enter this mudroom? A dead end. The pantry is also a problem, given that it's a labyrinth. Walking through it with a laundry basket on one hip will assuredly mean knocking cans off the shelves. Also, the second door in the pantry takes away space you could use for storage. Note, too, that as you walk through this pantry, you'll encounter not one but TWO dead ends. You have LOADS of space here -- it's something like 15x15 or 16x16 total, right? I've drawn you a better layout. Consider the positives: When you enter the house from the garage, you have a wall of natural light to your right (could even be a door to the backyard). Ahead of you is the kitchen door and beyond that the living room door -- inviting, makes you want to walk on in. It's a light-filled, direct route into the house. Instead of having a straight hallway for the kids' cubbies, they're set into a little alcove. When you open the door, the kids can duck into the cubby spot and take their time organizing their things, while you can walk right on -- you are not trapped behind them saying, "Hurry up, you're letting the heat out of the house" as you stand on the garage steps. They can stand in front of their cubbies without fear of someone entering the house and hitting them with the garage door. Your pantry is still large and still adjacent to the kitchen, but you have the option of bypassing it as you enter the house. If the pantry comes out narrow, I'd suggest in-wall storage (google Pharoah's Storehouse) for cans. On the other side of the hallway, you have ample space for the washer /dryer, and it's easily accessible from the kids' rooms. You'll have to carry your laundry across the living room, but you won't have to negotiate the pantry maze. You could put the cubbies on the side wall and have a cut-through door from the cubbies to the laundry. I personally would still cut out the half bath. I don't see a problem with two children and a one-month-out-of-the-year guest sharing one nice-sized bath. Regardless, it fits in just fine, AND keeping your plumbing items together is a money-saver. Consider these changes! They're functional, and this plan is easily changeable. if you want more space for the cubbies, bump the wall back a bit and take it from the already-ample laundry room. If you want more pantry space, delete the half-bath and have a V-shaped pantry.

If you can't gather enough information from the mfrs. installation instructions to feel comfortable doing it yourself, call a licensed HVAC contractor. Window exhaust can be an option in some cases, some locales prohibit this though. Do realize that you will need to inspect and clean the ductwork and if leaves were to collect in a window well it could pose a fire hazard. Also, various birds/critters may find a way to enter through the hood so get a good quality unit with a damper door and do a visual inspection of it a few times a year.

I don't know if it's in draft form, or final, but I've read section M1502.2 of the International Residential Code and it says, "Exhaust ducts shall terminate on the outside of the building. Exhaust ducts terminations shall be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer's installation instructions. Exhaust ducts shall terminate not less than 3 feet in any direction from openings into buildings. Exhaust duct terminations shall be equipped with a backdraft damper. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination." By code, I suppose you could do what housekeeping suggests as long as the window can't be opened. From a practical standpoint, it seems like some sort of ad hoc while in use only setup would be fine. I wouldn't expect to see any water dripping from the end of the exhaust unless a fair section of the exhaust is outside the window in winter temperatures (i.e. the exhaust temp is lowered below the dew point).

I remeasured my husband's closet and it's 7 x 12. This is the arrangement he has, without the mirror, and he has lots of space to dress and walk around in. Normally I'd stick with a single door, but in your case I'd use full size cafe swinging doors, each 18" wide. The storage cabinet across from the entry is 20" deep and 50" wide. It has a double bank of drawers with matching open shelves above. The flat surface between the shelves and drawers serves as a landing spot and would be perfect for jewelry boxes or whatever. I suppose it most resembles a hutch. I can post a pic if you like. The shelving to the left of the entry is open and measures 14" x 48". It's perfect for sweaters, tees and with organizer boxes would be wonderful for purses and accessories. The bench to the right of the door is actually a hamper for dirty clothes with a padded top for seating. If you wanted a wall hung mirror it could be placed in the center of the far wall so you could have a full view of yourself. Of course, an 8'- 10' wide closet would be wonderful, but a closet your size offers great opportunity for a nice dressing area. As I said, my husband's closet works very well for him and I'd be very happy if it were mine. (Mine's much larger, though, and I'm not trading.)