Athens, I think you've come a long way on the floor plan. It really looks great! I second mythreesons motion to put the grill on the far side of the stone terrace where there is a wall just the right size. It will be a few extra steps, but the tradeoff of the improved view from the foyer and the ability to access the screen porch from the terrace will be worth it. I would also suggest that all the doors in the living room and breakfast room swing out rather than in. It will give you so much more floor space. We have a similar sized living room now with two pairs of french doors and you effectively lose that floor space unless you want to move furniture everytime you open the door. It's much easier to squeeze behind a chair and swing a door outward. The only other two things I thought of were a) putting some good sound insulation between the master suite and the public rooms and b) shifting the kitchen window toward the front of the house. I know it is "on axis" with the fireplace, but it would drive me nuts to look out at the porch column of the friends' porch and the side of the garage storage. A few more inches to the right and you would have a lovely view of your little courtyard. It looks really great! Very well thought out! I hope you'll post the revise elevation.

HA = that's funny "buildinghome". We had zero problems, not one tiny hitch. Yet the home started off at $240K and we kept adding little things. Ended up at $253K. Little things add up. Double the size of the deck, better appliances, better furnace (make sure you get a good furnace and not cheap builders furnace). Upgrade from a cheap Lennox gas fireplace (a true builders box - run away if you can) to a Mendota. Make sure the water heater is not sitting on the floor (rust). Make sure you have a regular door in the garage so you will not have to open the big door all the time. 12x14 foot deck is too small for real use, we doubled the size and because we face south we used wood and not composite with gets REAL hot in summer. If you can get an extra foot of overhang do it. Good for shade and run off. If you are on a hill make sure the garage is on the downhill side of the house. Make sure you have windows on all four sides. I'm surprised to see so many spec homes with no windows in the sides! Wash tub in the laundry room is a must! Outdoor faucets, put them higher up so you do not have to crawl on the ground to hook up the hose. If you are on a budget, get the expensive lights for the living areas and go cheap in the bathrooms and other areas. Then once you get back on your feet buy the good lights for the bathrooms. Paint everything neutral until you see how the light falls in the house. Don't go fancy YET! We would also build in a heartbeat . . . . . if we had too! Here is a link that might be useful: Rod & DJs House Building Adventure

Nice job! Being on the last leg of the reno of the 3rd (and last) bathroom in my house, I can appreciate that sometimes there are things that do not get the attention they should have initially. Like not noticing that the old toilet was centered 16 in from the wall and to remedy that the sick had to move which meant that the door wouldn't close etc etc etc. However, having looked at your pics and consulted with my project manager, we thought that you could look for something to put where you have the little freebee. It could be a one piece unit or a base either cupboard or drawers and a top that matched style wise. You could even place the little one you have on top, with or without the legs. Paint it whatever colour suits you. You could even hang the little one over the toilet tank ( too crowded for me ) or on the adjacent wall , if it didn't interfere with the toilet. In any event, I think the space between the windows is perfect as long as its clean , neat and eyepleasing as I infere from the pics that that is the first thing you are going to see when you enter. IT's amazing what a non-descript bureau or cupboard can look like with a couple of coats of melamine paint ! The Boss offered the suggestion that if you need storage for hair products, portable hair dryer etc, after years of struggling with cupboard storage, mess, things falling over, etc, she finally started using a large basket that she keeps in the closet in the adjoining room ( sometimes ) . Everything is close to hand, easily portable and actually doesn't look bad if left out . Good luck with the rest of the transformation

It's not easy going through these renos especially when you are feeling abandoned by your GC. Is there anyone you can go to to help move things along? I feel for you sweet one. It's not easy being at the mercy of these less than dependable people. â¦.I just did a Bible study that was so helpful, it said to just start thanking God even in the bad times and to look at where you can see Him in any of this. Ask God to help you get through this and then thank Him each time something does or even when it doesn't go right. It helped me a lot, not sure if that would interest you but it helps me almost immediately to be calmer and more peaceful about the situations that come with life. The study that I did is called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voss. Her voice is so soothing (see link). All the best to you and may you have a peaceful day and much progress be made! I'll be thinking of you today and lifting you up, you are not alone. Here is a link that might be useful: One Thousand Gifts