No, kirkhall is right -- I messed up. I was so focused on the main living quarters that I forgot to throw a few of the extras into the mix. There is also a powder, pantry, entrance hall and stairwell on that main floor, but yes, 800 sq feet for covered decks and balconies beyond the open air basement. Sorry about that! AnnieDeighnaugh, thanks for the tip. I'll head over to the smaller homes forum and have a look around before posting. Maybe someone will have posted a floor plan that will calm my nerves. I have read and enjoyed Sarah Susanka's books; I'll have to pull them out again and reread. Kirkhall, we don't have a floorplan yet, just some basic concept sketches showing the footprint and possible room interactions. Right now, the kitchen lies across one end of the great room, so would live in a space that measured 20 x maybe 12 feet (the 20 feet is based on external measurements, so actually less than that. We've been looking at small but clever kitchen designs to see how we can manage the space more creatively. As for closet space, no, we don't really need a coat closet -- just a "pool and beach closet" for toys and boogie boards. ;) That would be on the ground level. We don't actually have a great amount of clothing since the weather is pretty much the same here all year long. Ski stuff and clothes for traveling to the "real world" could easily be stored downstairs in a closet designed for that purpose -- good idea. I do think we would need a "master suite" with its own bath and a reasonable closet for resale, unless we can design something extremely cool! This post was edited by caymaiden on Fri, Mar 8, 13 at 13:37

Why these people don't use a spell checker? I hate to say this, but I work in a RE office, and many agents can barely use their computers to do anything beyond email and looking on MLS. I had one ask me the other day how to make folders on her computer. So spell check? That would be a stretch! I enter most of the listings for the office and I do correct bad grammar, misspellings, errant apostrophes, etc. One that made it through spell check that I caught was "Carrion counters in the kitchen". I asked the agent if the counter tops were made of rotting animal carcasses or Corian. She was grateful that I fixed it for her. She was the 2nd or 3rd listing agent for the property and the previous agent had listed it with the "Carrion" counters.

For Karen - my tent is approx 70cm wide by approx 70cm deep by 160cm tall. I use two 20watt heatmats in the base connected to a thermostat and run it at about 88-90 degrees. Originally it was about 95-98 degree but turned it down a while back and everything is fine and dandy in there. I have 2 Mars lights in it, a double at the bottom and a single up top. Egg crate in the base so that heat does not get trapped by pots sitting on it so the crate create the space needed for the heat to flow and escape. Also I use one fan for air circulation. This is just how I do it, it works pretty good for me. I also have the vent on one side and the roof open very slightly all the time.

BTW, for all of us house-obsessed folks....Biltmore should be on your must see list if you've never been. It is absolutely amazing. I've probably been 1/2 dozen times during different seasons and such. I learn something new every time and continue to be awestruck by the place. The Architect's Tour was fascinating...I got the opportunity to walk out on the roof!