For several years I had bar stools (similar to item C). I tired of moving them for swiffering and mopping; they are quite heavy so I put them in the storage unit and bought saddle stools at Christmas as 3 of the grandchildren would be sitting at the bar while 2 graduated to the main table that seats 10 and 4 ladies sat in the breakfast room area near the bar in order to attend the baby and the 3 younger ones. At clean up, I was delighted I had done that. I can always bring them back from the storage area if I decide to but I am enjoying the lightweight of the little saddles. Just food for thought.

I think your choice 1 is probably the best for the ranch style house. While I love the more carriage style of choice 2 and 3, the vertical lines might compete with the horizontal lines of your brick. Plus, I don't see any other arched areas like there were in choice 3 so I'm not sure it fits the style of your house. One thing I noted is that your current garage doors have windows. Are you going to put windows in the new? We used to have NO windows but now we DO and it's a night and day difference. They let in so much light. If you go windowless, you might really miss them.

I feel compelled to offer the following comments on this response. "Installing a garage door opener is one of the easier things a DIYer can do." Not true. This is not as simple as say hanging a picture. It is not exteremely difficult but does require some skill/mechanical ability. "You don't mess with the door or the springs." This is true providing the door/springs are in good shape and are operating properly, including but not limited to; no binding/proper balance, etc. "Being your doors are made of wood, they are probably heavy, so a 2 horsepower door opener would probably work well. You should not need more than that." 2 horsepower?????? maybe you meant a 1/2 horsepower. The opener doesn't "lift" the door, that's what the springs are for. The opener compensates for the manual effort required to open the door which varies according to the door step up. in answer to your questions: "1. Yes" True, for two separate doors you need two separate units "2. Stanley makes a decent one. Chamberlain does too" True. However, there are a number of good manufacturers and types available. FWIW, I've had good luck with Craftsman. You need to choose between chain, screw, or belt drive depending on what you want to spend and how quiet you need it. Also select your options like keyless entry or optional light controls. "3. You can do it" change to "maybe" see the attached link for a typical owner's manual that has the installation instructions and decide for yourself. "4. Don't touch the springs." As stated above this depends on the condition of your existing hardware. Basically, you follow the directions. Put a bracket on the door. Assemble the opener. Raise it into place. And attach it to the ceiling with the provided hangers. Attach the wire for the manual button and run it to a place that is convenient. And plug it in." All new doors have sensors at the base of the door that also require installation and running wires "Assuming you don't have an outlet in the right place, you will have to run some wire and put in an outlet above the opener, but that is not hard either." YIKES, a "fairly inexperienced handyman" should probably not be running new electrical lines. Not impossible but do some research and make sure everything is correct. "This would be a good Saturday afternoon project. Just read the directions." see the manual and decide for yourself. FWIW, I'm not a pro and have installed a few of these. You need to recognize your limitations and understand what is involved. There are some pros who post here fairly frequently. I hope they agree with my advice. cstrombe: good luck with your new openers! Here is a link that might be useful: typical owners manual

Looking back at your current living room color... I think it looks nice. I think what isn't working for me are the couch pillows. I'd use some that have a slight pattern ( 2 of those) and a solid. I would probably lose the middle pillow. I hope you don't mind my suggestions