If you use native plants for your hedge you'll have an easier time establishing & maintaining it. I favor a mixed hedge, so you can have an assortment of plants you enjoy throughout the seasons and in the future if one dies you can replace it with whatever you desire at the time. Plus the natives attract birds and they add another dimension to your peaceful space. A visitor commented one Friday evening about 6pm, "It is like you recorded all the bird sounds." I could only laugh because we just built a habitat that they like & they came to us. I'm not an expert, but we enjoy our backyard patio immensely late spring through fall as we're located outside the Seattle area with a long rainy season like you. In the rainy season I look out at the patio from my kitchen sink window & enjoy the view. We have portable fountains that attract birds including hummingbirds and provide enough white noise to drown out sounds. Our backyard is much shadier and we've replaced thin grass & moss with many curving wood chip paths. We have a small dog who enjoys running on the paths more than the yard. We also have other pets such as chickens, ducks, doves, & rabbits, so the backyard space includes them, too. You might want to include a climbing plant on a trellis or berm up the soil for the hedge to provide the privacy you need. I share our pics to inspire you that a novice can create a useful & beautiful space. view of patio displaying fuchsia starts ready for transplanting, Masterwort Shaggy in front left patio view toward back of yard bench with fuchsia and blooming Lamium Aurea, Hosta & Filipendula ulmaria in bloom view from path toward chicken coop with Astilbe Visions in Pink Here is a link that might be useful: native plants at Portland Nursery

There is no way to give an meaningful estimate, mother than to find out what the local average for price per square foot is for the work you want done---add on/remodel versus new construction. If there is no plumbing, the cost should be lower. But, costs/fees for surveying, soil compaction(for foundation) and permits/etc. have to be considered. Sounds as if the plan would increase the value of the house to some extent. My personal belief is if a person wishes to spend decades in a home, has the money to spend without putting their finances upside down, and simply wants the home to be theirs and comfortable, who cares about resale value

@nhb_6 ( she/her) If I, as a customer, came to you and asked you to design a "no specific style" modern house If it is a Modern Style house you want, that is a specific style. on 1 acre lot with snout garage because we really like the utility of it, what would you tell such customer? On an acre, you should be able to build a large home with a front load garage (if that is your preference and you like the practicality of it), without it being protruding. The issue is really when garage protrudes to much or when garage is more that 80% of the front and the living part being just 20% but this does not need to happen if the lot has an acre. I have 1/2 an acre and had room for a side load garage.

Zulu Spillane, I gave up on a wheelchair-base vanity and designed my own. The ones offered for sale to the homeowner cost at least $3000, then are wall-hung with little storage. I dislike wall-hung because I still walk, with failing knees. I sometimes grab furniture and lean on it. I want things I lean on to have legs that contact the floor and to be sturdy enough to take the weight. Many wheelchair accessible vanities extend far out from the wall. That is so that if a person using foot rests with their legs elevated tries to wash their hands, they can reach the sink before their legs hit the wall. My bathroom did not have room for a deep counter as well as room to maneuver a wheelchair. Pick one, it became for me. I chose the floor space and a 16” deep countertop with a semi-recessed sink that comes out a bit from the counter’s edge on one end of the vanity. My vanity depth was also driven by the fact that increasing the door width to 36” took away depth from my counter space area. You can begin to see that each disabled person is disabled in their own unique way. One-size-fits-all solutions like ADA guidelines, therefore, do not tend to work well for individuals in standard sized homes. You do your best to meet current needs and try to predict and meet the future needs, as well. Store-bought wheelchair vanities often do not fit into our spaces. That leaves even fewer buyers for them, making them almost a custom item, with a custom price. I simply took the next step, and designed a truly custom vanity for my own needs and my space. Wall sinks like the ones above can be a great solution, as long as the disabled person can reach the controls and the water flow without smashing their knees, toes, or extended legs into the wall.