I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly certain someone will ask for pictures of the room now and the barkcloth drapes. It really helps visualizing. Do you have any you can post? Suzi

oh, melle..you know they now show me listings in your area, lol? probably because of these two you shared once..as an examples of what you like/dislike.. but since i didn't know your neighbourhood of preference, etc..In short I just looked at them the kitchen does look like a garage! I like the fire red, very bold of them; but layout is not easy. no countertop around the stove makes it really challenging lots of work, or so I envision bathrooms too..although it might be photos distort the places. Bathrooms are hard to shoot too they're smaller. possibilities will reveal themselves to you when there Iike the living, the backyard(possibilities!) , and the house overall is nice. I do think brick has nothing to do there. But I'd go there and feel it you know? It can be 15 things that you dislike and one you love, and that one will overweight other 15.. ah. don't mind their decor. just kinda wipe it when looking..in your mind. interesting bedroom with that step..

We are starting on a similar project for our Dutch colonial, but have to wait for the city to approve a special exception for distance to the lot line. Our existing structure is a one story side porch with a concrete floor and foundation, but our architect's plan assumes we will remove the entire existing structure and pour new footings for a two story addition. Although you have an existing basement you will still have to verify it is sufficient to support a two story structure. It sounds like a simple question, but city engineers want you to prove everything. You may have to pay someone to excavate and verify the existing footings before they approve your adding another story. They will also want to know how the design will properly transfer the extra weight through the existing structure and to the basement footings and beams. If they are okay with all that, and you meet all the setback, FAR and height rules, the addition should not be that complicated. All of this gets much easier if you have a good architect who understands the rules and how to communicate with the city. My experience with the code and permit office is that they are generally friendly, but must always calculate everything, even if it seems to be a no-brainer. It gets a little more complicated if your property is old enough to have gone through a couple of zoning ordinance cycles. Even if you have existing construction that met all zoning rules when built, it may no longer be allowed under new rules, and they do not have to grandfather anything. Bruce

First of all great salt box architecture! While I understand why you like the dream porch you’re going to be changing the architecture and I really really really lol yeah really hope you’ll reconsider just the portico which is more in line with a traditional salt box while the dream porch is craftsmanlike. Is that a thing? I prefer the first picture I’m sending and it’s a lot more budget friendly than the whole porch.