miruca, I really don't have any suggestions to add. But, wanted to let you know that our daughter and her husband, finished their "bonus area" above their 3-car garage as a guest area several months ago. I don't know the dimensions, but it is larger than your area. They have two small bedrooms (one has a queen bed with dresser and decent closet; other has a twin bed with a smaller closet); full bath with a linen closet inside; large family room area with large TV; and a kitchenette with bar and 4 barstools! We travel down there frequently as we will be building on property next to them this year. We absolutely LOVE having our own space now when we visit. And, this is in all likelihood where we will be living once we sell our present home and build the new one. We are retired and early risers. The grandkids love to come visit us as soon as they get up in the morning. We have our own coffee maker up there, sink, microwave, and an undercounter fridge. All the comforts of home and more. And, while yes we can hear the garage doors open and close, but that's never been a problem for us. :-) Good luck on your project!

Gardenwebber, that is SUCH a good point about "entertaining in their rooms". Here's a thought about your floorplan: have the kids take the back two bedrooms. Move your son to the smaller bedroom, the girls in the room with the closet. Take that wall that you guys put up and turn it into the bunk beds in separate rooms. This will give you a lot more useable floor space. Swing your youngest daughter's bed against the far wall and you will maximize the floor space there. Your son can have the lower bunk bed in his own room next door. That leaves the bedroom directly across from yours as a playroom. That also makes your own bedroom further away from the kids beds. The bunk beds are just drywalled with the mattress only on them. We have always had a rule that our kids cannot have a computer, video games or tv in their bedroom until they are 18. I do not want that stuff cluttering my downstairs living room. An upstairs space for this is the best solution. We built our current home knowing that we were going to have teens in them someday and to give them space separate from ours. Think about this solution. My husband would be happy to talk you and your husband thru the details if it is something you would be interested in. P.S. my 17y.o.'s boyfriend is coming for christmas for 17 days and there is no way in hell that she will be "entertaining" him in her bedroom!!!!!!!!!!!! Sherry

I like the exterior. The house isn't overly large, and the only room that is really generous in terms of space is the master bedroom. However, it'll work for a family of five, if it matches your expectations of "cozy". Downstairs: I agree that I don't like the dining room being so far from the kitchen. Could you flip the great room and the kitchen? This would mean you'd come in from the garage and enter the family room. Not typical, but also not horrible. I'd definitely skip a breakfast table. You don't need a dining room AND a breakfast room AND island seating -- and in this space, you can't afford all those seating options. Skipping the breakfast table will allow you to enlarge the family room. I'd consider moving the fireplace to the back wall -- it'll then be on the "wider wall" of the family room and will allow you to orient the sofa towards it. It'll also mean you enter the house from the "back" of the family room instead of the "side". I agree that I hate the downstairs bathroom -- awful location, awful layout -- but I don't see anything to do about it within this space. Upstairs: Your plan of putting the two girls into the bonus-room-turned-bedroom is good. It'll work really well if you have the two gables someone else mentioned; you'd have windows on three walls, and each girl could have her bed in an "alcove". And, yes, you'll need to be sure you have egress windows and closets -- don't skimp on the closets for two girls; I'd think you could have two closets flanking the doorway. That leaves one bedroom as an "away room" -- which is good. An upstairs office isn't a great idea -- the paperwork won't really make it upstairs. No, the kids won't use it as a playroom; kids never really do use playrooms. But it could be a quiet den type room where kids or adults could go for quiet time. And it'd be a good video game room when the kids are teens. You have plenty of space in the master for a seating area, or that could be an adult office space. Overall, I don't love the house -- I don't see that it has anything special enough to make it worth the effort and cost of building -- but it does look functional on a cozy scale.

People are giving me a lot to think about. And I did broach the idea of a lift to DH. The lot is just over half an acre--150x160. For what it's worth, I've been watching the expanded northwest/west Chicago suburban area for homes with extra large garages (or both an attached and detached garage). There aren't many and they disappear fast. They will only appeal to a certain market, but to that market, they're in high demand. (Car collectors, people who have a hobby that requires a large workshop) As for garages in the neighborhood, the few existing homes have 2--several with an additional detached garage. The new homes mostly have 3--and a few have 4. I know it's not what everyone would do but that's one of the reasons to build instead of buy--because we can plan for the things that are important to us, even, or especially, if they're not commonly available. But when it comes right down to it, few of us only have as much house as we "need". I *need* a place to sit with a computer. I want it to be comfortable (desk with pullout keyboard tray), and I want a window to look out of, and I want to have nice furniture in it. I don't need any of those things (although my chiropractor might make an argument for the keyboard tray). But I want them and can't think of any reason why I shouldn't make them happen. We're all different--there are those on this board who prefer jack&jill bathrooms. I hate them. There are those who think a 2nd sink for a hall bathroom shared by kids is a waste of money. I disagree (and so would my kids)--but that's okay. We want a house with a large double shower and don't care at all about a soaking tub. Someone else wants that tub enough to devote 36 sq ft to it. That's all okay. Looking at houses on-line, I saw zillions of "newly remodeled kitchens" that I hated. Some were objectively bad designs. But most of them weren't--they were just finishes that I didn't like at all--and knew we'd pay a premium for that 'newly remodeled kitchen' even though I'd want to rip it all out. It's all part of why people build instead of buy. We want what we want--and some of us are fortunate enough to be able to make that happen.