Overall, I like it. A few thoughts: Your garage is angled. Is that a necessity? Angles cost more and deliver little value for that cost. I like the master bedroom and bath. They're good-sized, but not over-done, as so many are. Others have said this, but if you're going to work from home from this office, I'd rather see the doors open up into the foyer. That would mean you wouldn't have to let clients any farther into your house than necessary. Along that same line, you're going to have to provide a restroom for clients, so a half-bath is necessary for you. However, they'd have to walk through your living room and past your kitchen (and a personal desk, where any type of personal information might be left) to get to the half-bath by your garage entrance. While I usually like "back door" baths, I'm not sure it's the best choice for your circumstances. I don't see an obvious solution. I would have no concerns about the children's bedrooms being on a different level, nor do I think you'll have any problem because the main floor only has one bedroom. Downstairs I think you have some redundant spaces. A family room AND a den AND a playroom AND a study. Do you have plans for all of these? Downstairs the single bedroom seems to have the better bathroom, while the two bedrooms are sharing the smaller /no tub bathroom. Could the playroom become another bedroom so that these two could share the better bathroom, leaving the farther bedroom to have the smaller bathroom to itself? Or, could the adjacent closet become part of a larger bathroom for the two twin bedrooms, leaving some of those large, redundant spaces to become storage? Or, do you really need two bathrooms downstairs? Bathrooms are the single most expensive rooms in a house -- if you have a nice big one, especially if it's a "divided bath" with the sink in an outer room, can three children share it?

Is this a Southern Living plan? I think I've seen it before. Overall, I like it. Comments: - I think I'd replace the front-facing French doors with nice-sized windows. You don't need three sets of doors facing the front porch. Windows are cheaper, more energy efficient, and less of a burglary risk. Windows also make furniture placement easier than doors. And I think multiple doors that close together are a bit odd. - I like the family room. Looks like a comfortable layout, and I always like a staircase that's visible from a living area -- if nothing else, it's wonderful for Christmas decorating. - Note that although your foyer's large, you have no place for a table for your guests' keys, purses, etc. - I would eliminate the kitchen-dining room door -- or go with a pocket door. - Though it's not ideal, I don't particularly mind the laundry /half-bath combination, but I don't understand why you have TWO half-baths on the first floor. One is needed, yes; but two? - The mudroom serves no purpose -- it's just a hallway. A hallway with an excessive number of doors and one tiny closet. I say instead of having these choppy little spaces at the casual entrance, remove these walls, take in the little porch . . . and have one big, comfortable casual entrance area, which would include a back door, the laundry (and some folding /storage space) and some mudroom facilities. - No, I don't think the master bedroom sharing a wall with the hall bath is a problem, especially since the facilities are all placed on the far-side wall. However, I think the plan could be improved by flipping the master bedroom and bath. Putting the two bathrooms "back to back" would be a money saver -- and they'd be stacked above the kitchen /laundry, which is an efficient choice in terms of plumbing. AND that'd mean you'd have the bedroom on the corner, which would allow you windows on two walls /nicer natural light. AND it'd put your bedroom slightly farther from the kids' rooms. Win-win-win. This post was edited by MrsPete on Thu, Aug 7, 14 at 15:12

Since the fees associated with a professional landscape design are one of the least expensive aspects of the entire process, the perceived savings with using a "free" design are minimal. And while I acknowledge I am coming at it from a professional viewpoint, this is NOT the area where I would be looking to economize. It is the quality and site-appropriateness and personalized aspect of the design that makes the distinction to the landscape. The primary con in my opinion - and it's a major one - is there is NO site evaluation. The assumption is made with these designs is that the site is level (or reasonably so) and basic in its configuration, there are no issues regarding privacy or screening or focusing/directing of views, no consideration of soil quality or drainage or how rain water flows across the property, no factoring in of the house footprint or how the landscape interacts with the house (or any other structures), how light conditions, weather or prevailing winds may affect the landscape, how the 'proposed' landscape interfaces with the surrounding neighborhood, what zoning or HOA issues may impact the design and that the property is a complete blank slate - no existing plants to be considered or conserved. As a practicing landscape designer, I can say without qualification that every site is unique. Even in newer developments where there is an overwhelming sense of uniformity, each site will be somewhat different from the others, often in ways that are not readily apparent at first glance. The most successful designs will come from an acknowledgement and interpretation of that uniqueness and that cannot be achieved without visually seeing and evaluating the property. I guess if you have a basic, flat, rectangular cookie cutter-type lot with a cookie cutter-type house, then a cookie cutter-type landscape design could be superimposed on it but IMO, it's a lot like fitting a square peg into a round hole.

Right now there is a eBay vendor selling leaves $22 plus $10 s/h http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-African-Violet-Leaves-Your-Choice-from-40-varieties-/201773197148. you an order 10 leaves including C'sEF, Price is pretty good - and she has a good selection. She is shipping from Bloomington IN. Right now it is miserably cold - but between now and then - there will be a window of shipping opportunity. Otherwise - it is a hybrid by Belinda Thibodeaux from LA. She also sells on ebay - and she has her own Facebook page where you can contact her. I do not think she ships in winter. But I am sure she will have starters for sale in spring. The description for Cajun's Ethereal Fairy says - wavy leaves. I tried several Cajun's - they are not hard to grow - but it is not easy to grow a nice flat rosette if it has wavy fleshy leaves. You need to pay attention to it, repot and turn frequently - and make sure that it doesn't touch anything else - otherwise leaves will grow like a propeller. Peppermint Girl is a mini. It is a hybrid by Hortense Pittman - and her plants are usually easy and rewarding to grow. But - being a mini and a girl it presents you with the specific challenges All girl leaf AVs grow slowly. Miniatures want to be closer to the light and they like to be repotted every 4 months Good Luck Irina