We're doing something very similar in Chicago at a significantly higher price, unfortunately. The total will be way more than we ever thought we'd put into a house. But still less than we could buy a similar new construction home in the same neighborhood, and we'll have exactly what we want - well more or less. I would recommend talking seriously to both an architect and builder/GC before getting started. Our architect tried hard to preserve whatever walls, window locations, ceiling sections, etc. he could, theoretically to save us money. However, the builders ended up finding it easier to just tear everything down to the studs. Had we truly known the extent to which we'd be taking the house apart, we'd have torn it down completely and made better use of the small city lot. It's a long story, but we ended up even replacing all the brick. We're on a corner lot and with the re-configuration of the first floor, there were just too many changes in window locations that would have looked like cr*p if we tried to patch them, match the 2nd floor, etc. We really wanted it to look like a new two-story house. Not an old box with a new one slapped on top like many ranch additions we've seen. So just for kicks, have a builder give you ballparks for (1) the addition, taking into account how much plumbing/electric can be preserved, whether you can really keep the first floor brick intact, etc. and (2) cost to tear down and build new. If we had done this, I think we would have started from scratch and would REALLY have everything we want. Good luck!

In defense of 2- and 3-car garages dominating the front of a house's facade, they really do make sense if one puts function over form. (I have a side-load garage on my house, so I don't really have hurt feelings over this matter.) More and more, houses are being built with infrequently-used rooms exposed at the front windows (formal parlor and dining room), and the most lived-in rooms at the back of the house (eat-in kitchen and family room). I don't think as many people are concerned about the street facade as they are the comfort and privacy of the rooms inside. It reminds me of the evolution of televisions. First, they were built into beautiful furniture cabinets. Then, they shed the cabinets, and were mounted on top of tables. Then everyone began stuffing them into armoires so they could hide them behind closed doors when company came over. Now, we're mounting them to the walls and hanging them over fireplaces. We seem to have dropped the premise that we don't really watch a lot of TV, leaving the house's most frequently used electronic device up front and center, without shame or apology. And we watch them in our family rooms, tucked in at the back of the house, off the kitchen, away from the streetfront where people drive by and judge our homes.

@gracie01 brick veneer (not structural), if old and moisture gets in, can falter and fall. It's not the brick that fails, it's the wall ties holding the brick to the backing material, either wood or metal framing or another brick or stone wythe that fails.Failed wire brick tie. In some cases, through negligence or ignorance there may not even be ties! Edinburgh Oxgangs Primary School veneer wall collapse. No ties used at all, according to a BBC investigation. Brick veneer is largely a 20th C. phenomena, with the first documented use occurring in 1899. As the metal ties rust away, support is lost and the veneer moves. In only one municipality I've built in, were longer-lived stainless ties required. Otherwise there were no requirements re ties. If the mason were supplying ties, count on the cheapest and flimsiest available. In the house we're currently living in, the masons used nails to tie the brick to the structural block. Where the back of the block is visible in the garage, around the end of each nail a quarter sized section of block has fallen off as the nail rusted. The house will be demolished by the next buyer, so there's no concern.

Thank you all for the help! I'm really unsure how to move forward from this point. It sounds like I probably should have hired an architect from the beginning. Or, at a minimum contracted directly with the designer to prepare the plans instead of him being sub-contracted through the builder. The one time I was able to speak to the designer, he seemed knowledgeable, so I don't want this to sound judgmental towards him. I think we just got ourselves into a poor process from the start, where the builder is the middle man and there is probably lots lost in transmission. Would it be worth it at this point to consult with an architect? The foundation is poured, so there is only so much we can change. Plus, we already have financing, so there is definitely a limit to changes without blowing our budget. Windows should still be easy enough. Would an architect even want to touch this at this point? I'm not even sure what services I would need from him/her at this point? What I normally do... is to locate the egress window (only one is required per bedroom) ...on the sides.... So, if I understand this correctly, this wouldn't resolve the issue of needing to switch window types (double hung to casement/slider) to avoid the 18" sill height, but it will put the window on a less noticeable side of the house. My three windows were placed higher and ganged together and they were narrower. On the other wall I made the single window wider and then added a window seat below it. That sounds like a lovely way to disguise mismatched windows. Do you have a picture of the window seat/egress window? I tried searching through your older posts, but didn't see it. I'd suggest a traditional approach often used in 2- and 3-story traditional residences, i.e., the windows on the first floor were the largest; the windows on the second floor were visually smaller; and the windows on the third or any other upper level, such as dormers, were the smallest of all. Virgil, thank you for lesson. I've always felt something wasn't quite right with the elevation, but couldn't figure out what it was. Part of what is triggering this ordeal, is that the plans were drawn with 10' & 9' ceilings, but the budget was based on 9' & 8'. When I caught the discrepancy, the builder didn't want to change the plans. I insisted because there is no way you can take out 2 vertical feet and not need to reevaluate the elevation, right?? Loosing those extra feet really made the larger 2nd story windows look odd and when I requested smaller windows, I was told they didn't meet code...would need casement windows...blah, blah.