Its not the OP who will see legal issues...its the modular company who had their architect sign off on the plans that will get sued in the end. Even in Yankee Barn attempts to go after the OP, the OP can turn around and go after the modular company. Since it sounded like OP was already planning to change the plans and was in the early stages I doubt Yankee Barn would go after OP. At this point either the plans were changed heavily or OP could hire a contractor to finish off the inside of the house and avoid showing the town building department as much as possible. I doubt Yankee Barns legal team would waste funds to take someone to court over an online discussion board. If OP had to pay for plans in the first place...its highly likely that the modular company contacted Yankee Barns architect and bought them. Its 2018 and with websites like this i doubt a modular company would risk it.

For most vinyl windows, they are the same product, just with or without a nail fin and a different size. He could be steering you away from new construction because its more difficult and time consuming. While the price obviously reflects the extra time/labor, it doesn't reflect the profit that COULD have been made doing a second replacement job in the same time span as one new construction job. Installers generally don't love them unless they are diverse in what they do, ie: installing windows today, siding tomorrow, roofing another day, etc, but even at that, replacements are typically less headaches and an "in and out" install. The other, more sincere and helpful reason for pushing you away from new construction could simply be that you really dont need it, and you can save a bunch of money by going with replacement. Substantial rot, existing leakage, and sensitivity to any loss of glass area are the main reasons to go with new construction. You will find a lot of companies that push heavily one way or the other because that is just how they sell, but it should really depend on the individual circumstances so that you can weigh options for your situation. For you, given that you are having both the interior and exterior finishes already removed (siding and woodwork), it does simplify that new construction install so it becomes a more viable option IMO even if you didnt have any of the issues above.

The Craftsman style is very simple but very traditional. The position of the sash and the screen track is important and a sub-sill is recommended. The usual design of vinyl windows makes it difficult to emulate a traditional Craftsman window. The sash thickness is often too narrow for applied mullions (SDL) and in- between-the-glass is often only option which does not have a traditional appearance. The sash of a vinyl window is often set toward the outside with a projecting screen track that doesn't looks more like a storm window than a traditional window. Its important to see the section details to determine the position of the sash and if the upper glass is narrower than the lower one. In any event you will probably find the glass of a vinyl window is smaller for a given frame size. I would be looking at Marvin Integrity wood-ultrex fiberglass windows if appearance and longevity (or color) were important and add an Azek Historic Sill or equivalent. Okna Jamb Integrity Jamb

I've been thinking about the first plan I posted, with the interior laundry and mudroom. I still like it. If you put the laundry/mudroom inside, you don't need anything in the garage but a couple of steps (between the garage bays, where the steps start on the original plan), so it shouldn't interfere with parking. Moving the door down, across from the MR door, would allow you to have a ROTS pantry beside the fridge, and you could also have shallow storage cabinets beside the entry door. They could be used for extra pantry storage, brooms and cleaning supplies, extra mudroom storage, candlesticks and linens for DR, etc. You wouldn't need to carry laundry through the kitchen, but the W/D are still close enough to monitor while you're cooking. Likewise, laundry isn't lugged back through the kitchen. I incorporated the front entry closet into this version, and it's all included in your 14.5 x 23' space. There's a stub wall beside the oven, so the profile view from the great room is uniform. If you feel that the oven would block light from the great room window, the sink window could be widened. Note: I used 6" for all interior walls because that's easier to draw on my grid; you'd actually have a little more space on either side of the wall. You'd also have more space for storage in the garage. I drew the garage entry traffic paths below--it's not exactly to scale, but close enough to give you the idea of how the interior laundry/MR impacts the plan: Original, for comparison: Of course, if you use a different plan, or have an architect design a custom home, this is moot. I just wanted you to consider all aspects of the interior laundry.