The powder room is very small and is sandwiched between the kitchen and living room. We cannot put it in the dining room nor the family room and don't want it to go in the kitchen. We considered an addition over the garage and that was pricey and would raise property taxes. I would love to have it in a master closet, but we have two small ones in there that barely fit our clothes. I even considered ripping out our huge corner tub in the master bath and putting the washer and dryer in there. The contractor explained that would involve a total remodel of that room and would be very expensive. I knew when we bought this house that this would be my one issue. I may just have to live with it :)

yh. i thought about that sofa&bed solution but my bedroom is upstairs so i dont really need to go after that solution. a corner sofa would be defo great for that space dont you think? Another thing is that these wicker chairs are bought to be outside in the alley :) we bought them a couple of days ago. That space will be used to watch sports on telly and play games on the playstation and watching movies of course so i dont believe that chairs are a good solution to have here. A couch will be a better solution because i can stretch my legs out :D oh and when football's on we need more action and a little less conversation like the song goes :) I've got 2 computers. the one next to the stairs is an old one so i wont keep it. the other which is functional will be placed next to the WC door as you can see. i think there is enough space for an 1m desk and an office chair with wheels. I used to have a computer armoire but i hate them...

I have BM peanut shell on my dining room walls & hallways. It's a rich warm color. As far as pale yellow, there is BM Windham Cream, which I used in my kitchen. I like the transition between it and the peanut shell.

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.