Thanks for all your hard work Karen! Can't wait to read it in its entirety. Jodi-

so i called lowes and mentioned the scratch and they offered me 15% off or a new machine. i took the 15% off...i don't know if they could have even ordered another one for me but i def wasn't going through another delivery process just bec of a scratch on the machine. i'm very happy with the 15% off. then i called the 3rd party delivery co's guy i had been dealing with all along...(way back i asked abt compensation for the hassle from lowes they said its the delivery company's responsibility so at the time i asked this guy i was dealing with and he said he def would be giving me something.) so i called and asked for compensation he said he'll get back to me...that he has to speak to lowes etc so i mentioned that i got the 15% from lowes for the scratch bec i never mentioned the scratch to him so i didnt' want him to be confused. and told him that when i asked lowes abt compensation for the hassle they said the delivery co is responsible. anyway he called back and offered $75 in lowes gift cards. I tried saying its so little, i'm getting that much back for a scratch and this was a huge hassle and totally avoidable had the delivery guys not dumped the machine and ran...if they would've just read the instructions they could have done it properly, and then on top of it they lost the feet etc that it was not a mistake, it was laziness and negligence etc...but he still said all he can do was $75 so i said fine... lol so assuming the above comes through it will cost me $356! still would not want the hassle of the feet, not worth the aggravation but the scratch is prob worth it ;) on a side note, when i called the delivery guy i've been dealing with extensivley, i introduced myself saying "hi, i'm the lady with the rubber feet" haha

To me architecture is as much an art as it is a science. However, some prefer one type of art over another...just like in genre of music. I for one can't stand rap music. I detest it. My dislike does not make it 'wrong'. Yet, I will not spend any of my money on anything related to rap. Many love rap music and it makes plenty of money. So...apply this to architecture. Do many architects prefer a certain 'type' of construction and disprove of 'fat' layouts or big roofs? This is obviously not my profession, but I do love learning about other professions and other perspectives. I understand your analogy, but the thing is, you're not talking about musical preferences here -- you're talking about misplaced notes, or a tempo that doesn't work with the melody, or instruments that don't blend well together. Even when you're talking about forms of art, rules still exist. You got it right in your title: This is a first draft. It can be polished and improved significantly, but -- for that to happen -- you have to be willing to listen to advice. And you're getting good advice here. I have actually thought about an L shaped house, but I think for us the flow of this works better. Let's test that theory and see if the house has good flow. The red lines represent the path you'd take from the various parts of the house to the laundry room. Note that EVERY ONE OF THEM funnels through the kitchen, one of the busiest rooms in your house. So while you're cooking, people'll be squishing through carrying large baskets of clothes to and fro. This is the exact opposite of good flow. On the other hand, let's consider getting groceries into the house, into storage and to the table -- this works! You bring groceries in, there's the pantry, there's the refrigerator ... when it's time to cook, you bring them into the kitchen ... then straight on to the table. I'd think about the sink location, but everything else is set up to run like a well-oiled machine. So the question is, how can you make ALL (or at least most) of your daily chores run easily like the food storage ... instead of horribly like the laundry lay out? Consider all the other things you do on a daily basis that could either run poorly ... or be designed well: Bringing in the mail, taking out the trash, taking care of the dog, managing the kids' homework, storage of sports equipment, wrapping a present, sitting down to read a book. Think through all these things, and then work on laying out the house so that everything you need is logically organized.

Fixed windows are less expensive generally than those that ope (casement, slider etc). We just recently ordered some transom windows, 7 foot wide and angled - that window cost about $1500 CAD. But, like others said, it means some structural work in the wall as well as new interior and exterior finishes. It is certainly doable and those inspiration pictures are beautiful. Have a look at some pictures on Houzz for more ideas. I agree with Jan, that the fireplace needs to have more presence, it looks too small for the space. I couldn't find any pictures that mirrored the style you like, but here are some ideas to expand and extend the fireplace, making it much more of a focal point and then put your new windows around it. I'm not suggesting a stone facade like this, but you see the idea to make it wider and taller and then place the windows around it. The height extension could be a drywall bumpout - it wouldn't have to have stone or covering of any sort on it, but you could consider painting it a slightly different colour or some nice architectural trim - actually the second inspiration photo with the taupe walls, see that fireplace, nicely trimmed out and extended. Those changes would really make a difference to that room to help with the scale of the tall ceilings which you like. As you can see in the original picture, there is a ceiling fan up in the corner and a not very pretty one at that. So that may tell you that Jan's suggestion that heating and cooling the room is currently an issue. If you consider extending the fireplace, then consider some concealed vents in the extension that would help move air around in the room and allow you to get rid of the ceiling fan. That room has potential for sure. I think it would be greatly helped by some paint colour and some large scale art and different window coverings. You could do a LOT more if you want but maybe start small and see how you like it.