NostalgicFarm, I'm not sure about how accurate it would be. Maybe I could go ask the contractor that suggested getting the rough professional drawings first if the set I have is enough for a proper estimate. I'd rather get estimates for having all the work done professionally as that would be preferable to me. Only if costs need to be cut later would I then consider doing some painting or small jobs myself. ***** Carol, thanks for the good wishes. It sounds as if you are in the thick of things where the enthusiasm of starting a great new project has worn off and the finish line isn't in sight yet. I am encouraged to hear that so far you've been able to stick close to budget. I imagine that finishing will feel like such an accomplishment, you and your family will love the new space. Best of luck to you, too! ***** Zone4Newby, we've thought about the obstacle those couple of stairs could pose. One of the issues is that no matter how we arrange it, the powder room isn't big enough for a wheelchair, and if we change the back stairs so they go straight down and there is no landing, it's too narrow to open the door or fit a door to the outside. We had the powder room where the workshop was originally, and no one really liked that arrangement, so I don't know where else to put it. The back stairs are not necessary, but are preferred right now for a few reasons: 1. The main is that my mother who will have the laundry level bedroom is an avid gardener and liked the idea of having a 'mud room' and powder room near a door so she did not have to lug her dirty stuff all through the house or change at the door to run in to use the rest room (which becomes a bigger issue as she ages). 2. One of the major complaints with the house right now is that the hallways feel very congested. Even some of the contractors we talked to earlier were stopping to measure them and surprised they were standard width because they don't feel like it. Having two sets of stairs enhances the flow and reduces the congested feel. 3. Having the laundry open to a lit area also substitutes for not having a window. We intend to install a light tube, which helps with light, but doesn't make one feel less trapped in the laundry room the way a window or second door/opening to light can. The noise from the laundry is a concern, which is why the drawing includes a pocket door. I am hoping the combination of a newer, quieter washing machine/dryer, the walls in that section actually being outside walls, and the direction the opening is facing will help with noise reduction. ***** Bpathome, I love the idea of a "I like my split" support group! Splits are not uncommon here, but they are not the most popular either and architects and contractors often thumb their noses up at opportunities to remodel them (example). It's actually unpopular enough that there are a couple of contractors who advertise that they do split level remodels because some GC's won't. I have looked at hundreds of homes over the years/decades since my family used to do open house tours as a Sunday activity (I know, crazy!) and although some updates like paint and swapping out fixtures were common, almost none had actual additions or major changes. If you have suggestions on how to reconfigure the existing master, I am interested. The current master is actually a pleasant size, but we ran into a few problems trying to keep it and rearrange the existing bathroom space: 1. If we give that master a true master bathroom, we need to create a second bathroom on that floor for the other bedroom. 2. Figuring out where to place the door to the master. It currently is on an angle and so small a standard size door can't be put in that space. 3. We lose the back stairs that my mother is very fond of. ***** Robotropolis, split entries or split foyers are lower on many people's lists. You sometimes have to go up stairs to get inside, and then guests are always confronted with the obligatory, "up or down?" question and tend to mill in the foyer. Split-foyers also tend to live more like a less convenient rambler with people living mostly on one floor, but still using stairs all the time to enter the house. Like with Caben, our 'public' space (living, dining, kitchen) for guests is all on the main floor, and there are no stairs to enter the house. It's not for everyone, but it works for us. Many people who don't like this style before buying are surprised that how well it works for them after living in one for awhile. ***** Caben, thanks for sharing. I like the new arrangement, especially the expanded kitchen and the new laundry room location. Combining the family room and formal living room looks like a smart idea, too. Despite your regrets, it looks like you'll have a great place to live when you are done.

We also have a plain vanilla ranch built in 1950. It was never MCM nor any style. It was just churned out as a tract home. The basic layout of bedrooms and living space was ok, but we opened the wall between the kitchen and living room, extended and moved the kitchen so the old kitchen is half of the new one and partly as our new main level laundry room. The rest of the kitchen is part of the extension and is adjacent to the new den we added on. Due to budget constraints, we only cathedraled the new extensions' ceilings and the master bedroom ceiling was vaulted as we extended there too. Where we did not raise the ceilings we added in skylights and a 5ft eyebrow window in the front of the house, boxed in like a skylight (and we have a skylight over the den up high). The greater amount of natural light is fabulous and it feels so much more spacious with the openings for the skylights and eyebrow window. We had hated the all low ceilings when we moved in. Our previous house had vaulted and cathedral ceilings over the living spaces and it was hard to adjust to low and flat. I truly think that being able to raise the ceilings and/or use skylights is one of the best features about a ranch. Since the house was built with little style and updated with no style either (unless cheap and ugly are styles, lol), we felt free to create our own vibe. We went for retro modern with a 40s feel. What a modern person would have done prior to MCM is how I'd describe it. It has some deco feel to it but the lines are simple and not ornate. Crown moldings would not have worked, so we have done simpler ones. We chose modest looking but well designed materials. No one would ever think it is fancy or frilly. We wanted clean lines but not sharp edges. It is supposed to feel homey and unassuming. Like a well worn pair of jeans that fit well. We want guests to feel at home. If you come up with your own style mission statement you can check your choices against it. At one point, we fell in love with white marble and wanted that for our counters. Then one day, we figured out it went against all our other choices and was too elegant. We ended up with Corian in their Rain Cloud pattern, which mimics the feel of a white marble, but is not trying to fake anyone out. It has a softness to the look but with all straight lines and an eased edge profile, it looks neat. We ended up with Carrera marble in our master bathroom for the counter and in the faux rug part of our floor. That space is meant to be more grown up and fancy since it is our private space and not designed for the kids. The veins that make it great there would have been too busy for the kitchen. If we had gone for another look, I'd have loved to use the marble as I usually drool when I see it used anywhere. If I ever do a kitchen again, I would want qs oak with white marble or some other medium toned stained wood. The door style would be different as well. We are happy with our vision and how the look has turned out (the gc screwed us on condition, but that will be fixed, someday). It is not plain vanilla any more! Our house looks like no other in our area and I dare say, it is now one of a kind. Hopefully, you find your groove and your end result reflects your style and vision, and makes you smile too ;)

@jn3344 Thanks for your comments! The current garage window is facing the backyard, so I think we're okay on privacy. I think I'm concerned that a window there might impede storage, but we're probably okay on storage... @bpathome We would be renting out the guest suite to interns short-term (usually three months) - not people we know personally. If you look closely, the guest suite actually has a minikitchen area which will have a small sink, microwave, and a minifridge so they can use that for their own things. And tech interns in our area usually get free breakfast, lunch, and dinner at work so I anticipate them not doing real cooking at all. The perfect people to rent out to. :) Of course we might not do this at all, but it's nice as a possibility. The guest suite also has separate access via the sliding doors in the back - I imagine the interns parking their bike on their porch to get to their room (not using the front door or garage entrance), and rarely ever seeing them. We are easy biking distance from major tech companies like Google & LinkedIn. I really need to read more about solatubes vs skylights! Do solatubes let in the same amount of light? @Mama Rachel: We debated making the mudroom have direct access to the office which would make the office more like a dining room, but my husband doesn't want two entrances to the office. My mom is definitely worried about this, but oh well, we'll fake it if/when we sell. :) Others have suggested making the pantry the mudroom (with a nice window perhaps) before, but that directs traffic directly through the kitchen cooking zone. There is already a washer/dryer in the guest bathroom. :) And like I said, tenants would enter the guest suite via the sliding doors in the back, so the idea is the sliding door stays closed when there's a tenant, and stays open most of the time when the guest is a family member. @Oaktown: Thanks, I'm so glad you like the floor plan. Did you notice I took your suggestion from last time of creating the mudroom hallway for more circulation? :) Yes, the floor plans don't match the exterior yet but I told the architect to update them so I'll replace the floor plan in the OP once he does. Ack, you maybe don't like the 3/1 casements? I will wait in suspense for your further comments. I think we're actually going to do two tankless water heaters on the first floor - one on the kitchen side, one on the guest suite side. And then separate tankless water heater(s) upstairs. I think the utility area will house the boiler for our radiant heat (perhaps overkill for the area, but it's soo nice!). We'll mostly use a whole house fan for cooling, but are considering adding forced air and air conditioning for the upstairs only (so that we don't need ducting on the first floor). With all that and 2x6 walls instead of 2x4, I'm hoping it'll be a very comfortable house to live in. Maybe we won't even need all the utility space the architect created. Moar pantry or garage storage?? Hopefully we will begin structural engineering next week. That will take 3-5 weeks, during which we'll create construction documents and detail the inside of the house and specs. We've done a lot of advance homework on this so I think this will go well. After structural engineering is done, we'll apply for permits and simultaneously start getting bids, or maybe doing a negotiated contract with a builder (we're interviewing GCs right now). That's a whole other topic that I might post here about. I keep hearing that the city of Mountain View is relatively easy with regards to permits, so hopefully we could break ground as early as August or September! I'm not sure if I'm evil hoping it won't rain during the early stages of my build, with the drought and all. xD In the worst case we could always start later - the current house on the lot is being rented out, we have no mortgage on the house we're living in now, and we're pretty young so there's no real rush.

To address window style: no to long skinny windows. A big picture window instead. Big front porch? You've got a cute single story house with front garage. Perhaps the bay window isn't your style, but it adds curb appeal and without it, your home will look like an ordinary So Cal home circa 1960s-. my childhood home looked just like that, except only 2-car garage. It reminds me of a gingerbread house with white icing. Show your style with the interior. Do what you want to the inside it doesn't have to repeat the outside. Add some landscaping to the walkway to make it stand apart from the neighbors.