You said the bath was 7' x 7' so those grey squares on your images each represents a 1' x 1' space. Right? If so, neither of the two designs you just posted is going to work. First, you aren't leaving enough room in front of the toilet or in front of the sink to actually use them. You HAVE to have room to stand in front of the sink and knee room in front of the toilet. (Men need standing room there also!) The 18' or so that you have just is NOT enough space. Building codes require a minimum of 21' of space. But, anything less than about 26' is going to feel decidedly cramped. Second, you cannot use a pocket door in the location you show it because that wall will have plumbing pipes for your vanity sink in it. A pocket door simply cannot go into a wall in the same spot where plumbing needs to be. I know you want a larger shower so I hate to say it but I really don't think a 3' wide x 5' long shower with a 4' wall around it will ever fit into the space you have available. If you went with a totally glass-walled shower and forgot about the half-height walls, the shower would take up less floor space. You might be able to manage a 30' wide shower. You might also consider a neo-angle shower that would fit into a corner of the room. Since both windows can't possibly be on the front of the house, maybe you could move or eliminate whichever one does not actually face front. Or, turn it into a glass block window and incorporate the window into your shower. A wall- mounted toilets with the tank (water cistern) built INTO the wall would also take up less floor space. If you put your toilet against an interior wall, that might be an option. And, while they don't provide under-sink storage, pedestal sinks make small bathrooms look and feel larger by freeing up floor space. Here is a link that might be useful: NKBA planning guides (clear space in bathrooms)

Thanks for the advice, all. Our realtor is local to us and knows the area well, and is one of the most successful agents around. We had a great experience with her when purchasing the foreclosed home we bought last year. She was quick to solve problems, offer advice and ow wine as needed, and basically made the sale happen despite Fanny Mae's best efforts to make it too difficult. We've spoken briefly with her RE our home, and she has already made some suggestions. She knows what we are capable of after following our reno of the aforementioned forelosure. We are madly de-cluttering, and will be deep-cleaning every room in addition to engaging a housekeeper to help us keep the place spotless. I will share her suggestions here. Mostly I am wondering how the contract will work. We are in Maine, if that matters. I purchased our current home through a first-time homebuyers program which had a very specific process. Our foreclosure again was purchased through a specific process with our agent acting as a buyers agent. We've never sold a home before, and are just looking for some guidelines about the process.

Don't get to overwhelmed by trying to do it perfectly the first time. Gardening in general is one long learning experience. Take what you have now (or are going to have when your people are done), and enjoy the experience of learning what works and what doesn't. Try not to make it too complicated - getting into pH levels and irrigation and strict fertilizing schedules will make it more stressful than enjoyable - and you'll learn all of that stuff as you go along. Plants want to grow, and unless you're actively doing something that is counter to that want, most plants will do just fine without you becoming a soil scientist or a chemist. Especially tomatoes, they're pretty tough plants (and cherry tomatoes are practically fool proof, IMHO). I'm basically growing tomatoes in the desert in decomposed granite. Isn't New Jersey the garden state? Plop them in there, water when the soil is dry when you stick your finger in it or they look like they're thirsty, fertilize if they start looking a little worn midway through the growing season, and enjoy the growing and learning process. Ask questions if something comes up you're not sure about. My two cents, anyway, make it fun, not stressful.

Before doing any landscaping, examine if there are drainage issues, and be sure to fix those first. consider raising the grade to meet the stoop level so there is neither a step or the appearance of an unfinished grade. Bringing up the grade would make things looks better. If you can't expand the width of the walk to match the porch opening, at least widen it with an 8" brick or paver strip down each side. And create an expanded apron connecting it to the porch. I wouldn't confine the porch with plantings, but some strategically located to coordinate with the posts would be fine. Trees off of the corners would help the house seem integrated with the surroundings.