Thank you all for your replies, they are appreciated. Here are some more information that I didn't think was relevant but now I see that it is. The house is in a neighborhood that was developed by the same contractor and has many similar houses to hers. Within a 500-meter radius, there are 7 houses of the same model, including hers. Her back door neighbor and the one diagonally across from her is the same model. There are other models, but all roughly the same size with the same features. The one diagonally across sold 2 years ago for $290,000. For what I know, the market is still roughly the same today. When built, it was the last house on the street, but the street was extended into a new neighbourhood about 15 years ago, which also features similarly sized houses, some sold recently for $325-375k. The basement was finished in 1978 with tongue-and-groove pine boards on some walls of the great room, 1/2" thick, aligned on a 45-degree angle to the vertical and the longest boards were custom made because my dad didn't want to have butt joints. These walls were not affected by the water damage. The ceiling and the remaining walls of the great room have stucco. The other rooms in the basement were finished with regular drywall to the same standards as the upper level, and have solid oak mouldings, but some were painted over. The doors are embossed, hollow core doors of the same quality as the upper level, but of a different model, painted the same colour as the upper level. The builder used aluminum wiring, but all the basement was done using copper, so the only aluminum wiring in the basement is in the ceiling joists and feeds the upper level circuits only. I don't know if we were just plain extremely lucky or if Marrette 63 and 65 and CO/ALR devices really work, but there has NEVER been an issue with the aluminum wiring. No intermittent/flickering lights, no charred/burned wire nuts or receptacles, nothing. None of the aluminum is accessible without further demolition work. The reconstruction work was never commenced because of several factors. We simply removed the portions that were damaged by water. She has two proposals by reputable contractors for reconstruction work, one 28k, the other one 32k. Both said since the aluminum wiring was trouble free, they would leave it in place. I figure if I do most of the work myself, I can probably do it for about 40% less? In her mind, the house is more appealing as it is because there is less work to do to put it back in a fully finished condition, than a fully gutted basement, but I rather agree with you guys that it would be less appealing to most buyers, for the reasons you mentioned. She thinks she can ask roughly the same price as she would have had prior to the damages. Sorry for the long post, please ask if you need to know more details. I appreciate your input so far.

This is the fireplace from a distance. The floor is travertine. The other picture is the view from when you walk in the door of the back of the fireplace.

It is difficult to remodel when you have had months or years to plan, shop, and assemble your idea books. What happened to you with hurricane damage is so beyond the mind’s comprehension and the heart’s break. You have to make these thousand decisions without any preparation. First, take a deep breath and be good to yourself. Your decisions are fast and furious at a time when you are truly in mourning- for your past lifestyle, your precious lost things, and the devastation around you. To those who have suffered a fire or a tornado, I am not trying to lessen your real loss. However, a hurricane turns your entire town, your job, your neighbors’ lives upside down and a great support system is lost. It is almost impossible to drive anywhere for weeks because all the landmarks are gone, the street signs missing, and neighbors moved to unknown locations. But for now, be good to yourself. Know that you will make some mistakes, but this forum is full of people who have planned a remodel for months and still have the same doubts and second-guessing you do! None of these decisions are life and death. Just get this finished and start making new memories with your family in your “new”home. For the record, some of my neighbors had blue tarp roofs for two years. It takes time.

I don't think you can go wrong with narrow builtins around the fireplace, under the windows. The space can't really be used in another way, and having storage is always a plus. Think carefully about whether you want closed or open storage, or a combination. I also think the soft green you had on your accent wall would look great in your new dining space. Greens always look good with wood. If the dining area has a lot of windows, you could use a deeper color. I'd keep the rest of the main spaces one neutral color. You can use the third option from your builder for a different bedroom color, which I think is always nice. I'd make a floorpan with actual dimensions, and measure all your large current furniture pieces. That will help you see whether or not they can fit in the spaces, or if you should sell them prior to the move. I wouldn't buy anything until after you're in. If your hutch can't fit in the dining area, you may be able to use it on the far side of your living space, across from the fireplace, in an entry, or another room.