I agree totally that open space is much cheaper to build than area such as baths or kitchens, but it is an incremental cost to a project that will most certainly cost more than I wish it would. It adds up even quicker when you look at radiant heat per sq foot prices, fancy ceilings, moldings and wainscot. I have some very generous room sizes for rooms such as the dining room, kitchen and den which we will use, but left living room smallish as rarely used. It would be great to add the extra space as it would probably make the dining room truly banquet sized, but my original plans for 4300 sq ft are already close to 5000. I added on 4 ft in each dimension to the garage as it was cheap space and I will use the extra room.

I like Lavender Lass's rendition of the kitchen very much. One thing I might change is to increase the size of the pantry next to the fridge to at least 24" wide so that you're sure to have enough food and small appliance storage. In order to give your front entry a sense of place and distinction from the dining room, I suggest adding a partial wall and column coming from the portion of wall between the front door and the bay window, perpendicular to the front wall of the house. It wouldn't have to come out very far, just enough to be there. It could even be a stub wall with a window cut-out, or a slightly thicker wall with storage below the opening (shoes?). I think you'd have to rotate the table 90 degrees to make this work. You might be able to put some built-in seating in the bay to help it fit well. I looked on Houzz for some column and partial wall ideas, but they all looked to "grand" for the scale of your home. This comes close, but I would make the column a little less substantial so that it didn't overwhelm your space. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/phinney-residence-dining-room-craftsman-dining-room-seattle-phvw-vp~242166) [Craftsman Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2116) by Seattle Architects & Designers Goforth Gill Architects Another one: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/open-floor-plan-view-of-breakfast-room-addition-traditional-dining-room-boston-phvw-vp~772159) [Traditional Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2107) by Lawrence Home Builders Howell Custom Building Group Here's something similar, without the column, but it would still help define the space and give your guests a feeling of arrival and enclosure before they continue into the rest of the home. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-craftsman-kitchen-craftsman-kitchen-portland-phvw-vp~769261) [Craftsman Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2116) by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Weedman Design Partners When planning your cabinets and finishes, keep in mind the age and style of your home and those in the neighborhood so that they play nicely together. We recently bought a farm house that had a very "70's" kitchen plopped into it. This is the sort of thing I think you'd like to avoid. : ) Are you familiar with Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" books? They are wonderful and readily available at many libraries. I think you'd find them helpful in your planning. As you undertake your renovations, please address the issue of your family room being cold. Would it benefit from a new gas fireplace, or energy efficient word burning insert? (Our wood stove draws our children to it like an outdoor light at night draws bugs in the summer, LOL.) If you make your family room warm and cozy, and keep a sightline between the kitchen and living room, everyone will enjoy it and use it more. Here is a link that might be useful: Sarah Susanka's website

Lindsy - just saw these posts since Mark's sketch, just wanted to pop in and say I would not be worried about the garage in his sketch, I know any sort of garage out front is hated by many on this forum but apparently I am difference as I place more importance on function in the backyard than street appeal of my garage. However, I would not at all 'flip' the drive to open on the back side of the garage as you mentioned in the image where you flipped the plan. Flipping the driveway would make it a massive and awkward snout.

Hi Allie , Looks like you've gotten, 'Houzzed!' That syndrome where a bunch of people beat you up for not going to architecture school, or have they budget they pretend their current clients do have. Let's see if we can actually help you - which I've been assured by my Houzz representative is the actual point of the forums. Being you have no design experience - that actually gives you greater insight to what a homebuyer wants as opposed to a designer/architect whose main want is to be published. So step 1: Forget so much what the other houses are doing, and ask yourself what YOU would want in a new home. Start with 5, 'must haves,' then toss in 5 'nice to haves.' A quick call to the realtor helping you sell the property will confirm, remove or add to that list. A good plan doesn't show ALL we know, it shows WHAT we know, basically saying quality of space over quantity. Currently it looks like you're cramming in amenities. Step 2: Prioritize. Is a tiny dining nook in the middle of a walkway to the stairs really more important than 3 oddly sized bedrooms? If yes, go to 2 nicely laid out bedrooms (1 true master) and 1 decent sized dining room. If not, lose the dining room - its in the middle of the kids running up & down stairs anyways. Step 3: Organize. Would you live in a master bedroom that buts up against the garage? Is the privacy a master bedroom needs really achieved by having it as close to the front door as it is? Would it be better if the kitchen were pulled back so that when you pull your car in to the garage you can easily get your groceries to the fridge? Step 4: Simplify. If your floorplan is doing a lot of left & rights and parts of it looks like a maze, it will be as hard to build as it is to look at. We have a term, 'acrobatics.' I.E. there's oa lot of acrobatics to get a linen closet, hallway bathroom & laundry room near the entry of your first floor. This kinds of sums up all the steps - 1, would YOU squeeze into a bathroom that size? 2, is the linen closet really worth it there? 3, Do you want your guests getting a towel from next to your master bedroom door? Hope that helped. I know it was a long answer, its usually why we start every project with a free 15 min. strategy session. Just hit us up on our profile! I'll even go a step further - send me a message here on houzz & I'll sketch both upstairs and downstairs in the same exact footprint for free. Thanks,a -frank build beautiful