In our small town in Arkansas, builders are building spec houses that are selling well. However, the houses are more modest than in the past, though still nice, and price points are lower. In our second home ski-resort town in Colorado, its a bit different. True, that this is a unique market being a resort and has a mix of second-home owners and full time residents. The high-end spec. homes were in the 4-7.5M range in the boom. High end spec. duplexes in the 2-5 million range and high end condos in the 1.5-2.5 million range were being built in the boom. This inventory is slowly getting absorbed, but with some faily significant price reductions, especially for the condos). Now the few spec residences are at a more modest scale and lower price points. Only a very few of the higher end(now about 1.4-2.4M) spec. homes/duplexes are in the building and/or permitting phases in prime locations. No condos are buing built, but one developer is building a new apartment complex (instead of condos as originally planned) for long-term rentals and a fabuoulous senior center is winding its way through the permitting process. So at least there is some building activitiy. One builder however appears to be having some success with $220,000 to about $350,000 single family homes in a nearby "bedroom" community about 20 miles out. He bought the entire subdivision from the bank after it had been foreclosed and is now building more affordable housing. In the middle of the boom, the city approved several subdivisions in prime (very prime) mountain areas very near the base of the ski-mountain. One of those subdivisions of 62 lots announced that it was 100% "pre-sold" in the fall of 2007, with waiting lists. Prices ranged from about 450,000 for a .15 acre lot to around 1,200,000 for a creekside lot just under an acre. After all the infrastructure was in place, in May of 2010, 51 lots remained unsold and prices were slashed in half. At that time, a local builder was quoted in the paper as saying that this meant that a 3000 sq ft. home on one of the smaller lots could probably be built for just over 1M. Since that time, 4 lots sold to one local long-time investor, for an additional approx 10% off the already prices. This summer another 30% discount off the reduced prices (making it 65% of original asking) was announced. Five lots quickly went under contract, but four (all creekside duplex lots, I think) have already dropped out. A hedge fund bought another smaller, well located subdivision on the golf course from the bank about 6 months ago and cut the prices in half. No sales yet. I think this tells us (1) land prices haven't bottomed out and (2) until they do (and more remaining inventory is absorbed) there probably won't be any significant spec activity.

There's nothing like a old house for character. Why not add on to the house you bought using decorative elements from the 1920's to keep the house within the same look. I'd strongly suggest you take a look at some of the old house boards and read up on old house restoration. IF you do decide to restore rather than destroy leave the windows alone. Despite what the sales folks are going to tell you you aren't loosing heat thru those old windows if they are properly maintained. Riping them out you will loose much of the houses character and charm. Replacement windows are just that something you will be replacing over time again and again.

Take a look at something with all the spaces you're considering in a more consolidated, better laid out design with a proportional roof: https://www.thehousedesigners.com/plan/southborough-cottage-house-plan-5558/ Make a couple changes -- note image below: - Pull the (green) great room out so it receives natural light ... put in a single French door between the great room and the covered porch (purple), which is now more square /less rectangle ... better for setting up an outdoor seating area, and it doesn't block your light. With this in mind, I would add windows to the SIDE of the kids' rooms. I'd then add a patio, which could be accessed from the screen porch, the great room, or the master bedroom. - Re-do the master bath (red) and master closet (blue) so that the bath receives natural light. You could also have a door connecting the closet and the laundry -- so convenient. I'd probably make the laundry /closet a bit deeper to allow for a folding cabinet opposite the machines. - Add your second garage (yellow) to the side ... the yellow garage would be slightly larger than the existing one. (I actually wouldn't do this, but you say it's a must.) - The breakfast area isn't 'specially spacious, but you could easily stretch your table out into the great room when you have a big group. - With the hall bath available for guests, I'd make the half-bath into a lovely little desk spot ... so convenient off the kitchen. Or a pantry. - It's not perfect, but it still gives you your craft space in the area that's now a dining room ... or you could use one of the kids' bedrooms as your craft space and put the other kid in the upstairs bonus room. Note that the flow works better: the hallways aren't long and twisty-turny.

I've seen it all. So many food bags left at house being built across the street from our summer rental, that multiple skunks were regular nighttime visitors and got my dog one time, on a leash, and then chased me. When I had major remodeling done, first in 1985 and again 2000, I would watch the workmen arrive, finish their last cigarette, and then dump their ashtray, filled to the brim, on the gravel pull-off in front of our house. First GC made them pick them up, butt by butt; second said, "Oh it's just the boys being boys"! I made them pick them up, butt by butt. When the first remodeling was going done, it was a full dormer on the back of the house. There was a finished bedroom on the 2nd floor with a bathroom with tub. I watched them use the tub as a dumping ground for their drywall work. When I pointed this out to the GC, she told the dry wall men (who also stole jewelry from me - followed their white footprints to my bedroom!) to clean it out thoroughly and not use it again. They took out the big stuff and rinsed the rest down the drain. I've had multiple plumbers out over the years, and we can't find the clog, but I know there is one as the tub drains VERY slowly. I'm not replacing the plumbing from the 2nd floor to the basement! The list goes on and on and on.. I quickly came to the conclusion that most of the trades must live like swine as I'm sure they do the same thing at their own house. Pigs!