Yes, I've researched the codes here. CA does have the same restriction - a legal bedroom cannot have a door to the garage. However, half the houses in this neighborhood have this same floor plan, and half of those families use this room as a bedroom - even though it's not legally a bedroom. However, we are planning to wall up that door and cut a new door to the garage somewhere else, so it will be a legal bedroom. The setback over here is 20 feet from the sidewalk. The front of our garage is 26 feet from the sidewalk, so we could extend the house up to 6 feet past the front of the garage. The house was built in 1962, and most of the houses in the neighborhood are very similar to this one. We haven't really considered a complete teardown due to cost. I think even if we did do a complete teardown, because the lot is so small, we would still end up with the same footprint - and face the same challenge of arranging all the rooms in the house. We did consider a second story, but aside from the fact that the foundation currently won't support a second story, a two story isn't really suitable for my elderly parents.

Pixie...you make a good point on the Pinterest side...it was more visual and with a lot of interiors to give a sense of style...but I did include a 17 different pictures/plans of old houses (although no farmhouses until this week, as pictures of old farmhouses that are 'unmuddled' were hard to come by on the web). I did give him a rather long list of prioritized architectural 'requirements' (on the first day...I'll upload those to the same site that is hosting all the plans) and the absolute and high priority items here. These were my 'absolutes' A. Add collar ties to attic joists B. Pull down attic access to use attic for storage C. Add attic ventilation E. 220v electric in basement for Euro Washer F. Shore up cracked main beam & replace rusty supports H. Add support alongside basement stairs I. Get rid of seepage in basement corner J. Replace missing joist cross braces in basement . Install full code compliant bathroom (gutted right now) N. Better heat dissipation upstairs O. Room for my DR table (seats 10) P. Add heat to DR Q. Fix side porch gutter/gap R. Keep any exterior work visually in the style of the period (mid-late 20s) S. More storage for my car stuff (temp controlled) T. More storage for tools & yard furniture U. Keep Gas for Dryer & Stove V. Retain as much original HWF as possible on 2nd floor W. Re-add HWF on first floor (prefer old growth) X. Replace existing Oil Boiler with less noisy Gas Boiler Y. Get rid of remaining cat smell Z. Rewire house and bring 220v into house AA. Add insulation BB. New Hot Water Heating system CC. Replace rusted waster/water/boiler pipes DD. Ensure plumbing lines are run to avoid freezing EE. Replace missing joists under bathtub FF. Remove excess vent piping in kitchen GG. Keep wall between Kitch/LR/DR HH. Have fully functioning kitchen again II. Double door opening from LR to DR JJ. Better air flow on first floor LL. Replace or shore up side entry MM. Less highway noise NN. Keep and strip all original woodwork PP. Shady space for hammock (stand or tree) QQ. Easy access to water outside RR. Block access to path from driveway SS. Remove Dead Tree in front yard High Priority A. Significantly reduce road noise in Master Bedroom B. Up to code deck E. Use deck as outdoor living space (big enough for dinner for 8-10, hammock) G. Place to store my wine glasses, linen and platter collection (DR hutch) H. Re-add Chair rail or wainscoting in DR I. Get rid of calcimine paint in DR J. Fix dark plaster spot (and source) in DR ceiling K. Somewhere to store garbage/recycling bins L. Keep wood gutters M. Ensure drains run far enough away from house N. Repaint trim O. Covered Parking for 2 cars P. First floor coat closet Q. Period appropriate lighting (no cans) R. Install crown molding S. No skylights T. Replace stopgap PEX and old plumbing with copper U. Keep existing radiators V. Plug any cracks/holes in foundation X. Take advantage of the park view Y. Better counterspace in the kitchen (currently 5 windows/doors in kitchen that impact counterspace) Z. Vintage wood cabinets AA. O'Keefe and Merritt 40" vintage stove BB. Farmhouse sink CC. Vintage kitchen hardware DD. Extend kitchen cabinets to ceiling EE. oven that fits 1/2 sheet pans FF. Good ventilation in kitchen GG. Permanently cap kitchen vent in chimney (if chimney not removed) II. Good use of corner kitchen cabinet space JJ. Place for recycling container KK. Gorgeous Vent Hood MM. More light in Kitchen OO. Install HWF in kitchen PP. More light in LR QQ. Add Fireplace RR. Place for couch in morning sun SS. Add Chimney Cap (if chimney not removed) TT. Shore up mortar and gap between chimney & roof (if chimney not removed) VV. In side entry, add heat and/or address plethora of cold air seepage WW. Reduce water runoff from street into sidewalk/yard XX. More electric outlets outside YY. Stereo speakers outside ZZ. Make backyard more level and fill in old fish pond AAA.Dog enclosure (physical or electronic) CCC.Install wider and level walking path between front walk, side door and basement entry DDD.Try to retain stone walls wherever possible Medium (not all, but the key ones) A. 3rd bedroom B. Add formal entryway C. Replace all MDF trim This post was edited by navi_jen on Tue, Aug 5, 14 at 10:41

Rosie, I did notice that when I was looking for dormer examples, they are indeed unusually popular seaside! Justgotabeme, I really like the attic space too. I have told the GC to use shiplap on the ceilings, and put it between the joists (do I have my house parts right) so that it still looks very attic-y. I took most of my photos for reference to be able to make remote decisions about the exterior and interior. I have very few photos of the view. Here is when you pull up to the house: From the verandah, later in the fall: fyi that little rectangle is, oddly enough, a shuffleboard court In the photo above, you see an old stone wall in the distance. We are putting in a pool there, right near where our property meets the sea, looking out over this: KSWL, yes, the dormer definitely needs to get smaller as you go up a floor. We are still fiddling with how small and what shape...

We've gone over some of the suggestions made here and have spoken with the builder concerning the layout, costs, etc. and have decided to forego the carport for now in lieu of adding the basement garage. While definitely not my ideal, the garage in the basement will cost pennies compared to an upper level carport or garage, which we can add later as we age. We don't have harsh conditions that often so it's likely that I'll be parking in the existing driveway and entering through the living room door most days. There will be a mud area at the bottom of the basement steps for DH and the kids. In coming to terms with how we live versus how I'd like to live, it's certain that on sunny days when boots have little to no dirt, DH and kids will enter through the side door, which is why I'm putting a little area to drop shoes there. All that means is that there will be a half wall to kick boots off behind when coming in to eat lunch, etc. Here is the new plan, which I'm sure still could use some modifications but both DH and I feel good about this plan functioning well for our family. To recap what modifications I made from the original post: *Reduced wasted space in master bath, which gave more room to the master bedroom. *Separated laundry and homeschool office; by reducing "extra" space in the girls' bath and my closet, I was able to niche out enough room for a modest laundry room near the master bedroom, which I think will serve us better as we age. The layout in the laundry is somewhat fluid right now as I'd like to get a closet in there for storing the vacuum cleaner, etc. * Added a coat closet by the front door to provide storage as well as give the foyer more definition. *Reduce the living room size to save on square footage. *Moving the laundry caused us to lose the closed locker storage but we may add it near the living room side door if we feel like space allows. *The blue overlay shows the area of the original house that will not receive any structural modifications except the window in the girls' bedroom will become a door into the new ensuite. Things we didn't change/realize break some "rules": *We didn't add a guest 1/2 bath. We RARELY ever have guests so we don't feel it's necessary to have a 4 1/2 bath house. *We didn't add a dumbwaiter right now. DH feels that the space in the pantry where the extra freezer is could easily be turned into a dumbwaiter spot since we have access to the basement area directly below it. Plus we can always unload groceries through the front door very easily if we have to. *We didn't reduce the size of the garage or the "wing addition." In talking with each other and the GC, it wasn't worth it financially or space wise to lose any square footage in that area. *Changing the location of the kitchen and its openess/visibility to the foyer is likely not to change. Our needs, our community, our family/friends, and style of living don't necessitate that we "hide" the kitchen from the front door. I've lived in homes and communities that did so I do understand why the "rule" exists. However, in our simpler, casual, rural "boonies" area, it's a non-issue :) ************************ I'm going to post the kitchen and pantry layout in that forum for more specific advice on that.