Dr Joan, You are correct. My clients who have been asking for the ranch plans are mostly empty nesters or one child or a parent who is living with them who want easy access to the whole home even if in less than perfect health. This then also appeals to a wider range of potential buyers for resale. The house also appears to be larger on the lot and in my opinion adds to the percieved and actual value of the home. Both of these are generally ranch plan. The first having the bonus room over the garage and both having full or partial walkout. The first has much more potential finished space as there are 2 bedrooms and bath in the lower level as well as space ready to be finished off for wet bar, rec room, family spaces etc as time and budget allow. The flexibility and potential is very valuable to the owner and any future buyers. The pricing I spoke of was gained through extensive price shopping and great internet purchasing and a year of planning prior to construction. Your pricing seems very reasonable to me based on my experience and not knowing your details of finishes etc. The trick is keeping it that way. Up front its your plans, builder and checkbook...as you move along it becomes emotional...as in gee honey the carpet floor looks fine in the great room...But wouldnt the reclaimed Heart Pine wide plank flooring look fantastic ???? The key is doing your best to be honest and complete in your selections up front as possible.

"As a physician - I would like to point out that a good way to stay young is to climb stairs. I know - but I just had to say it. Avoiding exercise is the absolutely worst way to grow old gracefully. Making your world all about fewest steps from bedroom to garage to get in SUV and drive whereever is not really an ideal to strive for. Just a thought." First let me say that this is the first time I've posted anything (just joined this evening) so I'm not certain I'm doing things as they should be done, but I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. The quote is from a comment made by a physician named David Cary several posts back. We're looking for a house currently; I don't think we can afford to build at this time and we don't have the luxury of waiting, but we're dealing with the issue of whether we're better off looking for whatever footage we can afford on one level, or whether to consider one with a basement, or whether to go two story. We're around 50 years of age. My dad will be living with us, too, and he's 90. My fiance has knee and back issues. Doctors claim I'm sporting arthritis from stem to stern, top to toe. I've seen the films and tests and have to accept the presence of several ruptured/bulging discs. And time has proven the fibromyalgia diagnosis apparently is true as well. For all that, I'm still a high-functioning individual! I'm not as fast as I used to be, and I can't work as hard as long as I used to, and nothing happens without a pretty hefty dose of pain to go with it, but I have no intention of going non-functioning until I go non-breathing. Having laid that groundwork, I'd like to know if the points laid out in the doc's comment above are still applicable. As long as Dad is all on the ground floor, is it better that we think two story to force us to keep at the stairs? Or is it better to remember that with our personalities, we'll stay active on our own; why not save whatever our bodies will handle for what we want to do, rather than "wasting" whatever we've got on the barest basics of living? Did any of that make any sense? I hope so, as I'm really interested in whatever insights any of you are willing to share with me on this. Thank you so much!

Windows like you are describing are quite common for your house design. I suggest you try to find copies of books describing and picturing this style in the Hudson Valley; I think in a house as old as yours choosing the right style of dormer to go with the pitch of your roof would be very important to the look. I live in mid 19th c. house in the upper Hudson Valley so I am always interested in our local houses; I would be glad to post a list of books about Hudson River architectural styles, if you'd like. Inside, the windows will never be conventional (by modern standards that is) but will look just fine. I think you will find decorative treatments for these windows if you look for decorating books with pictures of English cottages, which often have low-ish second stories. You might find that casement windows work well for the sash design. FWIW, my second floor windows are only 22 inches from the floor, although they are full, double-hung windows in a full height room. (My house is Greek Revival with a deep entablature along the eaves which actually covers part of the room's height.) I kind of like my low windows, I like being in bed and looking out and slightly down at the outside world. And my cats think they are great, too. One thing to keep in mind, though, may be the inescapable code requirements if these rooms are to be used for bedrooms. There are building code formulas that require certain sized window openings (or windows) for each sleeping space. In my experiece these code dimensions are sometimes not compatible with historic proportions (they are much larger and squarer). But historic house-lover that I am, I am also a former volunteer firefighter. We had a tragic incident in our town where children were trapped in attic bedrooms in a 19th c. 1 1/2 story house with only the typical "eyebrow windows". They couldn't get out through the small openings, but neither could firefighters in turn-out gear and breathing packs get in to save them. So even if you have a lax code enforcer or are inclined to ignore this, I urge you make sure there is sufficient means of escape. Another issue you will need to consider is how you insulate under the roof down to the knee walls. You can't just slap some insulation against the underside of your roof cladding, you'll need to make sure there's some air space there. Molly~

Everything, is pretty much complete. However, I need to take some pictures once we have things a bit more presentable. I worked on a trash pull out yesterday. We've been having an issue finding a trash pull out that would fit the space. One with the apron sink we don't have much height to work with. 2 With a center disposal there was no way two of the same trash cans would fit. There was nothing out of the box that I could install that would fit the space well. This is what I came up with. Tight fit doors closed