Hey Matt n Des: Sorry I haven't responded this week, I sent hubby and the 3 kids away for the week so that I can clean. I loved Suzycentri's comment's, because she is soooo right. Do you know that I rented a 4 cubic bin just to throw away all the garbage, broken toys, old clothes (not the ones good enough to giveaway to friends). And the darn thing is almost FULL!!!! We have only lived in this house for 3 years but thats what it is like with 3 kids. I like the kids rooms in the new design, but you are still way off on the master. It is a total waste of space, sorry hon, but it is. You really have got to close that door off of the main hall/room into your bathroom. There is no need for it, the house is only 1800sf. And if you are so worried about crossing carpet, lay down hardwood floors throughout the area. They will last longer and much more kid friendly. Trust me on this one. One of our houses had 6,500sf of hardwoods, no carpet. The one we are about to get started on has hardwoods in all living areas AND my son's room. Why anyone would give a very "male" boy carpet is beyond me, lol. And we are doing reclaimed timber so that all the new dings just blend with the old ones. I have given up having beautiful floors (maybe in my next house, once all the kids are gone). But with kids, you have to have a big dose of reality and reality to me is not having to worry and yell at the kids all the time because they might scratch up the floors or ruin the carpet. And unless you are going to buy top of the line wool carpet, you will be replacing it about every 7 years, because it is going to get trashed. Wood flooring will be cheaper in the long run and will last the lifetime of the house (and you won't have to hire carpet cleaners every 6 months to get those icky stains out that magically keep reappearing in the same spot). Ok, so what I want to know is: 1) "What is it you are trying to accomplish in the master bath??" 2) Are you willing to compromise on the carpet issue so that you can move your kitchen to the other side? It will open the area up and still allow you to see out the back. I dealt with that issue myself, I have a straight view over the golf course and can see the ocean, downtown Melbourne, Australia and sweeping over to the right the mountain ranges. I ended up moving my kitchen in such a way so that I can be at the sink and look out. Actually, everyone of the living areas (beds, family, eating, kitchen, office) all have the same view (except my sons room, but we have given him the biggest room in the house to make up for it, and he still has a view out at the other side of the golf course. It has taken over a year to tweak it around, but we are getting there. 3). Have you asked the development for an extension? This is normal that people are not ready to build within a year and there are always concessions that can be made. What are they going to do ~ take your land away???????? I agree with the others above about hiring a professional. You put all your ideas together and tell them where you want things and approx sizing you want it and "Viola" they magically create YOUR house. I have done this twice now, (17 homes, but only 2 custom builds)and it still amazes me how they can put things together in ways I never thought about doing, even after months of looking at it & trying to make it work. Professionals are there for a reason. It doesn't make your house "not your design" just because someone made it work. Someone is going to have to draft it out for the building plans anyway, and boy, are they going to be offering suggestions immediately. We hire kitchen designers, space designers, decorators, aesthetic designers......why not house designer?? I would never NOT hire an expert to put my ideas together. My current plan is based on several designs I found on the internet and of a house that I walked thru and loved the kitchen, eating, family area. The architect put all these ideas together and we are putting the final touches on the house. I could never have done it myself, even with all my experience. I am not a degreed expert, I came up with the basic layout but the professional put the puzzle pieces together. :-)

Are you tiling the end and top of the pony wall or putting a solid material on it? You don't want slivers of tile because of the size you choose.

Whirlpool vs jet I use my whirlpool constantly, with oils, salts, bubbles, everything they say you shouldn't do. I run bleach through once a month, and have never had a mold problem. That said, if cost is not an issue I do prefer jets. Less noise, and the water level can be lower. Overlooked mstbath features: Fans. One over the shower, definitely the toilet in a separate closet with a fan. Love having my own sink w/o shaving whiskers. Laundry: Have had both, and for me the one that works is upstairs, with enough room to fold and hang. Specialized rooms: Yes, we put lofts in at one end above each of the cathedral ceiling bedrooms and media room on the second floor. The lofts are "away" space, room to tuck a visitor, a library. They are very inexpensive space to build. The mstr bedroom has a very small sitting room with french doors which is a noise buffer to teenage son's room. His closet also backs that wall as additional noise insulation. The media room has a closet-like (doors fold back the length of the wall) craft area, again as a noise buffer. Upstairs media/ent. if you have children above 10, the gang hangs out there and the moms have coffee below. A baby monitor turned low keeps everyone nice, you hear the shrieks without eavesdropping. Having had J&J, the issue of who cleaned them was always on the table (floor, shower, LOL). We plan in the new house to have a J&J which only shares a walk-in shower. Back to back toilets save plumbing costs, each side has own sink and storage. One door leads to a bedroom (boy) the other leads to the hall, the shower has two doors, one for each side. It's important to keep the kids close to you, young or teens. Where would you want to be in a fire? Loud noises in the night? (For us, a bear break-in) Close enough to grab the kids. I LOVE having 2 sinks in the kitchen, one on an island on the side away from the main sink. The prep sink has to be at least 18" wide. This allows for a prep site and a cleanup zone, the kitchen functions much better. Dishwasher drawers have come down in price and up in reliability, the convenience is better than a single d/w. I'm short, so my main sink has to be a farm sink. That way I can have my 9" depth without standing on tiptoe. Saves my back, too. Double ovens- honestly, no, never. I need a wide convection oven/range that will hold professional cookie sheets and large 26" casseroles. After that, a convection/bake microwave is the most-used in our house. Consider a trash compactor- the downside is that the trash is so heavy that only DH can take it out. Did I call that a downside? The upside is that you save money on trash collection every month. Pantry space depends upon how far you live from the supermarket and how many people you're feeding, and if you get snowed in during winter. A recycle center in the lazy susan corner is a favorite of mine, also a larger floor plan so that my huge hubby can fan himself (I laughed at the post that mentioned this) at the fridge door, a french door style fridge so I can get by while the above event is happening. A larger floor plan so that short people don't have to reach for things in upper cabinets because there is enough base cabinet storage. Pop-ups for the bread machine and the kitchenaid mixer because they are large and heavy. Lower than 36" bases because that's chest high for me. A second, higher tier for DH to make sandwiches on. And a large appliance cupboard with outlets inside so that toasters, mixers, juicers, blenders, and cuisinart have a permanent home. A home for coffee/tea prep which is away from my main cooking area. Separate zones for breakfast cereal/milk so that I have a clear path to my coffee in the morning. As you can tell, I'm particular about my kitchen...and every kitchen is personal. We're renting a recently built custom home while we build. They're tall people, and the island hits my arm pits. Lots of HIIIGH cabinets (sigh). We've lived in a lot of houses in our marriage. Anyway, what I learned is that every house needs to be personalized. New or used, make it work for you. Every kitchen is a tear-out unless it work for you...never, ever build for "the next people", make it custom for your lifestyle. And, I also learned that 12' ceilings are too tall, 10" is just right. We're in Northern CA (turn right at San Francisco and keep driving until you hit a deer. You're there.) One last note: The house we're renting is 3400sf plus 3-car garage, cherry floors and cabinets, stone and granite tile, all amenities. The husband built it himself (no prior experience) with one helper over a two-year period, finished in 2006. For $400K. Then they went off to run a B&B, needed a new challenge. I have rarely seen a nicer house. A friend of ours built a 2000sf house himself over a 5 year period for $60 a square foot. So, be brave, it can be done.

I came to this forum from kitchens where I spent a large partt of my life for a while. My kitchen planning got stopped cold by an injury and then restarted with some different ideas. I tested them and reworked and retested until I was pretty comfortable I had the best possible for my situation and limitations. I held my breath and posted my plan. I asked for thoughts on one specific part but got a lot of challenges in general. I could get upset or defensive, but I realized I had an answer for why each of those things was in the plan as it was and I didn't want to change it. I got reassurance on my one question, and then I knew I was ready to move forward. You have to test your ideas. That is the least expensive and most important part of the process whether you are building or remodeling. Changes only get more expensive and when you cant change, regrets may be forever. Those hard feelings are likely to be much greater than any you may get over a "this is the biggest investment we will ever make and where we plan to live forever - we get once chance to make it great, so I'm sure you can appreciate that we want a double check from someone who hasn't been too close to this." Consider that the family member may feel the same away about giving you feedback, criticism or questioning the things you say you want. Guarding each other's feelings is the best recipe for unhappiness for both of you. Ask any first year law student about the number of family matters in their case books. If you can't question a family member or get a second opinion now, it will only get worse once you start. If your family member is worth their salt, they will understand and will want you to get the best possible result. Ask the second architect to do a reality check for how this will live and spot problems, not do a redesign. Just make it a team approach moving toward a common goal, not adversarial. If you can't do that now, I'd scrap the project. Seriously -- this is a huge investment of time, money and self. Can you really afford, financially, emotionally and in terms of family relationships to not be happy when it is all done? Now is the time to test nerves, bang heads and check and recheck plans -- not once the work has started.