First, I'm sorry about the divorce. I live on a farm...so the first thing you want to consider is do you have space for the things you NEED, not the things you WANT. You don't NEED a pizza oven, but you will need a mudroom. You don't need high ceilings or central vacuum...those are wants. And a basement is not a necessity, either...as for geo-thermal, I think you might want to do some research there, too. What you will NEED...a back up source of heat and power...especially heat. Will you have a well? Did you know without backup power, the well will not work during a power outage...this means toilets will not flush. Animals will not get watered. Difficult to clean or cook anything, even with bottled water. A jack and jill bathroom for kids on the weekends...how about a hall bathroom that is also your guest bath? Kids may not need walk-in closets, but they will need a large enough room for desks to do homework and keep enough stuff they feel comfortable staying over. As for you...realize how much work and expense animals can be...even chickens. Gardening is expensive too, and it all takes commitment. The kids will probably want more than chickens, once they get used to the space...and that means more cost and time. Hey, it's worth it, but be prepared! :) In the house, make sure you have a large pantry, room for a freezer, lots of work area in the kitchen (especially for the garden produce, wine and cheese) and plan on a dining room table that expands. Kids like to have friends over and people are usually pretty informal in the country...so staying around a few hours to sample that wine can turn into a casual dinner. Also...while a generator is great (and you should have one) wood stoves or fireplaces in the living room and maybe the bedroom would be a good idea. Remember, if it gets cold, you do NOT want your water pipes to freeze! Insulate everything and try to keep sinks on inside walls if possible. An island sink in the kitchen might be a good idea. And toilets on inside walls, too. I hope all this helps. Find a builder, who wants to do what YOU want to do, as long as it's feasible with your climate, budget and lifestyle. Best of luck and keep us informed! And post pictures :)

Um I assume the area labeled garage is only the ancillary garage and not the main one? Your windows sound fine. One thing you might consider is having the windows come down to the countertop on either side of the range, but having the bottom parts frosted for privacy. As for your other things, let me take them one by one: Island - open to options, this is still an area being worked, but we expect to have a prep sink, microwave (if not matched with combi-steam oven on wall), trash/recycling, and seating for at least 5. I'm also debating a 15" or 24" induction cooktop on the island - open to thoughts on this, and how it would be utilized and be placed. With an island that is only 5' wide you only have room for 2 or maybe 3 if it's kids to sit at the island. Each butt needs 24". I'm also debating a 15" or 24" induction cooktop on the island - open to thoughts on this, and how it would be utilized and be placed. You absolutely do NOT want any type of cooktop on the island and especially one that is so small. Even induction needs good venting. Are you planning on having two vents? Appliances - still working to make final selections, but here are the current options: Range - most likely 36" Wolf (DF364G) or Blue Star (BSP366B), but debating 48" - think it'll be overkill with the induction cooktop and separate oven, but it looks cool...just not worth the extra money. We're committed to gas for the look, but I feel the love of induction here! I would forget the gas and go with a 36 induction cooktop and separate ovens for several reasons. 1. Do you really want your baby breathing in those gas fumes? 2. When your child is older, then you need to constantly watch your toddler to make sure they stay away from the range, and don't accidentally turn it on or burn themselves. 3. With induction, it's much easier to clean up. Would you rather be spending your time scrubbing grates and stovetops or playing with your baby? 4. Induction is more precise. 5. Since you have a grill outside, it's almost redundant. 6. It will be a heck of a lot safer when you and the kiddo start cooking together. Range Hood - size clearly depends on the range, but planning to go with VAH Wall Mounted Professional Series (or similar) with duct to ceiling. I've heard excellent things about the VAH and my sister is quite happy with hers. Induction Cooktop - open to advice here, but looking for a 15" to 24", and most likely in the island...this may be unnecessary and removed. See above where I explained you don't have room on your island and why I would go with induction only. Refrigerator - Thermador Freedom Columns (T30IR800SP and T18IF800SP) or SZ 48" built-in (BI-48SID/S). Another excellent choice. Oven/Warming Drawer - leaning toward the Miele Combi-Steam Oven (M6160TC) plumbed in, but still need to check out the options and get hands-on experience. Trying to match with the Miele warming drawer (ESW6680). Note: These aren't shown in the plans, but intent is to put them by the fridge on the side toward the range. Just make sure you don't put the warming drawer too low down or you'll never use it. Microwave - Sharp (SMD2470AS) - open to options here. I love my Sharp MW drawer and this is the one I'm getting for my new house. Realize that every MW drawer is made by Sharp so no reason for paying more for branding. Dishwasher - Bosch (SHX68T55UC) - may go higher end to get quieter, also need hands-on experience to confirm dishes fit, etc. Sink / Faucet - Rohl 30" Farmhouse (RC3018WH) and Kraus (KPF-1602-KSD-30) Prep Sink / Faucet - TBD, open. All fine. I would also look at the Franke Farmhouse sink. I think I like the look a bit better. As can be seen in the layout, we have a formal dining room, but that's not used as much today...we'll see how it evolves with the new home. We'll also have a table in the Sunroom to serve as a quasi-breakfast nook/eating area. Down the road, we'll add a patio, as well, with more seating and eating options. The formal dining room is far from the kitchen and if it's not used, why not turn it into an "away" type of room or a library or study for now. Then if your lifestyles change where you realize you need a more formal dining area you can turn it back into a dining room. Overall, IF you don't put an induction cooktop on the island, I like the overall plan. As long as you keep the prep sink on the island, I think it's a well thought out plan. The only change I can see offhand is to move the prep sink a bit over to the fridge so you have more space on the left of the sink for prepping.

Just redefine your terms and adjust your "farmhouse" design inspirations to include wood tones. If you are only watching Joanna Gaines that's all youre going to see- and want. However, there are plenty of other takes on "contemporary farmhouse" out there. I honestly am not getting why browns/beiges/greiges are ok for painted surfaces, but not the same color in a wood stain. Yellow-golds, grays and whites are classic .... would fit quite nicely with your ca. 1980s gold toned wood. Re above statements that white trim will never go out of style.... well ya, some truth to that but the drab colorless interiors, the monotone white on white will. Mark my words, people in the not too distant future will be cursing the latex paint that soaked into the pores of their brick and caused it to spall, wondering "what were they thinking." Lets not forget that there was a time when people thought that a popcorn ceiling and metallic blobs of paint sponged onto every conceivable surface was a good idea!

Claire, nope they are all level. But maybe you’re seeing the gaps in between the planks that are typical for old floors. We choose to not fill them in. They still have to finish the toe trim.