You are going to want more than 32" for the toilet. 36" is standard (and perhaps even code in some areas???? Not here in Maine but I heard people saying that on other forums...) We have 34" and it feels fine but I dont think I'd want to go much tighter. You could solve that simply by flipping the closet and shower. So, have your shower -rotated 90 degrees and witha glass end wall- at the end of the tub (which is a nice setup you can see in many bathrooms, the tub deck can actually protrude under the shower glass wall and be a ledge or seat in the shower). Then the passageway moves to the left, and you can steal a bit of space from the other closet for the toilet. Either that of have a shorter vanity. 48" isn't a size I'd fight for. It's too short for a double vanity, really (unless you're using one of the new two-faucet 'trough" styles) so why not go down to 42" and have a better toilet area? For resale, though, you should consider a double vanity. Some people I guess expert truly huge ones, like at least 5+' long. But you CAN get smaller ones, Ikea has some great ones for tight spaces. But if you're not selling anytime soon, do what YOU like!! (But I still think you'll want more toilet space...)

NaviJen, pleased to see you posting with us. Mass. is a whole different style of housing than what I'm used to in Alabama. Like lower ceilings, big basements, storm windows, dormers, angled ceilings upstairs. And I've been surprised at the absence of air conditioning (a necessity built into every home in south Alabama), and the intrusive nature of many heating systems--including radiators, baseboard heaters, boilers and oil tanks! Those things take up a lot of space and money to operate also. As older folks who married almost four years ago (second spouses), my DH has a home up there, and I have one down here. That's why I sometimes do a flip-flop from north to south, you will notice. I've been redoing his house AND mine. Jen, be sure to hang in there with us, a lot of creative ideas come from this group of folks. And Steph, you are so unique, giving your boy his own bedroom!!! I'm thinking you need to get out more? hehehehe Having huge antique furniture can be a drawback in a smaller home. Of course, ONE PIECE could fit, maybe, if it is a featured piece. Something that WORKS FOR ITS KEEP. I do hope you have room for the things you've STORED FOR 14 YEARS?!! At least, put it in place and see if it leaves enough breathing room. After all this time, you may have fantasized it into something it can never be, and you've grown out of it....so to speak. Dreams are hard to give up. If I had a good spot to put it, I'd be looking for a nice armoire...just because I like those. But I realize it won't fit my house or my lifestyle any more.

I like the exterior. The house isn't overly large, and the only room that is really generous in terms of space is the master bedroom. However, it'll work for a family of five, if it matches your expectations of "cozy". Downstairs: I agree that I don't like the dining room being so far from the kitchen. Could you flip the great room and the kitchen? This would mean you'd come in from the garage and enter the family room. Not typical, but also not horrible. I'd definitely skip a breakfast table. You don't need a dining room AND a breakfast room AND island seating -- and in this space, you can't afford all those seating options. Skipping the breakfast table will allow you to enlarge the family room. I'd consider moving the fireplace to the back wall -- it'll then be on the "wider wall" of the family room and will allow you to orient the sofa towards it. It'll also mean you enter the house from the "back" of the family room instead of the "side". I agree that I hate the downstairs bathroom -- awful location, awful layout -- but I don't see anything to do about it within this space. Upstairs: Your plan of putting the two girls into the bonus-room-turned-bedroom is good. It'll work really well if you have the two gables someone else mentioned; you'd have windows on three walls, and each girl could have her bed in an "alcove". And, yes, you'll need to be sure you have egress windows and closets -- don't skimp on the closets for two girls; I'd think you could have two closets flanking the doorway. That leaves one bedroom as an "away room" -- which is good. An upstairs office isn't a great idea -- the paperwork won't really make it upstairs. No, the kids won't use it as a playroom; kids never really do use playrooms. But it could be a quiet den type room where kids or adults could go for quiet time. And it'd be a good video game room when the kids are teens. You have plenty of space in the master for a seating area, or that could be an adult office space. Overall, I don't love the house -- I don't see that it has anything special enough to make it worth the effort and cost of building -- but it does look functional on a cozy scale.

So I just tweeked your current plan a little bit by doing pier style cabinets on either side of the bed. Then you don’t have to have a nightstand. Or you can just do full height wardrobes. You will have to account for the jogs in the wall so that the bed is positioned so that you can get the doors open. Then the desk would be opposite the bed and possibly add a little bookcase. I am showing a queen sized bed.