If your husband is insistent on a 4 car garage, then look at making the garage rear entry instead of front or side entry. It wouldn't look like a commercial auto repair place with a small house attached then. It would also give you the turnaround space as a private "party" patio without having to construct an extra patio. It will only be minimally more expensive for your driveway paving to construct it like that and it keeps the facade looking like a house at least. You will have to have a large enough lot for this, but if you're looking at a 4 car, you're not looking at 50 foot wide lots. Our workshop/garage is side entry and the single and double doors are basically in line with the house's side entry garage. Like all side entries, it's at least only partially visible to the street. We've had the "auto shop attached to the house" comments, even though the house is in front and they are separate structures. We had to do the shop in the rear because of codes, but we have a great view to the rear of the property, so building it in a "L" orientation to the house was our compromise to keep as much of the view as possible and still have the shop. I only wish we had had other more aesthetically pleasing options. Starting from scratch gives you a lot more options.

The sellers position is interesting to say the leastÂbecause if they truly believed that weather and the gas leak were the cause for the high reading, why would it matter to them if you had the second test performed by a radon tech of your choice? Unless of course they have a "plan" to make certain the level test at below 4.0Â That said, purchase contracts usually state that the buyer has the right to test using professionals whom they chooseÂÂnot the sellerÂs choiceÂso IÂm not quite sure what standing they have for their demand. GrantedÂit does depend on how badly you want the houseÂand then again, also how badly they wish to sell. If you walked from the deal, they would have to disclose the 4.2Âor risk being charged with consumer fraud otherwiseÂ...as there is now a paper trail, and the info is on file and has been reported to NJDEP.... ....so IÂm not sure what their point is in this matterÂas the whole process would have to start all over again in a very soft buyers market. Depending upon the age, type and structure of the home, $500 may not buy you all that much in the way of mitigation. IMO, I would have a licensed radon mitigation specialist (a different license than that of radon technician) give you an estimate on costÂbefore you agree. Usually attorneyÂs shy away from the credit for mitigationÂas some homes are a challenge to mitigate. When this does happenÂÂwhich is not oftenÂit is usually an older homeÂ.and sometimesÂstandard methods donÂt workÂbut meanwhile the buyer is now the ownerÂso it becomes their problem. The decision on what to do is yoursÂbut IMO, all this is well worth considering. Last but not leastÂif you DO take the creditÂplease seriously consider using it to have the home mitigated ASAPÂas opposed to hoping the level remains below 4.0 between self-testing. If not for the benefit of your own health and that of your familyÂfor the fact that chances are when it is your turn to sell, you will probably have to pay do so anyway. ThereforeÂwhy not reap the health benefits now?

> Friends, I really need your help. I want to buy a car. More precisely not only myself. For the whole family. Have you considered hiring an architect? An architect can design and build a car you will love. He will interview your entire family to gather the requirements and will decide the proper car orientation. Your crazy aunt Sally wants a space on both of her sides for her favorite cats - no problem, she will love our new design. Space for your pet hamster - we will provide the wheel. 60 Gallon aquarium in the center for your pet shark - what a great idea. An architect can help you avoid costly car mistakes like: closets with no window, the gas chambers, wardrobe closet at the end of a bathroom. [Sorry could not help it] -Pizdabolka

May Lee, I would put less weight on the opinions of the people here, and more into research on what off campus college rentals are like in your area. How large are the units, how large are the bedrooms, what are the rents per square foot being charged? Are rentals more commonly by the bedroom or for the entire unit? What is expected in kitchens and common areas? What sort of students choose to live in your neighborhoods? I would aim at attracting graduate students, as they are more likely to be focused on their studies, be quieter, cause less disturbances, and have a greater level of maturity, especially if the schools near you have programs in areas such as medical, law, or architecture. From my experience in being a college student at an urban campus within the last 10 years: 1. Almost all graduate students in most of the US choose to live off campus, unless they are international. Many undergraduate students if allowed would rather live off campus too, because on campus living often either means sharing a bedroom and a bathroom and very little privacy, or you or your parents have to spring for the overpriced on-campus apartment style units. Living off campus is almost always cheaper. 2. As a college student I would never rent a unit without appliances. Unless it's expected that I have my own mini-fridge, and then there has to be a place to put it. Honestly as an adult I would never rent a unit without appliances, but maybe that is a regional thing. In fact, don't allow a tenant to have a hot plate, or space heaters, or anything else that could be an electrical hazard. 3. Most college students that I knew, unless they were really tall had a twin bed or full size bed. Queen beds or larger are a pain to move around, which college students frequently do. I've also had many roughly 10x10 bedrooms and they have worked just fine. Sure, the bed either has to be in the corner or closer to the wall than usual, but only one person will be sleeping in there (another note, your lease should have limits on the number of nights that your tenants can have visitors). 4. That said, the bedrooms should absolutely be designed so that each can comfortably fit a desk in addition to a bed. If your closets are setup well enough, these rooms don't need to fit anything else large. A student might have a small bookshelf or dresser, but they likely won't come with too many clothes.Or if they do, they will need to find themselves a larger more expensive apartment (back to what I said above about knowing your local market). 5. If I am a student and I am on a budget, I will absolutely compromise for a smaller unit if that means that I can get it for less. I have lived in my share of studios and tiny bedrooms. If your space is actually a little smaller than the typical in your neighborhood, and you charge a little less for it, that may work to your advantage. 6. Your common area doesn't have to be huge. If it fits a table for 2 a sofa and a TV, you are all set. My experience with common areas and students is that they actually don't get used a ton. And making them larger just invites large gatherings, which may be disruptive to you upstairs. 7. Is the washer and dryer available to the renters to use as well. Having done it once, I would never again rent a unit without laundry in the building. No one wants to cart their clothes a few blocks to the local laundromat in the rain because that was the only day available to get it done. 8. A dishwasher is really nice to have, but I have rented many apartments both during and after college without them. This is another case where I would see what rentals in the neighborhood have. A couple thoughts on your latest plan: 1. The closet in bedroom 2 being 3' deep is just wasting space. I would make it a more standard 25-26" deep and give that space back to one of the bedrooms. 2. I would mirror the bathroom/closet design of bedroom 1 so that the closet is away from the door and can have a full width bifold door. That will make it more useful. 3. Rethink the shelf in bedroom #2. This should either be a small closet or cabinet facing out into the hall, or delete the stub wall next to it and make this a full height wider cabinet next to the vanity. 4. I second that the furnace as located in the garage is just asking to be hit and banged into, since it hangs out into the garage door. If you have a small car, are likely to always have a small car, and the average buyer in your city also has a small car I would make a dedicated utility closet at the end of one of the stalls, leaving the other side longer for larger vehicles. 5. Most importantly, I think the common area needs another revision. The kitchen is wasting space in the corner, and there isn't a great way to layout furniture in the rest of the space. Maybe there is a way to get the kitchen back on the wall by the stairs, except the refrigerator? I would do a 24" electric stove and 24" refrigerator/freezer combo with a 24"-30" lower cabinet for storage and workspace. If you don't have a dishwasher I would try to fit in a small double basin sink. Upper cabinets should be generous and extend to the ceiling if possible. Try to then get two opposite walls across from each other that are clear to place a sofa and TV.