Recently, I had a custom-made entertainment center built in for my family room. I used the same cabinet maker who made the cabinets for my kitchen. I'm still researching seating options to replace my aging couches. My room is smaller than yours, 13' x 15'. As part of the remodel, I removed a wood-burning fp from a corner of the room. I had planned to replace it with a linear, direct-vent fp under the TV, but omitted the fp. Direct-vent needs no flue or chimney, but it does need to vent to the outside. Here are some inspiration photos with a linear fp. Layout below has 2 chairs on the window wall. TV, fp, and matching bookcases on long wall. 2 floating couches. I think the TV is too high, but there is storage space and seating is a comfortable viewing distance from the TV. Layout below has 2 chairs on the window wall, TV on the left, short wall, and 2 floating couches. But that would leave you with one long empty wall. Sectional with fireplace, TV, and one bookcase on long wall Below, the TV and fireplace are on the same wall, but separated. Not much storage in this one. I decided to go with a layout similar to the one below - without a fireplace under the TV. You may have enough room for something like this layout below. I' don't like seeing the back of a couch when I enter a room - but I think it looks OK if there's a sofa table behind the couch.

@Rai Kai … I did learn so much!! Thanks for your contributions! @Beckysharp haha. I will be doing more research with the lawyer. I think overall my realtor was good—but I am not sure if overall we were the right fit. We will see if we stick with her. I know she put a lot of work and time into it --- so I do feel bad about us not going through with it. I will be doing more research and googling, and reading and using all my resources! Promise! @PitrateFoxy – I’ll probably be doing some research on a lawyer to have “on call” when we are at that point. You all were so right about all the other things – and I’m sure a few extra hundred bux (what like 500? ) will put me more at ease as I don’t like surprises unless they flowers, chocolate, or kisses :D @bellburgmaggie – isn’t that the truth. Alos.. Houzz app isn’t going anywhere! I love your story about finidng the right place! Man.. 3.5x your investment!! AWESOME!!! Were you ever concerned about over improving? That’s my biggest fear, especially if we buy very low… You know I always imagined buying the house with the crappy wall paper, shag carpet and pink or green tile in the bathrooms a horrible kitchen and then putting in my DREAM kitchen (or as im learning from houzzers, my 99% dream kitchen!). I think that’s something I was struggling with buying new. Even though I got to make a few selections… it wasn’t tailored to me really. So asking my husband in 3 years to redo the layout of the kitchen wasn’t going to fly :D Location location location is so hard for us. We are transplants – with family in the area, but are having a hard time finding the “right” home town. Everywhere we look is “safe” but I really want that neighborhood feel. I moved to Texas because I love saying yes sir, no ma’am, and I want to raise my kids like that. Sweet tea on the porch and waving to your neighbors. I want to make meals for new moms, or help out my grandparents when they need it. I may not have the Texas accent, and as the saying goes “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could!” @jannicone – I’m not deleting Houzz!! Just Realtor, Trulia and Zillow :D It may only last a week, but I need some distance! But I will use it as a resorce to keep an eye on the market and see what really happens during “selling” season. Happy to be sorta liked! @Denita , I should know better. I’m a firm believer that EVERYTHING is negotiable and if you aren’t willing to make any changes (they may not have lost me if they let me go to the design center and let me have 2 extra days – would have cost them nothing) I’m not inclined to play ball. Especially in an industry where negotiation is nearly expected. Looks like I have some more homework and research to do! I may need to find a new realtor. Not that she wasn’t good. I felt like she was doing a good job – but I’ll never know if she asked the builder for things. She did make us feel like her only clients, and she was very attentive and listened to my concerns. But I did get a slight feeling that she was “building” up the home a little more than she should have. We signed a contract for 6 months with her. She led with “if at any time you are done with me, I’ll just rip it up.” Who knows if that will come back to bite me in the butt. But, also thought we were going to end up with the first house and it would all be over. Again, lack of experience on my part. I've done some research on how you should select a buyers agent... and I did kind of do it all wrong.

I agree with most of what's been said. The big issues in my mind: - Lack of proportion; that is, some of the rooms just aren't wide enough for realistic comfort. - The bathrooms aren't efficient. The basic 3-piece American bathroom is usually built in a straight line so that all the water lines are in one wall ... something like this ... you could flip-flop the sink and toilet, you could make the vanity longer, you could add a small closet ... but this is the best bang for the buck: - You want to have windows on two different walls, if at all possible ... you don't want to give the coveted corner positions to a storage room. - You want your table to be near the kitchen. - Here's my best suggestion for tweaks to this plan: It's an efficient, inexpensive to build rectangle, which means you can have a simple roofline. Every bedroom has a closet. The bathrooms are simple but efficient ... the master even has a small linen closet inside the bathroom. The laundry is near the bedrooms. All your water is consolidated in the middle of the house, which is efficient and cheaper to build. Your pocket office is small (definitely a one-butt office) but can have a window ... I'd close it off with pocket doors. Having it open to the foyer will make it feel a bit larger when in use. The kitchen isn't big, but it is hidden from the front door, and the large pantry will make up for its modest size (and your hot water heater can fit in the deep corner of the pantry). You can have a window in the kitchen. Your living room and dining room are one long, narrow space -- and a good-sized space -- which means you'll have great cross-breezes in good weather. You can have a large table, which , of course, will go next to the kitchen. You can have windows on two walls of your most important space -- your living room -- and one of those windows will be a bay window. The garage is front-facing, which is least expensive /works on a small lot ... but is set back from the house, so it isn't the first thing you'll see.

I asked my decorator for a "watery" shade for my bathroom. I had a paint chip with me that she explained was far too intense. We used Farrow and Ball's Skylight, which I complained would look too gray. It isn't at all. t's a beautiful watery blue/green/gray that looks great with the beige in my tile (similar to your carpet). Benjamin Moore's Pale Smoke 1564 is a very similar color that I think would look good in your room. https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/colour-overview/find-your-colour/colour/1584/pale-smoke?color=1584 The color looks more blue or green depending on how the light hits it, but always looks good, but it is definitely not gray. http://www.tenjuneblog.com/2010/08/before-after-master-bedroom.html