alpiner makes a good point. I hadn't thought about the permitting bit, as we are rural and have no need for a permit to install underground lines on our own property. However, the one line that would be the most messy and difficult in the future is water, as even in Z-6, a frost line needs to be considered, whereas nat. gas and electric can be laid just enough below the surface to be safe from a rototiller. So I would still encourage you to get your water line in now, and cap it with a freeze-proof faucet. As alpiner correctly notes, if you have your contractor install a tap for nat. gas and an outside electrical outlet; tapping into them and running a shallow trench later would be pretty simple. Come to think on it; I recall an earlier post from a GH owner who only had LP gas and no place near their GH to keep another tank, or get a delivery truck to it, to fill one, so had to devise a means to tap into their main tank at the house and run a line out. If you are going to heat with LP, you might want to think about heating your shed now. If you will want gas to it, plan for an additional connection on your main tank. So many details to think about when construction a new house! Giving thought to a future potting shed is very proactive on your part, and smart.

Adaptive reuse and infill housing are code words for the rehabilitation of exiting urban buildings where the former use is no longer viable or the buildings are damaged and abandoned. You are looking at an urban land use program which I doubt applies to your project unless you have bought an abandoned building. You should be looking at the City of Ashville Zoning ordinance as linked below. Sec. 7-5-4. "Uses by right, subject to special requirements" says in an RS8 district you can built a single-family dwelling on a min. 5,000 s.f. lot with a min, 50 ft lot width, a min. front setback of 15 ft, a min. side setbacks of 6 ft, a min. rear setback 15 ft, and a max. height of 40 ft. There are other requirements regarding open space and landscaping as well. The dwelling can have one accessory apartment with a max. gross floor area of 500 s.f. or 25% of the area of the principal single-family dwelling, which ever is greater. But the apartment area cannot be greater than 50% of the principal single-family dwelling area. It appears a duplex is allowed but it s a Conditional use requiring an unusual amount of review by the Planning and Zoning Commission as well as public hearings and approval of the City Council. You are treating this issue as if it were uncomplicated and not worthy of expert assistance at this point in the project. I do this for a living and I assure you that your approach is a serious mistake. If you want to go this route hire a zoning lawyer or an architect and avoid the inevitable red herrings and wild goose chases. I make no representation of the accuracy of the above information; that costs extra. Here is a link that might be useful: Ashville Zoning Ordinance

My neighbours did this; took about 5 years start to finish (from the time they bought the trailer to the time they sold it). It apparently took some convincing of the county because they were restricted to one house on the piece of land...so having the mobile home AND the new house was against zoning bylaws. Thankfully the county agreed if the mobile home was gone when the moved into the new house. There was about a month in which they camped out in the yard because the mobile home was sold and gone but the house hadn't passed final inspection. All that being said, it worked, they have a gorgeous house and no debts. That being said, they had TONS of family to help them with the build, and she was a stay at home mom (they have 5 kids!), and dad was a trucker who would be home for stretches at a time. Personally, I built my place in a year working only evenings and weekends plus my holiday time, without an entire crew of workers. $50k wouldn't have gotten it to lock-in stage, but it would have covered my excavation, foundation and at least 1/2 of framing (except I dug my own basement and poured my own foundation....so we're talking material costs). Where there's a will, there's a way right??

In order to make an informed decision, I would have a professional take a look, so you know what you would be getting into structurally and cost wise. An option could be changing dining room side only, but have to consider symmetry, especially with arch going into living room. Perhaps it wouldn’t necessarily have to be entire wall as well. No matter what you decide (leave or change): - I would highly recommend painting the hall, staircase and living room the same color as dining room. - Lighten the stairs (see below) and change runner to something lighter/more interesting - A gallery wall could detract from the staircase’s narrowness, as the eye will be drawn to wall - Add a great ceiling light in front entrance If it were me, I’d first make these updates and then you can always reconsider. You may be happy with how the stairs feel, as well as the whole space in general; lighter, fresh and more cohesive