Show all four exterior elevations.

Show existing floor plans.

Show a site plan.

When we bought whsy hopefully is our last home we purposely bought one where we could live on one floor if and when the need arises. I would not at this stage of my life be adding 2nd storey to my home if that is where you want to age in place. I have a 1956 MCM ranch 3 bedrooms 2 batrhooms all on the main floor with a huge LR and kitchen .From what I see of the addition over the garage that bathroom will be impossible to use if you even end up with a walker and the same goes for the main floor bathroom again totally not working with even a walker.. IMO the main floor bedroom is a waste of space and the other living spaces are too small. The garage looks like it belongs somehwere else and IMO as we age the less space to look after the better .IMO this needs a lot more work to be feasible . I do not know how old you are but I am 75 and beleive me stairs are not my friend some days and I am very fit but my knees are not.

I'm sorry but I think both options are bad. The kitchen, dining and living room are a mess. It seems to me that you are trying to squeeze too much into too small a space.

You have a fireplace squashed into the space and it can not be enjoyed. You have couches that are so far apart and a gigantic piano taking up most of the room.

In plan 2 you come in the front door and are basically in the kitchen.

In plan 1 you come in the front door, turn left and are greeted with seats. Lots and lots of seats and the area is completely cramped.

For the dining space: Are those seats in front of the window? If so do you have to shimmy between the table to get to them?

The placement of deck and screened porch is odd. How do you get to the screened porch?

Have you shared this with a builder? It's a very ambitious project. The scope of the demolition work has me thinking you could tear it down at least to the first floor and start all over, giving you more freedom to accomplish your goals. It may cost less, also.

Are you just purchasing this home? "we feel we are still able to climb stairs" could change tomorrow plus with construction delays right now this project may not be finished or 1-2 years. IMO basement bedrooms for empty nesters are a waste. Why do you want a home for a large family now? Plus the upkeep. Who cleans? Cuts the grass? Why not purchase a house better suited to your needs?

All other concerns aside, I’m with seabornman, tear it down to the foundation and start over if the neighborhood and price are that amazing. It will be cheaper and faster.

Empty nesters adding all these bedrooms.......huh?? When I purchased my current home at 55 in 2006 I was already concerned about stairs and purchased a ranch with vaulted ceilings.

I have 4 shallow stairs to enter the front of the house that are easy to climb, but 6 steps from the garage, and I can assure you that bringing in groceries from the car in the garage is a huge issue. The issue is balance. Your joints are simply not as reliable as you age and I'm amazed by the random weakness that can occur from one minute to the other. Nothing major, but you end up unsteady. Add a major illness to the mix and you will curse all the stairs you have added to this house.

You may find it easier to navigate shallow, expansive steps to your front door. They accommodate walkers, wheelchairs & people walking with assistance much better than standard stairs. IMO you'll end up moving again when this house no longer meets your needs.

Sorry, but what they said ^^^.

This is just not a good design and not a "forever" home. You can do better. Insist on it.

I thank you all for the insights! Beverly and Patricia, your suggestions about steps are well taken. We just entered into our 60's and with a new grandbaby nearby we thought about renovating a smaller home to suit our needs. We currently live in a 3 story townhouse, lived in military base housing, wore uniforms all our lives and wanted a non cookie cutter home. We are finding that the price to renovate is astronomically high yet we still hope it will happen.

Seabornman and Hallett & Co- our VA loan prohibits us to teardown the structure

Jck910- We were thinking the basement bedrooms could be office space and craftroom space. If for some reason we move, the house could be listed as a 4 bedroom house. We really love the area but these ranches are being torn down and converted into mansions. Newer homes are huge for our needs

3onthetree- Thank you for pointing out the things that are amiss. I agree with all the comments. My architect made a first plan by adding an addition to the back of the house but the bids came back too high so we tried to cut the budget by deleting the back addition and work with what we have.

Vinmark, the fireplace in that corner made me wonder about the whole design. I was planning to place piano by the bay window but that puts it too close to the kitchen. We have even talked about selling the piano. I requested a master suite over the garage as future rental opportunity

As you can tell, this is our first rodeo and have learned the hard way that good design is a hit or miss $$$$!

Mark, here are the existing floorplans

Now waiting for proposed exterior elevations and proposed site plan.

Houses should be designed as a whole and not just design one elevation hoping the rest will follow. How the house relates to the site is paramount and a site plan will show that to a certain extent.

Two things based upon the information provided so far:

1. The horizontal line that is created by the top of brick and bottom of siding does not relate to anything in the new house's design.

2. It appears the draftsman is relying on the existing brick veneer to carry the load of the exterior wall and roof trusses.

Thank you Mark

The only drawings I have are all posted above. Ive asked architect regarding site plan and was told I needd to hire structural engineer

The dining/living/kitchen space has a lot of square feet but it seems barely useable. The living area is especially difficult with nowhere for a TV, a lamp or table. The large window at dining area doesn't reflect the style of house and isn't drawn correctly in the elevation.