I think she'd said she had a summertime job at a local park. From her description, where she lives has very cold and snowy winters, so it might be that part of the year when she has more down time.

I m planning on ordering a few honeyberry/haskap plants for next year. Has anyone ordered form Prairie Plant Systems Inc. ppsfruittrees.com? If so, what are your thoughts and recommendations?

Ok. I got 3350 just doing a rough rectangular measurement of interior room dimensions. My guess is this plan might be over 3,500 when accounting for walls. That is a big plan! I'm sure you are trying to get going by spring, so you may feel a little rushed. I'm nearly 2 years in my plan now. I wouldn't recommend taking that long, but do take some time to get it right. This plan looks like something thrown together by a draftsman, rather than an architect. Which is fine if that is the way you choose to go. I would suggest thinking more about how you want your spaces laid out, and the size and location of the spaces. Your inspiration plan had the stairs off the living space. This plan has them tucked off by the bedrooms. Is that how you wanted it, or did it just "fit" there? Is the laundry how you envisioned, or is it just placed awkwardly? Do you like the long hallway to the master bath and office? If these answers are yes, Great! Just tweak the plan. But if they aren't what you want in your dream forever home, then think about starting fresh instead of tweaking this plan. You should have some great spaces to spread out in a nearly 3,500 sq ft home. You should be able to have a nice large pantry and hers closet AND a nice laundry. I know you liked the idea of a 1.5 story. That is mine and DH dream style home. I really wanted my girls' rooms on the 2nd floor with a combined hangout space. Ultimately, I decided that it wasn't worth it as a 1.5 story is the most expensive to build, and I would have the basement and a 2nd floor even after kids are out of the house. I decided that I could give my kids HUGE (think kiddie suite large!) rooms in the walkout basement. Many on this forum don't like it due to sneak away teens. But looking at your plan, your kids could easily go down the stairs from their rooms just as easily. My kids are 8,11,12. The basement will still have a bar, rec room, pool table space, etc. But it will be a family and kiddo hangout space. Doing this has allowed me to get more generous spaces on the main floor. I envy your hearth room...I would have loved to have one. But we have a massive deck planned, so I have 2 extra living spaces there in addition to the basement TV space. I would have loved a formal dining space, but choose to have the only eating area large enough to hold a large table everyday. It is set up similar to your space, except the dining expands the whole width of the kitchen. (this is a much older photo to give you an idea. The dining space will be about 12/13*20. Like you, our favorite view is at the back of the house, so I wanted to be able to have the best view whenever entertaining for dinner also. We will also have a nice eating space on the deck, and an eat-in booth, barstools, and could turn the pool table into a dining table downstairs for extra eating options, so a formal dining room would have just been a pretty but overly redundant space for us. Your dining space is the same length as your other dining space, so you can't really get a larger dining table there? If you expanded your dining room to the length of your kitchen, I think your view would improve. You would also have a nicer larger dining space with room for a buffet on the left. Not saying your plan needs to match mine, but maybe this longwinded ramble will give you some idea of ways to get more/better of what you want .

Awww I think its a sweet little house - siimplicity is a GOOD thing, IMHO. Some of these McMansiony things you see on this forum - too busy and visually chaotic for my tastes with their multiple roof lines, and 15 different exterior finishes thrown together. When was it built? You could go in a 1920s cottage direction with it, or something more 1940s-50s midcentury. Once we can see the roof, I would think of 3 colors - 1 for the siding, 1 for all the trim + window sashes + garage door, and 1 for the front door + the trim around the front door. And make sure these all relate well to your roof, since it is prominent. Door - replace front door with something jazzier, but keep it simple. Something like this perhaps - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Builders-Choice-36-in-x-80-in-Elite-Atlantis-Etch-Glass-Contemporary-Left-Hand-4-Lite-Satin-Painted-Fiberglass-Prehung-Front-Door-HDXD189450/300922903 Thats the beauty of a small, simple house. A simple little tweak like a new door goes a long way.