Oh, this is sooo hard!! plllog - yes I know that an addition will increase taxes and insurance and that has to be a consideration. I am really beginning to hate the cabinets especially the one corner where the long run (stove, sink, DW) ends, turns to a very small 9 inch narrow cabinet. Then I have my folded stepstools wedged before the refrigerator finishes that section of wall. Each wall has a doorway (one has 2!) and where the body of the main part of the house ends there is a tiny hallway with door to garage, half bath, back door to deck. I have this wonderful old pedistal butcher block tabel (30 x 36) that sits in the center of the room - perfect for all sorts of projects and it must be kept. I like being able to look through the dining room to the windows in that room, or up the hallway to the front door.... the walls opposite the 'kitchen' has a hutch for TV, bill paying things, medicines, etc., and a wonderful old bookcase (how-to books, cookbooks, tele book) on which sits my phone. Calender and corkboard on wall. So I really only utilize half of this room as a kitchen. I just got an Epson scanner this week and hopefully will be able to teach myself how to scan some floor plans and options, then learn how to post here, for some more advice. Again, I really thank you all for your thoughts!! I dearly love this forum (and all of GW) - I've learned so much from 'real' people!

What are the dimensions of the proposed laundry room? Are you consulting professional designers? (I ask because of your question about doing an island in the master closet which is clearly not wide enough to accommodate an island. At least 11 feet in width is the rule of thumb for doing a small island in a kitchen. Hanging space requires almost as much room as base cabinets require. I.e., 24" is the minimum closet depth vs. base cabinets that are 24" deep + 1.5-2.0" countertop overhang.) How much free space will you have in front of the washer & dryer? 48" is the usually recommended amount of space that is needed to comfortably work in the space. How wide is the door opening? Wide enough to easily get through with loaded baskets of laundry? To move the machines into the rooms. Is there enough space for almost inevitable repairs to be made? I'll echo what others have said; the master closet is large. IMO, a house that has a 'Master Closet' the size of a small bedroom should have more than a cubbyhole for a laundry. Better to have as much info as you can get ahead of a project rather than have regrets after it is done.

Just buy stock off the shelf at Lowes. Much cheaper. And easily returnable if there is an issue. It's s laundry room.

"Seniors don't want just a first floor bedroom suite, they want a one floor *house*. Why maintain and pay taxes on a house with stairs to a second floor that may get occasional use? There are some good reasons for having bed and bath on a first floor in a family home, but don't fool yourself that this transforms a family home into one good for Seniors." ^^ This. That being said, it doesn't sound like that is the issue with the OP, first house and all. Honestly, of the two options, I'm not sure which I would choose - I don't like either of them. I think the practical and best choice for resale would be laundry on the second floor with the bedroom/full bath on the first. Maybe you can put a sink in the garage if you envision needing a clean-up area? I toured a home one time that had the laundry in the garage right off the entrance to the house - I realized it wasn't a bad idea (the garage was heated) and for me was preferable to the basement, because, let's face it, as you get older schlepping down basement stairs to do laundry is just as bad as schlepping up to second floor stairs. All the area needed was some drywall to enclose it and it would have been a terrific mud room right off the house. (I wanted to bid on this particular house, but that is another story).