Historic, thanks for posting these examples. It's always enjoyable to see historic houses, and these are lovely. Each of these is proportioned to be narrow in front and deep to the rear, which is typical of city lots. Have you looked and compared the street front proportions and scale of these houses with your drafted elevations? If you do you will quickly see that these houses have proportions and fenestration that is largest on the lower level, somewhat smaller on the second level and smallest on the attic (third) level. This is very typical of classic houses. Your elevations do not have the same progression and scale--something that your lumberyard drafter probably doesn't have a clue about. Also look carefully at the roof line. There are simple and single gables, and none of the mulitple gable, multiple materials elevations. While Victorians are often highly detailed, and frequently colorful, there is a unity and harmony that characterizes the best of them--as evidenced in your photos. These photos offer good references for your build. If you can get your plans and elevations to this level of refinement you will be very successful and enjoy your new house for many years. Good luck on your project!

I think there are a couple of things to consider. If the door is in the dining room, will you lose a part of a length of wall that would be the insightful place for a sideboard or other piece of furniture. If the door is in the living room, will you throw off the symmetry of the room (you could add a built in on the other side of the fireplace to correct this.) If the door is in the living room, you will have some degree of a sight line into the room to supervise when you are in the living room, and the kitchen, but not when in the dining room. As you probably spend more time in the kitchen proper and the living room, this may prove more useful. You already have a doorway to the porch in the dining room. Adding another in the DR may make the dining room feel like a passageway. Or one thought you could also could also consider would be doors in both DR and LR, thus allowing for perfect circulation on the floor. French doors would be nice for this, and that will also allow additional light into the new addition. I also might add that even though you have heard it many times, kids grow really fast. Size/scale the space for 4 adults, not 2 adults and 2 kids. By the time kids are in 4th grade, they physically take up as much "space" as an adult

More photos: The first photo shows the art wall I wish to creat. The second photos shows a tent idea to substitute with the canopy idea.

Excuse the mess! Picture 1 shows a cabinet that will be removed and picture 2 is a view from the kitchen. We are having new floors put in soon and would like to update our boys' play space. Our boys are ages 9 and 11, so they are less into toys and more into electronics and a media/game room. This room is also right off our garage so it typically becomes a drop off spot for shoes, coats, backpacks, etc. The corner fireplace is also being taken out, and I'm hoping to get a wall mounted one instead. I'd appreciate ideas as far as types of furniture and placement.