I would check out all the links that macv and others posted above. I see some new ones in there that I will check out myself, I am still learning something new on here every day! Some knowledgable people hang out here. I love the Boston Design Guide web site, macv! I have gotten an immense education in my quest towards building a home and it began over a decade ago with me picking out plans that I saw in plan books and online. Some of these plans were so unrealistic and ridiculous in one way or another, that I laugh when I look at my choices now. In my opinion, you have to cast a wide net, then narrow and rework your choices as you whittle down the list of things you need and some of the things you want. Yes, you could sit down and tell an expert at an architectural or design firm what you want, they can question you and do some calcuating and BAM, draft you some plans that would be excellent for your circumstances. If you have the means to to do this, I don't think you could go wrong, even if it is just to get them to tweak a plan for you that you have already decided on. I don't think the majority of people can afford a custom design done for you by an architect, but we can take some elements from those and use them. But the whole plan searching process is SO much fun! I literally get a charge when one of my favorite design firms releases new floorplans (something that is not happening much since the recession, but before that, everyone was releasing new plans almost weekly). Stalk their websites. Register on the site and sign up for all their newsletters to come to your email. In my mind, after you have this list of details you THINK you want in a home and you find ones that seem to fit your requirements, then you you need to stop and ask yourself, WHY am I drawn to these features? Is it purely for looks? Does my lifestyle actually fit these features? Will I actually use this space or feature? If I have to give up some pricey things to make this house happen, what is my list of priorities, what can I compromise on and what would be a deal-breaker for me? Look at as many actual photos of the houses as you can if there are any available. Keep clippings and old mags with examples of things you like. Learn the some of the terminology of building so that you won't be clueless. The most helpful adjustment in my mental thinking has been that I know now that I can adjust almost any detail on a plan. There is a cost involved, certainly, and sometimes the cost kills the idea, but almost any room can be renamed, repurposed, made bigger, made smaller. Walls can be moved and re-moved. But if you find that you have to make a long list of major changes, you probably would be better off making another selection that more closely fits what you want with fewer changes. I am providing links below to my personal list of sites that I visit to check out house plans. Happy plan hunting! http://www.dreamhomesource.com/ and http://www.eplans.com/ (the same company runs both these sites, but eplans has a price range feature that helps to keep you from being totally unrealistic about what you can afford) http://www.dongardner.com/ http://www.frankbetz.com/ http://www.stephenfuller.com/ http://southernlivinghouseplans.com/ http://www.designbasics.com/ http://www.designerdreamhomes.net/ http://www.nelsondesigngroup.com/ http://hgtvpro.homeplans.com/ http://www.danze-davis.com/search.htm http://www.mascord.com/Default.asp http://www.ahmanndesign.com/

You could also look into manufactured housing, depending on what constraints in design you may be willing to live with....typically they have a limit on the width of the "boxes" as well as the length so they can be transported. The savings comes from the very rapid assembly of the structure. And being factory built and designed for transport, they tend to be very square (right angles are right angles) and very sound homes. There's less materials wastage and the house is protected from the weather at all times.

A good designer can create a covered breezeway or shared covered porches between the two that also addresses security concerns. It doesn't have to be far and would suggest no-step thresholds as a more important accessibility feature. Sometimes even features like that will not work. In our case on our narrow lot, it would have been considered additional square footage "under roof" to add a covered walkway (even our lanai and porch roof is considered under roof) and would have meant I had to take that square footage from actual living space. And personally, I prefer to not get wet during the daily summer deluge in FL. But yes, we're talking about the OP who's on 7 acres so hopefully the OP can design something that is not directly attached to the house. However, instead of continually insisting no one should have an attached garage, how about instead showing us how we can minimize the hazards. For example, never start your car in the garage with the garage door closed. Never leave your car running in the garage. Never start the car when the door to the house is ajar. Never close the garage door behind you if the car is still running. If you have the room to build a shed or an additional garage use that to store extra things like snowblowers, etc. Again if you have the room, use an additional garage or storage shed to do hobbies that might create dangerous fumes. If you must use an attached garage put in a ventilation vent. So what other ways can we prevent problems with attached garages because truth be told, they're not going away. And yes, I agree, they're usually ugly.

Did you set a deadline with her? Maybe tell her you want this done in X days can she do it etc... Better than starting over imo. Good luck!