Thanks, everyone, for your replies! I apologize- I've been super busy lately and haven't had the time to reply until now. I agree that changing the look from my original, utmost, desire- the farmhouse look- is a decision that needs to be weighed carefully. I definitely don't want to become unhappy with our exterior down the road. However, I have always liked the look of the Cedar Ridge by Don Gardner, and I think I could make that exterior look right with my first floor and still be happy. Do you think it would look ok as a farmhouse? A preliminary rendering of our design, for a comparison: Originally we wanted approx 2500sq ft house. Because of my requirements for the 1st floor, the house ballooned to 3600 sq ft, split nearly evenly. Now I'm worried, because of the increased sq footage, that we won't be able to afford the upgrades- nice kitchen, central vac, nice deck, etc. I also would like to make sure I can still take my kids on vacations and live a decent life. I don't want to invest all my money in a structure just because I'm drawn to certain look. I'm trying to find that balance between what I WANT and what I NEED. I definitely need to reserve room in the basement for all my equipment. We'll have a Waterfurnace and all the pipes for radiant heat, water softener, water heater, etc, etc. Can't forget to include that in my planning! Thanks for the reminder, @kymike1! I need to call my mortgage guy and just talk this over with him. @stillwaters- we want to do ICF from the basement, up to the roof. We'll spray foam the roof. We also want our first floor to be handicap friendly. We haven't received any actual quotes back yet, but with everything else that we've had quoted so far, we've been UNpleasantly suprised....so that's what we're expecting for the house quote! :) I know it will all be worth it some day- just can't wait for that day to get here!!!! I've started blogging about it, if you're interested in reading some of my thoughts. It's fairly new, and I don't post very often yet, but plan to do better as we get going on the build. Here is a link that might be useful: Kelly's ICF blog (just getting started on it!)

First..do a moisture test on your existing slab. You want to see if moisture vapor is coming up into the basement from under the slab. Tape a 2' square sheet of poly on the floor and see if there is any moisture under it after 48 hours. If the moisture is significant, it might play into what type of membrane you use on the floor. Memebranes like Hydroban and Kerdi have similar properties when it comes to liquid moisture, yet differing properties when it comes to moisture vapor transmission. Significant moisture drive could actually lift and delaminate a topical membrane from the slab. If you have under-slab drainage or radon ventilation pipes, and foundation perimeter footing drains, you should be in fine shape. I'd make it a wet room, pretty much follow Bill's advice; -slope the entire floor to the drain. -topical membrane on the entire floor and up about 6" on all the walls, or just fully membrane all the walls. Fully membrane the shower walls. -ventilation. Don't skimp. This room will be cool and the basement itself is typically humid, so latent drying action will be less than in an upstairs bathroom. Do what you can to eliminate moisture vapor as it is generated. -I'd not insulate or heat the floor. You might have to balance relative humidity in the basement as a whole with a heat source in the bathroom. If you do have vapor drive into your basement, it might help to have something as simple as an IR bulb on a timer to help with the initial drying of the room. For a humid, slow-to-dry shower environment; A non-porous porcelain tile might be better than a porous natural stone tile. An epoxy type of grout might be better than a portland-based grout.

Congratulations on your new home. Most likely there are building codes that set requirements for safety railings. Here it is 24". Like you, we didn't want an accidental fall so installed tempered glass so as not to block a view while providing protection. We installed "landing-style" steps for easier egress by senior citizens and secure transport when carrying things between the house and patio. As to building a patio, I suggest waiting a couple years for the backfill to fully settle. I've linked photos of ours Hope this helps. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Patio and Back Lawn

It's very tough to give any advice without knowing the slope. I'd expect you could create a patio area like your neighbors', except wider. I'd plant some shrubs to the left for a start. I had a townhouse with a narrow backyard. I had a narrow garden and used my little yard to sit and eat at all the time. My neighbors didn't use theirs, so it felt private. So, my advice would be to make inviting spaces and to concentrate on access and flowers. I'd be tempted to put in a circular patio with a path from the door and shrubs and perennials behind. It looks like Pgh, so my bet is the hill is very steep. However, you can see what other people have done. If nothing else, go to the Station Square parking lot with binoculars and see if anyone has managed to use their slope better.