@ worthy Thanks for your insights. We discussed the possibility of adding transoms above the bedroom doorways to bring more light into the hallway. The concern was the expense of adding more height to the second floor. A solar tube (not visible from the street) might be a cheaper option, although I always worry about roof leaks. I have mixed feelings regarding a basement laundry. I like the separation from the living spaces to minimize noise and potential water damage. However, I agree that bringing laundry up and down flights of stairs can be annoying (this is our current situation). At our next meeting with the architect we will reopen the discussion of laundry room placement with the options of: 1) keeping it in the basement; 2) moving the guest bedroom to the basement to make space for a laundry room on the second floor; and 3) using the suggestion of @MrsPete to install a dumbwaiter. Regarding the house footprint, we have tried to be as efficient as possible with the space available. With a narrow city lot (80') in the historic district (zoning requires two story) the house footprint is constrained. We also really enjoy the backyard for gardening and kids play and do not want the house to swallow the entire lot. Overall, I think we have achieved a good balance of a nice size home (3,000 sq. ft.) with most of the features we desire, that also blends into the existing historic neighborhood (the newest house on the block is 100+ years old).

Thank you for posting so many lovely, inspirational, and informative photos. I am extremely impressed by your kitchen, but actually, I was wondering if you could give me the paint colors you used for your exterior clapboards and trim--they look fantastic! tia, Alex indentured servant to an 1887 victorian, hoping to actually be done in 7 years.

@ Geller Thanks for your comments. I like your idea to rearrange the kitchen. On another forum, I received mixed responses to the corner sink. I was planning to leave it as is because I wanted the corner window view. I did not want to switch the stove and sink as a corner stove really limits accessibility when there are two cooks (we have this in our current home). However, your idea of moving the sink to the stove location (along with the DW) and adding a window on the SE wall would give us a more accessible sink location and a larger window for more light (the porch is only 5' deep here). Moving the stove to the SW wall, a few feet from the refrigerator, should also work.Thanks. How many bathrooms to have on the second floor is a good question. I think one bathroom per bedroom is overkill, but is two bathrooms for four bedrooms enough? About 3-4 times a year we have family stay with us from out of town, usually for 1-2 weeks at a time. The remainder of the time the guest bedroom will be a home office for the adults. We are considering finishing a 3/4 bathroom in the basement, which might provide a reasonable alternative for guests in a pinch (although a bit of a hike up and down stairs). For resale, I can see how some families might want three bathrooms upstairs if all of the bedrooms are occupied. I will discuss this with our architect at our next meeting tomorrow.

I'm more the "play the piano and sew and paint and screw things on the wall and dig in the dirt and tile and glue wood back together and do simple plumbing fixes" old-house owner than the "play with electrical wiring and climb ladders" old house owner. I found this book to be very helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Renovating-Old-Houses-Bringing-Vintage/dp/1561585351/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231628314&sr=8-1 It has no pictures of pretty things, unlike most "old house" books. it talks in great detail about different aspects of the house and what to watch out for and how to fix things. The electrical section is particularly helpful, with full-color photos of good and bad things. It is not advised to blow insulation over K&T (it is against code and a fire hazard, even with fiberglass). Our K&T was fed from modern wire (in an illegal "flying splice"), and ran across the attic. My dad installed electrical boxes, corrected the flying splice, and ran modern wire from the flying splice to where the K&T left the attic. This circuit, as far as I am aware, is the antique light fixtures on the first floor and the porch light only (we shut down the breakers and did a thorough check of lights and outlets and things). Fortunately my home was not renovated a lot, so I have whatever K&T remains and modern wiring. Since I know the circuit of the K&T, if it still exists in the ceilings between the antique fixtures, we can replace it when we do ceiling work. I have no advice for you except get someone to help you who has done it before. And today my efforts are focused on a plumbing issue. Dratted PO (I think about 40 years ago) built a toilet closet through the door of the port-cochere, which is a fine place to put one, except they just built it on the porch, no insulation or wind barrier! (heat tape, though...) And have discovered that the PO did a craptastic job of installing the toilet, and there was an open pipe in the waste system (venting to outside, yuck!) and my plumber friend just came by and said "it's not going to be a quick fix." Fortunately we have another bathroom upstairs and I already ordered the new anaglypta and so hubby can't discontinue my painting project for lack of funds... :) Here is a link that might be useful: Renovating Old Houses