I know you will hate me for this, but please understand my view point. I am an old house LOVER! I also spent twenty years as a banker trying to talk people into understanding that their future home purchase had to be about love....and practicality. When you are in love with a house you think that the fact that it slapped around the last owners was likely because they were bad owners...they probably deserved it because they didn't do the maintenance you would do to keep it in check. You justify the little issues like the third eye as something minor instead of realizing that a third eye is not actually a normal thing and will require some seriously expensive custom lenses. You turn a wet basement into a couple puddles.... Ten years,..no lets make it five if you get the house....if you find that my pessimistic attitude was totally incorrect and your home turned out to be perfect beyond compare...please tell me I am wrong so I can learn a lesson. But if on the other hand my gazillion years of trying to make people understand that they should buy a home they love....but should equally involve their brains and heart in the equation turns out to make some sense in your potential chris brown like situation.....well be sure to share that valuable experience as well so that others can learn from you...and make light of your experience because "that will never happen to them". I tried to buy the egg and I farm as a young wife ohhhhh so many years ago thinking that a house with walls falling down and a tree growing in the living room just needed our tender and inexperienced care to bring it back.....the bank laughed...thank god!

My apologies for the confusion with my sketch; wish I could edit the way we used to. Yes, there's a walk-in shower on the other side of the bathroom. I took a few pictures this morning, hope these help clarify the space. Part of what I struggle with is that we re-did this (down to the studs, all DIY) ~ 10 years ago. So much work, results pretty good, but I'd do it differently, this time. DH even made the cabinet, which as you can hopefully see, angles in to provide more leg room. Room foot print (oh how I hate this floor and the mosaic tile!): There is 18" between the toilet and cabinet. Thank you for the responses; as always, you make me consider new ideas/rethink existing. roarah - we're north of Boston, somewhat less expensive but probably not by too much:) So helpful to hear your scope and costs. gsciencechick-you make it sound so reasonable. OutsidePlaying - Ah, scope creep. I've only been thinking about the impact of a gorgeous tub area and now you remind me that every picture of the finished area will remind me of the too-narrow walk through (18"). We're fine with moving plumbing (full access downstairs). Point taken about scale of small sink and large tub. The current access door leads to the linen closet area and then family room, and we are used to it there and I like the view:) rockybird - There's enough room, but we'd probably go sideways each time (mental cringe). You have a good eye - no, I don't feel the windows are placed correctly for the sunset; I would increase the number on the left side of the house corner. What addition are you doing? (I love your home). lisad82 - Your point is good about the wasted wall space; I'll take the time to map this out on graph paper/in Sketchup, to see what a changed config allows. DH said that about the sunset too! It's just so pretty, when we occasionally see it. I'd like to see more of them. I do appreciate the advice about making the current space more efficient, but we've already done that. (So maybe I am just questioning my finishes, food for thought).

I'm reposting this from the OP's original thread as another option. The OP sent me the plans and I played around with them a bit more. I understood that she couldn't really change the exterior except for the bump out where her bathroom was. I got rid of that and moved it in so the width is the same but without the bump out in the upper right corner. She has some real concerns about this version and isn't sure she wants to give up some things as she'll comment later. However here are the changes I made: I made the hall a straight run from the foyer. No more maneuvering around a jog. Bedroom 1 is the same size but now the bathroom for bedroom 1 is next to it as opposed to having to walk across the hallway. I didn't put it in, but there could also be a pocket door from bedroom one into the bathroom so the au pair wouldn't even have to go into the hallway. However now at least it's right next to the bedroom. Also now there's a window in the room. I moved the laundry to the other side of the au pair's bedroom. This room now has a window and also now has a much shorter run for the dryer. In the laundry the cabinets opposite the washer/dryer can be used not only for additional storage but also as a broom closet and linen closet. I flipped the master bedroom to be on the living room wall. The master is now a foot shorter (but still deep enough for a king sized bed and a dresser on the opposite wall). My thinking was the living room has cabinets that would help block any noise and now the master bathroom and the master closet will act as noise blockers between the boys bedroom and the master. The master toilet room became a bit narrower but is still about 37-38" wide. If the OP doesn't get a 6' tub they can make the shower a bit longer. The boy's bedroom is the same size as before and while I don't love the idea of a bathroom taking up a corner, I couldn't figure out how to put it between the boy's bedroom and the playroom without losing too much space. The playroom now becomes a separate sanctuary where the boys enter their bedroom from the playroom. The problem lies in that now the playroom is smaller. I'll let the OP add her thoughts. bardzil, had suggested to me concerns about turning the plan into a four bedroom house instead. Here is my suggestion for if she ever wanted to turn it into a 4 bedroom house. However the smaller playroom is still an issue but then again living where she does, I'm guessing the boys will spend lots of time outdoors? (In this version, I didn't add in the window changes.)

May Lee, I would put less weight on the opinions of the people here, and more into research on what off campus college rentals are like in your area. How large are the units, how large are the bedrooms, what are the rents per square foot being charged? Are rentals more commonly by the bedroom or for the entire unit? What is expected in kitchens and common areas? What sort of students choose to live in your neighborhoods? I would aim at attracting graduate students, as they are more likely to be focused on their studies, be quieter, cause less disturbances, and have a greater level of maturity, especially if the schools near you have programs in areas such as medical, law, or architecture. From my experience in being a college student at an urban campus within the last 10 years: 1. Almost all graduate students in most of the US choose to live off campus, unless they are international. Many undergraduate students if allowed would rather live off campus too, because on campus living often either means sharing a bedroom and a bathroom and very little privacy, or you or your parents have to spring for the overpriced on-campus apartment style units. Living off campus is almost always cheaper. 2. As a college student I would never rent a unit without appliances. Unless it's expected that I have my own mini-fridge, and then there has to be a place to put it. Honestly as an adult I would never rent a unit without appliances, but maybe that is a regional thing. In fact, don't allow a tenant to have a hot plate, or space heaters, or anything else that could be an electrical hazard. 3. Most college students that I knew, unless they were really tall had a twin bed or full size bed. Queen beds or larger are a pain to move around, which college students frequently do. I've also had many roughly 10x10 bedrooms and they have worked just fine. Sure, the bed either has to be in the corner or closer to the wall than usual, but only one person will be sleeping in there (another note, your lease should have limits on the number of nights that your tenants can have visitors). 4. That said, the bedrooms should absolutely be designed so that each can comfortably fit a desk in addition to a bed. If your closets are setup well enough, these rooms don't need to fit anything else large. A student might have a small bookshelf or dresser, but they likely won't come with too many clothes.Or if they do, they will need to find themselves a larger more expensive apartment (back to what I said above about knowing your local market). 5. If I am a student and I am on a budget, I will absolutely compromise for a smaller unit if that means that I can get it for less. I have lived in my share of studios and tiny bedrooms. If your space is actually a little smaller than the typical in your neighborhood, and you charge a little less for it, that may work to your advantage. 6. Your common area doesn't have to be huge. If it fits a table for 2 a sofa and a TV, you are all set. My experience with common areas and students is that they actually don't get used a ton. And making them larger just invites large gatherings, which may be disruptive to you upstairs. 7. Is the washer and dryer available to the renters to use as well. Having done it once, I would never again rent a unit without laundry in the building. No one wants to cart their clothes a few blocks to the local laundromat in the rain because that was the only day available to get it done. 8. A dishwasher is really nice to have, but I have rented many apartments both during and after college without them. This is another case where I would see what rentals in the neighborhood have. A couple thoughts on your latest plan: 1. The closet in bedroom 2 being 3' deep is just wasting space. I would make it a more standard 25-26" deep and give that space back to one of the bedrooms. 2. I would mirror the bathroom/closet design of bedroom 1 so that the closet is away from the door and can have a full width bifold door. That will make it more useful. 3. Rethink the shelf in bedroom #2. This should either be a small closet or cabinet facing out into the hall, or delete the stub wall next to it and make this a full height wider cabinet next to the vanity. 4. I second that the furnace as located in the garage is just asking to be hit and banged into, since it hangs out into the garage door. If you have a small car, are likely to always have a small car, and the average buyer in your city also has a small car I would make a dedicated utility closet at the end of one of the stalls, leaving the other side longer for larger vehicles. 5. Most importantly, I think the common area needs another revision. The kitchen is wasting space in the corner, and there isn't a great way to layout furniture in the rest of the space. Maybe there is a way to get the kitchen back on the wall by the stairs, except the refrigerator? I would do a 24" electric stove and 24" refrigerator/freezer combo with a 24"-30" lower cabinet for storage and workspace. If you don't have a dishwasher I would try to fit in a small double basin sink. Upper cabinets should be generous and extend to the ceiling if possible. Try to then get two opposite walls across from each other that are clear to place a sofa and TV.