I can give you my opinion on a few of these points. I've heard, and it stands to reason, that the planks should be laid perpendicular to the joists, giving them a firmer anchor. However, on a heavily travelled hall floor between our entry, kitchen and LR, we laid the t & g planks in the same direction as the joists for aesthetic reasons. They've held up every bit as well as, and have had no more squeaks than, the other floors. They were installed 12 years ago. I think the direction of the floors can change at the thresholds with no aesthetic problem. I've seen planks run both directions relative to the room dimensions. I think if a room is very elongated it looks wrong to have the boards run across the short way. With your 11 x 13 room, the dimensions are similar enough that I think it would look absolutely fine. Not sure with your 12 x 17 room. It probably depends on which wall the doorway is on (long wall or short one), and where the door is within that wall. I've spent way too many hours analyzing this type of thing in the 15 years we've been remodeling our house. The floors are one thing we did right.

sus I didn't read the above responses - so pardon in advance if this is redundant. If you are definitely going to be there for 7yrs, you decide how you would like your home to be during that time. Do pros/cons of relocating - then move on. If you leave laundry there - think vertical! Yes, look into stacking units make sure you have all the space & clearances necessary to do so - ck and double check, it's not just the dimensions of the machines but the duct work for dryer, hook ups for washer - & enough height in the area I would consider making or purchasing a nice panel drapery there that can easily be pulled aside to do laundry - **Do I see pocket doors? closed up when complete. Also, vertical on shelves storage - creative ways of making that little space more efficient - how often do you iron? do you have another spot to dash the board. I would only have what is absolutely daily use in that area. If you leave the laundry there - I don't think you really have space for mud area - other than putting in some hooks to hang a jacket or 2 - scroll down look at tiny laundry room transformation http://realsouthernliving.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html http://www.remodelaholic.com/2010/08/laundry-room-design-with-craft-room-all.html Link below to images Here is a link that might be useful: laundry areas

When do you do your laundry? Are you home during the day or working? A 2nd floor laundry room always SOUNDS like a great idea - the w/d where most of the laundry is generated and returned. But If one works all day and does laundry in the evening, going up and down the stairs to change a load, is a big bother. Instead, a laundry room were one typically spends the evening, is probably far more convenient. A basket for each person's laundry can be folded and filled and left for that person to carry upstairs if they are old enough to do so. I do know a few people who I call "laundry addicts" who will run a small load every single morning, including the sleepwear from the night before and the previous day's clothes. My own mother was like that - she would run a load with one nightgown, one set of undergarments, and perhaps a top...every single day. I'm a once weekly doer of laundry. I even did this when I had a husband and children living at home. We had enough clothes/underwear to last a week. I would spend part of one day in the basement doing the laundry and ironing while it ran. Then it was over and done for the week. I loved that!

Think about how your lighting will function in the space, then consider the ceiling. I’d start with the entry and go from there: Do you want light directly above/on top of your guests heads as soon as they enter? With your furniture placement, will lights highlight art and walking areas or shine down onto people’s faces and laps as they sit? A good recessed lighting plan adds dimension and sparkle. A disappointing one casts gobs of light (and shadow) in all the wrong places. Try visualizing the dark but finished space, then add each can and picture the light and shadow as you go. When the rooms looks good, look at the ceiling and adjust. The lights don’t need to line up as if they’re on a whole-house grid.