Well, I'm torn --I think I would have to come up with some combination of the plans you've posted above-- -I like the great room size in options 2 & 3 -I prefer the stairs in option 2 -I prefer the garage storage space in option 1 (more usable) -I'm not a fan of nooks--realistically, you will have to walk around table & chairs to get from the kitchen to the family room. How many times a day do you walk from one to the other? I do it so often, I lost count. How many eating areas do you need? You've got island seating and a nice size dining room. Use the island for breakfast & lunch and the dining room for dinner. Saving that space could allow you to expand the dining room and/or kitchen to make them the size you really want. -I would also look at moving the master suite over the family room, sliding bedroom 2 & the laundry all the way over & using the space created for your master bath/closet area. This allows for future expansion over the garage for a bonus room if desired (or for great walk-in storage space!) I don't see how any of the options you've posted takes care of your want to have the dining room being able to expand into another room--there's just not enough clearance with any of the doorways to accomodate a table & chairs. Option 2 gives you the most flexibility to do that though by shortening or getting rid of the wing walls that separate the DR from the foyer allowing you to be able to expand in that direction. -You said you didn't want a living room, yet you have a library. Is that just a space filler for exterior aesthetics/upstairs layout to get 4 bedrooms on that level or will you actually use that space as an office/library? You could utilize that space for the staircase instead which would allow for expansion of the dining room into the foyer. Are you willing to have your master downstairs? That would open up alot of plan possibilities. It is harder to find plans with all bedrooms upstairs today. Since you asked if anyone knew of a plan that met your criteria, I found a few plans to look at. For any that have a 2 story great room, the overall square footage of the house will be such that you can floor it in & fall within your 3500 sq ft maximum. http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/plan_info.html?pn=844 http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/plan_info.html?pn=4073 http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/plan_info.html?pn=3441 http://store.johntee.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=JT&Product_Code=331&Category_Code=2500-3000 Delete the foyer staircase in these two and change direction of 'up staircase' so entry to stairs is off family room: http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/plan_info.html?pn=1120 http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/plan_info.html?pn=787 Hope these help!

a. No it will not make your home more valuable. The only advantage would be that it might help your home sell more quickly than one priced the same with the same level of other finishes that doesn't have the tech stuff. b. If you want to sell the house, you sell it for the going rate. See a. If you don't want to sell it, then you remove it before selling as sushi said. I had some expensive chandeliers and light fixtures in the condo I just sold. I removed them and replaced them with cheaper fixtures before putting my home on the market. I knew I couldn't charge more for the expensive fixtures but could use them in my new build. Lastly, in 5-7 years everything that you installed in your home will be dated so it definitely will not be worth more.

Eliza, I not only understand making an emotional purchase I did it. I also have made two very expensive changes, one is more of a super-adequacy, a gunite pool in Ct. and as mentioned above I added a master bathroom. i am looking into a kitchen redo that will provide more function but my existing kitchen is already nice so this will eat most of my equity. I am still most likely going to spend that money because I, or more accurately my kids, are very attached to this house and its neighborhood. However, our 401k, CHETs and IRAs are strong, my mortgage is paid off and my husband has been in remission for two years. Without these safety nets I would not be spending on any more cosmetic changes. For even when you plan to stay put in a house life often throws you a curve ball. Make sure if you need to sell for some unforeseen reason you are not driving yourself into unrecoverable debt. As long as your eyes are open and not blinded by unrealistic budgets in HGTV style renos and misleading ROI an emotional purchase is ok if other safety nets are existing. Good luck.

Valspar has identified coordinates for Pale Bloom. Choose one of the darker colors for the stair wall. Be aware that the wall and your kitchen cabinets are going to abut visually, so choose both colors carefully. I like the third box...the Navaho but darker color on the strip with the green for stair wall. https://m.valsparpaint.com/color-detail.php?id=2667 Example of green with brown