Several thoughts: - Are you doing concrete all the way to the road? Around here, people who aren't in neighborhoods /aren't building short driveways tend to have gravel for the majority of the driveway ... then it become concrete maybe 15-20' from the garage opening. The house I grew up in, for example, sat about six acres off the road -- no way anyone would pour concrete /maintain concrete (because dirt will wash out under a drive /the drive will crack) for that length. The house I'm building will sit even farther off the road ... so we certainly will use gravel (the good gravel) for the majority of the driveway. - Have you thought this through from a guest point of view? Side garages are tough in this regard. Imagine you're a guest approaching the house -- you pull up to the end of the drive /next to the garage. Where should you enter? Through the garage probably isn't a choice, but you can't see the front door from where you are. I don't think people tend to put enough thought into the drive /guest arrival. Lots of good choices exist, but you have to think it thought for your own plan. It is better to be a little too big rather than a little too small. Except for the budget, and the OP's said that's a concern.

Have you measured a specific depth and height that would be comfortable for your husband? It seems like Century and Benchmade do not customize depth. You really are only customizing the length of your sofa in 5" increments. However, if they have a depth that is already what your husband finds comfortable then it might be a good place to shop. Also, do you have thick fluffy removable back pillows on your current sofa? If so, you could have it reupholstered as a tight back and gain extra inches in depth. I did this with a vintage Baker sofa from the 80s. It is now deeper and sturdy as a tank.

Hey littlebug, I am not too concerned about the fireplace being too wide, moreso high. I'll attach the floor plan so you can see how open it is. I am mostly concerned if a mantel that is 58" from the ground is too high. I read somewhere it should be 54" from the ground or whatever. I don't think the top of our mantel can really be any closer to the ground than that. With the clearance requirement (50" from the ground before the mantel can start), and the fact that I would like the mantle to have some height to it, it will be about 58" from the ground. It leaves 48" to the ceiling. Our house is a 2 story and not a bungalow so there are not vaulted ceilings. The ceiling is 9'. Our living room, dining room and kitchen is all open as you can see in the plan. I just want to make sure there is enough space above it for artwork, and that things look balanced.

Is the image reversed? It doesn't jibe with your floor plan. The floor plan indicates that the staircase is on the left as you look at the large windows, but the photo shows the opposite. Could you also post a photo looking at the fireplace?