Krayers, look into one of Sarah Susanka's NOT SO BIG books, where she calls the space you want an "away room." Or area.
It can be used as a quiet space, or a space where you could corral the kids with their noisy video games when you want to chat with adult company.

In my case, no kids to deal with but I do want my Teahouse to be the "away" space, where I can have my alone time. In this case, it can stay messy without impacting the interior spaces.

And oh my goodness, yes, Marti, I would love to have an interior plan such as Summerfield created for Lavender. If I could do plans such as that myself, I'd never go to bed again, just stay up and draw draw draw. And the plan is not so personally specific that it cannot adapt to anyone who might someday buy this house

Marti- Summerfield hasn't been around much, lately, but had some friends in North Carolina that needed help with their home, after the tornadoes hit.

If you asked, when Summerfield gets back, you might be able to get some help with ideas, for your remodel. It makes it so much easier, when you have a well drawn plan! Summerfield's niece (I believe) is designing this software and we will probably see it on the market, in the near future :)

Again LL it looks great. The mock up front is Gorgeous.

Krayers my get away room is my sewing room which doubles as our guest room with futon. It is a serene quiet place. Useful when I need it to be. For sewing or company and a nice place to nap and enjoy the flowers out the window or snow in the winter. Or just to sit on the futon and read.

It is light and bright but still a very small room.

I really like rooms with more than one use. Especially LL's Mudroom canning kitchen laundry office. Like ML said you create your own away space within the space you already have. Some times just a little corner.

The homes that Sarah Susanka used to illustrate her concept of the "away" space did not have SOLID DOORS, but in the ones I remember, she used the French doors...either one or a pair of them. It gives you separation without isolation. I like that concept. For women especially, why is it we feel such guilt when we seek some private time in a space separate from the family? EVERYONE needs some "away" time in a personal space that the rest of the family knows and respects as OURS.

LavenderLass, I hope Summerfield's friend soon has her home back together. NOT a happy thing to have your home ripped apart. She is fortunate to have a friend like Summerfield though.

And tell me more, Lav, about the software....you say it is not on the market yet, but Summerfield's niece is writing it? Holy Moley, that would be worth learning and I'll be the first in line to get it. I do so admire the work that Summerfield puts out, but the real talent is in her ideas, the software is a tool.

Shades, rooms with more than one use...right on, lady. With a small house, we have all the usual activities of folks with much larger homes, we are just compressed into a compact floor plan. I believe that every inch has to work. Like making a hallway serve as shelving for books and boxes and display items.

When I redo the kitchen during the winter, other areas will be attended to as well. Like the current hallway in the center of the house will be essentially turned into a closet (where the present entry to the master bedroom is) and the remaining portion of the hall used as an anteroom to the front bedroom/study as a guest suite by tying the tiny bath to it. So, two bedrooms with a way to have a suite. I'm thinking a single bed ottoman for guests. And when I have to replace the living room sofa, that can be a queen or full size sofa bed. The french doors rehung in the 5' wide doorway between LR and DR will allow for privacy there. Not a high demand for guest space, but once we live full time in one house, I figures my DH's family will come visit more often. And the granddaughters will love the Teahouse, even without a bathroom out there.

ML, I've not been able to get a copy of Sarah Susanka's book yet, but would love to see her ideas. I love french doors in the interior too. Wish I had a space for them in my house. We don't have many rooms, but the rooms we have are large. Thus, no mudroom, dining room, ect.

Shades, I'm going to try & convert an upstairs sitting room into a sewing-sitting-get away from the TV room. The only problem is that it has an open strairwell in it & I can't close a door to get away from the noise of the TV downstairs. Sure wish we'd insulated the floor between the up & down stairs when we built the house.

ML, I have a space similar to you teahouse over my husband's workshop. I don't use it now except as a guest room at the holidays, because it's too much trouble to heat & cool after work, but if I ever get to retire I hope to be able to spend time out there. Maybe someday. My grandchildren do love to go up there & play. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the inside of your teahouse!

My next big project needs to be a gut & remodel of my 20 year old bathroom. Need to post pictures & get good advice from all you smart folks. It makes me a little sick to think about the mess & expense of ripping out the only bath downstairs. Sure wish I had some software similar to Summerfield's to help figure out what to do with that room.

Krayers I wonder if you could some how put an insulated curtain across your space that can be drawn back when you are not using it as your space. Might at least dull the noise. I am thinking some thing along the lines of the track things they use in hospitals. Paint the track same color as ceiling and it will not show up all that much.

I am still patiently , LOL NOT SO MUCH, for our friend Ray to bring up the two french doors for the studio and my sewing/guest room. Will put so much more light into the hallway. We keep out master door open all the time.I will figure some sort of privacy curtain on guest room door when being used as such.

LL, your remodel is going to be lovely, and you have really planned and researched.

I am getting my kitchen updated in the not too distant future, but am using the same footprint, just updating cupboards and countertops. Had french door and windows installed overlooking the back yard, love them! Also have ceramic tile in a palomino color for the floor. We bought this house in 1973, and it surely needs an update!

Had to laugh at the link you posted, the same ones follow you from the Kitchen Forum; I thought your answer was fine, LOL! Take care...
ogrose

I'm glad you're happy with your plan--the rendering is wonderful--so charming!

I thought of you when I found this 'Snow White' cottage. Be sure to click on the kitchen--you'll love it. They've even included a floor plan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cottage to drool over.

Mama-goose I am not LL but I am drooling over this one too. Lovely. I wonder what the roof is made of. Must not be in snow country. Snow slide would collapse that lovely green house.

Wonder what the Snug room is? I think I should name a room here the snug room.

Lovely plan, like the old Tudor looking wall construction.
I'm thinking the SNUG room is a former servants quarters, since it is not connected to the sociable rooms of the ground floor, only has an exterior intrance from which it can enter the kitchen space, and then the stairs allows the servant to be able to reach the bedrooms upstairs via the interior set of stairs. I never heard someone call a room a SNUG ROOM though. No bathroom....hmmm ....could it be the AWAY ROOM?

Mama Goose- Beautiful cottage! Thanks for posting such wonderful pictures :)

I believe a snug is a British term for a smaller room (often with a fireplace) that just has a few chairs or sofa and maybe a TV. It's a lot more intimate than a sitting room and usually used by family, for watching TV. My mom always says she wants a 'snug' so I'm just repeating what she's told me.

Ogrose- Your new kitchen sounds beautiful! I love french doors and windows overlooking the garden/backyard.

Krayers- Thank you so much for the kind words! I meant to comment on my last post. The mudroom will be wonderful, especially during our 'mud season' which is supposed to be February through April, but we still seem to be in it, this year!. It's 55 and raining...again!

I've been playing around with my floor plan (again, I know LOL) and I still have two concerns. One, is that I'm not sure about the addition to the master bedroom...the roof lines are always a little tricky...and now the well might be too close.

The other concern is the dining room/keeping room. I really like my banquette idea...and I can seat 8 people, no problem. The dining table (in the plan above) might seat 6. Also, I talked to some woodstove people and they assure me a small camper style stove (just enough to heat that room) would easily fit into the corner....it's supposed to fit in a camper/trailer! They said my little area would be more than enough room. I just need enough space to heat a kettle of water, if the power goes out...so I can still make some tea :)

Here's my alternative plan, with cut and paste exterior. Please let me know what you think. Oh, and here's a couple of pictures of mythreesonsnc (kitchen forum) with his beautiful banquette! It's exactly what I was thinking of, but maybe 3/4 the size...and no built ins on either side. Beautiful window, though. Mine would be similar, but without the arch top, since the main floor has 8' ceilings. Thanks again :)

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Oops! My apologies, for mythreesonsnc...I should have said HER beautiful banquette. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday :)

Oh well, my alternative plan ended up being deleted. My mom found some problems with it and I had to agree. So, I made a few improvements, with her help and thanks to a few friends. They reminded me what I really wanted in a home...so, here are a few modifications to my plan. The old window seat is back (yea!) and I think it makes the dining room feel roomier. They also recommended I go back to my work table over the island, so I could turn it 90 degrees, if the table needs to be expanded to seat 8.

Here's the plan (with only a few small changes) and some fun pictures, I found on the internet. Thanks for letting me have my 'little blog' as I decide what to do with our farmhouse. It's supposed to stop raining tomorrow (finally) and maybe we can start clearing out the junk/treasure. I feel much better, now that I know what we'll need to keep and what we can share, donate and even sell. There are some cool things in that basement! LOL

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Kitchen cabinets, backsplash and perimeter countertops. Still figuring out the work table...but I want to look for something fun at the antique/thrift stores...unless we find something in the farmhouse. With a work table, the chairs would be the right height to use at the dining table, for larger groups. Also, the french country cottage look is still what I'm hoping to end up with in this space!

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Here are some pretty window seats and a beautiful chandelier. It would look great with the blue countertops :)

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And here are some examples of the furniture in the keeping room. I would like to have floral and check/plaid fabrics...very country cottage.

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Same greenhouse pictures (which I love) and I'm thinking about vinyl 'wood' floors for the kitchen/keeping room and using the vinyl 'brick' floors in the mudroom and greenhouse. Thanks for looking!

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Great idea about adding a door to the hall bathroom from the pantry.

I also wanted to tell you that I adore the 2nd window seat picture. I wish I could put one of those in my dining room, but alas, not enough room.

Do you have any drawings of the roof? I'm wondering how you will do the pergola over the middle back porch.

It's on this thread on the Kitchens forum, herringbone brick floor.

We have a window seat in the dining area of our kitchen. Rather than a nook like your plan shows(which I love) ours spans the entire width of the wall which is all windows. We use it in place of chairs on that side of our dining table & it has become the absolute favorite place for my grandchildren. Freed up enough room for us to put a large gathering table in there that easily seats 8 adults or more small children. You'll love it.
Kim

LavenderLass, I'd send this to you via email but don't have it. So, I'm uploading something you might enjoy browsing through at the Replacements.com website where they have a stock of discontinued items, such as this set of china by Sakura, called AFTERNOON TEA, designed by Mary Engelbreit. It spoke your name when I saw it, and so I give you a picture of the cup and flat saucer. Neat, huh.

ML- Thanks for the picture...very cute :)

Krayers- That's exactly the set up I've been considering, if I put the dining room in the old porch area. I like the nook/window seat, too...but there's something so charming about a table actually pulled up to the banquette.

Marti- Thanks, I like the door from the bathroom, too. It makes so much sense to toss a dirty towel into the laundry, without walking through the kitchen/dining room. I love those floors! I'm still debating about the 'wood' or 'brick' vinyl floors. I do like the brick, but the wood seems to work better with the dining room in front...but I like the brick, with the dining room on the porch.

Here's the other plan...everything is the same, except the dining table is on the porch and the wood stove is in the front, with the two chairs and ottoman. I can always put the settee (or something similar) in the greenhouse. I'd love to have a little place to read in there...and that's what indoor/outdoor fabric is for, right? They have such nice ones now, that would actually work well :)

Alternate plan (which you may have seen before)

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Alternate exterior

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Mythreesonsnc's beautiful banquette. I would love to do something like this, but without the arched window. It's beautiful, but I have 8' ceilings. This banquette reminds me of the one I love in Lord of the Rings (Bilbo's house) and the white beadboard is just wonderful.

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All the same finishes in the kitchen, but isn't Remodelfla's work table beautiful? Something like this would be so nice for the work table/island :)

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I don't really have a good photo, but here's what I have of our banquette. Our space is very small, and this was the only way we could figure out how to put a table big enough for us all.

Krayers- I love it! Three windows with the banquette and then the table, with chairs on three sides, for extra seating. That's almost exactly what I had imagined, except my table is oval, with two chairs across from the banquette and one on each end.

Thank you so much for the pictures! Maybe now family/friends can see what I'm talking about...when I try to describe my 'vision' (LOL)

All those pillows look so comfy/cozy. It must be a great place to sit and eat or even curl up and read a book. I really appreciate your help with my plan :)

It is a great place to sit - even big enough for a nap!! I ordered 4" foam & covered it so it's nice & soft. You can't see, but there are 5 cabinet doors in the bench which provide great storage and an open cubby on each end. It did take a lot of pillows to fill up the space though! Way too much sewing.

The cubbies and storage are great ideas! I love the pillows, too...and you sewed them all yourself, which must make it even more special. I'd like to do that, which would make the fabric really tie in with the rest of the space, rather than trying to find ready-made pillows that will work. 4" foam sounds very comfy and while all those pillows were a lot of work, they do look wonderful. I can see why you can take a nap, there :)

Krayers your banquet is so pretty. Also love your paint color choice.

Dang, did you win the lottery ? Love it. Congratulations on having a dream.

LL - your house looks beautiful. I really love the kitchen. It makes me want to start all over again with my kitchen plan, especially since we're probably going to have a wood stove instead of a huge masonry stove. But I better not, if I don't stop changing my mind about stuff, I will never have a house.
Krayers - I love your banquette! Is that your main eating area? I guess I might regret doing something like this with all my messy little eaters but it looks gorgeous.

Krayers, what size is your room? It looks a lot like the dining room we want to build. But it will be about 10x14. I think a banquette is our only option too if that is our only dining area.

Hmmm, that window seat shown with the arched window a couple of posts before this one, the set up is exactly like I am planning for our dining room.

Our dining room is 12 x 12 give or take an inch or so. And we have 8'2" ceilings. A pair of windows but no arch. Then about 28" of wall space on either side of the windows, which is where I plan to locate the cabs like in the picture too.
That windowseat will be about 7' and some inches wide, and at least 25" deep, maybe a bit deeper than the cabs on either side of it.

I am thinking that I'll put in above the windows an open shelf all the way across there for display, and hide the small puck dimmable lights inside a shallow soffit there. We already have plantation shutters on the windows, so no curtains.

The base cabs should be rollout drawers full extension. The tops sit right on the base I think, and have glass doors maybe the seeded glass, or frosted glass, to give just a hint of the dishes inside.

I'm about dying to have one of those plate racks seen so often in English kitchens. Oh man, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven so I could easily select from several styles of plates!!!! I have several 4 plate sets, different designs, because I hate to do things the same every day. I'm that way about everything, not just dishes, so a plate rack would make life SO much easier.

I think window seats are great features in so many rooms, and I'm pleased that they are back in favor these days.

Shades - Thanks! I love the paint color too. It'll really a greyer green than shows on the moniter - it's a nice restful color that goes well with both the stained wood trim, and the off white cabinets of the kitchen.

Momo7 - It is our only eating/dining space. We did not build a formal dining room. This is at the end of our kitchen & is separated by a peninsula. I was worried about the kids too. We have 5 grandchildren 8 years & under!! I made the cushion cover with a zipper so I could wash it from time to time. It's the kid's favorite place to sit & eat!

Marti - I'm not at home to measure right now, but that's pretty close to our size. The banquette was the only way we could fit such a large table into our space & has worked out great. It's a really large, square table when we have the leaf in it (as is pictured).

ML - Your plan sounds great! I loved the arched window post too.

Krayers, is your cushion loose or is the foam attached to a board? My neighbor is about to upholster her banquette; she wants to put a board under the foam and attach the fabric to the board, and her dh wants just foam covered with the fabric. She thinks a foam-only cushion will slip around.

Marti, I've had experience with the loose cushions for banquette seating, which is the way the boats I worked on were set up.

They did slide around a lot. They had piping along the seams, and they also had a lip on the base, trying to contain them. Whether the boat was moving or sitting at the dock, when you sat down and slid over, the cushion always moved with you.

Another thing about the loose foam cushion with just a slip cover, it could very well curl up on the end when someone sits in the middle. It might not do so if you get a really thick cushion, like the one on our living room sofa, which is similar to a day bed (actually a British West Indies island style sofa). That one does not curl up, but it has the snaps to tether the cushion to the sofa, like a dog leash. That keeps it from crawling off when you snuggle back and get comfy.

The board with the foam and cover secured beneath is not as easy to clean, but It stays put. A lip around the base of the banquette keeps it securely in place, but you can take it out to access any storage space below. I think I'd put a couple of lifting tabs on it to keep from damaging finger nails, or keep someone from using a screwdriver to pry it up to get a finger hold.

Covering a board can make it more like a regular chair seat, and heaven knows those last a long time. Lining your fabric with some tight weave fabric will keep the foam from decomposing or getting those inevitable stains so quickly. And then treat the top fabric with some stain repellant, or water repellant, and it will work as good as chairs.

Marti, your neighbor can tell her husband that regular dining chairs are durable and they have a board as a base.
Lots of options to make this banquette or window seat fit your particular style.

However, when we do our window seat, it will be a loose cushion and I'll use velcro to secure the washable natural canvas cover to it, and probably make a spare. I'm a great believer in those flat painter drop cloths sold at Home Depot, natural canvas, just tuck them under our long sofa cushion which is loose, and snatch it off quickly to wash. If you have animals, that is an easy way to remove the dog and cat hair. I use the drop cloths for bird cage covers and right now bed covers as well. You could paint on them and hang for curtains or room dividers. Very handy fabrics.

Krayers- Your pictures have been such an inspiration for many of us! Thanks so much for posting :)

ML- Good idea about the drop cloths! I think I'll use a loose cushion, maybe with the velcro tabs, but definitely an easy fabric to wash...or maybe that indoor/outdoor fabric. They have some beautiful patterns, now. I think the window seat with cabinets on both ends will look beautiful in your dining room.

Marti- Foam only cushions can slip around, but the velcro idea, ML mentioned, should help a lot.

Krayers- I'm guessing that maybe since you have such a lovely, big cushion it doesn't slip around as much as a smaller one might? It sure looks comfy!

Well, I've been 'fine tuning' my plan and while I really like the two full bathrooms (which also offer easy access to the laundry area) I just think it's going to cost too much for the 3' addition to the master bedroom. Also, the 'back yard' is not very big...since the horse pasture is pretty close to the back of the farmhouse. Instead, I've put in a smaller porch with a nice patio, that can be added later. The hot tub moved to the right of the bedroom (much easier to work with that roof line) and we still have a nice view from the patio. The best view is to the upper right of the plan. The well (sorry, it looks like will) is not that close to the house, but off in that general area.

I kept the greenhouse (which is one of my favorite things) and added a little pergola over the dining room window...perfect for wisteria and/or climbing roses. Also more room for the garden, on the other side of the greenhouse.

Anyway, thanks for letting me try out different plans (again) and as always, I appreciate your input! :)

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You know, I think I like this best of all. I hope you don't mind if I drew on your plan to show you something. You may have already thought of it, but if you took the toilet out of the big bathroom, opened the sliding door back up, you could have adjoining his & hers bathrooms, and the "his" could double as 1/2 bath for the mud room. Plus, having it all connected would give you easier access to the laundry room from the bedroom.

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Hmmm, Marti, I would think that there would be most need of two crappers on the main floor of the house, but then I'm older than most of you and have different point of view. True, having that open for use by the second member of the family without going through the hall, kitchen, dining, pantry, would be fantastic, and quite the luxury for dropping off dirty laundry from the main part of the house. Also, it would let someone coming in through the mudroom with nasty clothing, strip off by the washer, and walk through to the shower or tub without streaking naked through the entire home. I have no thought on how to change anything, it requires more concentration than I am able to muster right now.

It appears to me that the bumpout for a window seat is again on the plan for the dining room? Lovely!!! And a window in the ends so you can view the greenhouse while seated? Nice. Make sure you put a water line into the greenhouse, maybe a floor drain as well. A nice utility sink for potting up plants, and washing dirty hands also. Easy to do, since the pantry sink is just on the other side of the wall there.

Marti- Thanks for the kind words :)

I like your idea about consolidating the bathrooms, but as ML said, it is nice to have two toilets on the main floor. We're still not sure how we're going to add a bath upstairs, but with my husband's big family, it is nice to have two bathrooms downstairs, for parties/holidays.

That was one reason I started out with the master bath, next to the main bath...but it's just looking too expensive, with foundation, etc. for three feet. If we decide we want closer laundry, we could add a stackable where the coat closet is now...since the basement area will have a bar sink, under the bedroom area. Easy enough to add the plumbing, down the road....hopefully! LOL

I third the two potties. The older you get the more important is can be. LOL That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Shades- LOL! :)

No problem. ;) I just assumed you had another bathroom upstairs. If it were me, I'd probably put the shower where the tub is in the main bathroom and a toilet where the shower was. But I realize you are building that bathroom around the tub so that wouldn't work for you.

Marti- I like the way you incorporated the two bathrooms...and would probably do something like that, if we definitely get the upstairs bathroom. There's more room around the tub (which you know I love) and the toilet has its own area!

Here's kind of my inspiration for the bathroom, but probably a little more european with the vanity and more plants around the tub :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sarah Richardson farmhouse bathroom

I am not a fan of yellow.Long story like brown. Color association thing and bad relationship years ago. LOL But I do love the look of that bath. I would even buy those yellow curtains.

Shades- LOL! I'm not a big fan of yellow and brown, either...although I am starting to like a soft gold color, in rooms that face north.

I like the claw foot tub, the shower, the window over the tub and the overall layout of the Sarah Richardson room. I also like the farmhouse/vintage style, but with a little more french style...maybe in the faucets and vanity...and the little chair by the tub. I love this picture, but it's a little too frou frou, so maybe something in between? A little whimsy/cottage mixed in with the farmhouse? Snow White/princess on the farm? LOL

Here are a few other details that I love, too!

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Here are a few very cute vanities:

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Wow! I'm going ever more girlie with this bathroom! Maybe I should reconsider the master bath, because my husband would definitely like a more rustic/lodge look in there...and then he won't care what I do with the hall bath! LOL

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I've been away a few days & it looks like you all have been busy!! LL I really like the new/revised plan. I'm in love with your inspiration photo of the tub in the alcove (yes - a little less frou frou) - love the paneling & window & the mouldings. That would be great in your bathroom. You can always rustic up the DH hall bath & shower & that would be nice too.

ML is right about the greenhouse. We have one & it's wonderful. You do need to plumb it. We didn't put in a sink - didn't want to lose the space for plants, but have a hose for watering. We did put in a drain, but I don't think we've had a great need for it as we did not pour a concrete floor but have about 6" of pea gravel instead. We did put in a couple of ceiling fans & roof vents. It gets really hot in there in the summer. Also a 220 outlet for a heater in the winter. They are hard to heat if it gets very cold in your area.

Marti & LL - the cushion on the banquette does not really slip around much. It's wedged into the space pretty well & is really big. I made it with a zipper down the entire back so I could take it off & wash it when needed. Has worked out really well for us.

Krayers- I was having a lot of fun yesterday, but I will probably stay with the main hall bath and the half bath, off the laundry. The bigger plan is wonderful, but much more expensive...and I really want the greenhouse! :)

Although I love to daydream (and often come up with some good ideas) I think the main bath could be fun and a little fairy tale, but with some wood and darker colors, it would work for both of us. As for the chandelier...that will probably end up in the greenhouse, over the little table and two chairs, since that space is all mine! LOL

A sink in the greenhouse is a must (you and ML are both right) and it will be easy, just adding it to the back of the pantry sink.

That's a great idea about the cushion...I like the zipper and being able to wash everything is a must, on the farm! :)

LL I do a lot or daydreaming & planning too! Then my budget kicks in! Any of your plans will be great. That chandelier will look great in your greenhouse - you'll love having it.

Krayers- Thank you, I appreciate how you all let me daydream and get things figured out :)

I've been playing around with a few changes, based on some of your input. I really like your window seat in the dining room, but I might try it back in the front...and move the wood stove to the 'now porch' area. It would be nice to have a little more seating back there...and the island could be a work table, that can move, when I need to expand the table.

Let me know what you think...and thanks again for all the support and great ideas...from everyone! :)

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LL, I would not worry too much about making the bath dark in an effort to make it work for you and your DH. In our bath, my DH enjoys it so much, it has a luxurious feel to him as well as to me. He thinks it is absolutely PERFECT. As hide bound as some men are, they all have a softer side that needs a spot to retreat to for expression. I'm sure he can live happily with your bathroom, or your style anyway, since he more than likely adores you. What man wouldn't, I'd like to know.

And my clawfoot tub is the centerpiece of the bath, with a handheld shower set. The real shower is in the other bath.

Krayer is right about the really high heat in a greenhouse, depending on the exposure it has to the sun in every season. Our Teahouse has only the east side out of Lexan, and it is insulated everywhere else, but it keeps our portable heat pump going on cool this summer. And I keep it up around 82 degrees. The portable heat pumps are coming down in price quickly, and they are very popular now. I think ours puts out 12,000BTUs on heat, hope it cools that much in the summer too. We are what they call a "high humidity" area, and oh yeah, the condensation pipe drips a LOT outside, DH installed a drain, and I put a big saucer under it to collect the water for the wild birds. I won't worry about the humidity in the winter, when all the container plants come indoors. The bananas and big tropicals will love it in there, after all these years of being nearly wiped out by the cold. I cannot wait to use it this winter, the first test run in cold weather.

LL, Your new version with the window seat in the kitchen/dining area is almost identical to our setup. It works great. I think you might enjoy the extra seating in the keeping room - a nice cozy space to get away to. We have not missed having a dining room other than at the end of our kitchen at all.

ML- You are so sweet! My husband probably would go along with any bath I wanted...but I want to make sure it's comfortable for him, too. I like blue (rather than the pink in the pictures) so I think it will be fine :)

The greenhouse will be fun, with a place to have plants, even with our long winters! Thanks for the info on the heat pump and other ideas.

Krayers- I'm glad you said that about your dining room. I want something cozy and inviting, but not too formal, so I think a table at the end of the kitchen will work out very well. The extra seating in the keeping room wil be nice, too.

Aha! I panicked for a sec there, could not find the little heater/stove. Having that and a nice cuppa tea should make a lot of cold cold days much cozier.

Good for you about seeing that blue works in your bath. Thank heaven there is the tradition of blue for boys.Even though I think it works both ways very nicely.

There is usually more ways to solve problems than one. Like the old saying, "There are more ways to kill a cat besides choking it on soft butter." I wonder who said that originally. Even Ben Franklin in his Poor Richard's Almanack borrowed most of his wise sayings.

Okay, after some very good comments, about wood stoves leaking smoke occasionally...and wanting more views out the back...I've come up with a revised plan. It's a bit of a 'cut and paste' from several plans, so I hope you can read it. I had to trace over some of the more faded areas.

It's pretty much the same as above, but I've flipped the wood stove/seating area and the laundry/half bath. The mudroom, now has the big sink, which is handy...since the kitties won't be eating my plants. The greenhouse is now planned to be attached to the garage and just down the steps, from the mudroom.

As always, thank for all the good ideas and comments :)

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Young-gardener posted this picture on another post...and it's similar to what I want to do with the laundry/pantry area. I'd like it pretty enough, to walk through, to get to the sunroom/porch. I won't have the windows, but the doors will be half glass, to the mudroom and a french door, to the sunroom.

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