A few more details

So here are a few details about the plan we chose. It has two floors and a basement, which is pretty standard here in the Northeast. It has four bedrooms on the second floor, with a the rooms for the boys sharing one bathroom. Brittany's room has its own bathroom as does the master bedroom. The laundry room is on the second floor. The boys' rooms have sizeable closets and Brittany's has a walk-in. The master has a sitting area in addition to the "regular" bedroom, and a large walk-in closet.

The first floor has a two-car garage with a bit of extra storage space. It has a dining room and study, and a fifth bedroom for guests. There is a breakfast area, a U-shaped kitchen with an island, and a sizeable family room. The family room in the plan is two-stories high, but our plan was to put in a normal ceiling and turn the space above into a bonus/play area.

Now, when we met with the builder, we had no idea what to expect. This was our dream plan, and we knew modifications would be needed. He said that it would take $500,000 to $600,000 to build that house - which is way over our budget. He knows our approximate budget (our realtor, Adam, is the builder's son, and Adam had filled Tom in on our requirements).

So, to reduce cost, we agreed at the outset that we should minimize angles and corners on the exterior (Karen calls them "jut-outs" and I can't think of a better term, though I feel silly saying it). He also suggested that he could eliminate a bathroom on the second floor - though the kids would much prefer two for the three of them, if the choice is one bathroom or no new house, we'll take the house. He also didn't like that the master closet was accessed through the master bath - he said it is an invitation for trouble. He suggested we could save money by making things a bit smaller (shaving a few feet off the dining room and study on the first floor) and rearranging the second floor, particularly moving the master suite from the right side of the house to the back, using the bonus room we had set aside for some of the master.

Tom said he would go over our plan and adjust things around and come up with a new plan. If he can get the major things we want (five bedrooms, large family room, 2nd floor laundry, for example) and come in on budget, we will be very happy. Karen says she's worried, but I have a good feeling from Tom. Hopefully his experience can really come into play here. Adam says we can expect something by late next week.

As for extras, we only really want a few things. We want central A/C, which is relatively rare in Vermont, but he says he likes to put it in. We want phone, cable, and ethernet in almost every room. We want a driveway large enough to play basketball in. And that's really about it.

Meanwhile, today our house will hit MLS, and hopefully we'll get some interest.