Plans, Oh So Many Plans!

I'm back and with drawings! I’m going to try and combine them with photos so you can get a better sense of what exists and how it will change. Sorry that they're not that big, but it's the best I could do. The current layout of the house is on the left and new design is on the right. 

©Anderson/Collier Architects

As you can see, especially in the master bedroom, the room is large but the closet and bathroom are very small. The guest bathroom, accessed from the hallway is normal sized so we’re tipping it on its side and its original space will become part of the master bath. The new bathrooms form an L and mean closing off the door and moving the closet in the office.

This is the view from inside the garage. For whatever reason, the original owners put in this closet/shelf space. It's directly behind the current closet in the master bedroom so we'll push the wall back to use up the space in the garage. Then, we're taking a foot out of the bedroom space to expand the closet even further. Please note: this is for J's clothes, not mine. OK, maybe my shoes, but his clothes.

©Anderson/Collier Architects

Here is probably the most expensive part of the renovation but the one that will have the greatest visual impact. Right now the living room has a wall (left side of left photo) that constitutes the front hall and butts up against the fireplace. We're going to remove the wall and shave almost a foot off that side of the fireplace—allowing light from the front of the house to flow all the way to the back. By 'shave' I mean someone other than me is going to remove a foot of floor-to-ceiling brick. I am going to ask if I can demo the wall.

Front hall with wall closing off living room. 

My rudimentary version of the living area with fireplace and wall removed!  

If you could, what area of your house would you most like to change?