Your budget is $250,000 to $300,000? I think the best money you could spent right now would be to hire a professional to work with in person. This renovation is a large investment and too important to depend on advice from this forum!

You can use houzz to help you find a local architect in your area....Look under "find a Pro" and write in "architect".......
Interview at least three architects and call their references. Ask the references if they would hire that architect again if they were going to do it again..........Look at a few of the architect's built projects....

Make a decision and go for it........You will be happy and enjoy the process.

I am working with a professional. But I am still not happy with a floorplan yet.

Piercesof, it's very important to give honest feedback to the person you've contracted with to provide the design. I would advise you to list your concerns about the plan they designed, and have a conversation with them about what can be changed. Perhaps there are very good reasons why certain decisions were made when producing the plan you are not happy with. Working with a professional is a two-way street and I urge you to make your opinions known. Best of luck to you in this project.

I agree with Cynthia that communication is the best way to get what you want................If you are working with someone who has a great reputation and a hisory of doing good projects, then they should be very capable of giving you a project that works for you................

The design process sometimes takes several iterations before you get to the perfect solution.......I expect my clients to respond to my first presentations by telling me what they love about it and what they don't ............We go back and forth a few times before we all love the design..........

Good luck with your project.

Also, if you have plans that you can post on houzz I am sure that you will get some constructive advice.............