Please hire an architect or designer. You plan a lot of changes and it seems to me you will need to be aware of technical and regulatory issues. Get a good plan and then you can work your plan.

You need to test for lead paint before you start demolition. And test the things most likely to contain asbestos (floors, ductwork insulation). Then hire an architect who works in your budget range.

What geographical area, roughly?

read mcmansion hell ;) They even have a nice article about four squares, mainly they go into weight and balance of houses. The tricky part will be balancing the garage without overwhelming the house. Will it be a giant garage with a house attached? In the old days houses like yours had carriage houses.

Are you sure it wouldnt be less expensive to just tear the entire house down?

For some possible ideas, this article appeared today on the This Old House Web site. At the end of the article are floor plans. Note, they did not make it an open concept home - they were sensitive to the historic design of the home. Due to burst pipes, they did go down to the studs in many places and most of the house was touched in some way.

I rarely see a This Old House article where the inside of the house doesn't respect the outside of the house. Most old house people do not like the removal of the character of the inside of a home to make it 2017 - which will surly be dated looking in ten years while keeping many of the classic features of an old home will make it more timeless.

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/well-balanced-remodel?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_021918

I vote for architect as well. I would never feel confident doing as much as you plan, without an expert's advice. I am guessing that the county you live in will have some codes or restrictions that may even be mandated by the state. And that also would effect the assessment of your property by the county for tax purposes after remodeling. I live in IA also.

If the house has a good foundation, I would say go with it:) The decision is yours though.

I have never built a house, but from what I have learned here, some of the less expensive builders limit choices - sometimes severely. There can be a choice of only a few cabinet styles and colors for the kitchen and only a few flooring choices etc. How much will it cost to get new hardwood and the good trim work your house may have? Maybe the inside is in very poor shape, but if there are well crafted elements, think about how much it would cost to replace them.

If you go with what you have, you can work on it as you have funds and get what you want. If you think restore - except for the kitchen, your home will be cohesive, even if it takes several years.

Are you far from Des Moines? You may have to go to a bigger city to get an architect. I am in Iowa and my countertop guy came a hundred miles to install my counters:)

There are online resources for old homes:

https://www.oldhouseonline.com/

https://www.oldhouseonline.com/articles/american-foursquare

You can also look on Old House Dreams which has old houses for sale. Some are in bad shape, but some have been remodeled. You can filter the search (on the right hand side of the page) by picking "Prairie" because they don't have foursquare as a choice.

Look online for forums and other sources for people who own and work on old houses. There are also bloggers working on old houses who blog about the experience.

The most recent house being worked on in This Old House resembles a foursquare. The final wrap show is next weekend:

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/watch/newton-generation-next-house

My house is not nearly as old as yours and I did not have to redo plumbing and electrical. I did have to work on every room, some just cosmetic, some a bit more. Roof, windows, interior doors, floors, AC/heat - all had to be replaced. It was a run down renal when we moved in. I've liked not being limited by a builders choices of what I could do.

The 2 car garage looks funny with the house, too tiny, too short. Do you think the the same?

Wait for the architect but I don’t think what you want is doable for the budget but maybe where you live.BTW the next time you post do not post the same basic question twice all it does is make it harder for us and you need to now read both posts.

Just wondering if you’ve done any remodeling/additions since these posts in 2018. We have the same model American Foursquare. I hate it. My three main reasons are it’s too small (30’ x 30’), no storage, and it sits too close to the road (too close to gravel on east side, and blacktop to the south - numerous Harley’s Easter until Thanksgiving). We live about an hour NW of DM. I want to build. We are now 3rd generation since this 1930 build (his family bought it in 1934); therefore he grew up here and sees nothing wrong with the place. Nothing has been updated since the mid 70’s. EVERYTHING needs done. It’s going to take $100K to bring up to code even without addition(s). We’d like to age in place. That cannot be done here with 32” doorways and no room for a first floor bedroom. Please let me know how you’re coming!