Do you have elevations, especially for the back? I’m not loving the funky shape for the downstair, but I assume there is a reason for it?

I don’t think any of the plans that put the 6-person living room in the addition work.

@emilyam819 The land slopes in the front, but there are no step ups or step downs inside the house. The funky shape is dictated by setbacks and that's the only buildable area on the lot. When viewing it in sketchup it looked not so funky with windows, so we decided to maximize the sqft. The third plan, opens up living to old dining room and makes it bigger. We pushed the dining into the funky space.

Have you done the math for buying a house that meets your current needs, instead of remodeling?

We went through the same decision back in 2004, also in the Boston area, and decided it made more sense to move.

@chispa hi yes. The amount we put into this renovation plus original price = we could get another house with added sqft minus the time/stress renovating. However, those houses would be old and will need upkeep/updating. Our current house is barely 20 years old and is in crisp condition. Hence, trying to make it work.

I really like the upstairs with all the bedrooms. How many kids? the new bedroom would be a cool playroom if nobody needs to use it for sleeping on a regular basis. And with so many people, a second living space will be nice sometimes.

However, I just want to warn you that you might find the new master closet small. Remember, you can’t use the walk through space and corners. It looks like you can only get clothes on two of the walls, which means it won’t store much more than you reach in.

The only plan that gives you a bigger living space is number 3.

I think you should seriously consider modifying the kitchen. Trying to keep it untouched is adding some serious constraints that I think if you removed them you could develop a better layout. As is above you add a lot of space for not much extra benefit And create a lot of pinch points and dead space.

Laundry through the guest bath might not be the best idea, especially when the parents visit. Even though it’s a convoluted path, better would be the laundry in the addition, but don’t skimp on space like the laundry in Pic 4. That one makes it hard to service the machines.

@emilyam819 three kids. we might convert one of the upstairs bedrooms into a living space depending on how this reno turns out

@wsea if we could change the kitchen layour, what would you suggest for the new layout?
I added pic4 which is a one wall kitchen with workhorse island and a side wall full of cabinets. are there other modern options?

@bpath would bathroom opening into kitchen be Ok? I thought it is weird, that's why I had to sacrifice for the hallway