Firming plans, Parking signs

So we just met with Mark and Mohamed to firm up our plans, and it seems like everyone's on the same page now.  Some lines were moved around since the last time we met (I promise I'll get the plans on the site as soon as we get an electronic copy.) and, alas, I have lost my bid for a laundry chute.  It's weird because the front porch is much bigger than I had thought, and I just assumed a chute where I thought it could be would drop right into the laundry room... but instead, it would be a big hole in the family room ceiling.  Not so good!  We finalized that although Isaac will get a bigger room, Lola will get a bigger closet (Mark told Lola to remember this detail when she was in her teens), and we also now understand our bedroom will be a whopping 91 square feet.  Yeah, 9.5' x 9.5'.  And 7' x 5' of that will be our bed.  We went home last night and measured it out around our bed, and figured we'll actually have more space on one side than we do now, given the crazy placement of Abby's grandpa's armoire at the foot of our bed.  (I can't wait to get that thing outta my room!  I bank into it constantly because it doesn't close properly.)



Our poorly numbered entranceway

 So I was told by some readers that there has been all talk and no action lately, and although that is very much the truth, there supposedly was some action yesterday after I left.  Immediately south of the house are four pull-in parking spaces; the two on the right are posted as belonging to the windmill, and the two on the left have empty posts-- they're ours.  I went to the manager's office and asked when ours will go up on those posts, so that when we go there we'll actually be able to park (and not have to park all the way over in the common lot or steal one of the windmill spaces...).  Funny enough, apparently the signs were printed a while ago, but no one knew where they went, because they say "9618 Dewitt Drive."  Yeah, that's our address.  But the thing is, the house has two different numbers by the front door, and neither is 9618: one, 106, is the building number from when the house was part of Walter Reed; the other, in the 2800s, is an address on Dewitt Circle, which we front.  No idea when that went into effect, but it isn't our address, and now it's screwed up not only the local mailman but also the parking people.  Dave thanked me for checking something off his list and for allowing him to get random signs out of his office.  Can't wait to park in my own space next time we're up there... that is, if someone isn't bogarting it!

The four spaces behind our house.  Notice our car parked in one of the marked spaces... Sorry, Richard!

Finally, there's a debate Abby and I are having about the downstairs bathroom.  It's one Abby's probably going to win, mostly because it's not something that matters a crazy amount to me, but I figured I'd bring it up anyhow... What do you all think about seeing a toilet when a bathroom door is opened?  I had never considered that it's something that does or doesn't happened, that it's something people plan around.  Have any of you ever planned a bathroom so you can't see a toilet while standing outside the bathroom and looking through the door?  Do any of you have bathrooms that allow for prime toilet viewing from afar?  I'd be interested to know.  Anyhow, the real debate stems from this one: would it make more sense to halve a medium-sized bathroom so the shower and toilet are behind a wall (and door... gotta get in somehow) and the sinks and cabinetry are in a separate room?  Abby says when she was growing up, she would be late to a lot of stuff because her brother was taking too long in the bathroom (and it would never have been the other way around!).  Since Isaac and Lola will be sharing this bathroom and may be in the same schools and therefore on the same schedule, especially in high school, this is an interesting point.  I like a bigger bathroom, just to have more air, but I see where she's coming from.  Any ideas?

Floorplans! Finally! Kinda!

So I haven't written for a couple of weeks... I apologize profusely.  But you see, we were in Buffalo for a week for Courtney's wedding, and then we spent the last week waiting for Mohamed to finish up with the plans.  Happily, I got them today from Rory, so now we can change them!  (It does seem we can never quite agree with what's handed back to us...)  Things are mostly right, but there are a few things we still need to change on the plans, like the placement of the HVAC closet on the ground floor and the line of the bedroom wall on the main floor.  Little stuff, really.

The moment Abby gets new house info, she pores over it, generally forgetting things like her children, or good conversations skills... (Love ya, Abby!)

So with no further ado, I present to you the current plans!  So many of you had mentioned it was pretty hard to get a handle on what I was describing just through words and pictures of what was existing, so this should help you out.  Just know that there will be tweaks here and there, and then (hopefully soon) a lot of finger-crossing when it gets sent out to the good folks at Maryland Historic Trust.  (I love those people.  I should bake them some cookies.  Did I mention I was a History minor in college?  No?  Well doesn't that bring us together as more of a family than just plan old applicants and deciderers?  I think it does!  Love, Gregory)

Fun part about all of this is the extension of overall stats from how it is now.  The addition under the porch will add nearly 250 square feet to the house, and it'll be pushed up from 1 1/2 baths to 2 full baths, not to mention four bedrooms.  (The fourth bedroom is labeled as "storage" on this plan, but rest assured, guests, you will not be "stored," you will be "accommodated.")

We'll go back and forth with Rory and Mohamed over the next few days for sure, and hopefully I can get revised plans up here as soon as possible.  Until then, enjoy!