I think it looks good. I would probably just echo a lot of the other comments. If you want a bigger ensuite, I think you can sacrifice some of the space from the main bedroom to make the ensuite bigger. Bedrooms 2 and 3 will probably require more storage, especially with three children. The cupboard in the entry looks a little odd. I would probably just extend it so that it was the same length as the wall. Otherwise, it appears to be pretty narrow, so I would think about how it is intended to function and whether a bench seat with some baskets below the bench and some hooks above the bench on that part of the wall would meet your requirements. I do think the main bathroom needs some work. I don't think three toilets are necessary, but you definitely need to separate the toilet for the main bathroom. I would also consider trying to turn it into a three-way bathroom, perhaps by keeping the powder room toilet in the current position, but flipping it so that you enter from the opposite side (which also means that you won't see a toilet as you're walking from the entry to the living areas). I would have an open double vanity where the shower and single vanity currently is and I would enclose either a combination bath/shower or a "wet room" (perhaps with a frosted glass door to still allow light from the window or include a sky light above the double vanity). I would consider whether the study requires built in storage, whether open shelves or hidden storage. I'm also not sure what the "d" in the laundry is, but I wonder whether a larger walk in pantry wouldn't be more useful. I personally would not like the living room to be completely sectioned off from the kitchen and dining areas by full-height walls and doors. There also appears to be a bit of dead space between the kitchen bench and the dining area. This will facilitate ease of movement, but I wonder whether you could widen the "galley" part of the kitchen by moving the bench towards the dining area. I'd also have a think about how you would furnish and use the living/sitting room. It looks like a large room and it also appears that you're losing a dedicated "play room" (although the study may serve that purpose until the children are all older). Good luck!

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Great to hear that you have had a good experience in an unpopular neighborhood. Our first home was an ex-army house in the extremely unpopular South Auckland of New Zealand. All we could afford then... and we lived there happily for seven of eight years. We loved our home and our initial neighbors, many of whom we are still friends with. But as folk moved on and a rougher element moved in, break-ins began happening, clothes stolen off the clothesline, plants, pots, ornaments, swing sets and even a trampoline! It was no longer safe to leave a door unlocked let alone open. The crunch came when youths began to harass our children walking to and from school simply because they believed it was their right to take what they wanted (uniform and shoes, food) and trying to force them to buy drugs, We moved on. I guess it comes down to; is it just an unpopular demographic area? or is it a rough area, gang related residents, drugs on the street etc? The question does not stipulate why an area may be deemed unpopular. I said above to choose the better area and this is what we did second time around, we live in a preferred area of a demographically unpopular rural town in Otago, NZ and love it here. We have renovated and will be mortgage free in our retirement. However we would never again live in an area unpopular because of the crime rate.

The renovation in my house was overdue as the kitchen, the master bedroom, and living area; all were in dire need of more space, breathability, and improved lighting. They had started to look dated and tired. Though I have been searching through remodeling blogs and renovation expert’s websites for quite some time for ideas and costs, instead of getting clarity of thoughts on how to get it started, I was becoming more confused because the pros floated too many ideas that also seemed a bit expensive to meet my budget. Then suddenly I got this thought of contacting Stewart (my school friend who was a professional remodeler and was running his own business of house renovation in California). I mailed him immediately telling him my requirements and asking for some frugal yet viable solutions. He replied within a week with very good ideas and some exclusive pictures of renovation done on different areas of the house. Thesebefore and after picturesmade me very focused on what and how to go about the renovation of my sweet dream home with the most cost-saving. The highlights of Stewart’s suggestions that I followed later were as follows: · Invest quality time on budget and never ever be tempted to exceed the budgetary limits set out for each task. · List all your needs precisely. · Make the whole process a combination of DIY projects and professionals. This is also very much required because most of the minor alterations and remodeling can be done by you using your own skills and they will result in impressive cost savings. · Fully utilizing home renovation use promo and coupon codes to buy decorative pieces, rugs, wall hangings, and furniture items, etc. I bought many kitchen and bathroom appliances with these promo codes saving almost 50% of their original cost. · Discussing the aspects of storage in the kitchen and functionality in the bathroom candidly with the professional you hire for renovating. · Consider painting the bathroom, living area, and kitchen by yourself. Using high-quality brushes will make your paint in the corners of the doors and coating door frames in one pass. Needless to mention that a little bit of Goggle search for promo codes for paint, related material, and primer will provide you enough discount codes to select some that suit your needs the best and save the most. · When it comes to the living area, the best revitalizing is one that makes it look as large as possible. For this purpose, I combined the living and dining area and opened up the floor plan. I also streamlined the windows and gave them the real upgrade. Lighting is another area where proper usage can create a sense of the place looking more spacious than it actually is. · Last but not least since the entire job cannot be done by you alone and structural alterations will need an expert, you should choose a contractor with good recommendations from friends who have already got their houses renovated. There is no need to rush and one should take time to select an appropriate and capable resource. Transformed my kitchen having refreshed the cabinets and white paint boosted the space The best shade of light grey and red cushioned dining table chairs made the living area fabulous Removing sofa with chairs and bringing in a floral patterned wall mirror made wonder A few wall hangings and decorative pieces transformed this room from a dull and suffocative place to a full of life area in my house The interior doors are given a nice boost as well Only color schemes and rearranged appliances can enhance the look of the kitchen By giving new life to the front door, the very impression of the house was transformed.