Option 3 as you don't lose any valuable floor space. The top of the new stair could have a skylight above, or windows to the side to bring more light into the centre of the home. Just make sure you have a light, open stair design, with open risers, and a see-through balustrade. You will need to pay attention to how the new stairwell penetrates the existing roof structure to make sure the roof deck drains correctly. It has the potential to be a glorious (and expensive ) feature to your home. Remember that God is in the details. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Dreamer. Thanks for your advice. I am absolutely hoping we can do away with the balustrade down the stairs. Currently, what is there is a real dust trap. I love the look of the examples both you and Julie have provided. We will be replacing the doors either side and,eventually, throughout the house with a shaker style more solid looking door. For a master built house with so many ridiculous features such as intercoms, ducted vacuum and built in sound speakers (all removed), I can’t understand why the original owners did not upscale the quality of the doors!!

Re your designer, the most important part of any house is the floorplan so you will benefit from what is spent on design. No, I thought that I had read in your first post that you were moving the driveway $10K, did you do that. As I said I am not an engineer, but for the sake of a better overall floorplan you can work with and around with Load Bearing walls but it does cost, you earlier discussed using posts to help with supports and using fretwork across the top to conceal if you felt it necessary. My upstairs floorplan has the staircase brought back towards the Alfreso with the access from that end up to the bedrooms, ie kids coming home from school, through the mudroom/laundry, powder room and then either onto upstairs or into the kitchen for something to eat and then up stairs. By moving the stairs back will give you a Grander Entrance which you wanted. Everything you do doesn't have to be in the same style as the old house, the rear can be more simple with large stacker doors etc keeping your beloved French doors for the front door and living room etc. Don't be in a rush to make a decision, you are spending a lot of money to achieve your dream house. Did you look at the Youtube program which shows you how to marry old and new. I think the dining needs a bigger window looking out from the kitchen etc to the view of the pool, this is also a good safety thing to do, work with a blind, pergola etc to help control any heat.

To offer real ideas it is important to have dimensions, plus it would be interesting to see the original ground floor before the proposed changes Can I ask how many people will be living in the house, kids, parents etc. Lots of things to consider without moving two many brick walls