Size

 We've gotten numerous comments re: how big the house looks. It IS bigger than our current home, but much of the appearance is optical illusion. The gambrel roof is imposing, the small front yard makes the lot feel crowded, and we are used to seeing homes with the garage on the front- putting it on the end makes the house look very long. I'm sure if both these buildings were in the middle of a field, they would not look nearly as large. 

We wanted one-level living as we age, so the first floor contains functions that might otherwise have gone upstairs or into a basement. We wanted the gambrel roof for the appearance of a barn, and that much space under the roof just screams for a second floor. We talked with the architect about just doing dormer windows upstairs instead of a full second story, but he said the full wall was actually cheaper to build, as well as providing more space. I have also learned since that dormers are notorious for leaks, though it's possible that new construction methods have decreased that. 

Another factor in having a larger house is frustration with the size of some rooms in the current house. So far, only one of our offspring is married with children, and we've already outgrown the living and dining rooms; those spaces will be larger. We'll also have a big mud room- currently we have a tiny entryway with a small coat closet. It's not possible for multiple people to enter or leave without being in each other's way, not to mention a lack of space for wet coats and boots. Intentional storage is also a need. Currently, we have nowhere for a vacuum to live other than the basement- which doesn't even have carpet- so it has lived in the corner of the dining room for 20yrs. The bathrooms have minimal storage, and the linen closet is way too small to take up the slack. I'll have a real pantry instead of using the farthest corner of the basement for my canning supplies and canned food, with room for the freezer in the pantry instead of the garage. The current garage is pretty roomy, but still not roomy enough for Sid's Suburban to share nicely, and trying to squeeze a makeshift wood shop into the space along with motorcycles and snow blower hasn't helped.  

So, yes, the new house will be big. We are introverts who like our space, and who enjoy our hobbies. "Downsizing" just wasn't going to work!