SFGate

TanCalGal You R fortunate to have an architect. I'd be discussing these things with him/her.

One idea: I'd keep a portion of home as a small rental. Many lovely homes in San Francisco save a portion for a rental or could be a MIL apartment etc.

Margaux Gonyea Hi jennamart- looks like your place has great potential. Check out the ideabooks listed below for some great idea for loft style homes. Good luck with your remodel and make sure to keep us updated on your progress and add pictures!

lefty47 HI -- Sounds like this is going to be a big project and good luck to you . Are you staying with the Chicago style or are you wanting to go more modern and open. You should start a binder of ideas and this binder should have pocket pages for invoices and copies of e-mails ,phone and cell phone numbers , suppliers etc.and this will help you and your architect with the project and budget and what not. Gather info on products you would like to use , like maybe some info on newer rads that are smaller and more modern looking and so on.Remember to make good choices because after changes cost money and that adds up real fast . Have fun and don't fuss with the small stuff !

House of Holland - TX Really depends on how you live... Do you entertain a lot? Do you have small children?

Tres McKinney Design The more information about your preferences that you bring to your architect the better the house will fit your lifestyle. I recomend you also hire an interior designer and bring them into the process early on as part of your team. A team approach (Client,architect and designer) will give you the most successful overall design. You will save money in the long run by avoiding expensive and disappointing mistakes.

jennamart thanks!! all great stuff to think about.