Well I don't think it is too late to plant shrubs in your zone. I live near Philly too. When I hear morning sun and afternoon shade I think right away of Hydrangeas! How about them to screen your AC units? There are so many different kinds and sizes. Google some up and head for a nearby nursery or just go and see what kinds they have. They love that kind of condition. Weigela are great for hummingbirds and they like sunshine..they also come now in all different sizes and colors and are very hardy. I think you should take advantage of the sales and pick up a few perennials while you are at it too. Is there anywhere to put a beautiful Honeysuckle? It needs full sun and place to climb but your home is such a perfect place for one. It is so cottagy and it would look so perfect there. Well that is just a few thoughts on my part. What a beautiful home you have I am soo envious but you have gone through such he** I feel so bad for you. Well a new day is dawning for you! May the force be with you!

"It would have melted by this time if that was the case." don't be so sure about that, microwaves do not produce heat the way an oven does. plus the plastic being on the glass gives it a heat sink, keeping it from melting. ever seen someone boil water over an open fire using a styrofoam cup? same principle, even though the container is flammable it won't melt because the water(heatsink) suck the heat away quick enough to prevent it. can you post a picture so we know for sure what you have?

Thanks for the quick replies! I am posting a new layout, much bigger, so this should be easier to see. But don't pay too much attention necessarily to the placement of the appliances, as this is what our builder drew up. We definitely don't want the wall ovens beside the fridge. Also, the SO says she really wants counter/cabinet space on either side of the fridge, though I'm wondering if it's better to have the fridge flush with the wall, and just a longer counter run on the one side of it? It's basically either 36" fridge plus 2'10" of counter/cabinet, or say +/-15" counter/cabinet, 36" fridge, +/-19" counter/cabinet. I also talked to my builder this morning, and I think we've figured it out so that we can just make it work (we're going to cheat some space from inside walls). So it is now going to be much closer to 14 feet, maybe just an inch or so less. Also, I think we are going to go with just one window on the rear wall, over the sink. My builder thought that putting the two together there would just eat up too much space on that wall, it'd be 90+" with trim and everything, on 9.5 feet of wall (to the corner, it's about 11.5 total), and I think he's correct. So we may keep a window on the wall where the stove is going, or we may just eliminate it entirely (just have some high, eyebrow-type windows, as the ceiling is actually going to be closer to 12 feet, certainly over 11). We are going to go with a counter-depth fridge (would love to do a built-in or integrated, but that's just not in the cards), so that will help. And since we're doing custom cabinets, I figured we can make the counters slightly shallower, so here's where I'm at: 168" wall to wall 23.5" sink counter (we are including a dishwasher there, but I am going to try to set that even a bit more into the wall) 28" counter-depth fridge counter 80" two aisles at a more comfortable 40" each --- 36.5" for island Now to answer your other questions - in terms of oven, we are going to go with double wall ovens (because as I think I said, the O & M oven is essentially useless), we're thinking standard size, which I guess is 30"? And the O & M is 36" wide, so a bit bigger than standard stoves today, but it's not one of those huge old ones. I do want a MW (the SO says she could live without it, but I can't imagine), so do need to figure that out. I'm thinking that if we do do the fridge flush with the wall, no counter space on the right of it, then to the left of it would be a good place for the MW. I did read these various guides before posting, I'm sorry if it did not appear so (I posted in a hurry). As for the use of the kitchen, right now it is just the two of us, though that could change in the future (or it may not). We do like to entertain, but we can also be serious about not letting everyone congregate in the kitchen. It's really a one cook kitchen, I like to dabble, but she's the trained chef. Other questions? Thanks so much again! So appreciate the feedback, and hope to hear from others.

Lazy gardens - there is ant much space to widen the sidewalk. We don't mind the walkway for now but we will keep it in mind for future projects! Yardvaak - that looks great! Thank you. We actually just limbed up the tree but maybe should have done a bit higher. Any specific plant recommendations? I guess you tried to draw in crape myrtle on the left? Hedges in front of the door? What specific shrubs did you envision? Also ornamental grass on the corner of the house?? I like the idea of connecting the oak tree with the other bed - nothing is growing there anyways.. other than weeds so maybe some ground cover there, although I cannot decide whether I want pachysandra or Vinca minor there?