Warm in the attic is not the primary reason for keeping the ducts indoors, it is pressure differentials induced by leaky ducts. In supplies, leaks cause make-up air to be drawn into the house from air leaks in the envelope. In returns, leaks cause air to be drawn out of air leaks in the envelope. (Poor return vs. supply balancing can do similar.) How high is the ceiling in the hallway? If there is enough space, the classic right way to do this is probably to fur down the ceiling for ducts and put the AHU in the attic within a sealed box that is made contiguous with the indoor space. Done right, the difference in ceiling heights can be architecturally pleasing.

Thanks! The screened porch in total, including both the original porch and the add on, is 14x22, so it would be a generous dining room when we are able to make it happen. We normally do look to Restore and Craigslist for projects and affordably replaced a rotting wall of windows in our family room that way, but I can't imagine finding all the windows and doors necessary to do a space of that size and have them match. I have always wanted French doors instead of the slider, but it always seemed an aesthetic choice that did not justify the cost, but I love the idea of that space opening to accomodate the moving of the table! I do have a sink set up in that potting bench in the garden for washing dirty veggies and deslugging the lettuces (my least favorite thing about gardening, blech). One inside would be nice so it can be used year round, but not strictly necessary. The fridge will fit, I just don't know if we'll be able to recess it into the studs. There is a vent back there going to the level above, but we think we may be able to re-route it. Those are also 6" studs, so it really would make a huge difference, and I'd rather have a standard depth fridge if possible, but we are also looking at counter-depth options, too, in case that doesn't work, but we feel we would need a second fridge if we went that route, and our laundry and "garage" (Dh's workspace) are tiny. It is fine as it is, there is enough space even if it weren't recessed, but it would certainly help the space feel more streamlined and give us that much more valuable floorspace to have it flush with the cabinetry. I am planning on an offset drain sink so the garbage can be under but on the side away from the dishwasher and accessible from the left side of the sink where we will do most of our prep work. I'm planning on two faucets because as unusual as it is, the people who have them in busy kitchens love it. I don't have room for a prep sink, but two faucets with the prep space separate from the dish space means multiple workers can avoid interrupting each other. I had the dishwasher to the right of the sink, but I moved it over to the other side next to the cooktop so that we could scoot the peninsula out and gain those 6 inches in floor space in the kitchen. I think it will be awkward, but not more awkward than other solutions I've seen in tiny kitchens (like having it shifted over in a perpendicular run to the sink), and we'll keep the dishes in the 36" wide drawers and shelves across from the dishwasher, so what I lose in loading, I gain in ease of unloading. In weighing conveniences, I decided we'd rather have it be a little less convenient to load but unloading is easy and neither will interrupt the primary prep space, so meal prepping can happen at the same time. Really, the possibility of using that little alcove totally messes up my plan in that regard, lol, but as I said, I want to consider everything, especially because I know my choices are somewhat unconventional. We put versions of the kitchen blocking the doorway into sketch-up, and it really doesn't feel right with the other architecture in the home, especially extending the wall from the foyer to meet the front of tall cabinetry. It feels like a thing changed to accommodate a kitchen and not natural to the space and very closed in both in the foyer and the dining room. It closes up lines of sight that do a lot to make the smaller space and transitions work. If the wall between the two doorways (the one extending between the kitchen and dining where we currently have a header) weren't load bearing, and we could easily make one wider opening that also incorporated the space between the doors, it could work, but we simply can't afford the kind of engineering that would involve. When we recessed the fridge into the doorway, the ovens were squeezed in. Plus, it makes the peninsula shorter by 30 or so inches, and I do like having that space as our primary prep area. It is nice to be able to have younger helpers doing tasks across from me so I can assist when necessary or to converse with a child doing another task at the dining table easily. I feel like I need to keep that space at least 42" to keep it useful for things like cookie making, and it is 45" right now. I'd gain counter space, but not where I'd most want it. Anyway, I liked the kitchen space that afforded for the most part and was open to adjusting to working more at traditional counter space at a wall, but I pretty much hated how cramped and unnatural it made the foyer and dining room feel. I was looking at the Martha Stewart kitchens catalog I grabbed at Home Depot, and I was studying the layouts and laughing about how convenient it would be to be able to design a small beautiful kitchen that didn't need to fit a refrigerator or maybe a sink or a dishwasher, lol.

Yes, run a utility knife along the top and the bottom of the molding where in contact with ceiling or the wall so you don't pull the paint with it and along the joint where the molding connects and gently separate the molding not to break it, pull any nails attached to the molding from the backside of it so you don't damage the surface and re-install the molding. That being said, depending on the amount of molding you be taking out, in most cases you better off getting a new molding one size bigger, install it the right way and have a nice clean look. Good luck

Here is a very crude drawing, a brainstorm of how to use the space so that instead of it being split down the middle, you think of the room as front and back space. The front space is mudroom area, the back space is sitting area. They are very much connected though because of the console or chest of drawers that sits directly behind the sofa. In this picture, the grey shaded rectangles are mudroom pieces. Behind the sofa is a console table with baskets underneath for storage. Or, a wide chest of drawers / dresser. I have always had a chest of drawers in my living rooms / hallways in which to store keys, purses, and shoes. Dresser drawers are a perfect size for shoes! 1. I'm not suggesting this style of furniture but a console table like this, with some drawers too and baskets on the bottom for hats, scarves, backpacks work well behind a sofa. 2. Again, not suggesting this style, but a console table like this with big baskets for tall winter boots. You could like baskets like this with boot trays. 3. On the left side of the mud area, you could find a wardrobe closet for hanging coats. My brother has one in his living room. It is vintage and not very deep at all - not even the depth of a hanger. Instead it is full of hooks that their jackets are hung on. They can cram a lot in there. Here are some ideas for ones though I am not even sure what the interior of these looks like: 4. On the right side of the entry area where you come in you could place a bench for sitting and taking your shoes on and off. It could be a bench with storage underneath, an upholstered bench, whatever compliments the style of the furniture in the rest of the room. I like the idea of around coffee table so the room isn't all rectangles. I think a great lighting fixture could help here too. If you were to choose this set up you could get sitting room pieces and mudroom pieces that all look good together and create one cohesive space with two functions.