Hi Beth, I'm up the coast by LAX. My biggest problem year-round is mildew and I've been culling, er, 'losing through attrition' the ones that are the worst. Rust is annoying because it defoliates, but mildew, in my experience anyway, eventually kills roses. I fear many of yours will have a problem with it so I'd start thinking what to do about it now. Speaking for myself, side from the environmental concerns I have finally admitted that I am not disciplined enough to spray. Now I've gotten into OGRs, fwiw. Of the ones you have... Disneyland - bullet proof, great little rose Gemini - pretty blooms which make me keep it (for now) but really struggles with mildew Olympiad - very disease resistant in the ground, HOWEVER, others didn't like being in a pot where they struggled and died from mildew. Love - had it a long time ago, may mildew Voodoo - loved it a lot, twice. If you're jonesing for orange, you might try Perfect Moment, mildews a bit but doesn't mind too much. Marmalade Skies is not as dark as Voodoo and a flori, but 'bout bullet proof. I think there are some other new oranges. I'd sure ask here so you won't be disappointed if you want orange or lavender colors. Henry Fonda - not on your list, but the most glorious *non-fading* bright yellow with frilly petals, the DH's favorite. Traviata - mine is the little engine that can. Some folks don't care for it because it doesn't smell, but I like the blooms and admire greatly it's complete resistance to mildew & rust. It did get defoliated by anthracnose a couple of months ago but you wouldn't know it today. Very upright. Lastly, you need to look up Grandmother's Hat (hybrid perpetual, Jeri's favorite, divine smell) and Golden Celebration (yellow Austin, also great smell) using the search engine here and on the Antique forum. You absolutely can't do wrong with either, I think you'll love the pics but will swoon over the fragrances.

(usually, you don't want to respond to your own posts, as it moves your topic down into the forum. But, no worries, I found it) Yes, it is possible to do as you suggest, but it will result in an unusually long room. I know you say more than 1 kid will be in there, but that closet is also the smaller of the 2 rooms. Will there be 2 kids in the other room too? What about extending the right wall to be even with the garage wall? What you suggest is totally doable, though I would also add a window on the left wall as well. As for modifications, once you know this is the plan for you with modifications, then, contact the company/designer of the plan to purchase and get an agreement to make changes or work through their company to make the changes. Some other thoughts on this plan: There is no entry closet/hall closet. Is there enough room in the back entry for your needs? (ie, how many kids/what age/what climate)? What orientation will the house sit with regard to the sun? I ask this question, because a lot of the time, an interior kitchen like this will feel dark/be dark (esp depending on the type/color of cabinetry). I like this plan. It seems like a very reasonable plan for a family.

I just did a quick mockup in Home Designer Pro with the ovens moved to the range wall and it works GREAT! Thanks guys! Also, I may have misinterpreted what y'all said about the prep sink, so I tried a version where the "prep" sink moved to the leg of the peninsula closest to the fridge & I just love it. I opens everything up, so well and puts me facing the keeping room for prep which is certainly more time consuming than washing. (I do a lot of chopping.) There are two pull out trash bins: one by my sink & one by DH's. The "room" that is 3'8" x 5'4" is a mini-vestibule to the screened porch. It may seem like wasted space, but it has some purpose. Originally, what you see as the 2'8" cased opening was the exterior door to the porch. DH decided to generate some space for himself to have an e-room or pocket office where you see the bi-fold door. The vestibule was the result of that change, but I like it because it gives a buffer between the keeping room and the outside. I kept imagining sitting on the loveseat and shivering from a draft. I know new houses are much tighter than what I remember from my old house in NJ, but after 20 years in Houston, chills are not something I'm looking forward to. Also, it gave a nice space to tuck in a full height built-in bookcase. The countertop is flat on the peninsula, no bar. We have a bar, now, that we never use so I'm not a big fan of them, especially since we won't eat at the peninsula. Yes, the peninsula counter needs to have some curve to it, but I just haven't figured that out, yet. I imagine the guy who will be doing the countertops may have some suggestions, but I need to have some idea of what I want before we meet. The bookcases on the other side of the kneewall are only going to be 3-6" (depends on the tile) above the counter so that things won't slide from the counter onto them. The microwave can go about anywhere that it will fit. On average, we probably use it less than 10 minutes per day, so its not a biggie. Would it really look OK if the hood doesn't have uppers on both sides? I'll give that a try in my SW and see how it looks. That might allow the range to move even further to the right. I feel like something has been lifted off of my shoulders, right now. I can tell you how much I appreciate the advice. Y'all are fabulous. Thanks - Jo Ann

Lavender, can you post your layout again? The hardest things to deal with in a reno are the things you're absolutely certain you want in your kitchen, that you really just can't get to work out. You find creative solutions that include splitting atoms, until one day, while researching the proper disposal of spent Uranium, it finally dawns on you that you can just change your mind about what you want. This may be one of those things. A 36" pullout base cabinet is a much more functionally important piece in a kitchen than a cart that rolls out of the way (that already has wheels on it, but you don't want to store out of the way) - really. Maybe you can re-fashion the drawer space above the pullout to house a retractable butcher block board. But as nice as your cart is, there's no way it can do for you what that base cab can do, and storing the base cab in the laundry, well, if you think that will work, then maybe it will. Whatever you want, I hope it works out. Just remember, you cannot change the laws of physics, but you can always change your mind.