I appreciate the reply, thanks. Is it possible that particular engineered floor was a softer variety than the hardwood floor? I'll be going with Brazilian Jatoba, which is one of the hardest. Today I verified, I have 1/2" particle board on 3/4" plywood on joists sitting 24" apart. Sorry about the long-winded post! I've been thinking about it over and over again, and I'm now thinking engineered hardwood might be my best bet, then solid hardwood, then laminate. Honestly though, I think I'm going to opt for one of the two real woods. As I mentioned, water damage is my biggest concern, since this will be installed in the kitchen. From what I've read, it seems that engineered hardwood is much more water resistant than solid hardwood. Is this correct? If so, I guess that's my best option... For the flooring prep and installation, I'm a believer in the old adage "Your final result is only as good as your prep work". I want to make sure my subfloor is ready to quietly support a long relationship with my finish flooring. I'll be doing all the subfloor work myself. I'm not sure if I'll install the hardwood floor or if I'll have it installed, but I'm leaning toward the latter for warranty purposes. As I mentioned above, I have 1/2" particle board, on 3/4" plywood, on joists sitting 24" apart. I've read that, with the wide joist spacing, for solid hardwood floors, it's recommended I lay another sheet of plywood or OSB to bring the total subfloor thickness to 1"+, correct? When it comes to the installation, what are the big differences in nail down, glue down, and floating, when it comes to potential issues longevity, and performance of the flooring? Only the engineered hardwood can/should be floated, right? How can I quantify whether it'd be worth the substantial expense of pulling the particle board and laying down another sheet of subflooring for a nail down installation? I don't hear of glue down installations much, is that something I should be considering for my installation, or should I choose between nail down and floating? It appears the cost for engineered or solid is about the same. If floating an engineered floor is anything like installing laminate, I'm pretty sure I could do it myself. Cost for a nail down installation is around $2.25/sq ft, or $1575, plus the cost of laying 700 sq ft of additional subfloor. Another question! My bottom cabinets are sitting on the current hardwood in the kitchen, so I assume I have to remove them for the install? Any chance of not cracking my tile countertops?

Although we don't use it much for actual breakfast nooking, our design left us with an 8 x 6 deadend that butts up to the side of the refrigerator. In it we have an antique table with two wings that folds down to 1.25 feet deep, renovated pendant lighting fixture, antique chairs, and a fabulous wall for a single piece of art. On the short wall alongside it we will be putting a 5 foot wide bookshelf, which will be mostly used for books but it also will house a few display pieces. When we have parties, we shorten up the light chain so people can walk under it. We open out the table and tuck the chairs around the back. It makes a fabulous hors d'oeuvres station or a drinks station and it keeps people away from the cooking area just when I need to be left alone. The art wall can be seen from a long distance--we planned it to be our "ta-dah!" spot and it's a funky counterpoint to the rest of the room. Currently, the table has a number of amarylis plants on it. In season we put other current flowers and, again, it allows me to have these things in the room but yet not in the room, the best of both when I'm busy in kitchen. In addition, the bookshelf houses my big collection of cookbooks. I can pull them out and lay them out on the table without intruding on the action in the kitchen itself. I sit there, researching, and the pile of disregarded books is later stacked up ready for reshelving without getting flour on them. I only take one into the actual cooking area. We have run a number of heating ducts through cabinetry at the bottom of a wall. The bookshelf will have one running through it. We just extend the tin channel out to the outside of the cabinet. We've been using oak grates on the ones in our oak kitchen.

cawaps - I missed the multiple pages of colors for the Heath tile. Bummer that it is so expensive, I do like it, not sure that DH would though, I think it is too modern for him. I'll bring it to his attention and see what he thinks! marcolo - "lurid yet tedious", I had to look up the definition for lurid. This green tile matches my walls exactly, so I see it blending in more so than jumping out at you. I don't see subway tile as tedious, I can see it with smaller subways, but not with the 3 x 6. What wouldn't be "lurid yet tedious"? cloudbase - back painted class is an interesting thought, especially since I am considering a green that matches my wall color. Where does one buy this kind of glass, who cuts it and installs it? Dh has left it up to me with regards to horizontal or vertical. I had thought horizontal because I don't have a tall space to tile, just the standard 18" all around. I'm really not sure which would look better, or more modern?

First the best houses have windows on at least two walls in all public rooms and in the bedrooms to allow for natural light and cross breezes on the days you do open the windows. This house doesn't have that. The two story foyer is useless space and all it does is make sound travel up. Downstairs, you come out of the mudroom, look down the hall and what is your view? A powder room bathroom. If someone in Office B needs to use the bathroom, that's quite a convoluted trek to get to the powder room. You climb the stairs and your view is a wall. Not very inviting. Big dysfunctional kitchen with the island acting as a barrier between sink and fridge. Panty on the outside wall blocking what could be light from two directions in the kitchen. Master bath upstairs is a mess. That toilet room will feel claustrophobic with those angled walls. (Angled walls in most cases are the first clue that a person doesn't know how to design) Did you even notice the window in the master suite isn't centered in the room? How will you get linens out of the angled linen closet? Why does a master bath need two doors to get into it? Don't put a kid in suite 4 unless you want to traumatize them for life. A better arrangement would have been to flip the bathroom/master so the bathroom is on the left, the closets in the middle and the master bedroom on the right with windows on two walls. Again showing this was not designed by an architect. Lots of useless space in suite 3 with the hallway into the room and the space in front of the too small WIC. How will you vent the washer/dryer upstairs? Where is a coat closet in the "grand foyer"? And why is there that useless hallway to the office on the left from the grand foyer? More wasted space. If you want to build a custom house, then find a talented architect to design you a custom house. There is NOTHING custom about this house. Choosing tile, flooring, paint colors and door knobs does not make it custom. It's still a tract house even if it's higher priced.