You have a ton of questions and I will do my best to address them, I also have AADD so if I start to ramble and jump back and forth just overlook that :). We need to simplify this more because there are certain issues you can't change..... being on a slab and the weight issues. Any slab has to be reasonably flat and dry, but in your case it needs to be almost dead flat and dry. We are supposed to always check slabs for vapor emissions that can go unoticed when there is carpet over top that allows the slab to breath and release moisture without any problems. You have an 18yr. old glued down wood floor that has exhibited no problems, in my view that is as good an indicator one is going to get..... so we'll just say you are dry. I don't know how many sq.ft. is involved but it takes some space for an installer to check the slab for flatness and then take measures to correct it. Sometimes a low spot can be a few feet in diameter and with the feathering needed I may need 6', 8' or more to deal with it. If I don't have space I could be featuring up to a high spot underneath furniture. It is best to try and figure a way to go one room a time, clean it out, then go on to the next room. If you have your heart set on an engineered BC, then get it :), life is too short to fret over that as long as you know about this issue and are okay with it. On glued down floors the thickness does not really matter as much as opposed to floating. What does matter is the top wear layer thickness and using the right adhesive. A 3mm or 4mm thick wear layer is actually better in the long run as a 5mm thick . Going too thick with the wear layer can cause a phenomenon called "dry cupping" .... the NWFA and NOFMA are aware of this and it is being addressed. If you go with a glued down engineered wood floor and want to put on a sealer as "insurance" , then do it. In your case I would strongly consider using Stauf 960 which is a quality sealer and adhesive combined in one application. You pay alot more for the adhesive but you only have one labor issue. Imo you could also go with a floating floor. But to pull this off you must use a quality product and (here I go again)..... the concrete must be flat. There is a laminate out there that I have personally installed that is almost bullet proof. That would be Wilsonart , which is a high pressure laminate referred to as an HPL. Putting that down along with using their blue fusion glue in the joinery can take any weight you want to put on top of it. When I do that I recommend to the client upgrading the underlayment to a product Sound Solutions. You cannot walk on this type of install and tell that it floats. You could also go with a floating engineered wood... this is where thickness comes into play. I prefer to use nothing less than a 1/2" in thickness and a where the joints get glued up, or, choose a good reliable click-lock system like the valinge or Uniclic joinery systems. They both hold together well. The wood should also be waht is called balanced.... the top layer equals the bottom. You are very typical of alot of my clients. Quit stressing so much :).

Wow -- Like Geokid said -- pictures make all the difference. Love the nook and it could work perfectly. I don't know that I'd even worry about closing it off ... it is like it own little room! Very cute. You said that you already have your phone line there but what about electrical ... I have about 4 plugs all utilized. LOL. I'd position the Lap Top or monitor in the window corner so you can look up and out the window. That will minimize frontal glare. A full L-Shaped surface would look nice (below the window then along back wall). I'd put shelving on the right-hand tall wall (half way up or full) but I'd make it shallow (like 12-14 inches) so it doesn't cramp your work area. On the furniture -- I hate to recommend too much because the options are all over the map. If you folks are DIYers you can order laminate countertops to mount to the wall, secure on legs or to sit on-top of equal height cabinets (file cabinets or even kitchen cabinets) that are strategically positioned. Or ... you can go the OfficeDepot/Staples route and get something more modular and "officey". Alternatively, you can go more formal and get actual wood pieces new from a Furniture Store or off Craig's list but those pieces typically limit leg room or roller chair use. Finally, my favorite recommendation is to look at Pottery Barn's collection or the Martha Stewart Living Craft Collection. These two sources have so many configurable items for surfaces and storage it is mind boggling. The only drawback is most are self-assemble and limited in color. Key is ... make the nook as functional as possible for your work day with lots of surface space. Have plenty of underneath or shelf storage to organize books/papers/bills or simply to hide/stack stuff out-of-sight. LOL. Sorry for the long suggestion -- I've had too many offices in my life! Here is a link that might be useful: Pottery Barn Modular Office System This post was edited by PinesEverywhere on Fri, Jun 14, 13 at 7:44

It was NOPSI when I lived in New Oreleans, and in rental shotgun houses...NOPSI claimed a large part of my paychecks! New Orleans has a lot of Energy Raters, the highest concentration in the state actually. Entergy has made use of some of these raters in their efficiency program Energy Smart. here are a couple of links for you to check out: http://www.energysmartnola.info/one-stop-shop/ http://www.energysmartnola.info/for-your-home/ not being in that area anymore, I don't know how this program works..but you can find out if you are interested. my only advice would be to involve yourself with an experienced rater there in N.O. someone with experience in old homes...the newer raters I met may have the training... but couldn't tell gas from electric heat systems, or know how to identify balloon framing. so look for someone who has 10+ years of experience. La. DNR also has list of energy raters state wide, their efficiency incentive program isn't still in effect...but last time I checked the list of active raters was still online. DNR(dept natural resources) provided the training for all of us back in 1999. so they have a good handle on who knows their stuff...and who doesn't. it is hard to see detail in your posted plans. so I'll keep my questions fairly general. my first two concerns are air sealing & hvac system. I know you have a partial ' basement' (LOL) are electrical & plumbing exposed? was there ever a central hvac system installed? if basement isn't full size of house...what access is there to the part of the house without basement? how much room is there between ground & house? 3'...4'....more? is house all electric or is natural gas provided? as to heating...do you have a prefrence? if all electric..then look research heat pumps...great wintertime savings in our area. (I'm south central La these days) have you looked at mini split units? condenser unit outside, individual air handler units that hang on walls in rooms. I can't tell if your layout would work for this or not. is there a space in your home you could make into heating system closet? have you had any hvac companies come out to look at the house yet? involving hvac company never starts too early. it may be that ductwork will need to be installed during the reno. if you can't give up the sq ft for system inside house...I've seen people put the heating system in the 'basement'. quite a few flooded after katrina, but its not an everyday occurrence, and depending upon what part of town your house is located in...flooding is something to consider. I know uptown floods in a hearbeat with heavy rains...but areas like bywater stay dry. the top floor...full attic or are there walls of the living space that are shared with attic space? is attic space large enough to house heating system? air sealing.. there are really two ways to air seal. caulk, backer rods & more caulk which can be diy..or foam insulation. one is inexpensive & time consuming...the other expensive & fast. foam insulating the roofline will be biggest bang for the buck. then putting heat system & ductwork in attic keeps it in a semi conditioned space, so that you don't have ducts to cool the house in a 140 degree attic. by moving air & thermal barriers to roofline, a lot of the air leakage sites in ceilings are depressurized, so that house isn't sucking hot dirty humid attic air into the house to clean, dehumidify & condition when central unit is running. as most of our heat gain/cooling loss is through the ceiling into the attic space creating a tight air barrier, and thermal barrier (insulation) is very important. we use open cell in the attic roofline, depth to equal R-value required ( R-25 for cathedral for example is 6- 6.5" deep) also if house is balloon framed, foam seal at eaves to attic floor will stop air movement in walls. we need to air seal our walls...but insulating walls here isn't high on our list of things to do. foam in walls...is a huge waste of money. the next place for foam is under the floors. here we use closed cell. to keep moisture from ground from being sucked into the house. 2-3" is sufficient. this will also seal bottom of balloon framed walls. I've had issue with some of the foam insulators in N.O., because I am one picky b!tch. unlike most energy raters I oversee install of foam and test for air leakage with foam co on site, so that they can catch any leakage sites then without an added trip. as these companies expand into my area...they don't stay long. over the years I've learned which companies will actually create air tight seals...and who doesn't. and fyi...it isn't always the big companies that do it right. owner/installer companies are more willing to learn how to do it right. and the install of foam, just like the install of the hvac system is the key to the whole thing. ok...there are your questions to answer & things to think about for today. I'll check back after you reply. and think about investing in a blower door test of the house at minimum. this will identify leakage sites that need to be sealed. if you have ductwork, spring for the duct test also. better to know what you have to start with..what you need to do... and have it tested when completed. this way you have a goal to work towards...and an idea of how to do it. best of luck

DH and I both work from home about 25% of the time so we know intimately the challenges of home offices. :) Let me ask - the guest room behind the pocket door - do you ever use it as such, or is it just staged that way? If you don't use it as such, I would turn that space into the office proper, and use the landing area for a sitting room. Here are your wishes, and what I would do: -- a desk to work at, with a comfortable desk chair You can combine this and the third item with a desk that incorporates a filing cabinet drawer like . Alternately, you can repurpose a large filing cabinet as a printer stand and/or pictures, like . -- space for a printer As mentioned above - can go on either a desk or filing cabinet. I would not suggest the desk. They do take a good chunk of space, and most printers create a lot of side-to-side sway as they print (especially if you do a lot of color/art printing, which I do) which can make it hard to use the desk for other things at the same time. -- storage for a large amount of household papers -- financial, medical, etc. See previous for integrated or separate file cabinet. -- storage for office supplies (paper, pens, stapler, tape, etc) Easily held in desk drawer(s), or a repurposed portion of a file cabinet. -- a comfy chair for reading, or for someone else to sit in while I am at the desk If you can use the guest room for this, easy-peasy. If not, I would place a comfortable chair under the window and use it as such. I would not want my computer monitor directly in front of a window. Aesthetically, I hate blocking windows. Functionally, it will be VERY hard on your eyes to read a monitor with bright light and/or distraction immediately behind you. -- display for pictures of family and friends This can go anywhere, on the wall if nothing else.