Holy crap, Di! It's YOU!!! I didn't even open this thread because I said to myself "Meh, I don't know a 'sun_n_surf_chaser,' so why would I care if he/she were greeting me from the beach!" Just goes to show that such small-minded thinking will only make me miss out! I confess I'm not shocked to learn your new neighborhood is not for you. I remember your house was differentiated because it was the one with a tree. Sounds like a pretty radical departure from what you had grown to love. Please give Mr. Di (and yourself) my condolences for the loss of Summer. I'm so happy to hear from you again. Please stick around and post often.

pagrdnr, Regal Promenade is available at Venero Gardens outside of Minneapolis (venerogardens.com). I have no personal experience with them, but I hear they are reputable and fair, and I know they do mail-order. Good luck. I have RP, and I love it. This photo was taken early in the year. It develops whiter streaks later in the summer.

I can't see the labels on your floor plan very well, but I love the Oregon Coast too and thought I'd chime in. A few years ago we rented a house in Pacific City that was a great setup for two sets of grandparents and three young families with younger children. We were two streets off the beach, but the view was awesome from the third floor and one of the bedrooms on the second. Ground level: Garage, rec room with TV and pool table, bunk room with 3 sets of bunk beds. 2nd level: two bedrooms, bathroom, bedroom with en suite, laundry, main entry "front door" 3rd level: open concept kitchen/ dining room with banquette seating/ double living room (two seating areas back-to-back; was great for keeping little ones close, but separate from adults. Bedroom, separate bath. The bunk room/rec room floor was perfect for the older kids with later bedtimes. The third floor was perfect if just one couple was staying there since it had bedroom, bath, kitchen, living all on one level. The sand was a mess and I would think a laundry room on the main floor would be best since we always entered through the garage, dropping off beach toys there. Maybe it would be best to dump dirty clothes there too? Also, if you're thinking of being a rental... the stairs were a challenge for our families. If you anticipate renters with small children you might consider some kind of integrated safety gates at the tops of the stair cases. Such a wonderful opportunity for you!

Let me give some more details to help you visualize the room. The kitchen is part of the Great Room. It looks out over the yard and the ocean beyond. The main wall of the kitchen is just over 17 feet. On one end of the wall will go a 6 foot French doors which go to a large deck. 11 feet remain for the appliances on the other side. The only other kitchen wall is 8 feet long. And that will have the 3 foot refrigerator cabinet, the 3 foot corner cabinet and 2 feet remain between the two. Now my husband is asking me to avoid a peninsula or an island. He really feels it will take away from the open, airy feel of the room. So this is the problem: The upper corner cabinet on the main wall will measure 2 ft. The stove and sink will be 30 inches. The DW is 24 inches. I don't know how to arrange these on the wall. I would like to put in a 7 or even 8 foot Bay Window. I will have the bottom of the window start at the counter and the stone countertop will also extend into the window sill area. What do I do with the stove? Separating the oven from the cook-top doesn't seem to be much help. I apologize in advance for the repetition of this post on another thread. The problem flowed from one into the other. Thank you very much for your help and your patience.