Moving the door at this point is not an option. Electrical has all been done there, and the doorway would be obstructed if it were moved. That area to the right is where the table is going to be. The opening is 38" wide right now, and will have a door in it, to be put in next week. The beam is just under 5", and is 5" from the right side of the doorway. Here is the floor plan. It's not entirely accurate but it's all I have available to post. The area marked "Bench/hooks" will not be there; it will be straight wall in that hallway, as it exists now. Also, the beam is not drawn accurately. Here are some other photos that show the whole space in a clockwise circle that may help to get a better idea of things. There will be a second island flanked by two columns right under the beam. Those will go in after the cabinets have been put in, also next week. Clockwise from back door 1. From back door on back wall of kitchen 2. From back wall in opposite corner. Right doorway goes to laundry. 3. From bedroom hallway 4. From front door 5. From fireplace 6. From garage hallway

Boy oh boy are those familiar questions! We're about midway on our reno, gut job and can relate to what you're experiencing. Believe me, the forum was our saving grace! Regarding the tub: If you do a search on the topic you'll find a wealth of information regarding this issue. In a nutshell though, if the main bathroom has a tub and you and your DH lean towards showers, converting the tub/shower combo in the master to a walk in shower is not going to have a hugh adverse affect on resale. It's actually becoming a more popular option for many, including us. But because trends vary from region to region and even in differing neighborhoods, I would first consult with a local realtor who is familiar with your neighborhood just to be on the safe side. With a bathroom that size however, you would most likely have room for a tub & separate shower or even a comfortably sized doorless shower it just all depends on your budget and preferences. In regards to the toilet, we're allowing for about 24 inches from the front end of the bowl to the door of the shower. Shower door: With our set-up, which has the toilet sitting on the opposite wall facing the shower, a typical shower door will not have enough space to open fully so we opted for a bypass sliding door instead. It turned out to be a really good option for us in the end as they do have semi frameless in a very affordable price range. Toilet spacing from the wall: Our contractor said we needed to allow for 14-18 inches from the center of the toilet tank to the counter edge and/or walls. Entry door: If you feel the entry door is a problem, have you considered a pocket door maybe? Your contractor can easily tell you if that can be a viable option for you. As far as a view from the doors, typically you don't want to see the toilet, and the most appealing view is going to be the vanity area. Something I did that I found really helpful is I went to the book section at Lowes. There they have a couple of books that are specifically geared towards bathroom layouts with several plans printed for ideas. You may want to look through them to see if there is something similar to your situation that could help you along. In regards to posting a picture, if you go to the kitchens forum, and do a search for a post titled "READ ME IF YOUR NEW TO GW KITCHENS". In there are all kinds of tips to help new posters, including how to post pictures. Hope that helps! Good luck on your project! --Lukki

Most base metals ( I think base metals are the common metals used for industrial use) have a simple chemical treatment to cause them to a. get shiny b. add dark tones c. go black Tin is metal used for battery contacts in cell phones. It's not easily oxidized and this is why it's used. This is why I'll state now that I don't think the color will change and won't require a sealant. however I doubt that your color is the tin chemically changed. And so if the color is just the inks in the paint they might change. I doubt it. Only UV light and ozone and stong oxidizers (chemicals) can change or fade ink colors. IF you want to test a spot for ink use acetone to try to see if your white / acetone cloth will pick up the color when you wipe it. A water soaked cloth will pick up color if the ink is losely bonded to the tin. It's more likely to change if that's the case but I would not seal it. Sealing tin is like sealing a gold ring. Why do it would be my first thought. The tin is beautiful and valuable. Tin remains shiny in nearly any environment as far as I know. The covering you had on the ceiling probably left it's own color behing but probably did not chemicaly change the tin. So if you want it shiny you might only need to clean off the color from the covering. Wikipedia should have an excellant reference about tin, the metal. I don't believe it's magnetic. If you use a new style rare earth magnet it should find any small amount of non-tin magnetic metals in the ceiling. ie: nickel is magnetic. iron is magnetic. Any product you find will have an MSDS for it. Look that up and read what's in the commercial product. Then if you choose you can buy the chemical (s) that are in the product , save money, become a bit of an expert, and often get better results than with a product. Look up keywords in Google like "tin brightening" Using quotes will make sure you land right on top of the kind of pages you want. adding another word like the name of the chemical(s) you found in MSDS will also put you right on top of pages that cater to companies involved in doing the process you seek. Good luck Andre

patty_cakes42 You have a great memory! And yes, this project has gone on way too long. I never intended it to, but a giant leak that took out our kitchen and most of our floors pushed me into a remodel. It's been like working a second job and I cannot wait to finish. At the same time, I also hate moving fast without time to think. Your paint choices are gorgeous! The darker trim and plantation shutter color looks so rich next to your walls! Now you're making me think of darker possibilities lol. I think what I may need to do is just put in white baseboards for now and call it a day. When I tire of them in no more than 2 years of my dog and nieces/nephews dirtying them up, I'll repaint a darker color. Then I can think about it for 2 whole years rather than the 4 hours it has been so far.