Scanmike: We are on Long Island so we aren't too far from each other... We went to Montauk Carpet on Route 110 in Farmingdale.. it's south off of exit 49S on the LIE... They had a very big selection... we purchased it on Sunday, they measured on Tuesday and installed on Thursday... it was perfect... Friends have gone there too and have also been happy.. Hopefully it's not too far from you to at least take a look!! Good luck... I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have! Newhomebuilder: We have a small dog... maltese/shih tzu mix... we used to have carpet on the stairs but removed it a few months ago intending to replace it sooner or later... well our dog used to go up and down but one day when we were out, she must have fallen and refused to go up the stairs anymore :( .... All our bedrooms are upstrs, so it helped us make the decision quickly... She used to sit at the bottom of the stairs and cry for someone to bring her up... Poor thing must have been scared and hurt.. So it's only been a few days and she goes up a few steps and stops.. but we're hopeful she will go all the way...She goes up from the basement on the carpeted steps... What we do for our pets!! :)

Wow, newhomebuilder, thankyou! I love your home and mine can't even compare to yours. I actually posted a photo of the outside recently..something tiled "need help with exterior trim" I think if you click on the photo above it will bring you to my photobucket photos. It was a dump when we bought it and my husband re-did everything..kitchen, 4 baths, porches, basement apt. for my mom. It's hard when you try to redecorate with what you have. Change one thing, and it throws off everything else.It's like the domino effect! I am trying to do the best with as little money as possible. I finally got rid of the old owner's navy blue with rose colored flower runner. It was hideous and went with nothing, but my daughter's upcoming wedding was a good excuse to talk my husband into getting rid of it.

Jij, Maybe sometimes, but I know I don't always pull up my scatter rugs to clean underneath as often as I should, and often find grit underneath. It's interesting as I don't have pads under any, and never ever are shoes worn in the house. I appreciate that I can throughly clean under my rugs. Also, I've had both and now I like only hard surfaces under beds because too much dust can accumulate very quickly. After vacuuming and or dust mopping hard surfaces, I can see that it is clean if I want to look. Editing to add: I don't want to give the impression that I rarely move and clean under my few small rugs and that I find piles of crap under them, LOL!

I’m lucky enough that I get to build a custom house. Yes, lucky! 2 islands or 1 island that opens into the great room? I've never seen a two-island kitchen that I liked /thought flowed well /had a good traffic pattern. Waste of space. Btw I hate kitchen tables, I dont know why- I guess I have always loved being in the middle of the chaos. We will have a kitchen table- but it will probably only be used on holidays. If you hate kitchen tables, don't include a kitchen table. It'll be something around which you'll have to clean, and it'll always irritate you ... even if it is useful on holidays. For my money, though -- in general terms, without seeing the space -- I'd rather have one island for working and a kitchen table for sitting. Hon, aging parents don't want to dine nightly at an island:) No one of any age wants to dine at an island. You can't see /interact with the rest of the family from a typical island position. Mealtime is important. It's not a time to line up like birds on a wire. If you do stick with the island-as-dining-area, be sure to choose stools that work well for elderly people. I have SWIVEL bar stools that are exactly "butt high", and my mother loved them just after her hip replacement. She could "slide onto" the stool, then swivel to face the peninsula. On the other hand, I hated my daughter's college apartment barstools, which were about a foot higher than my rear end (and that was her only dining spot ... she said they never used it because the whole thing was just too high). but a 35 foot long kitchen is likely going to be a huge regret. Consider that you're talking about a kitchen the length of a THREE CAR GARAGE. Let that visual sink in. You're going to lose "human proportion" in something that size. Bigger rarely means better, though it usually does mean more expensive. Often very large kitchens are less functional, and less welcoming, because they are just too big, and require too much walking, and family members aren’t connecting because everyone is spaced too far apart. Yes. This. Actually 10ft ceilings because I don’t want to cool 12ft ceilings. And we are using ikea cabinets. The counters will be expensive, the flooring will be same same thorough out the entire house at $2.99/ sq Foot. Appliance package is $10k. I just dont see where $300k comes from. People around here are prone to making up huge numbers without any justification to formula such bottom lines (aside from a grasp at huge size = huge price). However, I see a couple things that will run up your prices: - You're talking about a huge, bloated kitchen. Everything will end up being expensive just because of the size. - The cabinets (even using Ikea) will add up to more than you expect -- 10' is very high, and you'll probably go with stacked cabinets; that's a whole extra "row" of cabinets for which you'll have to pay. - You've already said you want expensive countertops ... inch for inch, they'll cost even more than the cabinets. - You'll need lots of lighting for an oversized kitchen. - You say appliances are 10K ... do you know the brands /models for that price, or is that an allowance? - Consider, too, that once you build this giant space, things are going to need replacing. Those Ikea cabinets won't last forever. You'll grow tired of that lovely countertop one day. And then you're tied into big costs for renovations too. And I don’t like cozy. I love large, open and airy. What I hear you describing is natural light ... not more square footage. I’m not skimping on floors. I just like the wood look tile floors and happenEd to find a tile I like for $2.99. Talk to your parents about whether they're okay with tile. I stand up on tile all day while I'm teaching -- it's hard on my knees, and I'm not really old yet (early 50s). Added storage cabinets are always a plus. A more reasonable (and affordable choice) is a walk-in pantry. A pantry stores food, small appliances, and more more efficiently than expensive cabinetry.