I really like your ideas for shrinking the square footage down some! I did some more tweaking based on what you did - and came up with this. Mostly I just wanted to put a place for at least one window in your master bath and see if I couldn't give you back a bit more closet space. This also puts some closets and maybe a built in desk between the master-bedroom and the secondary bedroom which will tend to give you a little bit more sound privacy. No big deal while you child is a toddler but could become important when he/she gets a little older. Note that I also expanded the width of the garage a few inches to keep the walls on the left side of the house lined up because that allows you to have a simpler roof line. I also shrunk the Great Room a bit - again so that back wall of Great Room would line up with the hallway wall but in this case just because, to me, it just seems aesthetically more pleasing. You might not notice it but I also made the hallways a tiny bit narrower than on my original plan. They are still generously sized b/c I tend to like WIDE hallways. I think I had the hall at 4.5 ft wide before so it had room to shrink. LOL! My CAD program says the heated/cooled square footage is 2267. Still a teensy bit more than you indicated you wanted but not enough to make a hill of beans worth of difference in the cost to build. BTW - I just noticed that you had turned what I had previously called the pantry into a big linen closet. You originally mentioned you wanted a "small" linen closet in the hallway so that's all I've provided here. If you think you need more hallway linen storage space, one could take a chunk out of the lower left corner of "her" closet.In this this design tho, in addition to the small linen closet in the hallway, there is a second linen closet in the master bath.

Baking soda and vinegar cancel each other out, but not hydrogen peroxide (although the reaction might weaken it). One site suggested a vinegar and water mix, followed with baking soda, but that didn't work for me. I've read Nature's Miracle changed their formula and doesnt work as well as before. There are other "enzyme" products - I tried a pet store version which didn't work. A new one called Anti-icky poo is really expensive. Guess I'll try the hydrogen/baking soda version, and will buy a black light to see if the cat urine stain is still there (and elsewhere). And I PROMISE to post back my results.....just like the person below did, lol. Vanessa Buddle So yes this original post was along long time ago,but I’m at my wits end with my baby boy peeing all over my brand new house and brand new couch. I’ve been using straight vinegar on the spots straight after he’s pee’d there,it’s not helping at all and after I close the house up,even just for 5 mins,it absolutely reaks from him marking his territory. I can’t get angry with him as it’s a natural act that he is doing,but it’s at the point where I can’t eat in my house or have people over. This smell has to be gone before summer otherwise it’s going to be unbearable. I know that getting him desexed may not solve this issue and that’s my worry as he’s a rag doll and I breed them.(in saying that,he only started marking the place after that last litter.the litter was mainly boys and I think he felt intimidated)anyway,please wish me luck and I will definitely let you know the results after trying this recipe.Tia September 5, 2018

Rosie, I have been participating in this site for some months now and it has become very clear that you had a very bad experience with your Step-Parents. Because of this bad experience, I think you are letting it cloud your view on how to best assist and support Step-Parents. Please re-evaluate your views so that you can be more of a help to those of us who truly need good advice on how to deal with this very delicate situation we are in. No matter what your relationship to children, they should be taught to respect adults. As I tell my children, you may not like or agree with what I have to say, but it is the job of a parent to make decisions that they feel are best for the child. My 9yr olds caregiver let me know yesterday that she had a problem with my son talking back to her. She said that she explained that it was inappropriate and disrespectful and asked that he apologize and that she was going to tell me what happened. I thanked her and I told her she was absolutely right in what she said and did, then I spoke to my son on the way home. Taffie, I have the same problem with my SD. She is 18 now and is very disrespectful to both her parents and myself and our home. My husband says it is a "teenage thing" but I continually disagree and even though my children are not perfect, I let them know in no uncertain terms that they were disrespectful and it will not be tolerated. My boys are only with me every 2 weeks for 2 weeks and even though I wish I could be all fun and games, I know that if I don't set them on the correct path now, they will be the ones to suffer later on. As far as my SD, I also let her know when she is being disrespectful, but she has been allowed to act like this for so long, that I am not sure that I can make much of a difference, but this does not stop me from letting her know how I feel about it. Your husband sounds like he just wants to be the "good Dad" all the time. Try seeing a counselor about children's behavior or reading a book and ask him to at least give it a try. It will take a little bit of time, so don't let him get discouraged. Good luck

Thanks for the morning feedback. It's nice to know I'm not alone and get some ideas going about how to get past the idea stage. The conversation and wine over at love-to-dream's is great, by the way, if anyone wants to join us. It's rather nice to have company along the way - especially if no one in your real life is at all interested in, well, obsessive kitchen discussion! @wi-sailorgirl - I do spend a fair amount of time at Houzz and have some idea books. I also have extensive GW files of inspirational kitchens, features and possible layouts. I guess I'm not finding it pointing me in a direction yet, but I'll step back and take a longer look and see if that helps illuminate! @ eleena - Glad to know I'm not alone! It sounds like you have not found your investment with a designer to be particularly helpful? I appreciate the advice to go slow. On the other hand, I actually think one of the things that might force me to move faster would be having a GC instead of this DYI nonsense. I guess I even go back and forth on that! On one hand, the money saved through DYI is pretty substantial and my partner has all the skills, though we'd hire out some parts. On the other hand, partner is busy, I am a dreamer and a GC would force us into mobilization and deadlines and structure which MIGHT be worth it. @herbflavor - I appreciate the layout advice and have posted various options over the past year - more will no doubt be coming once that wall comes down and I can template out what I am working with, as I know my vision about how much space it is going to open up is just not real in this small house. An L + island would allow me to put a pantry on the end of the cabinets opposite a fullsize fridge on the other side instead of going with a tall, skinny fridge with a pullout next to it. However, the island doesn't seem to play as nice with the new backsplash window or sit in the best spot given the 2 traffic patterns required - and many people have commented that a U seems better for me given it blocks off the kitchen floor from the front door. Definitely holding off on that until the wall actually comes down and I do think that will help me commit at least to layout. (Please, please, let it help lol) @ caryscott - You make a good point that budget does eliminate a lot of options. I also think you are right that making one decision forecloses on many other things I might love. The place where I see that the most in my situation is counter/tile choices. I find a great tile, then try to imagine what that means for counters and it almost invariably just doesn't work with the other top choices. Maybe I should ask for help with creating some idea boards... @lovetodream - the wine and reassurance that I am not alone is more help than you can know. Promise! And it is so much easier to give you advice, strangely, than myself. (What's up with THAT?) I think if you (me) could just start with SOMETHING, the rest would maybe start to fall into place. Or, start a few idea boards with a few favorite choices and have a few options to mull over instead of a million? At the least, we'd end up narrowing the field and having SOME choices made, likely. Or, on the other hand, we can open up another bottle and talk about it some more... @2LittleFishies - I agree, the good news is the bad news here. It's nice to have time to really research, ponder, take breaks, etc. However, I'm really not sure, objectively speaking, how much I've gained from the time and additional research. Minus some big moments, like seeing BrooklynGalley's Liebherr tall and skinny fridge and realizing I -could- have a pantry with a U if I went that way. What ends up happening is I look at various kitchens and say "Ooooohhhh, ahhhhh! I love that! I could totally just replicate those pendants, cabinets and tile and be perfectly happy!" Then tomorrow I see another kitchen and do the same thing... I dream of being one of those efficient, clear-headed decision-makers. lol @Kali615 - Do you mind if I ask what one thing you started with that your DH loved? I really do think that's probably the thing - to get a general direction started with that first decision. I've also decided the box stores are probably not my friend in any of this... though I am going to go into the new Lowes and HD that were just built and see if they have anything that appeals before I totally give that up. Your island sounds like it is going to be great. How did you come across that bowling alley wood? Craig's List? @kashmi - I appreciate the functionality questions. Once that wall comes down, I'm going to mock up a kitchen and play around with how I want to work in the "new space". GW is so great for considering those questions. The truth is, there are 2 of us and neither of us are huge cooks. However, I'm really hoping that changes SOMEWHAT with a new kitchen and this isn't all for superficial reasons. lol @ ArchitectMamma - This idea board is definitely something I have been contemplating. I haven't learned how to use the on-line options people around GW have been using and I struggle to find all the pieces and parts of what I want. It's really getting to be about time to take it to that step, I think. @ Marcolo - Good advice. I wonder how much I could get done in my life period if I was off the net. lol Both you and ArchitectMamma are recommending some of the same resources and it's a good suggestion. I do try to peek through magazines but generally end up not buying because nothing is really grabbing me. However, I absolutely agree that the same stuff recirculates on-line. That's one of the reasons I got bored at Houzz. I just am not finding a lot of trade showrooms in Anchorage. I need to look harder and actually get out there. I admit to a little terror that I am going to find "the perfect stone" in some obscure granite yard way before I am in a position to use it and be haunted by it forever... What I need, ultimately, is a whip and a ruler to keep myself (get myself) on task. lol And as a final note of irony, I found a thread yesterday through GW on Shiloh cabinets. There was a link to a kitchen I really liked. A little cottage - a little modern. And, I thought to myself, "Self, you could just do this. You like it. It would go with the house great. They are well made. They are well reviewed. It's a good look." Then I went to the website. They don't have dealers east of the Mississippi, basically. I'm in Alaska. And so it goes...