I dont want to rock the boat or cause a big issue. With that being said. Here it goes. With urban sprawl taking over the whole area what do you expect. I grew up just a few miles from there. I used to live on garretts mill road. I could say the same thing you are saying about the tower about the houses in the picture. Ten years ago they were not there. Just like all the house to the right of the picture that are not showed. It used to be fields and woods. I dont get it. Masses of people move to the undisturbed country and then complain when the country becomes the city. Get used to it. Its only going to get worse. Look at Brunswick. Small town. Now there is a 1500 house development going in. Small town is no longer small. Wait ten years and there will be no more farms from that picture to DC. But who's to blame???? I dont have an answer to that. Cant blame the hard working farmers that are working their butts off and sitting in a gold mine worth millions in the real estate market. IMO opinion its the "city" folk that want to live in the country. Driving up housing prices. Making our commute worse. Turning our small towns and country living into urban disaster. Look at Louden County VA. Wow has that places changed. What in the world is this area turning into???? I dont know. Thats why I moved North. The sprawl it not nearly as bad up here in PA as it is back "home". Its not even really home anymore. I remember when the Golden Mile in Frederick was farm land and Im not even old......yet. My comments are not directed at the OP at all. Just venting some issues I have with the area.

The bigger issue is how you plan to convert the island to a single level. It ain't gonna be an easy or cheap project to do that. Those cabinets on the back can't readily be remade without painting them to hide the redo. Alterations like that are labor intensive, and that usually tips the scale towards just starting over with all new cabinets and a much more simple and quick install labor. Now, you probably could remove those cabinets entirely, and then source from the original company some tall fillers and some legs to make it into a tabl island setup, but it won't match. But, you're not gonna cut those boxes down, take the doors completely apart to remill the stiles and center panels, and then put the whole thing back together cheaper than you can just buy new. The granite is down the difficulty and expense scale from the cabinetry issues that you have.

hey guys- i got some samples today Looking at the faux wood b/c i dont want to worry about warping- we get A LOT of sun! Looking at a creamy off white color- so it will be lighter than the walls but not stark white-- the two i am looking at are HD Faux polymer soft cream (* i love the color b/c its in the same tone as the walls but definatly a lighter version-- but there is not real "wood grain look" its painted... is that ok? 2nd is Levlour Visions Faux Wood Sand Blasted-- color is not quite as creamy as the first one-- but it does have more texture and graining.... Thoughts Last thought of the day-- Will i really love wood blinds? I love feeling open-- and these blinds are HEAVY so i dont really see opening them all the way-- more i see just using the wand to open and close them but not lifting them.... Do you love the look? Do you think its right for my large family room? I wish i could decide!!! And do you think the painted color will look good-- creamy ivory....

nosoccermom, I would love to have my laundry in a basement again, because of peace and quiet, and out of sight. I would love to have it there, so that I could have canvas hampers for different loads of laundry and have them out of sight, and I have several things, that I dont put in the dryer, that I put on a clothes drying rack, and I hate having to set it up in the laundry room. My laundry room is quite large, and is actually a mud room/laundry combination. My back door opens up into it, and there is full bath at the other end of it. Also, in our last house, I had a drain hose pop out and flood the entire laundry room, and part of my hallway, so would love to have the washer and dryer in a basement, next to a floor drain. This house and my last house are the only 2 houses, I have ever lived in, that didnt have a basement laundry, and it is the one thing, I miss the most.