if you do a little at a time, plan CAREFULLY! no sense in putting in flooring now that may have to be ripped out to run plumbing! if you have to put in walls or a floor before the plumbing can get done, at the very least leave a way to run them.

we made the mistake last year of tiling the den and foyer with the intention of redoing the kitchen floors later. well, i think we may have problems tieing in teh kitchen floor because of the way our den tile ends. gonna be fun and we may have to rip out some of what was done.

I think prices for materials have gone up a lot since gas went up. Seems like the slowing building market would make remodelers more competitive, but they still need to pay for gas & make a profit.

It's not surprising that you're looking at a good chunk of money, because you're talking about a lot of work there. However, keep in mind that there can be a wide range of prices between contractors, especially if you're just verbally telling them what you want. If you haven't had detailed drawings made and specified exactly what sorts of fixtures and surfaces you want installed, then you're leaving so much for the contractor to guess at that the 'estimate' can't be very meaningful. Don't let the very first number get you down.

Jobs like painting, installing vinyl tile squares, and wallpapering can be fairly easily learned from any of the many available DIY instruction books and do not require a lot of special tools.

If you 'really' want to do some of the DIY stuff then you could easily learn some of the jobs handymac mentioned, but be honest with yourself about how handy you are when it comes to these jobs. Some people just aren't good at DIY and are never happy with the end results.

Have you considered selling your home and buying one that better fits your family? Often, that option is better than a major remodel.

Enclosing a sun room, moving a laundry and adding a second bath is a lot of plumbing work. They'll be tearing out walls, working around existing plumbing, AC/heating, and also adding/matching existing exterior work. It won't be cheap and, as it is with any remodel, it'll end up costing more before the work is finished.

Sorry, I'm not being very encouraging, but if you do as jon suggested and plan everything out, you'll learn the true amount of $$ you'll be spending. Once you get that estimate, plan on spending another 15-20% on top of that.

You've all offered some great advice. I don't even know what to say at this point other than thanks for taking the time to answer and help me out. It means a lot to hear from folks who've been there, ya know?

I do feel a little encouraged since my father-in-law bid on the job and was more affordable. The cost of supplies is more than I'd realized tho and the amount of work involved is a bit more too, I'm finding out.

The idea about selling and moving has definitely crossed my mind - and mouth - alot! LOL (still sounds like a great idea to me actually)

Still, it will be a fun journey no doubt, right?

Is there somewhere you could move the washer/dryer where the plumbing already exists? Where would you be putting the second bathroom? Could it be near where you want the washer\dryer?

A friend of mine put a stackable washer/dryer in a closet on her third floor where the bedrooms were located. She lost a closet, but it made life much easier. Could you do something like this?

Having an architect come out for a consultation could give you some solutions you haven't considered using your existing space, which would save you some money.