Hope you caught these persnickitydesign posts: "It was pretty much a full time job (plus overtime) and it still took a year and a half for me to get everything purchased & everyone lined up. ...One of my oldest & dearest friends' DH owns the HVAC company. He did our house at cost. Another owns the company that did our fireplace and garage doors. He also worked at the lumber yard for years and gave us the names of many of the subs that we ended up using. ...our friends came by to help us out and worked for free" "Our permits were $433. We're on county water & sewer and did have to pay a tap-in fee of $1067. There were no charges for the gas and power." "We are fortunate enough to live in an area where the cost of living (and cost to build) is extremely low. Plan prices are not mentioned. Also, keep in mind the year of the build--2008. There was a wee bit of a recession going on then, centred on the collapsing housing market. Trades were desperate for work, suppliers for customers. I had the fortune to build in earlier declines. With cash in hand, you were like a god.Now, not so much.

rosie - good things to think about. You are, of course correct that all "wrappings" don't need to be in one location! That's me being programmed to where they've been because of lack of space for them to go elsewhere. This rethinking...that's the thing that I appreciate so much about this forum...the people here help challenge me to rethink the things I *think* that I know. :) It helps me come to peace with the decisions (and sometimes tradeoffs) that I need to make. So, the parchment paper and aluminum foil will take up residence over by the oven where they are most likely to be used. Plastic wrap might get a home in the top drawer in the island...although, I use it so seldom that a bottom drawer really does seem fitting for it. The ziplock bags will move to closer to their use...I've seen a gadget that allows you to store those type of things on a door...that might be something I think about. Thanks for making me rethink my preconceptions of all the stuff needing to stay together. :) The 5-drawer stack is primarily to keep cleaner lines - a 4 drawer unit that had deeper individual drawers didn't line up with the cooktop drawers - I have a 6-12-12 unit going in for the cooktop. So, then for the 5-drawer stack, I tried 3 6" and then a 12" bottom drawer and I didn't like the looks of it. Maybe if it was a wider unit, I would feel better about it, but it just felt "off". So, then I put in the 5 6" drawers and while there are more diagonal lines, it felt cleaner to me. Strange, I know. My cabinet maker is planning on putting a narrow pull out in our upper cabinet for oils, etc. I showed him a unit like what I had in mind and he said he's used one like it before and wasn't happy with it, so he said that he's probably going to do a custom one for my needs. For the sink area - we do have a GD that will take up a fair amount of most of the one side. The other side will have a roll of paper towels (I use maybe a roll a year, so they don't need to be out nor to take up a prime spot for me). Most of my cleaning supplies will be located in the broom closet that is to the left of the oven. I am thinking of having a small compost bin under the sink, probably using one of the NeverMT things with a big container of detergent, DW detergent, BKF, baking. This really resonated with me: "I didn't put mine in what would have been the most efficient place where the counter ends by the dining area, not because there might not be room for it to stick out but because I just couldn't have its mass looming into the room there and separating the two areas from each other. I wasn't about to have to step back from working to chat with whoever was sitting by the windows. Plus, the very thought of its mass there bothered me, and it would have made not just my cooking area but the dining area seem smaller and closed in, spoiling the spacious feeling of the room." Putting the fridge on the cooktop wall really felt like it was breaking up the room in a way that I wouldn't like. It was also very nice to hear from someone who has narrow aisles say that they are working. I would probably go a few inches wider with them if I had a choice, but I don't feel like it's going to be a big issue. This will sound funny, but I went to IKEA to walk around in their kitchens, open and close stuff, mock that I'm using the kitchen and measured various aisles...the ones I felt most comfortable "working" in were less than 40" wide aisles. This post was edited by andreak100 on Sun, May 5, 13 at 15:53

squirrel: wow -- thanks *XXOO* The pictures you show are in my inspirational file (!) crazy isn't it? Sorry to mis-read your post. You are actually spot on. Beachy cottage is what I'm after...as long as the cottage is in Hampton. :-) Yes it's the same house. The room w/ the piano is our formal LR/DR combo -- Originally, I'd wanted to do this room w/ a darker mood (more English library). However, the tall windows, the light and the ocean breeze from the front west facing windows seems to ask for something lighter & airier. So I just moved the slipcovered sofa out here. Originally I'd bought the chandelier for our master bathroom (to go w/ the one in our master bedroom). Unfortunately, the ceiling in that bathroom is not tall enough to accommodate that chandelier. The ceiling in the formal dining room (17'-18') is tall enough to handle it. As for the other room (w/ lower ceiling & fireplace), it is my family room/breakfast room combo. I'm going to let go of the rustic dining table & stripe chairs. In lieu, I am thinking of using 6 of these chairs: w/ 2 of my chippendale arm chairs (different color & seat fabric). I don't know if they would work together (well, that will be topic for another post !) :-) Sorry for the confusion. I tend to move things around the house a lot, at least until they find their perfect place. :-)

If you use round end tables, use a rectangular or square coffee table. Printed drapes in the dining room are fine with solid drapes in the living area. For your chairs, I would stick to green/camel OR red/camel. You can keep your sofa as the one red item in the room and just use touches of red in art or accessories. Or get a cream or green slipcover for the sofa and just work with the green and camel colors.