The system you have seems normal. Not sure which 8000 model you have, and if it has the extra dehumidify feature, however the #'s seem in line. If you have the dehumidifier feature, if I recall it would enact the cooling should the RH rise 5%+ above setting and overcool the house by 1.5 degrees plus to try to get there. Some people find this annoying as in over chilling space and an energy waster. Properly setup, V/S furnaces do very well in removing humidity over standard blowers, but of course proper sizing, selection, installation, set-up is key. Perhaps had you not had a V/S blower it is feasible that your morning RH could have started out at 50%+, who knows. With regards to your run all the time comment, this would only happen if you hit the design point temp. While a V/S unit usually runs longer, it will satisfy eventually depending on capacity selection versus heat gain. Many commercial units are capable of cooling and dehumidifying constantly however this process includes adding heat while cooling but, that would make sense residentially.

Fillers from cabinet companies come in 3" and 6" widths and are ripped in the field to the desired size. Partial overlay cabinets usually do not need fillers for clearances because the exposed face frame gives them more clearance against doorways, walls, and adjacent cabinets. Full overlay and frameless cabinets will always need fillers against walls to account for out of squareness and to give clearance to the knobs so they don't bang against the walls. They will also need fillers against tall cabinets for the same reason, and for appliances that have clearance issues. In a small kitchen, some people opt to go without some of these fillers becaue each fraction of an inch is valuable, and then they end up having to use "cabinet stops" on their doors to keep them from banging walls or ajdacent tall cabinets. Using fillers works much better, really. It is up to the KD to understand the cabinet line's clearance needs and to specify the proper fillers in the design. Companies that order cabinets generally do not provide any design services or check over your order to see if you've specified every cabinet with the correct attributes for how it is being used in the design (matching interior, finished sides, etc.) That is the role of a KD, and you are acting as the KD in this instance. In your design above, you will need a minimum of a 1 1/2" filler for both the top and bottom cabinets against both walls of the upper runs. (I would also rip a filler overlay to the same dimensions so that it ddoesn't appear to have a "recess" next to your cabinet door.) If your moldings on your doorway are especially prominent, you may need to increase that size. Next to your fridge and a wall, depending on the fridge specs, I'd use either 2 1 1/2" fillers or two 3" ones together with the proper supportive side panels for the fridge cabinet above. You will need a minimum of a 1 1/2" filler against the side wall for your pantry, and if it has pull outs, you'll need a 3" one. This directly affects the size of the pantry that you can use if you are planning on that run being only 24" deep. What type of panel you choose to finish off the side of the pantry cabinet will also affect the overall depth of the run as well, so be sure you get those details right before you order. When beginning a cabinet design, place the fillers first, and since cabinets come in 3" increments, using a 1 1/2" filler against a right and left wall will only take up 3" of cabinet space. Lay out your cabinets, and if you have space left over, then you can increase/decrease the size of your fillers. NEVER go below 1" for wall clearances or 3" if wall clearances are needed for roll out trays.

A couple of follow up points... A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. A sale today without marketing has real value. You will have access to the equity today and can use that money in the build and you will not have to worry about the difficulty of selling the home. Additionally, a sale without realtor's commission has real value. These two things give you some leeway to make a deal that nets out being better for both parties. You can give a discount because you are getting real value above the traditional sales method and if the buyer is flexible he can also get some real value. However, depending on the financial situation and your local real estate market, it is entirely possible that you will lose money doing this. You note that your house is paid off, but in a rent back situation you are going to have to make rental payments and probably at the market rate. It is entirely possible that given enough time or the right market conditions this will destroy any value you receive. ---- There are other options out there. Residential real estate has relatively few and pretty simple transactions, there are many other sales arrangements out there that are atypical for home sales but fairly standard in commercial real estate. For example, you might do an option contract on the property with a guaranteed sell by date. In that case he would pay you some amount today (usually between 5% and 10%), this secures his right to buy the property at a later date for a set amount. In a residential transaction that payment would probably be a credit toward the purchase if he agrees to complete the sale and would be held in escrow by the attorney. You agree that you will offer the property for sale no later than X date, but may offer the property for sale on any date before that with a 60 day notice (or whatever you are comfortable with). If he passes on purchasing that day he loses the money. Inspections would be done when the option contract is executed and you will have a refund period just like a typical contract but the final home sale wouldn't have an inspection or an appraisal contingency. He can still pull out at any time, he just loses the option payment he made. This protects him from things like a slowdown in the economy or a major loss of value on the home (he only risks the option payment he made), and incentivizes his going through with the sale. It also means you don't have to make rental payments. ----- I used to do options in rental properties quite often. Frankly, I just find the houses that look like they could use some money and offer them a few thousand dollars for the option to match any offers when/if they sell. Nine out of ten times they just call me up and ask for an offer before they even call a realtor and I get multiple properties close together over a period of a few years which really lowers my costs. Note: To relieve my conscience I only make fair offers, I am not trying to take advantage of people and although that certainly costs me money, I do sleep better at night. I despise those people who offer pathetic amounts of money to people in desperate situations.

Also, house gets a lot of sun, especially afternoon. Snowy, cold in winter. Dusty area and in a clearing above a river in the woods = mildew prone.