Oftentimes current ductwork needs work for central air to work effectively/efficiently, so changes may need to be made, which adds to the cost. You're probably looking at anywhere between your two guesses, $5-10k (probably for a new install like this more around $8k), but you need to get quotes from a few dealers to get an idea of your area's typical cost.

A mood board is a great idea. Force yourself to prioritize. What is the one piece you really don't want to give up. I'm betting its the stove. (That would be mine! That stove is to die for!) So make everything work with that. On my monitor I hadn't seen pink in the granite. Now knowing that, I'd say the cherry color in the cabinet wood is just fine with the granite you chose. Is the color of the stove also present in the granite slab? If it is, you are good. its really hard to judge color from a photo posted online, so here's one 'rule' that may help you focus in on what you -may- want to consider changing. If the color, or any shade of that color is in your granite slab, you can use it in the room. An exact match is not interesting or necessary. Second, you usually want a dominant tome and then other colors you bring out of that slab will be accents, so you won't use so much of them. Now, there are a million caveats to that, and of course, breaking the rules can bring fantastically stunning drama, but I think if you start with that one rule as a starting place, your own vision will begin to materialize. Whatever feels good to you will work. Just keep at it until it gels for you. With all the ideas coming from folks here and what you can see because you're looking directly at the different colors and where they will be in relation to each other, and considering the light in the room, it will begin to come together and you'll get a feel for where you will or won't want to challenge color 'rules'. I should say all of the above goes out the window if you're going for a monochromatic look. LOL BTW, I love my miele vacuum and I didn't even know they make dishwashers, but I can wax poetic about my bosch dishwasher. In addition to how well it functions, I'm very sensitive to background noise and its sooo quiet. Since its the way your faucet will stay where you aim it that really attracts you to it, maybe look at upscale stylized commercial configurations. I don't have any experience to draw on, its just a thought.

I had no idea bacon came from the belly of the pig. But then, I don't eat bacon either. It's not that I don't find it appealingÂI find it hugely appealing! But I try to avoid saturated fat. Actually, for 20 years or so I didn't eat any part of a pig. It started when I read a news report of a pig who swam out into a lake to save a drowning child. That did it for me and pork. And ham. Somehow or other I started eating pork again at some point. After writing this, I'm thinking maybe I should stop. And no, OJ, I would never eat veal. Never. I've seen pictures of what slaughterhouse employees and other charming folk do to those poor animals to keep their flesh white. I would say "slightly poached" isn't necessarily cooked. To me, it means the outside is cooked, and the inside is a runny mass of salmonella bacteria. Hope I didn't spoil anyone's breakfast. :-)

Lisa; It's interesting how differently people have interpreted your original note. Our GC, in an almost-avuncular tone, took me aside early in the planning stages to "caution" me about the cost of the crown moulding (let alone other trims / casings) we'd selected for our project. (one eight foot piece of crown alone was $1000 [because the wall is curved, so it had to be made out of flex and, as it's a "custom" profile (one my husband and I designed ourselves) the flex company (in CA) had to make a new mold for it]) Because I already had a good feel for the sort of person our GC is and I was in the situation (not reading about it, I mean) I understood he was trying to help me not have a heart attack when I got the bill. (The crown [material, not labor] alone, not inc. base, not inc. casing., not inc. trim, was >$15K. Gulp, but I love it!!!) When I read your post(s), I automatically heard my GC's kind, caretaking tone from your plumber's point person. There's my bias. So when I read the rest of your note, I was left thinking "isn't that nice that they wanted to make sure you understood what you were getting into?" I think v. often so many of us bite off more than we can chew, simply because costs have a way of spiraling .... (ours did) Plus, most of us aren't serial remodelers (or flippers), meaning we aren't always aware of the (mounting) costs of fixtures plus labor. There are some incredibly cher fixtures out there which are crap -- they have The Name (whatever the name du jour is), but they haven't the good innards. Please make sure before you spend any money on your beautiful reno that your house has good (plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc.) "innards." What a waste to put in a beautiful faucet only to have problems with the pipes in the walls or from the street! I also want to say I believe I read edlakin's initial post in a completely different way from you: I thought s/he was just trying to help get to a potential root of the issue. It might not be your root at all! I know that I am a little embarrassed about how much we are spending on our nearly-whole house reno. It's gauche in our society to talk about money, plus the truth is, within myself I feel horrible guilt about why I have been so lucky when so many others the world 'round have not. I think about the flooding in Bangladesh and all those displaced people and it makes me wonder "why me? why them?" I think you'll understand, Lisa, because you wrote that you "don't need to remodel" -- if I read into your comment(s) correctly, you know it's a real luxury to get to change something which already works for something which will give you pleasure. And I love it. Our kitchen is not yet done but even still, walking in and seeing my dreamy countertops just makes me happy. So for me, to have that feeling, was worth $X. I believe I am generously charitable with my money, my time and my positive thoughts, but it is still something about which I think. That's me. I'm pretty sure that's from where edlakin was coming -- not trying to attack or pigeonhole you. I also don't think his/her "blaming you" comment was directed at you .... So the way I understood your plumber's comments were merely to give you a head's up, not to sway you toward or away from what you want. I think you're on a great path: getting bids for all your Dream Objects (from your fixtures to your countertops). After you have those bids, only you and your partner can determine if it's feasible or if something needs to be trimmed. I wouldn't start altering fixture / countertop choices yet: I'd wait until I had all bids in hand. You might not need to change a single thing! As you and louisianapurchase (of whom I am quite fond!) have been chatting, costs for the same item / labor 'round the continent can and do vary widely. I'm in Colorado and for what you're planning on doing I think you'd be lucky to get that all done for $200K. My fingers are crossed your KD is right, though, and that it comes in closer to her figure. I confess, sometimes I am really envious of the prices people here have quoted for various objects (cabinetry, for one) in other parts of N. America. But I don't live there. I live here, so I have to pay "here's" prices. I am v. excited about your upcoming reno -- it is going to be lovely. Congratulations!