I still have my stool too :), and I agree on the universal access sink height, which is in between low vanity (31 ish) and tall vanity (36) height. Its hard to say without knowing the layout of the bathroom whether the wheelchair accessible sink is feasible (say if the bathroom itself, isnt.) If you are in the framing stage you may want to consider both the layout and such things as blocking for handrails and such. It may seem premature, but my parents moved into a new house when I was in first grade and still live there. Now at 81 and 85 there are some real accessibility issues with the baths (and stairs) in a house that my parents refuse to leave. Watching my mother navigate some parts of the house is like watching someone climbing a rock wall...its not fun. I think you are really taking a lot of consideration if you are considering making modifications for your young children, so, look into making some accomodations for your parents (and yourself!) as you age, while you are in the process.

hoffman- Personally, I've never let ease of cleaning deter me from getting what speaks to me, whether it's a sweater, a paint color or a carpet, but I am not a clean freak and don't worry if something looks dirty. Ask yourself if you would have rather a runner that makes you smile, crumbs, pet hair and all, or a runner you don't love that is in a nice, practical color that may or may not show as much dirt. I would choose the runner I loved, but only you know the answer to that question for you. Good luck- sandyponder, who has a sign in her LR that says "What's a little pet hair among friends?"

Thanks all. I think we’ll just put the new oven where the old one is as dh has planned and then redo the kitchen in the next couple of years. The old oven wasn’t supposed to die yet. I really dislike the ovens current location. And it’s tiny, many of my pans don’t fit. In a perfect world we would have had more time to plan but, with the current oven not functioning or fixable we had to do something more quickly than i would have liked. I cook and bake daily so a functioning oven is the priority Yes, half the kitchen is in an addition. It’s kind of bizarre. But. Theres a lot of space, we like the rest of the house and location and we’ll get to it in the next few years. I was just trying to figure out if there’s a way to make it better while we’re already messing with it. :)

If you want wood, then go for the nearest option to what you have (factory finished floors have a shelf life of 18-24 months which is why you can't find more of the same...it's been too long). Personally I would work with tile in the entire space. If you want hardwood in the family room then go for it. It doesn't have to match (perfectly) the existing wood behind the french doors. So long as it is close, you can get away with it quite easily. I prefer to see kitchens, etc get the tile. The office and the family room can have the 'softer' finishes such as hardwood or carpet.