And peat is the product of long-dead plants; it is not a renewable source. In good conscience I cannot reccomend using peat moss. A similar benefit can be obtained by using "coir" which is made from coconuts and *is* a renewable product, although not as acidic as peat. I agree with Rhizo in that sand is not necessarily a good amendment. The center suggested it because many believe sand is good to "lighten" the soil -- that means loosen the clay structure enough so that there are minute spaces in it for air and water. If you use the wrong type of sand, it will percolate downwards and not be of much use. It is easier and more practical to lighten the soil with chunky bits of organic material such as coarse sawdust, coarse wood chips or bark. The secondary advantage is that those wood products will eventually decompose which improves the soil fertility. Vermiculite and perlite are more effective in lightening the soil structure, but there is controversy as to how "green" the manufacturing process is. Gypsum can be used throughout much of the US, and is an excellent long-term method of loosening heavy clay. Check with the manufacturer to see if it is of use in your area; if so, apply at their suggested rate. Watering is variable according to your plants' needs + your actual rainfall. The general rule of thumb is irrigate enough more so that rainfall plus irrigation equal one inch of water per week. Plants have a great deal of difficulty reaching and absorbing the water in clay, which is why they may look withered even though you have irrigated. The only cure is to improve the soil so the plants can actually get a drink. Once clay does absorb water, the clay seems to "grab a-hold" of it, which means that not only do the plant not get enough to drink, the roots may be sitting in mud which is very bad for them -- unless they are bog-dwelling plants. Turn your bulbs around as soon as you can. Most bulbs won't make much of an effort to grow if they are upside down -- I think that has something to do with the sprouts heading for the source of light-heat: if you point the tip (sprout end) down then you are aiming them away from the sun. Read up on lasagna. Your kitchen scraps can go into your in-progress lasagna bed (and if you don't have one in progress yet, you probably will soon) or you can use another method. The point is to have a mix of wet [fresh scraps] and dry [shredded paper, dry leaves, etc] in almost even portions mixed 50/50 with soil. I use an old garbage can and build the compost by always wrapping the kitchen scraps in several layers of newspaper and then covering them with an equal volume of soil or sawdust (depending on the season). Twice a year I empty the can into the garden. It will be mostly compost; I bury the top portion which has the freshest scraps. The summer can will have had some weeds ( I mulch so there aren't very many weeds) and soil, the winter can is mostly scraps and sawdust. Both will have lots of worms in the bottom section when I dump the can. You *can* buy commercial composters or commercial vermicomposters, but I'd rather spend my money on new plants or more bulbs -- we each choose what we prefer :)

As to the garbage can idea---if you have it exposed to the sun at all, it's going to heat up. (Think how a car sitting the sun will heat up in the winter.) You don't want that. I'm familiar with zone 6 weather, having lived & gardened there for many years, so I have some idea of what you're dealing with...that is, you need to keep the soil cold when you get those weather warm-ups in mid-winter. i.e., the idea behind the insulation is to keep the heat out and the cold in the pots, to moderate the inevitable wide swings in temperature. (Think 'ice chest'.) If the pots are not in the sun, then the insulation board on top of the pots is prolly going to be sufficient. If the pots get any am't of sun OR are close to a bldg., then you need to think about keep the whole shebang cold. Naturally, you would place the insulation barrier around the pots after it's turned cold, really cold. About the wood tops idea...an inch of wood has an R-value of less than 1.5...compared to R-5 for an inch of XPS (the pink stuff) and R-8 for ISO (the foil faced yellow stuff). So, although wood is an insulator, there are better choices. Of course, you could glue XPS to the wood if you want to. Oh yeh, the pink stuff, XPS, will hold up to the elements much better than the foil faced ISO--it's yellow underneath the foil and is much more brittle than XPS. Also, the R-value of ISO degrades to where it's only marginally better than XPS.

Thankfully, when we built the house, we went with high-end cabinets, doors, and windows (my ex was/is very into wood). All of the cabinets in both the kitchen and baths are in great shape and still look very good. I'm going to change the hardware but that's all that's needed. The downstairs bath is a full bath with a tile floor (very plain 9"X9" tile). The lighting fixture still looks good but after 19 years I'm looking for something different. The upstairs bath probably would need the most work. The tub/toilet is in an enclosed area separate from the sink area. It's very dark and holds too much moisture. I'd like to cut down the enclosing walls by half (like the wall in a pass-through kitchen). I want quality, but I don't need top-of-the-line. My house appraises on Zillow for $317,000, but is probably worth more like $350,000. As far as I can tell, the highest priced home in the neighborhood is approximately $475,000. My house has the potential to be lovely and structurally needs no real modifications. But right now it's definitely very plain and very, very tired looking. I'm just unsure as to the correct order for getting this "updating" accomplished. I want quality, but I don't need top-of-the-line. My house appraises on Zillow for $317,000, but is probably worth more like $350,000. As far as I can tell, the highest priced home in the neighborhood is approximately $475,000.

Thanks for the morning feedback. It's nice to know I'm not alone and get some ideas going about how to get past the idea stage. The conversation and wine over at love-to-dream's is great, by the way, if anyone wants to join us. It's rather nice to have company along the way - especially if no one in your real life is at all interested in, well, obsessive kitchen discussion! @wi-sailorgirl - I do spend a fair amount of time at Houzz and have some idea books. I also have extensive GW files of inspirational kitchens, features and possible layouts. I guess I'm not finding it pointing me in a direction yet, but I'll step back and take a longer look and see if that helps illuminate! @ eleena - Glad to know I'm not alone! It sounds like you have not found your investment with a designer to be particularly helpful? I appreciate the advice to go slow. On the other hand, I actually think one of the things that might force me to move faster would be having a GC instead of this DYI nonsense. I guess I even go back and forth on that! On one hand, the money saved through DYI is pretty substantial and my partner has all the skills, though we'd hire out some parts. On the other hand, partner is busy, I am a dreamer and a GC would force us into mobilization and deadlines and structure which MIGHT be worth it. @herbflavor - I appreciate the layout advice and have posted various options over the past year - more will no doubt be coming once that wall comes down and I can template out what I am working with, as I know my vision about how much space it is going to open up is just not real in this small house. An L + island would allow me to put a pantry on the end of the cabinets opposite a fullsize fridge on the other side instead of going with a tall, skinny fridge with a pullout next to it. However, the island doesn't seem to play as nice with the new backsplash window or sit in the best spot given the 2 traffic patterns required - and many people have commented that a U seems better for me given it blocks off the kitchen floor from the front door. Definitely holding off on that until the wall actually comes down and I do think that will help me commit at least to layout. (Please, please, let it help lol) @ caryscott - You make a good point that budget does eliminate a lot of options. I also think you are right that making one decision forecloses on many other things I might love. The place where I see that the most in my situation is counter/tile choices. I find a great tile, then try to imagine what that means for counters and it almost invariably just doesn't work with the other top choices. Maybe I should ask for help with creating some idea boards... @lovetodream - the wine and reassurance that I am not alone is more help than you can know. Promise! And it is so much easier to give you advice, strangely, than myself. (What's up with THAT?) I think if you (me) could just start with SOMETHING, the rest would maybe start to fall into place. Or, start a few idea boards with a few favorite choices and have a few options to mull over instead of a million? At the least, we'd end up narrowing the field and having SOME choices made, likely. Or, on the other hand, we can open up another bottle and talk about it some more... @2LittleFishies - I agree, the good news is the bad news here. It's nice to have time to really research, ponder, take breaks, etc. However, I'm really not sure, objectively speaking, how much I've gained from the time and additional research. Minus some big moments, like seeing BrooklynGalley's Liebherr tall and skinny fridge and realizing I -could- have a pantry with a U if I went that way. What ends up happening is I look at various kitchens and say "Ooooohhhh, ahhhhh! I love that! I could totally just replicate those pendants, cabinets and tile and be perfectly happy!" Then tomorrow I see another kitchen and do the same thing... I dream of being one of those efficient, clear-headed decision-makers. lol @Kali615 - Do you mind if I ask what one thing you started with that your DH loved? I really do think that's probably the thing - to get a general direction started with that first decision. I've also decided the box stores are probably not my friend in any of this... though I am going to go into the new Lowes and HD that were just built and see if they have anything that appeals before I totally give that up. Your island sounds like it is going to be great. How did you come across that bowling alley wood? Craig's List? @kashmi - I appreciate the functionality questions. Once that wall comes down, I'm going to mock up a kitchen and play around with how I want to work in the "new space". GW is so great for considering those questions. The truth is, there are 2 of us and neither of us are huge cooks. However, I'm really hoping that changes SOMEWHAT with a new kitchen and this isn't all for superficial reasons. lol @ ArchitectMamma - This idea board is definitely something I have been contemplating. I haven't learned how to use the on-line options people around GW have been using and I struggle to find all the pieces and parts of what I want. It's really getting to be about time to take it to that step, I think. @ Marcolo - Good advice. I wonder how much I could get done in my life period if I was off the net. lol Both you and ArchitectMamma are recommending some of the same resources and it's a good suggestion. I do try to peek through magazines but generally end up not buying because nothing is really grabbing me. However, I absolutely agree that the same stuff recirculates on-line. That's one of the reasons I got bored at Houzz. I just am not finding a lot of trade showrooms in Anchorage. I need to look harder and actually get out there. I admit to a little terror that I am going to find "the perfect stone" in some obscure granite yard way before I am in a position to use it and be haunted by it forever... What I need, ultimately, is a whip and a ruler to keep myself (get myself) on task. lol And as a final note of irony, I found a thread yesterday through GW on Shiloh cabinets. There was a link to a kitchen I really liked. A little cottage - a little modern. And, I thought to myself, "Self, you could just do this. You like it. It would go with the house great. They are well made. They are well reviewed. It's a good look." Then I went to the website. They don't have dealers east of the Mississippi, basically. I'm in Alaska. And so it goes...