skrepka- Don't worry, you're not alone. I will be moving to St. Pete in JULY and I'm ready for it to be awful, especially because our "new" 1970-built house doesn't have a pool (yet). My DH may have "gamed" it a little when he took me back there for house-hunting at the end of October/first week of November when the weather was PERFECT, and he knows it! LOL. But the area meets our requirements: (1) Job: I'm retiring from the Navy but my DH does hi-tech/government work; if you haven't been to the area for a while, you might be surprised with the recent influx of hi-tech jobs in the Tampa/Pinellas/Sarasota area. My DH has a large number of choices if the move with his current company doesn't work out, which it looks like will, thankfully. (2) Schools: We're big believers in the public school system and Pinellas has the strangest system around. Good schools, great schools, awful schools. As long as there are decent schools with good programs, we're fine. There are lots of programs for upper-level kids, magnets, IB, etc. (3) Boating: Water recreation is our thing. Wanted a place to put our sailboat, where we could fish and kayak. Also, we do a lot of biking, and the 35-mile Pinellas trail is less than 2 miles from our house. My DH & I have both lived and visited all over FL thanks to our military careers (and we're both aviators). We both lived in Guam (and my DH in Key West), so we're well seasoned after surviving numerous typhoons with no option for evacuation. I don't care for the panhandle or Jax. I've only visited Orlando on a Disney vacation, and it seemed rather sprawled out to me. I thought Cocoa Beach was a nice place to visit, and I really liked Cape Coral, on the west coast. But I just love nearby St. Pete - reminds me of San Diego. We keep watching "Hoot" to keep the boys motivated! (manatees come up our canal during the rainy season). Anyway, you might want to look around a bit where the jobs might be available. If you can find a good headhunter, you could end up in a great place! Good luck! Lisa A.

Thanks aktillery - yes, you too were right about adding warmth and dimension - we have decided for sure now - wood floors it is. :-) I've had enough negative feedback about floating over the tile to decide we have to rip it up as well. This way we won't have to cut down doors, build up extra sub-flooring where carpet areas will go, change baseboards, or have awkward thresholds. The British/Tropical Colonial vibe we like best would be impossible to achieve leaving the shiny white tiles. We're looking at a dark wood to replace all main areas where the white tile exists, and a light sisal/jute/berber carpet in the family room and dining room areas (without round cutouts!) I am losing the battle with my husband to rework the entertainment wall while tackling the floors. He just wants a cabinet guy to update it - in place - and keep the wet bar. :-( Also thanks desert_solitaire - sorry but for us, the tile just has to go - even though some people may like it. IF - there is nothing structural in the kitchen island soffit, and IF - we can figure out a downdraft or slimline pendant stainless hood setup AND - it's reasonably affordable THEN - we would consider replacing the island countertop. I shirk away from doing a wood top there though, due to it easily showing marks/wear - and a slightly unreasonable fear of potential absorbent properties not desirable in food preparation. (I know, I know people are using it all over the place) BUT - you're absolutely right - the cooktop is going to be replaced for sure - as is the hood, regardless of a major or minor island overhaul. Both are hideous. I was confused by your reference to brass at first, then I figured out you're talking about bathrooms. They are further down the road. The ladies master bath wallpaper is so wild, it's almost attractive in an odd way. lol KIDDING The small Jack & Jill "guest" secondary bath is the one visitors would see the most and first to get done. The green vanity is awful. The while tile floor in there actually works well. I'm hoping the tile removal guys can cut it at the entry in a straight line without having to continue into the bath and take it all up. 6 more weeks to go before the adventure begins! Will update this thread - or maybe even start a new one about the work in progress, before/after.

Since I kicked out DH in February, and because I am woefully underemployed, I haven't been anywhere vacation-y in a very long time. Even with DH we mostly went on river trips, where I would shuttle him on his solo runs. Peaceful and beautiful, but not fun or exciting in any grand way. I plan a quick trip to Las Vegas to visit my cousins should I get a job soon. (Cross fingers, toes -- I have two prospects right now!). One of the prospects would involve some international travel, so I just renewed my passport. Now I'm thinking a week in Paris and French countryside...but only if DH is reasonable about his divorce demands (grrrr) AND I get a job soon.

wow- Sophie. Thank you for that information. I will try to avoid using the term 'farmhouse' if it offends folks but I think you could make a similar argument for almost every post on houzz so it seems to me a bit irrelevant for this type of public forum. I have designers- several of them- with great reputations in their respective fields. Unfortunately, since everyone is so busy, if you want attention to details, I have found it is essential to review all drawings myself (civil, structural, architect, and even the geotech and survey) and look for issues. I have found an overabundance of them- some very serious- that I have personally corrected probably saving about $65,000 at this point with no change in the house design. For this particular design issue (ceiling height), I was not presented with the option of exploring different ceiling heights or given a preference for whether or not I like large crown molding etc. The 10' ceiling was plunked down by an architect on the drawings and now it is near impossible to change as we have our permits and in our city- changes are not only expensive but would mean a return to the planning department and public review. My research and questions and legwork are definitely making my project much better than leaving everything up to designers - nobody cares about 'your' project as much as you do.