***"Mounted in plastic"*** Unless Deere has included some sort of "ring terminal" to the mounting, there is no need to separate the PTO switch from the plastic mounting panel. You said that the brake switch had been defeated before you acquired this mower and now the wires are taped to the brake pedal. OK, I don't see anything in the diagram where a defect in the brake switch could cause a problem in the operation of the engine that that occurs ONLY when the PTO switch is turned ON. By this I mean that any problem in the brake switch that could affect how the engine runs..........would affect the engine even without pulling the PTO switch to the ON position, so we can move on from that and go to the PTO switch itself. After studying this diagram at length/depth.......I believe the problem (engine wants to die when PTO switch is turned ON) can only be due to a defective PTO switch. And I think it must be because the PTO switch is bleeding some voltage into the magneto kill circuit which then upsets the normal spark making function of the ignition system. The way I see it, there are 3 ways you can test this: Option A, disconnect the wire pigtail from the PTO clutch and connect 2 independent, temporary wires to the clutch, be sure to maintain the correct polarity, Blue wire is the hot side, Black wire is the ground side. With the temporary wires in place, and the engine running, touch the temporary wire for the hot side of clutch to the "Battery hot" post of the starter solenoid (safer than the battery hot on battery). If the PTO clutch engages without affecting how the engine runs...........defective PTO switch. Option B, Disconnect (or cut) the White wire lead that serves the PTO switch (if you choose to cut, make sure you cut so it can be restored). With this white wire out of the equation, start the engine and turn the PTO switch ON. If the engine runs OK now, replace the defective PTO switch. Option C, Replace the PTO switch and hope for success.

The question about cost depends on several factors. Is the bathroom on the first or second floor? Whats below it?? Of course where you are makes a difference as well. We added a master bath last year. It was on the second floor, over a office below and there was no plumbing there at all. The plumber had to bring the entire stack up from the basement and then put in toilet, tub, shower and sink and put the vent up through the attic to the roof. The cost was about $5000- which I thought was reasonable. This was just the cost of labor- valves and fixtures were extra. We also had to pay a carpenter to box in the pipes in the room below and repaint of course!!! (One thing always leads to another) We are in the Boston area. You already have plumbing in the area, as well as an air stack through the roof. Remember too that depending on the size and circumstance of your space raising up the floor might make replumbing much less expensive than either putting it into the floor- or under the floor as we did. Good luck

lol. Ok, the island was a bad idea. I got carried away and forgot that I'm design-challenged. But if anyone has a counter height table to sell, I'll take 2. bmore, I get the message. I'll take a few pictures of the space and try to post them by the end of the weekend. To answer the questions: The little piece of wall only juts out about 2 1/2" so it's not to scale in my drawing. It's actually one wall that runs the entire length of the living room and the kitchen. It juts out that way to create a small alcove where the large window is. A picture would definitely help :o). The slider door opens from the left side, not the right. Yes, it would be possible to switch out the slider for a French door and window if we decide to include walls and windows in the remodel. No dining room, unfortunately. The fridge swings the way angie drew it in her layout, which I like for the reasons lavender mentioned. It follows the rules so DH will love it. Thanks for your layout, angie. lavender_lass - thanks for the advice. We've been slowly renovating over the last 10 years and last but not least is the kitchen. We're happy here but DH thinks we could use an extra bedroom, which is why we'd consider moving. DH and I will firm up the scale and budget for this remodel now instead in January. It'll be so much easier to choose the direction we want to go in with these layout options. I'll have an update real soon....

What a very nice space and garden! Part of the issue might just be your plants are not fully grown. My big hosta took 5 years, but given that, I agree you are so close, but something feels a bit off. The trouble is that all your plants are the same size and shape - mounds of medium size. There's a feeling that everything is static. I agree with mad - you are verging on the formal, but have a rather informal spacing. If you go formal, create a geometric type pattern and use that as a planting guide. For instance, a ring of some type of flower around the bird bath (carpet roses? A colorful ring of coral bells?), a backdrop line of hydrangeas which should be allowed to get at least a bit taller than the bird bath, with the other sides lined by hostas and all the rest filled with ground cover or lower growing perennial of your choice (various shade choices abound). This will give the mounds meaning and purpose! Also, I would more encourage a more natural shape to the hydrangeas (as opposed to a clipped hedge) so the texture can add interest. For less formal, I would suggest creating height at the back or near the middle behind the focal point and then trying to create interest by having different plant shapes, textures and colors with the general guidance of the plants getting smaller as they approach the viewer. Some of the larger ferns for an airy/spiked texture towards the back would be fun and a nice contrast to what is already there. A giant hosta is always fun tucked in there as well. The variegated grass that you have looks amazing interrupting a formal path by spilling over into it. I would for an informal garden bring them upfront to play a bit with the clean lines of your paths. I would suggest to remove the line of bushes by you sitting area as I would want to have it seem like an extension of the garden and a hedge feels like a barrier. I hope you find some use in my suggestions - you have such a nice area to work with!