I lived in Boynton Beach FL for 8 years - 1 year in Deerfield Beach. We never had a pool for a gator to wander into, but what I remember was people who lived along canals having their dogs snatched and eaten by the gators. I think you'll use that screened in area - I remember the mosquitos and love bugs making outdoor activities bothersome at certain points of the year. When picking out your new home choices, keep in mind your air conditioning preferences. In FL, unlike CA, it is very humid. You need to run your air almost year round - maybe not so much in the winter, but the humidity gets into your house and the air - even if you keep it high removes that moisture from the air. I personally love travertine floors in homes in florida, or good indestructible tile. Laminate isn't a favorite of mine because I don't like the clicky sound it makes when you walk on it with shoes. I'm sure there's some better than other ones out there, I'd just be careful of any with wood backing if you're not an air conditioning kind of person. My husband is dying to move back to Florida! I told him we had to wait until DS3 graduates as he's a big hockey guy and hockey teams are pretty scarce in Florida. So, he's greasing the skids talking DS3 into going to college in FL so we won't feel bad moving away and leaving him if he goes to school in Ohio!

What a mess. To begin with, you're mixing up some of the terms, which makes for confusion. But you obviously have a lot more common sense than the previous owners and "handymen"! I'm not trying to figure out the whole thing. But I will just comment on a few obvious things: * the header over the opening (the fifth pic up from the bottom). It's absolutely inadequately supported. It should have been long enough to be supported on either side by a built-up post (several 2x4s or 2x6s nailed together--and there are even Code provisions for the pattern of that nailing. And even this assumes there is a bearing beam in the basement/crawlspace beneath. *Yes, those shims are inadequate and don't even provide full support. Maybe they figured a lot of caulking/glue would hold it altogether. *Those random 2x4s laid flat don't provide any useful support. *The third photo from the top reveals five-six studs removed and replaced with one misinstalled diagonal 2x4. You ask, "Is this support up to Code?" Uh, no. To come up with the appropriate fixes requires an inspection of the structure of the house, additions and all. "Up to Code." What a horrifying idea! Your helpful neighbours are taking the wrong approach. What you can't see can hurt you--especially if your house experiences a sudden structural failure. (Not to mention whatever electrical/plumbing "improvements" the previous owners made.) If the municipality provides a free inspection, I would take advantage of it and follow their advice. At the least, find a competent framing carpenter or a design professional who can design the corrections. Here is a link that might be useful: Details for Conventional Wood Frame Construciton

Fun2BHere -- In our current living room, we did exactly that (covered a window entirely with drapes and positioned the TV in front of it), so that's an option that we can do again, if nothing else works out! cloudy_christine -- The question about traffic usage is a good one, and the answer is purely hypothetical at this point as we're still waiting to close. The door two doors you asked about lead to what will be Nate's home office (on the south wall) and the other goes into a small hallway that has the first floor bath, with my laundry area, and then into the kitchen. So I imagine there will be a fair amount of traffic through there. k9arlene -- I had that same thought, and it was actually my first choice for the TV because it seems like a natural place for it. That wall is only a few inches wider than 4 feet, and the TV itself is exactly 4 feet long. So it will fit -- barely -- but without actually putting the TV up in person, I'm not sure how it will look. The wall the TV is on in the diagrams is nearly 6 feet wide if you don't include the fireplace and hearth projection, so probably closer to 5 feet of actual wall space. Thank-you everyone for trying to help! It's a puzzle for sure, but at least I have a few things I can try out.

Personally, I would get a realtor who is recommended by people in the neighborhood. It would not be worth saving the 1% in realty fees to deal with all the hassle of buyers, realty ads, reviewing contracts, etc. Also, the realtor should know how to present your house professionally and to target it to the appropriate buyers. If you cant get the price you want, maybe you can consider renting it out?