Junelynn I grew up in florida and I don't care what anybody says - i always said they were cockroaches, not palmetto bugs. And now I'm working at a pest control and I was right. I don't know where they got that name but to me - an affirmed roach hater- a roach is a roach is a roach. And perimeter treatment, with spray or borax is a vital part of control. It keeps them from coming in. Also, they are actually more attracted to habitat such as clutter - piles of paper is a favorite. Keep the clutter down and it will help more than you can imagine. We have a video of the "75,000 roach house" and this was thier biggest problem. Junk everywhere! I brought it home and made all my messy kids watch it! When they start trashing thier rooms I remind them of it. Amazing how fast they clear it up!!

Like Holly says, it is a function of how you live. My stuff collects on the desk/tiny office which is not in the kitchen but slightly outside of the main kitchen. If the stuff lands on the island, we just move the stuff to the desk.... We don't ask anyone to claim it, we just move it... Dropped junk does not bother me since I don't need the surface to cook. I clear it daily but it does not impede the 'kitchen function'. So it works for us. Many people are taking the kitchen desks out of their kitchens. I actually like having a designated drop zone/kitchen office area because it keeps the junk out of the kitchen. If your habits do not change, the stuff will get dropped on the upper zone of the island just like they do in many homes I walk into. When I see that in people's homes, it just seems like a huge waste of real estate where the upper level is a huge planned drop zone and nothing else. I like my way where there is a 'planned' drop zone slightly outside of the kitchen. Most people need a safety net. To me a well planned drop zone is a safety net for those of us that cannot be so disciplined about everything. I pick up my stuff at the end of the day, but it allows me the latitude to leave it there couple days without driving me nuts or getting in the way of cooking. Most homes that manage to keep the kitchen counter clear have a near by office/desk/drop zone where there is a pile of junk/paper. I know very few families that can live pile-free. Fourkids4us: one of my first remodels was to cut up my gigantic pantry into a smaller pantry and a kitchen desk/office/command center. This was the best thing I did. I made sure that I kept that functionality when I did the big remodel. I can't imagine not having a command center near the kitchen in a family home!

Oh! Can I play? I just found this and am relating to it in an extreme way. We just removed everything from three bedrooms to have the floors refinished and I am forcing myself to downsize before I put everything back. I was fortunate to start reorganizing my filing system a week before the move, and purged a lot of paper at that time. I'll confess the oldest thing I found was a secretarial civil certification from 1977, and medical records from two dogs ago that have long since died. (Filing is Not my favorite thing to do.) It helped when I read that 80% of what we file is never looked at again...and yes, that is true in my case! Before I bring anything back into my home office, I'm making da*n sure that I need it or I love it. When in doubt, toss it out! I've wanted to do this for such a long time, but apparently I needed an extreme makeover to push me into it all the way. My goal is NO SURFACE CLUTTER. I've always had a fair amount of that, so this has been a challenge. I want my surfaces clear for anything I want to use them for at any moment, and to be easy to maintain. My office is all hardwoods (floors and furniture) and the dust is too hard to deal with, so I'm endeavoring to get 95% of it all under cover (drawers or closets.) We ditched a large armoire in the bedroom that wasn't utilized well, and a recliner we didn't use much to create some breathing room. I am dealing with everything you've mentioned and can relate to it all...from throwing out pens to bathroom/bedroom stuff. (I'm now down to a small box of pens where every last one works. How nice to go for what you need, knowing it still writes. I threw away more than I kept!) I've also purged gift wrap (Oh boy, do I relate!) along with the stupid gift wrap organizer which never worked very well for me. Instead, I have a beautiful old antique paper holder which holds two rolls; I'm also a total fan of white and brown butcher paper. (Along with a stash of tissue, which takes up less space than bubble wrap and makes great padding.) I saved a couple rolls of wallpaper which I like to use for drawer liner (or gift wrap) but I'm not saving Christmas paper any longer either. I did our bathroom potions/lotions when we finished the bathroom remodel, and the extra is stored in a small, two shelf nightstand cupboard. I refuse to buy anymore until that stuff is gone, and won't keep more than two on hand after that. No more Stocking Up excessively! Tomorrow, I'm putting some of my books back on the shelves, and considering a former cd rack for my next garage sale. (It's not under cover!) When we added a media cabinet in the kitchen, I allowed a couple of drawers for those and when they fill up, it's time to purge. I finally let go of all the cards I had saved (years worth) and frankly, I don't miss them one little bit. It's been a lot of work, but I'm enjoying the freedom that a little space brings. I've started a To Go list for the next garage sale with the items I no longer need and their location, so I'll know what to drag out when the time comes. Isn't it fun? Now if I could only brainwash myself into thinking organizing the garage would be fun...I'm not there yet!

Hi Everyone, I apologize for not responding for a few days - I really needed to just step away and clear my head a little. First of all, let me just say in response that this is by far the best renovation forum I've come across - you are all such an unbelievably huge help to us. I mean, I really can't believe that you guys are actually taking the time to draw out your ideas and everything. I guess I'm just trying to say thank you very very much. We really appreciate it! @Traybob - I really love what you've done with the floor plan, and it's actually a direction that I haven't even thought about going (I was convinced that I'd thought of every option lol). I'm just not sure it's what people are looking for these days. I mean, I would love to have a plan like that if it was for us - but I've already proven to myself that what I like and what todays typical buyer likes are two completely different things :/ Anyway...I think I'm actually getting somewhere now, and I'm starting to see that there might be some hope for this house! I learned that most people who look at my options (not just on this forum) are attracted to an open floor plan and 3 bedrooms. They want to see more storage, but less "clutter". A lot of people agree that a house of this size does not need a laundry room, and a lot of people also agree that having 3 bathrooms would either be a selling point, or it would not prevent anyone from buying the house (its actually more work/money for us to end up with 2 bathrooms then 3 in the end). Also, people seem to want a large kitchen, and I haven't heard anyone complain about a large master suite. Having more then one common area also seems important to buyers, but it's not usually at the top of their list - especially with this size house. So here's where I'm at now: Some of you highlighted the fact that with a flip, I need to spend the least amount of money that's necessary - I strongly took this advice into consideration with this plan, and here's how: - I left the laundry in the kitchen, but enlarged the kitchen so it doesn't feel like it's stuffed in there. This eliminates the need to move the washer/dryer/water softener/hot water heater, and the work to remove the closet/electricity/plumbing that houses all of this. - I left the private bath in the current master bedroom. Not too many people that I polled are complaining about having a 2nd private bath. It seems like a lot of people want to spoil their children with one, or thought it would be a great guest suite, or even thought it would be great for an elderly parent who might occupy that room. Removing it seems like a bad idea, financially, with so many people who either like or don't mind it. - I left the closets as is in the kids bedrooms. The current master closet is plenty big for that bedroom (it's 2.5 X 7.5), and I don't think that having a 2X4 closet in the center bedroom is all that terrible. It actually seems kind of standard to me. I also left the "weird center bedroom" closet as is, just as general storage for the living room, or whatever. - I utilized the door going into the current family room as the doorway to the hall leading to the new master. I also kept the door leading to the current bedroom #2 (bottom right corner), and the closet (for the most part) as storage. - This is a big one - I kept the wall that currently seperates bedroom #2 from the family room. This means that we do not have to re-do the entire floor for the master. I just added a new door to the new master bath. - I also kept the main hall way the same for the most part, just changed the direction in which you access it and added storage. With this plan, I really wanted to put a kitchen island in - but I realized that it would force the dining room that I drew in to only ever be used as a dining room. I would want buyers to have the option of using it as an office or something else if they wanted to, while having room for a table in the kitchen. My concern, of course - is that there won't be enough natural light in this plans living room. What I did to combat that was put in french doors in the kitchen, and lots of windows in the dining, with interior french doors to let the light through. The sun is on the south side of the house all day, which would help that. If we tear down the wall and find that it really does feel like a cave - we have the option of lofting the rest of the ceiling and putting in sky lights - but I would only do that if it was necessary (again, to spend the least amount of $ as possible). I'm not in love with the idea of re-structuring the front of the house to accommodate a front door, but I have to agree with the majority of people who said it's necessary. We have to replace the current front window anyway (it's a wreck) - so I guess it's not terrible to take it a step further. Also, not sure if I should fill in the current front door, or put in french doors to the master. Don't know if that's considered weird or nice. Also don't know how easily I can match the siding. So, what do you think? Is this getting any better? Thanks again everyone!