The UCL thread on this forum has all the info you can use. Read that as there are many things which need to be considered such as whether your cabinets have a completely flat bottom from one end of the run to the other. For starters - UCL will either be low (12v - 24v DC ) or line voltage (120V or 240V AC depending on where you're located on the globe). If you want a finished look, the UCL has to be hardwired, with all the necessary wiring tucked away appropriately.

I agree with the above posters: I'm not loving the angles. They're expensive to build and aren't a positive in terms of making the house comfortable to live in. The study is laid out in a nice spot. It'll provide privacy from the rest of the house so someone can read or work in quiet, especially if you're including a door. It isn't large, but it doesn't need to be large. I'd want a fireplace in the family room. The nook /only door to the back of the house looks good on paper . . . but in real life it's going to be uncomfortable to scootch around the table (especially if someone's seated or a chair hasn't been tucked under) to reach that door -- especially if you're carrying something like a plate of food destined for the grill. I'd angle the table the other direction or move the back door to the left or the right. Personally, I'd put a sliding glass door on BOTH the left AND the right, and I'd make that center space that's now a nook into a fantastic window seat; and that would leave the table to turn and use the ample space to the right. What is the empty space to the right of the table? I'm guessing it's a seating area, but that doesn't look functional. Since it's open to the nook and the family room, it's essentially still the family room . . . interrupted by the kitchen table. I do not like the kitchen cabinet layout. So many people gravitate to this type "I want to cram in as many cabinets as humanly possible" plan, but the reality is that it's cramped. Open the refrigerator door, and you're trapped in the "U" -- ditto for the pantry door. Cabinets are one of the most expensive line items in your entire build, and you can have too many. You also need some empty space in which to walk, and you want to avoid corners (and that angle is just a variation of a corner). I'd go with a simple L+island, and then make the current utility room into a large pantry. You could then have the garage entry to the kitchen THROUGH the pantry, which means you'd drop your groceries before ever entering the kitchen. The pantry is by far the cheapest /most efficient storage you can have, which lessens your expensive cabinet bill AND increases your storage. And you won't be short on counterspace at all. In your current plan, how are you entering the house from the garage? I don't see a door. Upstairs Your landing at the top of the stairs appears to be very small. I can't see how you'll move large furniture (like beds) through that small space. Why a second family room upstairs? You already have a separate study downstairs. The two bedrooms that share a bath look good . . . though the walk-in closet for the middle bedroom needs an outswing door. As it is, the door is preventing you from placing a clothes rod on the LONG wall of the closet. The width of the closet doesn't permit rods on both sides, so you're using the square footage of a walk-in and are only getting the storage of a reach-in. I personally would like to see the kids' closets all go larger. The first two kids' bedrooms are generous in size, but a large closet keeps a kid's room clean. I'd give up floor space to increase these closets, and place dressers IN the closets. I agree with the above poster that the two sinks are unnecessary in that shared bath. What that bath needs is storage space -- right now it has none, not even space for a hamper. And as your kids become teens, they're going to want more space for . . . well, lots of things. The third kid's bedroom is oddly shaped and at 8'-something on the short end, not really big enough to function well. Note that the outswing bathroom door is eating into the narrowest portion of this bedroom. I don't think an adult could sit on the toilet in this third bedroom; his or her knees wouldn't fit. And since this closet sort of "pokes out" into the bedroom, about half the storage space is far from the door /difficult to access. This whole third bedroom/bathroom configuration just doesn't work. I'd consider removing this bathroom altogether, which would allow the third bedroom to be on par with the other two -- nice, comfortable sized rooms. You could then place a good reach-in closet between this bedroom and the master, providing some acoustical privacy for both rooms. And let the three kids share the hall bath; three can share one bathroom without a problem (especially if you get them a bit of storage space in that bathroom). On the subject of bathrooms, your plumbing is strung across the whole upstairs, which is a very expensive proposition. If you could consolidate it, you'd save money. On the subject of consolidation, if you move the laundry sink so that it's in line with the washer /dryer, you'll save money by not having to run water in that wall. How will you vent the dryer? I'd make the closet in the laundry room closet into open shelving. More functional /removes the issue of the doors knocking against one another. The master bath has a massive amount of floorspace yet it doesn't seem to serve much purpose -- just empty space. This is a negative for two reasons: Tile is expensive, and a large bathroom can be cold. The bathroom door and the master closet door are going to cause a problem. Imagine putting away your clean laundry: You have a big basket in your hands, you have to go through the bathroom door, close it behind you, and open the closet door. I think you can do a lot better in this whole bathroom /closet layout. I'd consider a small hallway in the spot where you now enter the master bath . . . on one side, the closet door . . . on the other side, the bathroom door. You still have the function of the bathroom and closet being adjacent, but you can enter the closet without going through the bathroom, and you eliminate the problem of the doors. The shower can easily scoot over to where the toilet is now jammed into a dark, claustrophobic closet, and you have ample space to bring the toilet out.

My small master bath is painted Philadelphia Cream and I've hated it forever. A small sample on the wall looked so creamy and innocuous but four tall walls (9-ft. and vaulted beyond) in a small room make it nearly pulsate. I've been meaning to repaint for ages.

Hi! Thanks for your help! I was quoted for 1 stain and 3 coats of water based finished. Do you think I could get away with 2 stain and 2 finish or do you always recommend 3? Another question I have for you is that we kept the top floor as is with red oak. Do you have a stain suggestion for top floor that may match the Nordic seal on bottom floor?