How recent and how accurate is your assessment? I don't know if your is similar to ours. Ours has dropped more than 10% over the last two years in recognition of lower sales prices. In our area the assessment is pegged unusually close to market value, and we are assessed annually. Is property close to town more desireable in your area? Better schools? (Some people would prefer to be farther away from some towns.) Is the farther-flung construction newer? If you don't have to sell, wait. You may wait several years until the market recovers though -- depending on local conditions. There is a glut of housing yet to come on the market nationally -- failed mortgage loans that banks have yet to own up to and claim. How far below asking price is the offer? (Percentage please.)

Hi Sophie, Have your tile installer calculate the amount of tile you'll need. Make sure they include overage (I think about 10-15%)to make up for any mistakes. Another suggestion is to speak with a designer at a retail or wholesale tile store. I was able to get some good ideas about varying the tiles in my design for our kitchen. Good luck!

I spent days in the Lighting forum. And on google trying to fill in any gaps. Then I made my own plan and posted for feedback, as well as took it to the local lighting place where I planned to purchase most of the components. One of the experts in Lighting was gracious enough to help me out with a bunch of questions I had. Ultimately, I was pretty close with what I originally came up with, so I felt pretty good about that! Start with the 35 lumens/sf for a rough estimate of how many recessed cans/fixtures. Then decide which lights you want (consensus seems to be the Cree Ecosmart are a good choice for quality and value, but others are just fine too). Spacing will be determined by fixture size and layout. Then add task lighting, usually under cabinet lights. Here's a late draft of mine, some things moved a tad, and the switches are a little different.

Basically, its the height of the cabinet, minus the height of the doors/drawers (they cover the 3/4" frames on top and bottom. So a 90" cabinet with 2 15" tall doors/drawers will leave you with ~60" of open space. You can use filler panels to fill in any gaps between your unit and the doors and drawers if necessary. How tall is your unit?