So, this is a brick rowhouse, but without a dogleg? And you are going to enclose and winterize a porch that runs across the back of your house? If you are going to enclose the full width of the porch, the space might also accommodate some storage for the kitchen, buying you some additional space in the kitchen proper. You might want to consider allocating your budget first to the structural changes you know you want, with the idea that you might be able to save money by finding good quality used cabinets and/or using Ikea butcher block for the countertop until are ready to upgrade. A lot of people on this thread actually also swear by Ikea cabinets, so much so that if Ikea doesn't sell the door style they like they buy Ikea "boxes" and fittings and order the doors separately. In your current photos, I am confused by the one that shows the fridge and then the back door. It looks as though the wall the fridge is on corners off to the right rather than going straight to the back wall. Is the room really the rectangle you are showing? If so, I wonder if you might consider keeping the back door where it is and building a U-shaped kitchen. With the money you save there, you could have your sink window widened and deepened, which requires taking out bricks and maybe installing an iron beam in the brick. It would probably be cheaper than moving the door. Also, I don't actually see how a centered door would be great unless it is french doors through which light comes and one can see directly out to the garden or yard. This is a very rough idea of how such a layout might work. I am showing an oval table against the right wall it could be a shallow counter-height table and a couple of stools. Of course, this arrangement would be most pleasant if there is light coming through the back door. Anyway, I made the sink too big, but you get the idea. The base cabinets in the corners would work because vendors now have these swingout peanut shaped lazy susan things that allow full use of the space. I noticed that one set of cabinets you like have stacked uppers. As someone who also has a small tall kitchen -- very like yours, actually, but 11 x 11 with 10 foot ceilings, a window about where yours is, the a glazed door where yours now is, and another window on the back wall -- I am a big fan of taking advantage of the vertical space, for drama as well as storage. Anyway, I live in a 1901 rowhouse on Capitol Hill. My kitchen badly needs redoing, so I am facing many of the issues your are. The one thing I am for sure going to spring for is a Liebherr fridge. They are genuinely counter-depth, providing space by being 80 inches tall, which is great for small tall rooms. So these are just some other ways to think about things. You will get other from other forum members as well. I strongly urge you to look on craigslist and redfin for photos of renovated city rowhouses for ideas. It is also worth while to make the rounds of like houses open on Sundays. You would be amazed at how innovative people can be in addressing the spacial limits of these houses. Finally, I don't know what neighborhood you live in, but I assume security will be a factor how you arrange your porch enclosure. I will be curious to see how you deal with it. Be of stout heart, and cheers. hbk

Aesthetically, turning the carport into an entry patio will make the door easier to find. However, living in an area with snow, I can understand perfectly if you would find that solution unacceptable since it would reduce both the size of your parking area and the only covered parking, necessitating snow and ice removal from vehicles after every storm. That can be time you don't want to spend if you are late for work. I think one key would be to have the entry door very well lit, perhaps with an overhead skylight for daytime, but with bright, period appropriate fixtures regardless to signal to visitors that this isn't just vehicle storage. It looks like now you center the vehicles when parking in the carport, and I would start getting in the habit of parking as far over to the right as possible as another signal to visitors that there is a passageway into the house there. Having a dedicated paved path that leads to the house and then jogs over to the right to continue into the carport and door would also be a good signal to visitors which way to go. I would use a consistent paving for the walkway from the street or public sidewalk all the way to the door that is different from what is used for the driveway and carport, which may not be period appropriate, but will be another signal to visitors to distinguish path vs. driveway. If budget is tight, perhaps reuse of the parking pad brick would work for the walkway. Regardless of what you decide, keep in mind snow removal and where it will be placed that isn't on the path or driveway.

We generally prefer historical cost basis over any time of assessment, so what you paid for an item. However, one problem with the historical cost basis for ad valorem taxes is it adjusts for realized gains and losses while not adjusting for holding gains and losses. This means that two identical houses would pay two different taxes based on the last time they were sold. This isn't quite fair so to remedy this, ad valorem taxes are occasionally adjusted to compensate somewhat for holding gains and losses. In other words, we don't want people who bought 3 acres next to Central Park 65 years ago, to be paying property taxes on $100,000 when an identical property next door pays taxes on $15,000,000. That is the entire purpose of adjusting property values. Improvements aren't simply holding gains, it is putting money into the structure so that it is nicer. If you want to fairly tax improvements you would need a tax on the increased value less a tax credit the amount paid over the marginal assessment value. So, the premise that you have some moral obligation to pay marginally higher taxes because you spent $50,000 for a nicer kitchen that adds only $20,000 to the property value, is one I find questionable. In other words, if you paid more for the remodel than it added in property value you should get a tax credit against the increase. However, that is far too complicated and thus taxing jurisdictions who are acting efficiently and attempting to be fair, avoid increasing valuation for improvements and replacements, but do increase valuation for additions. Now this is completely different than rules that allow select groups to avoid assessment for holding gains and losses.

Thank you ! Hadn't thought of the front door but now I see how it can make a change - board and batten is what I aim for, just did not know the name, so thank you for that! Windows must be replaced, they are currently wood casing and well original to the home (1989)- Ohhh Amanda @ New Collective, You got me! I love it! That is exactly what I wish to achieve. SO pretty, fresh and modern! Have you done/seen this transformation on a Saltbox style home before? I am not sure who I should be consulting to render/give me an example of how this would look on the shape of the home. Would I need a designer ( to render the image/choose the siding/colors) or the siding company to do this?