Thanks all... some replies: - Hitting up family isn't much of an option. This had been my in-laws' house that they were unable to maintain due to age, disability and income; the project was to build out a ground floor "apartment" combined with foundation work. They're in it with us, and have no financial resources to fall back on. And unfortunately, MY dad recently joined the ranks of the unemployed, so I don't want to impose (he's been a great help to me working on the house, and they've graciously contributed financially prior to his job loss). - I don't want to count this an a rainy day emergency just yet -- we're doing fine living in a rental and we do have the option of ceasing all work and taking a break for a year (or whatever it takes) while we regroup. I'd rather have any savings banked for other financial hiccups, like job loss or true emergencies. Do any of you have experience with unsecured loans from credit unions, other lending institutions, or even going to credit card companies? Just curious if these are options. Actually planning on hitting the street today to visit my two CU's, and thinking a call to my credit card holders might be worth while -- as long as they don't get scared off by my request and pull our credit!

The crew that formed and poured for an outbuilding on our property framed 2x4's 16" o.c. and skinned with 1/2"osb. The ties were placed 6"from the corners and where the forms butted, and every 16" in the field of the forms.They used 3/8" rebar. After the footings were poured, they formed the whole stemwall and poured the stemwall complete.If you can do this, it would probably be a better pour, as pouring sections might result in weak joints where the existing and new come together. Have you considered block foundation? Looks great,you can work it at your leisure, and will support the weight of your structure easily, although i would still fill each cavity with crete.Jon's advise of getting ready mixed is great advise as a stemwall would be hard to keep up with using a mixer ,especially if your flying solo!

Thanks everyone! Jillius I love the closet pantry! Thank you for taking the time for additional options. I have thought long and hard about the layout and different options. Here is where we are after speaking with my hubby: 1) We would like to keep the sink where it is and have a nice focal point with the wall hood. We are doing a similar panel treatment to our fireplace and will carry this design into kitchen. This area will be bumped out a bit. We want to keep the sink view. It's the only real view we have of our side yard, rose garden (when they are alive and blooming), pool with the sound of trickling water and a place to see the kids if they are swimming out back. We have plantation shutters and sectional in living room so no unobtructed view like we have in the kitchen. Also, the back wall away from anything else is ideal spot to cook for us. We don't want gaps in the wall cabinets to add more windows on the back wall next to cooktop. We have 9 ft ceilings and the space isn't as closed in and dark as it appears in the pictures I snapped at night with my phone. We do not want a bulky fridge in the path near our patio door. Need some free space just to maneuver in and out of patio door from pool. Don't want to move the patio door either. 2) expansion: we would love a larger island. Seating is not necessary. If we were to expand, we would rather take out the buffet in dining room. We need to see if there will be structural limitations. The expansion into the side yard will cramp up the pool area too much. We would rather take the 19" from the dining room buffet assuming it won't obstruct flow of dining table. 3) we are willing to give up the desk area and see if we could move things down and open up the entry to dining room by the corner side. This option would leave us having to go around the family room when we come in from pool to shower. Ideally, I'd like to add a shower in the yard so this will only be a short term inconvenience. If we can't move the opening, we would like to see what else to use that space for. I would love some sort of nook seating. Would have to see what creative solutions we can come up with. Ann I would love to see pics of your pantry! Pantry: we love the closet pantry idea. Where and how to fit it in will depend on overall layout we choose. 4) without moving sink, we are exploring prep sink options. Ideally need a small garbage, soap and place to hang towel for this to work. 5) cabinets and storage is where we need to be careful to have adequate storage so we aren't tripping over each other. Right now our dishes are stored in the large drawer under cooktop because that's the only place they fit (cabinets have middle bar). It's a pain and we need to make sure our cabinet design solves all our storage and flow issues if we are keeping the u shape with island. 6) we find this plan really interesting except for the sink location. I wonder if a corner sink with a small end cabinet can work with this layout. Basically an l shape with a corner sink. I guess a g shape I think I have addressed everything that has been presented. Thank you all for your time and thoughts on this. We need to do some more research and see what options we have construction wise! And then weigh whether it's worth the cost.

I greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks for reading! My daughter needs her own shower. My plan is to rip out the tub and shower and install a full tile shower. The tub cracked first and we stopped using it. It continued to bow and crack for a few years. What appears to be water damage from the shower actually appeared after we stopped using the shower. The damage occurred over several years but seems to have stopped or at least greatly slowed now. I have not had to shave doors in a few years. The large cracks have not changed in a few years. Some external cracks have grown a lot in the last few years though. A home was built next to ours a few years ago and a few months later a soft depression formed on our side of the fence but it never changed after appearing. We have a lot of crumbling and cracking stucco problems. Our house is 11 years old. We live on a gentle hill slope and get seasonal downpours. There is a downspout near the trouble bathroom area but it has always drained well away from the house and has a good grade. We moved a piano a few feet off on the floor above the basement bathroom but the problem began well before we got the piano.