carsonheim The cal door quote is unfinished solid maple. We were having everything site finished so it all would match but I'm thinking they offer primed doors for not much more. I hope you have as great an experience as we've had! I think it all depends on how devoted your crew is... our guys are just rock stars. They NEVER cut corners, even when I think they should! :) imjustagirl I do have some new pictures... site finishing has begun! I was planning on starting a new thread since this is getting long. Stay tuned.

Beuhl- I'll do some measuring to see if the laundry closet could be moved the the dead space that currently leads to the master bedroom. The electical panel is there, as well. The only thing that may not be possible is shifting the living room door. I'll have to check. You're going to laugh at me, but from the first two layouts, I like the peninsula option better. I love having the window above the sink because the squirrles run back and forth along the fenceline just outside of it. Would the space to the right be utilized as a breakfast area? mnerg- You're right, that would help with space. I wonder how noisy that is with a front loader? I've never really used a stacked set. I'm actually having a platform made to lift them right now, because I find that I have to sit on the floor. Looking at the plans, I'm really surprised by what a difference pushing the laundry wall back makes. I can't picture how much space the 75" in the breakfast room is. I'll tape it off on the floor tonight. DH has always loved the idea of a window seat and a little table (if not french doors). I just never thought we had room due to the bifold laundry doors. Do you have any idea how deep a bench should be? I guess pictures make all the difference, because in my mind, I saw the peninsula on the dining room side. It never even occurred to me to move the fridge. (DUH, young!) I do really like the idea of the prep sink. I wonder if my pots/pans would fit in the 24" cabinet next to that. It might be easier to access than the lazy susan?? Wise Friends-- I love the idea of trading the laundry for a pantry. Here is the only hangup for me. If I move the laundry, closing off the master bedroom door, I'll have to do a loop through the house to get to the other bedroom when it serves as a nursery in a year or two. Do you think that will drive me crazy in the middle of the night? Right now, the rooms almost adjoin. I don't know what to think, having no young ones at home right now. Please chime in, moms. :) Lav- I hadn't considered swiping space from the master. We're doing that soon on the other side of the room to increase the master bath. I'll look at the numbers. I know it's the biggest room, but it's not huge. I can't remember that room size off hand. I know I'd love the look of a display/pantry wall. I'm going to print these and look at them side by side so I can really digest them. **THANK YOU!**

Ditto the above opinions on the wine glasses - nice & thin and so cheap. Haven't broken one yet & we use them everyday. I've had good luck with bed linens. I got the Mysa Gras comfort and a beautiful duvet cover which is 200+ thread cotton. It is very thin, but is so perfect for use year round in Houston. It might be just the ticket for a beach house if you get chilly evenings. Actually, we're heading to Ikea, this weekend, to get a travel comforter & duvet. For $20 total, we can get a set, squoosh it into a space bag & have our own comforter so we can put the one that the hotel supplies to one side. We don't stay in dives, but I just know I'd prefer to sleep under a comforter from my own home. When DD was in college & had her own apartment, she got an Ikea loft bed. I've put that thing together & broken it down so many times, that I think I can make a living doing self-assembly furniture. Ha! Here is a link that might be useful: Light Ikea comforter

Funky - The wall between the kitchen and laundry is structural and likely cannot can't be altered to create access to the back corner cabinet, but that's otherwise a great solution. I think the hang up with putting the range on that wall is that it only allows for about 12 inches of counter to the right of the range at a potentially high traffic area from backyard/garage for 4 little kids. Isn't it 80" from wall to door? If the corner cabinet for the Ikea kitchen isn't used but a blind corner instead, that should leave 24" for counter, 3" or so for fill to allow the oven door to open without bonking cabinet handles, and 30" for range which equals 57". Which should leave 23" for a cabinet to the right of the range which should be ample for safety. A 21" cabinet with a couple of inches of filler and it's a done deal. A 24" wide alteration for drawers in the laundry would be a very minimal header and wouldn't cost much. However, the loss of that space and drawers in the laundry room wouldn't be a huge loss in the scheme of things so if that wall is done and they don't want to spend it to allow for the drawers, that would make sense to me.