Lowe's may have seeds year round from what I've been told. They won't be clearance racking any of those this year. We've got orders to keep the shelves stocked and neatly organized. I think it has something to do with the economy. I've already started collecting my own seeds. I'm not saving them yet, but spreading them where I want more of something next year. I'll start collecting once the breadseed poppies are ripe.

The problem with the current range location is not just that there is no landing/workspace to the left of it...it's also that it's right in the main passage through the house. I strongly encourage you to at least change the range location--and vent it externally :-) What are your countertops? If they're laminate, I think you can redo them fairly inexpensively (at least compared to stone or solid surface!) Besides, you have to put in a new countertop on the peninsula and to the left of the refrigerator (unless those are tall cabinets, but you seem to have upper cabinets there, so I'm not sure what you're doing there). Moving the island: How big is your FR? From the looks of it, I don't think you can afford to lose the space in the FR that you will need to move the island into it. Have you considered making the FR's left exterior wall flush w/the MBR & MBA walls? That would give you more FR space and still give you that staggered look, if that's what you're looking for (don't move the Office wall). OTOH, if you don't care about the staggered look, perhaps you should just make that left exterior wall flush the entire length...I would think it would be less expensive or at least the same cost since you don't have to build in the "stagger"...but I'm not a home builder, so I could be wrong. I've seen, however, that whenever you deviate from simple straight lines it costs more! Think about placing the Office door...from which room will you be going to/from the Office the most? That will determine where best to put the door. I suspect it will be the FR, but I don't know that. If you have 2 doors, you're taking precious wall space for your computer, bookshelves, etc. Where is the front door? Your layout doesn't show that. Is there an alternate entrance that family uses (e.g., Garage door)? BTW...if you're going to be buying new cabinets for the island and pantry, I'm not sure it's cost effective to do the kitchen in phases like this. Unless you plan to reuse your cabinetry in phase 2, which is probably doubtful if you plan to redesign the kitchen altogether, then I think you might be better off saving your money now b/c cabinetry is not cheap...it's usually the most expensive part of a remodel (~50% of a remodel cost). I would consider taking down the FR wall to the counter level of your current wall of cabinets and leaving the base cabinets as-is (obviously you will have to take down the upper cabinets when the wall comes down). OR, if phase 2 is soon, perhaps leave the kitchen intact for now and take the wall down with phase 2...that way you don't lose storage now. For pantry room, consider putting in shelving to get you by for now. If you do take down the wall, then you could get inexpensive laminate countertops for now and even put in a small overhang. Then you could also switch the range w/at least one of your existing cabinets and put in the same countertops on that wall that you are putting in the island. Is your range currently vented to the outside? If it is, then moving it now may be problematical...OTOH, moving it now while new exterior walls & ceilings are going up may be more cost effective...of course that means you have to finalize your kitchen's design now rather than later so you know where to place the duct work for the vent....tough decision here! If you just put in shelving to the left of the refrigerator for now you will not need new countertops there. Laminate is usually inexpensive enough that you could probably replace the countertop to the right of the refrigerator to match the new counters on the "island". I think there is a lot to think about...sorry if I'm making this more difficult, but I thought you would want a frank assessment....

sdkath, My husband and I are in the process right now. He even took on the task himself of the plumbing and electrical. that is the only thing we regret. Not because it was difficult, just a lot of work on his part working 10 hours a day and then coming home and working more. We started late July and are almost finished. What makes us think 20% is that our lowest quote was 38K and we are doing it for 20k. Ours is simple, free form, a couple rock ledges, play deck, seat, no water falls, etc. but we love it and it's going to be great for us. I agree, do your homework......Most subs are eager to help and they know all the steps them selves and know all the other subs. Take them a glass of tea, pull up a chair and talk to them about their work when they are there and pick their brain for other subs for the other steps. Schedule work for the days you can be there, Since ours was simple, each step was a one day process for each sub. A lot of PB's will help with owner builds now in our area because it's so popular. I think folks are catching on.....Make sure they have a license and get a signed agreement and quote before you start work. Never pay until all work is completed. If someone needs money up front they probably don't pay their bills and don't have the credit to get your materials. The most important part is a soils test if required in your area and good engineering for your plans. The rest of the steps are pretty simple.

Whooooaaaahhhhh, to quote Keanu Reeves. I would LOVE that...but our ceilings are only 96". Insert frowny-face emoticon here. Waiting for ModernAire to open in CA so we can call. Here's my dilemma. PLEASE help me solve it so I can have this hood. We can use an 8" duct for this. MA said it will affect performance at the higher speeds, but with 1200 cfm already overengineered, I can live with that. That means we can fit it into a 10"-high soffit. The hood is 18" and the range is 36", which means the bottom of the hood will sit only 32" above the range. It's 24" deep, which I think is okay since the Lacanche juts out past 24" (28.25" is the depth with the spacer, I think). Is 32" too low? I asked the GC the other day about minimum clearances and he said that it's a minimum of 36". So today when we discussed this and I asked him to talk to the fire inspector before I order, he said that if it doesn't work, we'll figure it out later. Ummm, no. Oooh, good news...I'm on the phone with DH, who just talked to MA and they can make it 14" high instead of 18", which means the bottom will be at 36" so we should be okay. Now...I know that it's better to have the hood extend over the sides for max capture. The range is almost 40" wide. We were planning to order the 48" but I'm wondering how often I'm going to smack my head into the corner of the hood. Should I order the 40" instead?