HI all, I appreciate the comments. I'm totally stuck with what to do, but want a reasonable plan so I can get apples to apples price comparisons (even if I tweak it later, after deciding on someone). So, in reply: Florantha - I think you are suggesting a door that would swing all the way open and stack back against itself, or having one that opens 90 degrees up against a cabinet? I think the stacking back against itself might be the best, but then that messes up the table because you need more clearance in the center for that rather than for one that opens to 90 degrees. (I hope that made sense, maybe it will in my pix). It is workable if we move the table a bit off center off the door though, I think. Cangelmd - We plan to do a hood over the cooktop/rangtop that has a mantel shelf on it, so because of that, we like it centered on the wall (or on the counterspace) between where we'll put the wall ovens (against the wall) and the wall with the sink on it. But I can see how that would give you a nice long run of counterspace. By moving the ovens over, and the panty to be next to the fridge, we do increase the space between the sink and the cooktop, which should be great prep space. Ideagirl2 - I see now! So move the door to where the fridge is. I see. Well, we worry about moving too many appliances because of the cost, but that is an interesting idea. I'm still thinking about that one. So, what I've done is this: I moved our little desk and shelf out of the kitchen by the knee wall to see what it would look like empty, moved the table to where it would have to be for the new door to open well, moved the desk to the FR (where I now sit!), and moved the shelf unit to mimic a very short penisula just to get a feel for things. This is what I'm thinking of: I think doing the SMALL penisula and SMALL island (which would be a table or on caster - i.e., not fixed) would give me more counterspace and a nice place for a couple of people to sit. Also, removing the cabinets/desk to the right of the patio door would save lots of money from the estimates I've already gotten. So, living with this for a day tells me: I like the penisula, and it would work with our "island" (currently mocked up by our Pottery Barn Kids table and a chair). But - the area to the right of the patio door looks bare, empty, and loney! Does adding the penisula make the kitchen END there? If so, will it look dumb to have a cabinet (floor to ceiling, same top styling as above the penisula for symmetry) in that empty corner next to the patio door, as in this: My fear is that doing TOO much next to the patio door, like this: will make the kitchen too crowded and full. It's really not a big area, and I fear putting TOO much into it (plus that's much more money of course). Do you think the middle layout above is a possibiity? Or by adding the penisula, does that end the kitchen and I shouldn't have the cabinet to the right of the door? If so, I think the next best option might be to remove the penisula, not do the desk, but do a cabinet in the corner to the right of the patio door which matches one of the left of the door. This is so difficult. Thanks for any comments anyone has! Piglet

We generally lounge in the living room with the laptop and iPad while watching tv. I take the iPad with me wherever, be it the kitchen for a recipe, up to the library (I know, sounds grand, but it's just a 9x13 bedroom I converted), or outside. They slide under the couch when not in use. We also have a desktop in the office (another converted bedroom, we only need 1 and have 3). DH mostly uses that for things like paying the bills, photo editing since he is really into that and it needs tons of processing capacity, and I use it when I need to print things. Someday I will updat my iPad software so I can print, but I've got other stuff to do. We also have assorted cords for things on every window sill downstairs. I am trying to find a place for a charging station thanks to GW. I would LOVE to get all that stuff organized and tucked away. I think the above suggestion to think about why you gravitate to the current location will help a lot with where to put a computer area in the new space. For me, since I do not currently have a job that requires me to tote a laptop around, it's not a big issue. Plus between residency and traveling to assorted professional meetings I have become pretty good at balancing a computer at just about any angle. Being tied to a set spot with an actual chair to sit upright in feels a bit boring now. I also like to multitasking my time wasting/procrastinating.

If you have enough in your budget, you could always get an iPad and a Kindle. You can sync the Kindle with the iPad and then use the Kindle when you don't want to lug around the iPad. If you have 3G with the iPad you may not need it with the Kindle, depending on how you want to use your devices. I like surfing with my iPad (and you can listen to music, watch netflix movies etc with it), but prefer reading on a dedicated eReader with eInk. I currently have an iPad and a Sony. I only like reading on the iPad when I'm at home and can control the lighting because the glare is an issue with a glass screen. I've been thinking of getting a Kindle to sync with my iPad for my Kindle editions. Between the three devices I would have everything I need for reading Kindles or library books (which I would use my Sony for). I noticed Gutenberg is now posting quite a few of their classics in both ePub (supported by all the eReaders except Kindle) and the Kindle formats. As far as using an iPad for things other than reading... you cannot print (that I know of) with it, and you have limited editing and formatting capabilities, but it works for most limited applications I would use it for. I loath cell phones and PDAs... I have a very simple cell (not a PDA) and I only use it for emergencies. If you only want one device that is more than just a dedicated eReader, iPad makes sense. However, there are more hybrid tablet/eReaders that are coming out shortly, so maybe sitting tight to see what happens is a good idea, too.

Thanks! I'm kind of ambivalent about starting a thread on this.* But that's not why I posted them, I'm having tech issues. I sent these pics to my prospective builder, as jpegs in-line in an email, and they appear to him as large black blocks. When he clicks on them, nothing happens. But I can see them in my "sent" email, and when I click on them, they open in a new, larger window. And of course, all of you seem to see the pics just fine. So I don't know what's going on. I can't seem to receive any emails from him either, even though I receive other emails. I suspect my earthlink and his yahoo are having some sort of security issues with each other, but I'm still researching. * ETA: I'm not sure I'm up for a full-blown design feedback thread right now, although I surely appreciate the kind words very much. It takes a lot of energy, and at the moment all heck has suddenly broken out here at scone central. Can I say maybe later on that? And I've already promised to start another thread, although I can't remember what it was supposed to be about! Brain not work. Oooh, hang on, I just had a coherent thought for once! I'm going to send these jpegs to my DH at work, and see if he has the same problem the builder is having. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ETA: I just got an email from DH saying he thinks he's fixed it. Here's what he says, in case anyone runs into this issue: Your email problem should now be fixed. There was a configuration problem on your account – there was a forward to “loop”. My old yahoo accounts seem to have gone away so I can’t test by sending from one of those. I have also upgraded the amount of storage you get on the server so that there won’t be any problem even sending/receiving really big files. scone here. Hopefully that gets the job done. It's odd, though, because Houzz didn't have any problem with the size of these files. I have no idea what "forward to loop" means.