I've been hesitating to post, but I decided you need the opposite view. I hated my vinyl floor in my old kitchen. While it looked very nice for a short time after moving in, it quickly accumulated the gouges that come with dropping sharp things (knives, scissors, screwdrivers, etc.), as well as rips from moving a heavy item w/o some sort of platform under it. It also became visibly scratched over time...especially after we got our dogs (but there were plenty of scratches before then). I couldn't wait to get my tile! Yes, things do break when you drop them...but not always. I can't believe that I dropped a glass jar TWICE on our tile floor and it didn't break! But, that's definitely the exception. But, I would rather have a few things break... Our dogs don't scratch the floor either. Yes, tile is cold in the winter to walk on, but for us, we have more warm weather than cold and it was so nice to walk on in the spring/summer/fall. Even vinyl & wood are cold in the winter! (We have tile, wood, vinyl, and carpeting in our house...the only one that could be considered "warm" is the carpet!) I generally wear slippers in the winter anyway b/c I'm always cold, so it doesn't really matter. If you really hate the tile, I would look into an engineered wood floor instead of vinyl. Yes, it can get gouges, but they don't look as bad in wood and if you really want to, you can repair them...not so w/vinyl (at least not very successfully in my experience). Wood will look much nicer and be an asset when it comes time to sell...vinyl will not. If I were house hunting, I would look at any vinyl kitchen floor as a floor I would have to replace...thereby decreasing what I would be willing to pay for the house. If you do go the vinyl route, then make sure it's a good vinyl. There are several people here w/vinyl floors that don't look like typical vinyl...unfortunately, I cannot remember their user names right now!

Young- The washer is great, in fact we got a return from Lowe's, which saved us some money. It was out of the box, but never used. As the delivery guys opened the box, the lady decided she wanted a front loader! I guess they took it back, because the front loader was more expensive :) I love outdoor spaces, too. I saw on your blog that you are from the north, but now live in the south. I used to live in the south (my dad is from there) but I'm back up north now. While I like the four seasons, I could do with a little more spring and fall and a little less winter...but I do like the snow, at least for a few months. I don't miss the mosquitoes, either...we have a few here, but only in the evening in the late spring/early summer. Then the creek dries up for the most part and the mosquitoes disappear, but we have a lot of birds, who help out, too :) I think it's a great idea to reuse the items in the bathroom for the new kids' bathroom. Your master bathroom will be so nice...do you have a picture of the console sinks, you like? Also, I hope your reno man likes your plan! I think it will be wonderful and I think the stairs would work, still from the living room, but maybe just closer to the corner. You probably don't need tons of clearance, maybe 6'6" would be enough? It looks close now, and I think every stair is about 8" to 10" up, so a few more towards the edge of the living room, should give you another 18" to 24" in height...not that I'm any expert...just my best guess (LOL) Thanks again for the cupboard ideas! My planned master bedroom is about 15' x 10' with built in closets along the wall opposite the bed. I don't want to have bi fold doors, so I've been thinking of some kind of cabinet and you've given me some great ideas! :) Here's the only other closet built-in/cupboard picture I've found, that I really like...

>>a house needs a tub unless it is in a retirement community and even then, if there is more than one bathroom, it should have a tub>> Hmmmm....maybe, maybe not. I'm 65 and like the majority of my friends, prefer showers. When we remodeled our MBa it has a custom shower and a double vanity, plus a matching 6' tall linen closet. Plus an alcove with another 3-drawer cabinet in that. I'm a firm believer in lots of storage, LOL. My MIL loved baths, hated showers. When she moved to a nearby retirement facility, she had a choice - shower or bath, both with attendant. Eventually she gave up bathing for the walk-in shower, saying it was easier and faster. One reason she moved: she was terrified of falling in the bathroom during her bath, when she lived with us. We thought about putting in one of those walk-in tubs, but she did use them at the senior facility instead before she switched to the shower. It's a reasonable alternative, but forget trying to wash a dog in them [smile]. They're pretty tight-fitting inside, with the built-in seat taking up a lot of interior volume. I can tell you that when I broke my leg at age 54 (I was out gardening and fell on concrete stairs), it was IMPOSSIBLE to lift the cast high enough to step over the (rather short height) tub-shower on the main floor, at first. It was almost 5 weeks before I could do it, wrapping the cast in a plastic bag. That tub is only 16" high at the rim - but it could have been a mile high as far as trying to get into it, when disabled. My vote is double vanity, linen cabinet, shower (3x5 is ideal and I wish we had that). Add in safety bars and a good vent fan, too.

You'll have a guest house too. Cool. Our build was a little different since we were our own GC. Subbed out the shell and did the inside ourselves. But our kids enjoyed the process and learned valuable lessons along the way. My 3 year old son just loved rides in the backhoe and peeing in the (private) backyard. He was quite upset when the bathrooms were functioning and he couldn't anymore. Lol. My 8 year old daughter thought she was so grown up helping with whatever she could. They are both grown now but very handy. My son just himself finished his basment with a bathroom, game room, laundry, and kitchenette. My daughter 2 weeks ago drained her hot water tank and replaced the leaking valve. Just as with any project there comes a point where you think it will never end, but hang in there. It will be worth it in the end. Good luck and enjoy.