.. Dude. Not right against the house. Molds, fungus and bug city. A little bit away from the house and not too far from a water supply. Other pluses would be out of the sun and the wind. Next, like the others indicated, lump it all together. It's kind of like a fire. If you spread it all out it's not going to burn so hot. Mix those grass clippings up with other stuff like leaves or shredded paper. Mix the stuff so the grass clippings doesn't clump up so much nor does the shredded paper. Once things start to clump up, it will slow down. Get your volume up. 3' x 3' x 3' would be nice but you can get away with smaller than that. Bigger than a trash can though. It's harder when you get down to trash can size. Keep moist. I'm in dry country and I like to water daily. If I let it go it slows down and does nothing but once I start watering it will get going again. Too much moisture is smelly mess and again basically do little. The link Kimmsr provided is pretty good. I go there myself from time to time for reference. Take a look at the bin ideas. Web search on 'Compost Bins' and you'll probably find a collection of images. Between the link and the web search you should be able to find some kind of bin arrangement that suits your situation. The last thing is to make sure it does fit your situation. Don't try to make your situation fit one prescription on how to compost. If you want to add stuff only once a month, figure out a method that works that way. If you want to add daily, figure out that approach. You will probably need to try a few things out and adjust as you see how it goes. It can be pretty or down and dirty. You can make things simple or an elaborate science project. What works best is what works for you. to sense ..

I agree that composting in place is a good idea, especially if it would enable you to keep all the material onsite instead of sending some to the landfill, saving you both time and money. The concerns you have about turning the compost and covering the bins would be important to address if you wanted compost faster or had limited space. In your case, since you're not in a hurry, you have lots of land, and what you are doing is effective, the less work the better -- I think it 'll be more productive to figure out how you can spend less time on the composting process (move piles only once, to their final locations, for instance). I have 6 compost bins and a relatively small garden plot (at a community garden, so I have to use bins). I turn them rarely, and I get good compost. Without turning, it takes a little longer. My understanding is that turning can speed up the process if you monitor temperatures daily and turn after the temperature spikes and then declines, and that otherwise turning doesn't make so much of a difference. Covering compost does help control moisture levels and help keep the compost critters warm and happy, but if it works without covers, that's ok too. I have one bin made from hardware cloth, which was drying out too much during the dry season, so I added some cardboard to keep moisture in. It's not pretty, but after one dry season, it does look like it has been very effective. Again, the cardboard sides and the cover help speed up the composting process by conserving moisture (and, to a much lesser extent, heat), but I got compost the old way, too. When I do turn my piles, it's because I see ants, which tells me there are dry spots, so I water it and then (if I have time) turn it and make sure the materials are more evenly distributed. But dry spots usually occur if I've put in a bunch of stems and twigs, and not enough small loose stuff to fill the spaces, so the stems and twigs stay dry. If I were composting only horse manure and watered as I went along, dry spots probably would not occur.

I don't think 12" is adeqaute to the left side of the sink. Here are the kitchen planning "rules" for reference. See, rule 11. From experience, we found that a 21" sink-side landing space wasn't quite adequate for handwashed items, soap dispenser, paper towels and-or coffee maker, etc. So that sink related stuff landed in the prep zone instead, which then cramped that prep space. I would do plan #2, modified. End-panel to support the countertop on the aisle-side of the dw --1", 24" dw, 27" sink-base (if available), 33" prep space, 30" range, 15" cab or drawer base and 2" filler. Plates across from the dw in drawers in the island. Where are you planning on putting the trash?

It's not a bad fireplace. I do like the rustic mantle. Am not as big a fan of painted stone as I am of painted brick but since the mortar has already been painted I might suggest you go ahead and paint the stone. JudyGdesigns suggest black. I think that might be a good choice. If there were any way you can add some rustic wood brackets below the mantle I would do that. The mantel doesn't look quite substantial enough and brackets might help that. New sconces for sure as other have suggested. Artwork and accessories would certainly help. It does look like the flooring carpet. That's seems odd in conjunction with the fireplace. Also, not sure what material your hearth is or if it is just a mat. Installing a stone hearth to match or compliment the stone of the fireplace would be ideal for me but that may not be possible. Good luck!