I hear your advice about buying an existing home and I'm definitely taking it to heart. A couple of reasons why we want to build. First, we want a rural feel and we want the indoor to transition to the outdoor through windows doors and outdoor space. The lot needs to be as private as possible with limited views of other houses etc. We also want room for sports stuff - throwing the ball, soccer etc. and we want a garden and possibly some domesticated animals. The houses in our area are often old farmhouses that are 150-200 years old that were remodeled at various points over the years. There are few houses with an open floor plan with kitchen and great room open. These houses do not have a lot of windows overlooking nature. We entertain, but do not feel the need for a formal dining room, which many houses have. A lot of these houses have pie staircases which are not easy to navigate or accommodate large furniture. We want a full basement for kids. Many of these houses have dirt basements. One of the big things is that many of these houses are not very energy efficient because they were built so long ago. We found a house we really like, but it's on a completely wooded lot. We found a couple of great lots, but one of the houses had low ceilings and the other was just too funky with the remodel trying to incorporate the old style (think really small rooms with fireplaces plastered over). Maybe we're picky? Having completely rehabbed the house we live in now, we have a lot of experience choosing finishes and figuring out floor plans etc. We know what we like and we are hesitant to make this big move and get something that will not meet all of our needs.

That seems reasonable for outside of NYC. For our house, we originally received a quote of $83,000 for a kitchen and 3 baths (w/ lots of glass and custom features in the kitchen). Of course, we are like an hour away from Lancaster PA and because of our location, to me that was unreasonable. So, we found a person who makes better quality cabinets (all completely handmade, all wood, etc. etc.) and the price came down. If I were you though, I would not only get one quote, no matter how great these people seem. We got 6 quotes and there was such a huge discrepancy in the quotes we got (I'm talking a range of like $40,000-$50,000 differences from company to company, and the most expensive was NOT the best.) I would ask your GC if he can recommend a second company to do a comparison (our builder was the one who sent us to the first expensive person and also the one who sent us to the company we are ultimately going with). People on here may also be able to recommend someone to you. It doesn't hurt anything for you to at least get a second opinion....

We're in the western suburbs. On the recommendation of our GC We used Northstar cabinets in Posen (for kitchen, mudroom and 4 bathrooms) and were very happy with them. This was 3 1/2 years ago. http://www.northstarcabinet.com/ (I did try going through them last summer for an additional mudroom cabinet and had a hard time getting a quick response, so I don't know if that was due to it being just a small order or what.) A friend of mine is a designer who has done several kitchens in the western suburbs and north shore. She uses Brakur and has been very happy with them: http://www.brakur.com/ Finally, 3 people I know used Amish cabinet builders and got beautiful cabinets for what they felt was a really good price. Their contact was Mike Spence so I Googled him and found him here: Amish-Craft 400 Elm Street Humboldt, IL 61931 (217) 856-3811 HTH

Personally, I would take the route where I do nothing and lower the price accordingly. I would get a few contractors to give you a ballpark estimate for the cost of improvement that you are considering. Then price the house (townhome) such that it would be about that much less than what you would have gotten with the improvements. The total take home amount is the same to you since you did not outlay the improvement cost. From the descriptions, I would say the cost will add up quickly if you are paying someone else to do the work. Try to sell the house as-is with the lowered price toward the end of your stay. If you sell it without the work, then great. Otherwise, take the house off the market, and you can do the work once you move out. I think the work will go alot more smoothly when the house is empty. Also, factor in what you are willing to take as the "lesser price of the house" so that you are spared of the hassle of organizing workers with little ones around. That way, you know that there is a dollar value associated with the hours that will cost you. This will also lower the price of the house. For some, this is 0 and other it may be tens of thousand of dollars. Only you know what this value is. Depending on the neighborhood, the house without the improvements will be enough of a bargain where you will have NO trouble selling. Talk to a good realtor and get a feel for the value of "improvements" in determining the price of the house. Remember bargain-priced entry-level houses move quickly.