rhome: Yes, the Feb. 22 version is the one being worked up. The little yellow band is the current opening to the LR, which will be widened to 11 feet (almost to the little brown closet). Also we will probably shorten the island from the current 8 feet to about 6.5. I had not really thought of things the way you describe, probably because I never have used a prep sink. I wasn't really planning on using this one much - that was my wife's idea, I figured I would use the main sink. Perhaps my tune would change if I had the option, but the concept of a separate prep and clean-up area is foreign to me. Would swapping the prep sink and the microwave make more sense? The only alternative is moving the fridge down and putting the window on the other side of it, but that leaves no light coming in that corner and a big window next to a really big door. As for running into people helping cook or doing cleanup: does that *really* happen in other peoples' kitchens? I should have such problems!! holli: Thanks for the plan and comments. I wish I had the extra width to have a pantry on the one side. I am still debating the small closet we have in that space. We may put that in the adjoining living room to keep a clean line along that wall/sightline. Your distances between prep fridge and stove are similar; do you find them problematic? Also: Does the dining area serve as your dining room? If so, how is that working out for you? Thanks, all!

xantippe, it's no longer a double door house..that is our oddball window, and the one that concerns me about accenting the window trim. It doesn't have the wide trim around it that the other windows have, it's also longer than the other windows. I've thought about gray, but I was thinking that I wanted a change..since the white already looks gray :) I love deeper colors on houses (and not just because of road grim..something about them just has always appealed to me) Bulldinkie, living in Pa is so wonderful for driving around looking at all of the old houses. It's always been our dream to own one, and now here we are...living in our very own money pit..lol! kindred ny, we have tossed around the idea of extending the porch..I love the idea! We'll have to see what the budget dictates when we get to that part of the renovation. One thing is for sure though...I HATE the hip roof on the porch...so whether we extend or not, the porch redo will have a shed style roof and not a hip roof! Since I took the pictures last week, I painted the front door and front storm door red...it does a bit to perk up the front but mostly it just makes the rest of the paint on the house and porch look sadder :) How stupid would it look if I painted the trim around the windows and the oddball window didn't have the same treatment? Any ideas on what I could do to camouflage ...or should I perhaps just accept it as part of the quirkiness of the house?

I can't really tell what is going on with that larger second story window, but if you have the budget, I would change it out to match the style of all the other windows. Agree with ditching the too-small-to-be-attractive shutters, but I would beef up the trim around the windows in their place. Paint the downspouts to blend in with the siding. I think a porch across at least the original living space side would be nice, if you don't mind having the windows shaded (I would miss sun coming in my front windows). Because of the poor quality photo, I can't tell what that is in between the overgrown shrub and the front door. In any case those shrubs need to be replaced with a mix of evergreens, perennials, flowering shrubs that won't grow above the windowsills (unless you can keep up with pruning) - probably you can get help with a plan at a local nursery.

Thomas you are probably right about not disturbing the area above the french drain. If the mulch is working, fine...if it ain't broke, don't fix it....and you do have a pronounced slope to the foundation. I can only imagine how wet this area was before the installation. I would also be cautious about plant roots getting into the drain system and plugging it up, they grow so fast and are tenacious. Any of these suggested plantings should be placed well away from the drain. I found this quote and a link: "you should know how to keep roots away from French drains. As you know, plants need a consistent source of nutrients and water. Since French drains handle water all the time, it is easy for the surrounding plants to gain access to the water within the French drain piping. This results in damage and clogging. Ultimately, the roots will keep the French drain from performing adequately." https://www.bio-septic.net/roots-french-drains/