Tinker - I really respect your willingness to keep as much of the home as you could. It is absolutely beautiful and exactly the style I would choose as well. We're just finishing picking fixtures for our new addition and fell in love with that style of schoolhouse fixture you put in the kitchen. I love your kitchen! That would be a dream space for me. And the laundry - oh, the laundry! In theory, I agree with totsuka. I think that the bar has been raised in this country, and many people are putting upgrades in their kitchens and baths that aren't necessary. It would be silly to put granite countertops in our modest bungalow, but I think some home buyers expect it. HGTV or whatever has made us think that somehow cooking on certain surfaces is mandatory. I was struck when I lived in England how dingy that carpet often was and how home dwellers didn't seem to notice. I appreciate that sense that if it works it's okay even if it isn't current. Maybe I misread the aesthetic there, but I had the sense they had lower expectations, at least in my circles. Not everything had to be perfect, and people were used to living in older spaces. But having said that, what you did is extraordinary. And if you have the money, I think home improvement is one of the most satisfactory ways to spend your money, especially if you are committed to restoring rather than renovating.

One more question, should I expect the contractor to provide an actual price for the demo, flooring, etc. or is it reasonable to just expect an estimate that may fluctuate based on what's found behind the walls? You need to ask the contractor what his 'reasonable' estimate is. Addtionally, you need to think through what is acceptable to YOU. The more room you have in your budget, the greater the risk that you can take to let prices fluctuate. I generally start the remodel without a firm budget and let everything fluctuate. I have done multiple large remodels in my current house. I decide for each line item if it is worth the price to me or not. My budget is quite generous by most people's standards. If you are in a situation where if you run out of money then you can't finish the house/kitchen, my way of handling the budget would not be advised. (Imagine for yourself: I moved the doorway but I don't have the money to pay for the countertop that I wanted....) If your budgeted amount is close to the contractor's original estimate, I would not let things fluctuate. The risk if too great that your house would NOT be finished. I have seen multiple situations of this in my neighborhood.

As someone who has done alot of wallpapering over the years (probably too much!), I don't think I would turn the corner and paper the edges of the window because of condensation and cold weather (if that is applicable at all) as it will just become "unglued" over time. I've always just done the walls (not wrapping the corners) near the windows. I always had some kind of window covering that covered the sides and top of the window, though, so it wasn't necessary to cover the inside of the window. That being said, if cold and condensation isn't an issue, I think it would look really nice to see it like that!

I once had a very long, dark, narrow hallway I loved. Our first real home, half of a mission-style duplex in Hollywood. All bedrooms opened off it and had windows to the south, so THEY were beautifully sunny. It jogged at one end to the bath, so views toward both ends were of blank walls. We were such poor kids that I focused every cent on the rest of the unit and did absolutely nothing in the hall, literally the original bare bulb on the ceiling as the only detail. Not that I'm recommending that, but the cool quiet (wall-to-wall in this days) "minimalism" set off all the sunny prettily decorated other rooms extremely well and, not least vice versa. It made a pleasurable transition because it was so different, and I even sat down in there now and then just to enjoy its special quiet-far from the busy life everywhere else inside and outside on the street. All a way of leading up to the idea: could your hall be developed to serve as a wonderful complement to the rooms that open off it?