Thanks, lavender! We don't have a furniture plan, really. It had been a outdoor porch (hence the step down from the rest of the place) that had had the screens replaced by windows. It's heated by an electric baseboard heater that you turn on with a knob on the wall (and then hear $$$ flying out the dozens of windows...). There's a huge sliding glass door from the current DR/new kitchen area, which we pretty much keep closed in the winter, and open in the summer when it is our (my) gardening dumping ground. Making it into a real room is basically adding a whole new room on to the house, and we're not really sure WHAT to do with it. We'll probably put a table and chairs near the bumpout on the long wall, but that leaves a lot of empty space. Because it will be so sunny, I'd like there to be some plants, probably mostly herbs, in there - but again, it leaves a lot of empty space. Thoughts on how to fill it, anyone? :)

jane ny, I was in a similar situation last year. For me the sequence was paint first, then flooring, then baseboards, But it looks like you may have baseboards already installed. Painting first worked for me because I did it myself and there were spatters on the subloor before I was finished. You might want to check on whether your subfloor is indeed covered with plywood, because you may need an underlayment before installing your floor, depending on what you choose. Best to check where you buy the flooring. With some help from a friend who knew what he was doing and owns a Skill Saw, I installed a plywood underlayment in less than two hours. I too wanted tile with a slate or similar look, but the room was already over budget (long story) and I chose to spend my money on high end French doors because the floor could always be changed later. I got some advice from the flooring forum while deciding. You can always post a message there before you proceed. We narrowed floor choices down to either loose-laid sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles. My friend chose the tiles because the color and pattern seemed to fit well in the sunroom/porch. The original intention was to keep those tiles for about a year while I shop for tile and find a good tile installer. But the floor has held up well, despite some abuse like beach sand, rain coming in when some airhead (

I go with the sunroom, too, and here's why. You can build a shed for cheap at some point, and until then you'll probably keep one car inthe driveway, and all the bikes and basketballs in the garage along with the yard and snow tools. The sunroom will make a great playroom while the little ones are little. I've seen that sunroom with nothing in it but a low-pile play rug and Lego. Or balls. Or plastic hockey sticks. Or those big Little Tykes (slide, trikes, trains) Or Hot Wheels. Or dollhouses. Or art projects (easy-to-clean tile floor). Usually just one or two of those. But a great playspace, near you but not, outdoors but not. After they are done with those types of toys, it can be dining space and added living space. You don't need the shed until Boy #1 gets a car. Oops, didn't mean to scare ya lol! Upstairs, I wonder if you can steal some space from the game room to make a reach-in closet for Bedroom 2, and use its walk-in closet to expand the bathroom. 5 boys will need more counterspace, more drawer storage, and (I can't believe I'm saying this, I'm usually a 1-sink gal) 2 sinks. Downstairs, consider eliminating the study closet and adding a shower to the powder room.

Painting the whole house gray in a northern climate seems contrary to the warm, livable space you're trying to create. On dull, rainy, snowy days it may not be what you're looking for. With your beautiful, warm-colored floor I would look for a color that is warm in a light tone. You certainly don't want beige, but more something along the lines of a warm white tone. Gray has been so overused that it's quickly becoming dated, and the new trend now is color, so you might want to rethink your choice. I would look for beautiful rugs in warm colors (Oriental rugs are considered neutral and can be used with any style of furniture) and base your furniture choices and accent colors on that. You need to decide on your furniture layout before buying anything and measure the areas where you want your couch to go, for instance, so that you don't buy one that's too large for your space. Pay attention to the depth which on modern couches is often ridiculously deep (like 48 inches) and look for ones that are more along the lines of 35 to 36 inches. Buy leather only if you love it (and please DO NOT pick dark brown or black leather that goes with absolutely nothing in the room). Pick light, warm tones that will marry well with beautiful rugs and pillows. A warm-colored beige is a good option. One couch and two chairs, with the chairs in a different style (although the heights should pretty well match) would be a good start. A glass and metal coffee table would make your space look larger, and then you can have wood side tables (which don't have to match each other but should be close in height). This gives you the basics and you can then buy pillows based on the rug colors, and you'll want to add books and paintings to finish the look. Large plants are always a good accent; small plants should be grouped together if used at all since they have little impact in a large space.