Welcome to Kitchens! Do you need the peninsula? Is there a reason for it? Have you considered an "L" with the range on the "top" wall and the sink on the right wall (using the drawing w/dimensions to determine left/right, top/bottom)? Here are some ideas. I tired to keep the plumbing as close as possible to the original location. Oh, in all except Layout #3, the counter run along the right wall is 27" deep with 15" deep uppers. This gives you a bit more workspace on the counter and quite a bit more storage in the upper cabinets. You'd be surprised how much of a difference those 3" make in upper cabinets! The cabinet above the sink is farther off the surface and could be a dish rack for both utilitarian as well as aesthetic value. .. .. .. This one is probably my favorite... Plenty of prep space, plenty of room around the range, decent pantry space, and more open. I'm of two minds concerning the MW. It could be put in the corner as I show it, but it could also be a MW drawer in the 24" cabinet to the left of the range. In the corner, it gives you the full height of the 24" cabinet for storage. In the drawer, it opens up the counter completely and is more open. (That cabinet to the left of the range must be drawers. If it has doors, you'll need around an 1" of filler b/w the wall and cabinet so the cabinet might have to be narrower...assuming full-overlay or frameless cabinets.) Here it is with the primary zones marked (I put a MW drawer in this one so you could see it): Why a double-bowl, 36" wide sink? Because (1) it allows you to use one bowl for prepping and one for dirty dishes and (2) the larger bowl can be 21" wide...approx the same width you would get using a single-bowl, 24" wide sink base. Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!

What to do? I want the job done right and it shouldn't have to be on my expense. do you own your condo?? If the management company is pressured to do the job, how much insulation should they replace? they may only replace what has been damaged. Should they replace the muddy/dirty insulation in addition to the matted and scattered insulation? doubtful they will remove insulation. What thickness or R rating required to use? depends on your location as to what R-value is required. in my hot humid climate we insulate to R-30 to R-38 Should they vacuum the area after taking out damaged and before placing new insulation? At this time, I am not sure if there is feces up there. they prolly wont vacume old stuff out. lots of attics with feces..rats birds, and in your case racoon. as long as it stays in the attic I wouldn't worry about it. just my .02 best of luck

Thanks. sorry long. Last long post. Hope you like talking about ground covers. This isn't sand by the way. I think pachysandra, vinca minor, and English ivy are by far cheaper and easier to get as plugs vs the ones suggested but I have to call around if that option is perused by the homeowner after we talk. I've seen unmaintained pachysandra in NJ under maples and it wasn't bad. Saplings can be cut/pulled when reach about a foot tall. But I read others say they get thousands of saplings and that preen or corn meal gluten pre-emergent would be needed, neither of which is an option for this house. They only want organic but don't want to spend on corn meal gluten every year which can get pricy. But anyway, in full sun like we're talking, I read pachysandra will grow poorly or die if the soil conditions etc aren't great and without watering or fertilizer and mulch (you can mulch it at first but it will turn to soil in a few years but then you can sprinkle more mulch or bagged mulched grass/leave mowings etc after to keep the moisture in and not need to water as often). the same full sun situation goes for English ivy but I read it might do a bit better in full sun than pachysandra. I don't know the USDA zones those people are in though who claim this, could be hotter there and more likely to do poorly. With poor growth in full sun, weeds can take over easier, and it won't recuperate as easy from winter stress especially with lots of full un-mulched leaves falling into it which will happen at this house. I read Vinca aka vinca minor, aka vinca bowels aka periwinkle does good in full sun (and dense shade), and it's cheap. But I read it spreads like crazy underground and don't want it to take over the existing shrubs in front of the house or the neighbors' lawns. It's an invasive problem in the woods and stuff in parts of the country becoming a mono crop type problem. Although here's a picture of it next to grass and I see none in the grass but maybe they are killing it selectively with a broadleaf-only killer. http://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/2771/ Pachysandra also spreads underground but I don't think I've ever seen it take over or even show up in a bordering lawn where no herbicides were used. This thread seems really incorrect: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1917442/my-neighbor-planted-vinca-minor Basically someone was worried their neighbor's new vinca minor lawn would take over their perennials and shrub yard. I read vinca minor is a rhizome but Someone replied "Since vinca spreads by rooting along its stems, just pull up the plants that venture outside the bounds. It is far easier to deal with than aggressive groundcovers that spread by rhizomes or underground stolons like ivy, hypericum, gallium or lamiastrum". And they said just a stout river rock border would keep it contained, and that it doesn't self seed, which I'm not sure if it does or not. don't want thousands of these seeds blowing on the neighbors' laws and growing. I'm reading a lot of articles/people say you need roundup or lots of vinegar and digging etc to contain vinca. This homeowner doesn't want to use roundup or any chems but they are okay with vinegar. I wonder if they just need maybe a few $3 gallons of vinegar each year and a sprayer to contain about 300 feet of vinca minor edges. I read vinca is really tough though even against roundups. Home Guides has an article saying you can just use 3" landscaper plastic edging and it will stay contained. People on forums said it will grow up and over no mater how high the border is but said they just mow it back and it stays contained. Maybe just an electric weedwacker can be used to scalp the edges once a month by the homeowner. This person says they maintain the edges simply by mowing and it looks great. http://tallcloverfarm.com/1398/periwinkle-vinca-major-covers-a-lot-of-ground With grass, if someone doesn't want to water, I still suggest to water it at least a full year (with an inch all at once, once per week, rain included) because that will grow deep roots and make it less likely to get wiped out in a drought once they stop watering. But if it still dies it doesn't take much to slice seed grass again for decent results (won't look like they spent thousands on sod or did follow up slice seedings and aerations every couple years with just one slice seeding but it will be decent). I would give the same watering recommendation for groundcover, preferably more than a full year until the watering stops and also to water some in mid summer if hasn't rained. I think the homeowner's goal is equally: -to be environmental and not need water or fertilizer once established and not have mow or pay for mowing or need much maintenance, especially with machines/mowing - them just hand pulling/pruning once or twice a year is okay. -have a cool looking yard The back yard and side also they wanted groundcover, and adds like 5X more to the Sq footage, so I think either way they will have to mow because I doubt they'll splurge for doing the whole yard as groundcover (all but the front main area we've been discussing is shady though so pachysandra would do fine for the rest). Maybe I'll till the front this year, put 3" fresh free woodchips, plant vica and then next year or the one after, I'll till the back and sides and propagate the same vinca. they have a wooded area in the back so they have to make sure it doesn't take over the whole thing back there also. A good point: Meaning that in the back where there's woods, they should leave a good ten feet as lawn how it is now and prune it back there to not let it get into the wooded area "You mention that mowing seems to keep them controlled; I believe that to be true. It is when they are established next to, or in a woodland that they go crazy, choking out native plants of all sizes. I would humbly suggest that they should be used only in areas where their growth can be limited by mowing on all sides or contained by features such as pavement areas" http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/06/vinca-flower/ I think the only thing left I have to research is if it can get all weedy if not re-mulched every few years. It can I read but I have to see if there are certain situations that make this more prone to happening - I think a lot of these people might have just not used enough mulch to start while the vinca was establishing and ended up with dense patches or weeds. Weeds would be fine, just don't want the weeds to actually take over the vinca, like grow taller than it and look like 1.5 foot of weeds. so many people are like snobs against vinca. looks good to me http://www.lodi.watersavingplants.com/GardenWorks/Photos/396.jpg and is a win win for no watering or mowing or chems etc any input thanks again

'Baltimore Belle' is looking glorious right now, despite the light rain we're getting. I couldn't help but take a few pics. The first two were taken while I was standing on my front porch, so it's what I see as soon as I step outside my front door. To me, its scent is just like 'Marie Pavie', which I have growing a few feet away from it, and which has just finished its first flush of the year. These two pics were taken from the walk to the neighbors' front steps. And this last pic shows some buds on Clematis 'Sweet Summer Love' nestled within 'Baltimore Belle' and getting ready to open soon. I've come to notice that 'Sweet Summer Love' gets a bit lost when it blooms, because usually 'Baltimore Belle' has nearly finished by then. I wanted something white up there to set that background again, so this year I planted Clematis 'Huldine' to join them. I won't expect much for another year or two from this, however, being as 'Huldine' came as a small plant, and needs to get settled in there. But some other Clematis I which I also got from Bluestone Perennials' end-of-Spring sale seem to be putting out a lot of growth, so maybe 'Huldine' will surprise me. That's all for today. I'll be at the cemetery tomorrow to finish mulching that first bed, and scouting some areas for the roses I have ready to go there. The paved area of my back yard is getting rather filled with potted things, and I need to clear some space soon. :-) ~Christopher