LL - what a fun 70's plan! Love that utility room... yours was better with the sunroom off of it though. I have to weigh all the great ideas with square footage limitations, although I have "plan fatigue" at this point... and its only been 2 weeks! I will discuss the bathroom issues with my hubby... there are only so many things I can accommodate for handicap access before he goes crazy, if you know what I mean. But that bathroom needs those bars and a decent turnaround at the very least, because having her around is just such a wonderful treat for us. Mrs Pete: I know, I know... I do have a basic lesson plan saved online, but most of the nitty gritty stuff will change from week to week, and the extra stuff that we do I want to add in as we go... and its just easier to keep the paper copy out and make notes. My situation is a little different, since we are at home ( and under more scrutiny), so I want to be ready at a moments notice to show the work and the plans. Every state and college seems to have their own requirements and I want to try and meet as many of those as I can. And the student work, which is more important, is not readily "computerized." Although I do want to invest in those paper scanners and slowly start doing that. In case of fire: those files are the first "things" I would grab, even before photos! I have 17 binders of student work so far (that's just the stuff I keep), and 14 for lesson plans (broken down by subject)... so that's alot of scanning! I'm also thinking that real schools invest in decent white boards... all mine were terrible. Next time I won't chintz out on that. ;)

You have a lot of space, it's just not working very well, esp those little lips that pass for work spaces. If you could really re-do the entire space cost effectively, that would be best, not only for now but for longterm. Can you give us a good idea of what you have in budget and how much DIY you can expend? And where you are in the nation--climate, costs, labor, etc? One problem with planning on finding antiques and useful castoffs is that you will find them a week after you quit your search and commit to a plan B. Doesn't sound as if you have the luxury of time to collect useful stuff. I like to think that our G-shaped kitchen is somewhat like a farm kitchen. We can have 4 working cooks inside without saying "excuse me." We got new oak "shaker" cabinetry by a local guy at $8,000-10,000 and $3500 for finish and installation--you can avoid much of this if you re-use your oldies and work in some additional ones or perhaps just doors, trims, etc. We had to put in new floor and walls and plumbing and electrical fittings and had to marry three wood floors and accompanying walls, which was a big expenditure in time and money. You're in a better position--not making new spaces. As you note, you don't need to follow all the fanciest choices--we sure didn't for much of our project. I like the idea of Ikea butcherblock (we have two hunks of this in beech) but don't discount the new laminate countertops either. Don't feel the need to buy new appliances right now--you can leave standard spaces and swap out your stuff later. That's what we did--hard to trash or sell a 4 yr old Energy Star refrig so we didn't put it into a custom housing. When it dies or someone decides to trade it out, it can go. We have very modest appliances; affordable white enamel in sinks and appliances. If the old cabs are salvageable, it's possible to get doors to match new units. Or give your plain slab fronts a custom paint treatment, perhaps paint with one color and add a distinctive recurrent stencil motif along the bottoms of doors or such in a complimentary color. Then if the other new unit doors are similar, the motif can be used to make them match more. It's very important to plan for the young people when they become adults, or at least adult in physical presence. What will grown up women feel like in the space--you and a subordinate or co-cook? That collision potential was the worst aspect of our old kitchen and the best part of our better planned new space. I actually like other people better in an efficient kitchen than in an inefficient kitchen, or put it another way, my old kitchen made me dislike my own family sometimes. On one of my constant tirade topics, I recommend pullout breadboards/cutting boards to expand work surfaces and plunk space. Are your countertops less than 24 inches at present or do they just seem narrow? Eliminating the 1-inch backsplash at back give you another inch of room on counter. What amp electrical service do you have and how extensive will the work be to bring everything to code if it's not there already? Will you be opening up any exterior walls? If so, insulate, insulate, insulate. Even if it costs. Since you have marked that you are moving the sink, give yourself permission to really redo the room arrangement--you're committed to plumbing costs already. Strongly urge you to visit the paint counter each time you are in a store--ask about "mistake paint." One of our vendors gives it away; others ask $5 per gallon. This stuff might give you the freedom to paint insides of cabs & closets, clean up stained areas, etc. You can try some experiments with it too. Consider a movable work/island cart as a way to expand efficiency. If the floor cleans up but still looks sad, consider stencil painting a design on it, perhaps in a classic folk motif if that's your taste. Or just checks, stripes, rectangles for rugs, whatever. There are a lot of examples to look at and a wise pattern can reinforce or define a room's visual layout--walkpaths, work zones, etc.

Hi EQ, Speaking of "as long as I can remember".. Maybe I just read your post twice and that's why I thought you had made two tables or possibly equated your apple pie recipe with making furniture, who knows. I can almost remember the days when I could remember. Senility is the "E-Ticket" of life. The un-induced double vision is like the metro bus that that awaits you on every corner. o_O I've never missed a bus in my life but sure do miss being able to see straight. At least with senility you keep forgetting you have it. You can't remember that you can't remember. I used to be able to spot things a mile away and now all I see are spots. I was reading another post where someone was talking (if I can remember correctly) about miscommunication with contractors and architects and was going to be relaxing with an "adult beverage" and the fist thing that came to mind was "yuk-!", prune juice is not what you want to be drinking if you want to relax. Then it dawned on me... Tequila. I should remember to ask my doctor about that. Not for me but for my friends so they'll talk louder so I could possibly hear them. I don't think I've ever bought a new piece of furniture that made it through the doors of my house. I have bought some Grants' specials to gift to others knowing the piece it replaced would be tossed to the curb though. It is amazing what people consider garbage. People used to think I made and refinished furniture because I enjoyed it but that was the farthest from the truth. I just like nice things and you could not buy them at G. Fox et al. So now that your table is done and you're anxious to have some people over for dinner the moment your chairs arrive what's on the menu for the christening?

kd: I am pretty positive that is a Chicago Faucet, because I have the same one in a wall mount version, and no one else (that I've seen) makes that double hinged spout. It also has the spoke style handles, instead of the lever handles. They have discontinued most of that vintage looking line (why, why, why?), but if you are interested, you can contact chicagofaucetshoppe.com and probably have them build it up for you. That line, in chrome, was not very expensive (few hundred bucks, depending on how fancy you get with the handles). They have great customer service. I couldn't find the faucet on their website, but they probably still have all the parts/pieces to make it. If you go that route, and you need a photo, I can send it to you. :-) francy