Thanks Amanda (huango) and numbersjunkie and rebunky! shifting the sink is a great idea and completely do-able. I agree, get it out of the corner. Most of the collisions happen there. :-| with a single level peninsula, I thought the that the tall skinny faucet would look odd, sticking up all by it's lonesome. Do you find that the extra counter space makes up for the not being able to hide stuff behind the second level ? good idea for more cabinet space over the fridge. that's a blind corner base cabinet to the left of the range I never thought of turning the cabinets to face out the other direction! Nope...no formal dining room. Some neighbors use the formal living room as a dining room or put a larger dining table in front of the patio door, as benjesbride suggested. the consensus is that the shorter pony wall must go. I agree! Thanks! - Mal

Well....that depends on the SUBFLOOR prep required (are you talking about in the kitchen?) and the TYPE of installation you are willing to pay for. Again, concrete must be flat/even (prefer level but don't always need it) and free of any contaminants. The preparation is the key. Did I mention the preparation? Right. That's the fist step that people want to go cheap on because no one can see the results. Yet it is the FIRST thing we, flooring professionals, POINT TO if the homeowner is upset about how a floor PERFORMS (ie. feels underfoot or is ruined by moisture coming up through the slab, etc). *Technically a wood floor can be FLOATED over the old tile in the kitchen BUT it requires flat substrate = work. Work = Time. Time = money. Carpets HIDE some wonky concrete. That's why they were used. The builders HID their AWFUL concrete underneath flexible products like sheet/glue down vinyl OR carpet. The only way to get an ACCURATE quote is to rip up the carpet and have a wood flooring professional come out and offer their quote. Even then, they will be offering a PRICE RANGE for the concrete preparation. A floating wood floor normally requires engineered wood (you can get expensive solid hardwoods that are allowed to be floated...but they are hard to find). Engineered hardwoods tend to be more expensive to purchase. A floating floor is a 'mid-price' range install. The cheapest install for wood is nail/cleat/staple down but that isn't an option because you are on concrete. A floating hardwood is the next in price (takes a bit more time and requires the use of adhesive on the edges). The MOST EXPENSIVE wood install is a GLUE DOWN OVER OLD CONCRETE. The adhesives themselves (and this is NOT included in the subfloor preparation) can range between $2-$4/sf. That's because they are used as 100% moisture barrier. These are EXPENSIVE adhesives. They can be $300 for 5 gallons and a gallon offers 30sf of floor coverage (it needs to be laid THICK to create the 100% moisture barrier). The glue down method requires a VERY knowledgeable wood flooring expert who UNDERSTANDS the adhesive, the trowel sizes, the spread rates, the 'tack up' time, etc etc etc. The adhesive can still be mucked up (and you can still have issues with moisture intrusion) by the INSTALLER if s/he doesn't get it right! And THAT'S when the REAL problems begin. A tile floor can be very expensive. A wood floor can be equally expensive. It all depends on the work needed to be done BEFORE the floors are installed. And the value you pay for in a high-quality craftsman is where you find the most money will be spent. Human sweat has a price. TALENTED sweat can be double that price.

Looks wonderful! The range hood is a piece of art.

Not sure how to respond directly... but @MaxHallmark, it is a type of calacatta marble. I fell in love with a Cristallo quartzite too, such a hard decision!