Window bumpout...It's what, if the house wasn't already up, I'd ask for. But, I'm sure it's too late. Is the window over the sink at least counter-height? (Probably not b/c it takes more effort and precision to do a counter-height window than one that's "around" 6" or so above the counter.) Laundry Room...we put our W/D in the basement to gain a pantry in the kitchen when we built. It's been over 15 years and I'm still OK with laundry in the basement. When I get older, I may not feel that way, but I'm hoping that b/f we retire we can add a first-floor master suite plus Laundry Room addition out the back of the house...but that will have to wait until our children grow up and get through college. See if the builder will be willing to rough in the hot & water connections and a drain for the washer; also a vent for the dryer, if possible. You'll also need a 220(?) outlet for the dryer. (Refreshed this time!) Did she change the upper cabinet to a full-depth cabinet (i.e., 24" deep instead of 12")? If so, I'd say it's worth it if it's in the budget. MW Drawer...if there's no island yet, why do they have to "make space" for it? It should fit in a 24" cabinet (24"x24") It may cost more, though, for it to be modified to take the MW drawer. Mine had to be. Basically, it takes up the top and middle drawer positions in the cabinet with a drawer underneath. Oh, I think the "make space" comment was to modify the cabinet to fit it. $700-$800 is steep...it should be more like $400 (that's what it cost me and someone else who posted here about it last week). [I've linked to the installation tips for installing a MW drawer in a stock 24" cabinet, i.e., no "customization" prior to what they tell you to do in the installation instructions.] The cost of the electric is probably the cost of the dedicated circuit...I think Code requires built-in MWs be on their own circuit...but I'm not sure. Here's the thing about builders...if they don't want to do something, they often jack the price up so high that either you won't do it (what they want) or if you do, they make a killing on it. That sounds like what's happening here. How are you or our DH's DIY skills? Could you have them install the electric and then you or your DH install the MW drawer? Here is a link that might be useful: Installation Tips - 24'' in 24'' Face Frame Cabinet

Silver Quite interesting reading. I have thought about EX and how he must feel about DD, or any woman that has been in his life. I do understand the conceptual thinking behind the term "limerance". I had a man that I felt that way about once. I never told him, figuring that if he felt anything for me he would approach me. There were a few mixed signals, I thought but he never made an attempt that was something that I knew for sure showed he was interested in me. He had enough chances to do that and he didn't. He thought of me as a friend or sister I guess. Or he would have gone for a little "roll in the hay" if I would have. He even introduced me to a girlfriend that he began dating and ended up getting her pregnant and they later married. Ouch! With EX's past ( if what he has said is true ) he undoubtedly has great fear of rejection. Again, if what he says is true, he wanted my DD to stay with him, build a future with him and he wanted a family with us. There are too many things though that are negatives to the success of their relationship that he is completely out of touch with which makes me think that he has a break with normal thought processes. This is evident with other actions...his extensive lying and his criminal behavior. My DD did not want to marry or have children ( my goodness, she is only 20 ) and he did. Very much in fact. I don't know that she will ever change her mind but he had said that he would rather have had her and no kids than to not have her at all. I don't know that it would have been something he could have easily lived with though. The age difference is something that was too vast....11 years...when dealing with her age group. Had they met when she was in her 30's or 40's or older then it would not have been as big a deal. I am sorry for him when it comes to honest, heartfelt feelings that he might have had for my DD. The fact that he could install such fear ( and continues to do so ) and the fact that he has told so many lies negates all of that though. It sucks to be rejected. Our family histories have a lot to do with whether or not we can process the rejection in a healthy way. Most of us have been and some of us have stepped over a line while dealing with it that we cringe at after having healed a bit. It is important to teach our kids that when they deal with peers or a romantic interest people have a right to reject them. In the long run it is for the best. I don't know how much EX has control over when it comes to his emotions about the breakup. I am sorry that I can't talk to him. It just can't happen. I want him to get help and to go onto have a happy life. More importantly though I want him to leave my DD alone and let her move on. Thanks for the thread and the link Silversword.

Jakabedy, "I kinda used to live in that house. I loved that little house." Now honey, just what is "kinda used to" mean? Did you go home every afternoon after school with a friend who lived there? It is a charmer alright. Love the garden too. When I was in grammar school, I'd go out of my way walking home in order to dawdle in front of this huge vacant old mansion on Old Government St. in Mobile. It sat vacant for almost 20 years, some problem settling an estate. I dreamed about that house. It was in town, but it had a barn behind it. Lovely place. But these days, I am in love with a little New England cape built by the king of Cape builders from Boston, and I'd even give up Alabama to live in it, winter snow and ice and cold alike. Another story book house. But yes, Lav, I did find just the right picture online. It is MY KITCHEN, to perfection. It felt just right when I saw it. Down to the rug in front of the sink, and the hardwood floors instead of tile. Awesome.

So, in these pictures I'm seeing three possible paths to KTWLS. First, kitchens that are explicitly and authentically ''period''. In 2010 and 2030 alike, a vintage 1920's period kitchen will look like a vintage 1920's period kitchen. It hasn't been ''in style'' for 90 years, it isn't pretending to be in style, and it can no more go out of style than the historical waxwork dioramas in the Museum of Natural History. Second, kitchens that are well-executed eclecticism. It isn't of a specific era, doesn't have a specific look, is a collection of disparate elements which are each appealing and go together harmoniously. Even as one of those elements becomes over-exposed and then shades into silly, it's just one risible piece in a still-graceful whole. Third, and I suspect this will be controversial, kitchens that are very, very avant-garde. Tastes change slowly. Furniture of the ''Le Courbusier'', Mies Van De Rohr, Marcel Breuer sort - ''modernist'' if you will - that was so stylish in the 1950s and 1960s, was actually created in the 1920s and 1930s. It took decades for the Wassily chair to go from ultra-modern to mainstream. A very perceptive student of cutting-edge modern design might be able to shoot ahead of the bird, as they say, and build a kitchen that might actually look less silly in 20 years than it does today. Maybe. I wouldn't be able to do it. Well, I can see a final approach, which I think would work in theory for a very few people. Simply transplant a commercial kitchen, or as close as you can, into the house. I think a restaurant kitchen in 2030 will look much like a restaurant kitchen today, save perhaps for more induction, because they are designed for function, not fashion. You'll have a kitchen that is equally institutional and graceless in 20 years as today. I really like seeing the pictures. I hope they keep coming. I'm getting some ideas.