jbrig -- love the pocket curtains, that's a good idea! You're right about tab tops, the curtains they currently have on their window are tab tops and they are a pain to deal with. I'm making new curtains for that window and I want to use rings. kdw72697 -- thank you! We got it organized like that because, with two twin beds in the room, there is not any space for a dresser! Our house is relatively small, I think their room is less than 10 x 10. They have their captain's beds drawers (4 drawers and one cabinet each) and the closet. I'll be back, sometime in the future, to ask about what to do above their headboard areas (the bed don't have headboards really). I would like to put in some shelving but my DH is wary of shelves above beds.

This is an old thread, but I have just recntly stumbled on Bi-Glass and the process seems to marry both worlds. In my case, 100 yeard old wavy glass was broken when my 4-yr old's chair went through the glass. As the old glass isn't shatter proof, we were very lucky as she was unharmed. I researched replacements and found Bi-Glass. They remove the old window, remove the glass, rout the inside of the sash and retrofit it with dual-pane clear or wavy glass that can be Low E and/or Argon. The glass thinkness is 3/8 to 5/8" thickness. It is then re-installed properly. Bi-Glass system also retrofits your old window with a vinyl PVC, foam backed jam liners (allowing the til-in feature of replacement windows), or restores the current weight and pulley. If you use their retrofit, they do, in fact, insulate and fill the holes left by the old weight system. This Old House endorsed the product on a show, as well. In terms of marrying the best of both worlds, this seems to be it. I love my old house, but I have no doubt that the guy who built it would have put in better (or perhaps "more functional" is a better term) windows had the option been available. He wouldn't have used horse-hair plaster is pre-primed wallboard was down at the mill. Here is a link that might be useful: Bi-glass website

Here's a revised version with the changes to the refrigerator & ovens, also downsizing to an 18" beverage refrigerator (load-bearing walls in red). Any thoughts on where the best spot for the microwave is now that the double ovens are stacked? Partial to shelf or mounted under a cabinet due to cost, replacement, and ease of use for adults (no kids in the house), but open to other ideas if we can't find a spot. Is there one that can fit under a 24" wall cabinet between the ovens/refrigerator? Also, I put in the title but failed to mention it anywhere in the thread. Does anyone have any experience with Ultimo/Tuscan Hills cabinetry? Their box construction seems to be an upgrade from other cabinets we've priced out, they are made in South Dakota and from what I can tell may be a sister company to Starmark. They are supposedly full-custom, their designer's plan was great, and the price was very reasonable due to a promotion on the door style that we selected. I've seen a few reviews both on Houzz and addictedtocostco but not a ton of information otherwise. While you can purchase a door sample, they don't have actual cabinet samples that can be viewed in person so its a bit of a leap of faith. Thanks again - again grateful to hear any opinions on the layout or the cabinetry!

true statement: "After the last sub leaves, the whole house damn near needs repainted" That is usually because the paint is cheap or because only one coat of good stuff was used... If you use a good quality wall paint in satin or eggshell, most (non dark) colors will touch up just fine if done properly... true statement: "The painter's house is usually way smaller and nowhere near as nice as the one he just painted for you" true statement: "a large portion of folks are just rude, arrogant and ungrateful" false statement: "SW paint is always consistent" Well on second thought I guess you are correct... There is one thing that is consistent about Sherwin Williams' cheaper product lines such as: "Property Solutions", "Builders Solutions", "Painters Edge", "Sherscrub", "Pro-Mar 400", and "pro-Mar 200" Et Al. and that one thing that is consistent is the amount of trash found in a brand new five gallon bucket of the paint... Anymore it seems like we have to put the freshly opened bucket of paint through a strainer bag before it can be used.. a lazy painter who doesn't care will not have a strain bag on hand and will only pick the largest "boogers" off the wet wall leaving the painted wall riddled with small debris.. I see it happening all the time and it really aggravates me- ("it aint my house" they say)................ ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Anyway, I've learned that so many people think that paint for their new house is the obvious part of the construction process to save money... But in the long run they will find that to have been a regrettable decision. (and sometimes they find this out very quickly (like on move in day or even before). Besides having no durability, using a cheap paint will cause noticeable differences between areas that were rolled and those brushed- especially the "halo effect" against the ceiling or crown molding.. In my residence, I used Ben Moore Aura... The walls look awesome, they feel awesome and since the paint is self leveling, areas against doorframes where the trim work was done first and the rolled area meets that brushwork, you cannot tell the difference... It blends so well and I am so happy with how it looks even 8 years later... Lets put it this way... When I worked for a big name nationwide home builder, whenever they would have us do some painting in their model homes/offices, they would have us use SW Durations satin.... Then when we go to paint a homeowners build they would spec "Painters Edge" flat... I really hated that employment because home owners would commonly blame us for the appearance as a workmanship issue... And when it comes to "Painters Edge" and all the other cheap paints- the darker the shade the crappier the end result. Good luck Y'all