The email notification system here has been quite wonky. Thanks for all the replies. In no particular order: bocron - That was the unit I linked to first too. I actually emailed summit. Here's my email and their response. I'm looking for a tall half wine cooler/half beverage fridge. There doesn't seem to be one. (Maybe one over $3k, but that's not an option). I'd like a way to store beer, wine, and soft drinks in one unit. The SWC 1875 seems to be a possibility, but I have a couple questions. Are the wooden racks/shelves flat or tilted? Can the wooden racks/shelves be removed? I don't need to store much wine, just a a shelf or so of white. I'd like to stand up soft drinks and 'regular' beers in that section as well. I'd like to store some red wine along with dark beers that are supposed to be stored at a similar temperature (stouts, etc.). The wines should lay down, but the beers should stand up. If you can think of another unit that would better fulfill my needs, please advise. Either way, I look forward to a reply. Thank you for contacting Summit. The shelves are flat and removable. However, there are gaps on the shelves themselves, so you would have to keep the beer in their containers, or the bottles could potentially slip through the gaps. Unfortunately, we only offer undercounter beverage center/wine coolers. I didn't quite ask if they can be swapped out, but I'd gather not based on the response. If you find they can, let me know. joeboldt - IPA's and the like, no. But barrel-aged stouts, yes, they'll be stored longer. Up to several years. But you're right, for those, they can continue to live in the chest unit that's thermostat controlled in the garage. alerievay - Yeah, the vinotemp and marvel are both more than I'm willing to spend. plllog - Yes, you get the storage of the different beers. Reading your post and the reflecting I did at the end of mine, I think I've figured I really just need a fridge. And we'll probably just make due with what we've got, since the perfect solution isn't out there. I could just get a standing fridge only, but the idea was the cool looking beverage fridge with the glass door and multiple zones all right there. What we've got now is: In the garage chest freezer with separate thermostat to keep barrel aged, etc. stuff. I don't go in there. Also in the garage, a freezer on top/fridge on bottom that was always supposed to be my extra freezer space, and is now kept 'normal' so I can store my extra freezer goods out there. But the fridge (which I hoped to be extra fridge storage) is all beer. I'm not quite as scared to pull something out of there as from the chest freezer. It's where the extra 'more normal' or 'to be consumed quickly' stuff goes. Small beverage fridge in DH's office. No idea what's in there and how it differs from the other two. I think I need to request that he empty it from stuff that could go into either of the garage pieces and use that for the sodas/friends 'normal' beers that they bring and leave. It's smaller than what I'd like, but we HAVE it. We'll see what I think when we get our new regular fridge with the kitchen reno. Maybe I shouldn't have offered our SxS Samsung to the inlaws? And if I change my mind, they'd understand. Well, they probably wouldn't understand four 'fridges' for two people, but they'd be fine with it.

Thanks, everyone for the suggestions. Yes, the fridge clearance is an issue but I was thinking maybe a 2-3 inch gap would do it, or have the door open on the right (not ideal, I know, but I've lived with that before). The eating area in the nook would not be isolated - the opening there is 4 feet wide and I can see all the way to the back corner if I stand at the current range location or where the new range would be. Anyway, my kids are 6 and 4 so safe enough alone for a minute; and right now I don't have any view of them at all when I go back and forth to the kitchen from the DR. Not earthquake country in upstate NY as far as I know :-) What an interesting suggestion, John. How much space would we need to make the chimney into a pizza oven? It goes up from the basement and through the 2nd floor to the roof and my guess is that it is the original chimney for whatever cooking range was in the house when it was first built (because there is another chimney in the LR with two flues for the fireplace and the boiler in the basement). Maybe the kitchen chimney even has an opening already. I can't wait to uncover it! A few months ago we tried to bash a hole in the dry wall over it to see what was back there but all we hit was wood framing. Then we lost our nerve and didn't want to make a huge mess so we stopped. We've hung a chalkboard over the dent in the meantime:-) Sorry for the fuzzy pictures - I will definitely try the Google Sketchup when I have a little time later this week. And I'll make a new post to ask about the layout. I still have lots of doubts and questions about the best changes to make. Debrak - I've got some of her books and I love them. Although I don't totally go for her devotion to open plan living, I like a lot of her ideas, especially because they mesh so well with our Arts and Crafts house. I bought her new book on remodelling, which I highly recommend, because she takes you step-by-step through all the different ways you could improve your house's entire layout before you get to the point of adding on. I especially like what she has to say about views through the house to windows onto the garden (which is one reason I am wondering about NOT closing off the doorway to the LR).

Ahhh, the question to end all questions. I am househunting as well, and have asked myself the same question many times, so I don't know that I have the best answer for you. Plus you factor in the differences in opinion between the family members and that makes it even more complicated. It is different for every person out there that is house hunting based on their needs. Here is one thing that helped me a bit when my mom pointed it out based on something that I said about one particular house....think of how you live and your day to day activities. Now think of doing all that in that house. How does it work? Are you struggling to find a place to put your coat and shoes without a coat closet? Is that important to you? Are your kids bikes in the way of backing out your car when want to navigate that tight driveway? When you wake up in the morning, do you want to have a quiet place away to drink your coffee and check your email like that loft? Or will that just be wasted space that you feel that you have to furnish and wont ever use? If you want to have children, what happens with the 3 bedroom thing? What if your teen kids don't want to share? Just sit back and imagine yourself living there. Reality is, some things will drive some people crazy, when it is embraced by somebody else. The house hunt is obviously filled with give and take, but what matters the most is what works for you.

HomePro01, thank you for the suggestions. A lot of what you have suggested, I plan on doing. Glad to know that my ideas are shared by others! My sink cabinet is only 30 wide but I found an ELKAY 24 wide undermount that I am really excited about. And we are indeed installing a reverse osmosis (with the main components in the basement so as to save on under cabinet space). Trying to decide if an air switch for a disposal next to the faucet is worth having for $60? We are going to move the coffee pot/grinder to the open shelving InterMetro unit and the microwave will go on a shelf over my new work table which will become my baking prep zone. I want to take full advantage of the new undermount sink and want nothing in my way on the counter! I looked into the induction cooktop but ultimately decided I would go for gas (and I got it for a bargain). I think the middle burner on the KitchenAid got to me -- I so look forward to using my wok again. I have a small portable induction that I have been using and while I like it very much, I decided that I would get more flexibility out of the gas cooktop. I love the idea I will be able to move pans across the grates as well as use my beloved cast iron without fear of scratching a very expensive induction. Unfortunately, there is no room to carve out space in the cabinet next to the cooktop since it adjoins a lazy Susan unit. But I have two great carts I built that store just a few steps away in my former laundry room that will provide some additional landing space when cooking large meals. We are a household of two and do not entertain a lot. I already outfitted the closets in the laundry room into my pantry with Elfa shelving last year with pull out drawers. I love that stuff! Now that the washer/dryer is in the basement, I plan on doing some more. I actually called Barker this week after looking at new doors on their website. They seemed like a good company and were very willing to answer questions. But I also discovered that the original maker of my cabinets (Coppes-Napannee in Indiana -- one of the original makers of Hoosier cabinets I believe) is still in business and could make me new doors as well and at an extremely reasonable price of $125 for the large doors (less for the smaller ones) and match the stain! But this would be the last thing I would do and possibly not until next year and only for the uppers that remain. Another option I looked into is replacing the recessed panels with glass (but only in the cabinet I store my dishes). I called a local cabinet maker who would charge $60 a door after I purchased the glass. I am fortunate to own a beautiful set of all-white dishes from Germany and I think that would like nice against the brown stain. In case anyone is interested in building a cart for themselves, I am attaching some pictures of what I assembled. I used the chrome wire shelving that can be easily found almost anywhere but getting the poles to connect the tops was a bit tricky. I finally found some connectors at Bowery Restaurant supply but now my local supplier of chrome shelving is fabricating them as well (their website is Shelving.com and you can find the connectors under wire chrome accessories). I waited until Williams Sonoma sent me a 20% coupon to buy the John Boos walnut top (final cost to make around $300) and the other top is a scrap piece of marble (cost about $75).