Ken is right. The cost of having a tree removed is all over the place, and depends a great deal on where you live, how close to the house (or neighbors) the tree is, ease of removal, etc. We had some local yahoos remove some trees in the back for a very good price. They left a total mess of the backyard...ruts, dead grass, small limbs stuck in dirt, etc. We bit the bullet to pay more for a better company when we need trees removed from the front yard removal --- and they did a great job! They kept the grass nice - no tire tracks, divots, damage to the house, etc. They laid down plywood on the grass on which they drove their bobcat to remove the wood. I guess it all depends on the type of service that you want/need. Also, get an estimate for removal of the stump at the same time. You'll pay more for removal of the tree wood, and stump chips. If you want to save the tree wood for your fireplace, then let them know. (Sorry, tried to edit this but Garden Web insists on adding all this advertising code that makes it impossible to edit. ) This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Wed, Oct 1, 14 at 11:22

Sounds to me that the fellow is trying to sucker you in to a job that probably doesn't need to be done at all. IMO, anyone who advertises in Val Pack or any other free source obviously needs some work...and if they are a good tradesman, they don't need to advertise at all because they stay busy through word of mouth recommendations. Please do as Ron suggests and post pictures.

Here is our overhang support. The granite guys used a router to make a slot in the tops of the cabinets for them to sit down flush. The overhang is 14". You don't see these supports unless you crawl under like I did to take a picture. As far as the cost of the electrical, we had 7 recessed lights put in, 2 pendants added over the peninsula, rewired for the fan over the dining table so both the light and the fan worked separately from a wall switch, vacated a couple of outlets, put in another couple in better places, put GFCI switches in the kitchen and added a switch by the garage door so we could see when we came in after dark. He also ran a wire for the undercab lighting behind the sink wall so the entire run works off of one switch. We did all the wall board repair and clean up. The labor on that was around $450, but it was the lights that were expensive at around $2300. It was the recessed lights and the undercabs that ran the price up, not the pendants or fan. We would have run a wire under the floor (we have a subfloor, not a slab or basement) for an outlet at the far end of the peninsula, but we could never figure out how to make a space inside the cabs for the electric box.

On the plus side, your present layout of kitchen appliances is in a good working order (fridge, sink, prep space range) so you may be able to save $ by not moving any of those items or not moving them much. While I don't mind the older cabinets (I have an older, vintage style myself), there are not that many of them, and it may be within your budget to replace them. Without measurements, my thought would be a peninsula off the wall between the windows to increase counter space or possibly a small, movable island. I have the small island but it just fits and your space looks a tad smaller. There might not be room for a peninsula - why measurements would be helpful. You are correct that the style clash is not helping:) Realistically, a table that is the only eating area and part of the kitchen will probably need to be less formally dressed. If a peninsula wide enough to hold a couple of eating spaces fits, smaller meals and snacks could happen there, and then the dining table can be a bit formal. I think if you change out the cabinets, counters and backsplash to a less country style, you and your husband can find a style that is a better mix of your taste. If this was my space I would also consider at some point putting the same flooring throughout - for me that would be an ordinary solid hardwood.