Hi, Ah the devil is in the details. I built a house from the groud up 4 years ago. Plumbing fixture ordering is an exercise in precision data. To make this point let's consider a shower control for your bathroom. OK you want a shower control. This comes in two bits (a) the valve that sits behind the drywall and tile and (b) the control handle and surrond that you see. Note the valve is only compatible with certian handles. Also the valve is only compatible with other valves depending on how fancy your shower will be. Body surround, hand held, + the usual one over head. Get any of these compatible things wrong and you will have to rip out all that dry wall and tile. OK so you order the stuff. Again ordering requires precision numbers. Let's say you now want a Handshower from Handgrohe. One order number is Aktiva A8. 28547XX1. Note any mistake on the typing, will mean the wrong part. Also note did you get the most up to date catalogue. Finally you get the valve on site + the handles. BUT the handle and trim are not to be installed until after drywall and tile. Think maybe two to three months apart time wise. You will have to store somewhere that part. NOT on site because it will be lost, damaged thrown out etc. In the end we ordered from a shop. They had computers there which check for compatiblility and people who can tell you if the who set up will work or not. They also will hold parts for you untill you need them. Note that for four bathrooms your shopping list is maybe 10 to 15 pages worth or computer print out. Mine was. Note any error will men the wrong part and delay in your build. And worst of all a whole tile and dry wall redo. There are all the niggling detalis too. Part numbers like the 28547XX1, what is the XX. Well replace XX with 00 for chrome, 09 for chrome / gold, 80 for steel, 82 for brushed nickle, 83 for poliched nickel, satin chorm 88, and polishe dbrass 93. Any one error, oohps wrong part. Now multiply this by 15 pages of computer print out. My recomendation is go for a good shop which has a good reputation, and a great return policy. Good computer and knowledgeable people that your builder has worked with before. A few dollars here can really save you time, sanity and dollars in the long run. If you want to save money and are good with a spreadsheet, you can try ordering door handles and kitchen handles online. I did. Again precision data. Fortunately this aspect is a little simpler hence less probability of error. Good luck with your build. Warmest regards, Mike.

alexashome- It sounds like your plumber is incompetent and/or lazy. Modern toilets typically measure a bit less than 12" from the back of the toilet to the center of the outlet, which is called the offset. If the distance from the wall to the center of the sewer line in your floor was substantially greater than 12" (which is possible in an older home) he should have explained that you would have this problem and offered suggestions. The best option would have been to move the hole in the floor closer to the wall by getting at the sewer line under the floor and re-doing it. If that is not possible, then an offset flange would get the toilet 2" closer to the wall. There are also some toilets that can be ordered with a 14" offset, rather that the standard 12", and the combination of that toilet with an offset flange would allow you to have the toilet up against the wall without redoing the sewer line. As for the toilet not being level, this can be caused by an unlevel floor or a toilet flange that is sitting too high. If your situation is because of the flange, the plumber was negligent in not setting the flange lower (which would been more work and more cost to you). If your situation is because of an unlevel floor, the plumber was negligent in not using plastic shims to level it and prevent rocking. If you decide to follow any of these suggestions, use a new plumber and not the hack who did the work you are unhappy about.

I also drooled over that wood when we did our last kitchen but I couldn't convince DH. I'll just have to drool over yours bbtrix. As for aisle width and holidays, if someone gets in your way, soho them away! It won't kill you or them :-). Our largest gathering so far has been 17, and it was no problem even with people on the kitchen side of the island (admittedly, I was just serving at that point, not cooking, but still...

I made a (fairly) simple change. Expanded the kitchen into the den, leaving a portion of it as a dedicated hallway. The gurus over in Kitchens can help you lay it out. I don't imagine you want to lose the slider to the back yard, but the former den window can be kept, changed, or elimated. Depending on the kitchen layout, you could restore a door to the hall, which I would love because I like circulation! Moved the hallway door. Yes, this is a load-bearing wall, but this small change is worth it. It vastly improves the living room access to the back yard, and gives the two bedrooms more privacy. In the back hall, I incorporated the closet into the bathroom, where you need the storage. You can put a cabinet, shelves, or a linen closet there. Maybe even a stacking washer-dryer! For several more $$ you can move the bathtub over into that space, and have the storage next to the vanity instead. In the central hall, how useful is that deep closet? I can see half of it being added to the bedroom, but with good shelving it's probably fine for luggage and a dustmop. In the dining room, I took out the closet. Wouldn't a sideboard look nice there, or built-ins? Are the foyer and big bay window additions? I ask because of the partial wall, but perhaps that was put in because of the fireplace/woodstove? At any rate, that looks like a nice sitting room in the bay. My mother-in-law has something similar in her condo, and it's a nice place to have a conversation separate to what's going on in the living room. In this next version, I moved the kitchen door to the right, and restored a den door to the hall. If you don't mind losing or moving the kitchen slider to the right, you could have a nice galley kitchen. Of course, it's also the traffic zone from garage to the the rest of the house, but really, how often would that be a problem? Or, this next one, where I opened the kitchen completely, and there's only one door from the living room to the back, but it's right across from the former den window, so the LR gets an enticing view to the back. Or, restore the door to the dining room, and move the LR-hall door to the right. Maybe this gives circulation again, and helps move traffic in the kitchen? Is 10'4" wide enough to make a galley using an island, instead of one counter against a wall?