Most of my storage shelving is Lyon 8000 Series steel shelving, 48" wide x 24" deep. It works nicely, but I'd go with 18" deep if I had it to do over again--24" is too deep, and you end up with stuff stacked two-deep that gets lost in the back. 16-3/4" is the length of a standard "Book and Record" box, so it fits perfectly on an 18" shelf. I've recently discovered the "Metro" welded-wire type shelving. I really love those! I have them for all my pantry shelving. Again, I have 4 foot wide sections. I went 18" deep on these, which is again too deep for the purpose. For pantry shelving, you'd want to use the next size shallower, which is around 14" or 15". Exercise equipment. It depends on whether you want to go cheap, or go for the good stuff. The best equipment I've found, by a large (and I mean large) margin is the Vectra gyms. (Link attached below.) The VX-18 or VX-28 is appropriate for a home gym. Their stuff is SO much better engineered and nice to use than anything else I've seen! For cheap (That's me!), here is all you really need: * Dumbbells. Take your pick from a zillion vendors. * A bench. The LS514 banch from Lamar Fitness is really nice, but there are a million benches around. * A plate-loaded pull-down and low pulley (rowing) machine. There's no easy way to exercise these muscle groups with just dumbbells--you need a machine to convert the force so that you can pull down and horizontally. Mine's from ParaBody, but practically everybody makes machines that are pretty much the same. (These are around $300-$400) * Plates for the above. I find that plates with handles are a lot easier to get on and off the machine. The rubberized olympic plates from Iron Grip's "IGX" line are the best I've found. * I also suggest a plate-loaded leg curl/leg extension machine. I've got a seated leg curl/extension machine from TuffStuff. Lamar has a similar unit that is nicer, which is probably what I'd get if I were doing it again. (These run around $400 +/-) Get whatever aerobic equipment works for you. For me, I have an old excercise bike that I've had a custom seatpost machined for so that I can use a standard road bike saddle. And you need a television and DVD player for extertainment while you are doing your aerobics! (For me, that's the only operating TV in the house!) Here is a link that might be useful: Vectra Fitness

Wow - thanks for both suggestions. We actually have lots of open shelving in the so-called butler's pantry, which is visible from the kitchen. Both of these suggestions are really helpful. Right now I'm using modern canning jars but those antique ones are amazing (and I live in a town with quite a few antique shops carrying such items). They would also work on the top shelf of the area I described in my original post. The lower shelf, which we see from the living room could sure use some of those Horchow pieces - although it will take me ages to decide on one. It's great that they'll sell multiples in one size - that's what I need! Thank you so much.

Put in tall cupboards.

It depends on how extensively you wish to remove the plumbing. If it's just pulling out the fixtures and capping, you might be fine without a permit, but if it's more than that, I would say you likely will need one. Your licensed plumber should know whether the permit is warranted. I don't know about your HOA ... if it's an attached home, they're more likely to care, as it could affect others, where as detached home HOAs are usually more concerned about changes visible from the exterior, but it's possible that the change in valuation of the home (loss of bathroom) could matter to them. I'd ask to be sure. Price will somewhat depend on your area, but I usually assume $150 for the plumber to walk through the door. If you're doing this DIY, it'll be a whole lot cheaper. Don't forget to include your disposal costs (I assume you're not storing the old toilet.) Getting the plumbing to a site is the expensive part, if everything is there and capped, it's not a huge cost to convert back. It's mostly the cost of the fixtures (and the plumber still costs $150 to walk through the door). Going from powder room to closet is not the common ... usually renovations are going the other way. If you're asking about it being a DIY, replacing a toilet is often DIY, so the removal part would be simple, but make sure you know what you're doing with the capping, or you could end up with a stinky situation.