We had a plumber come out to give an estimate to fix a leaky toilette and a leak in a basement ceiling. He wanted $1,100 to fix two leaks with the toilette being about $400. I did get some lower offers for about $300 to $400, but even at that, I have several more things to fix and at that rate it was going to be pretty costly. And I've read some other people's here and their prices are pretty high. Like $180 for ONE outdoor faucet. Before trying shark bite, or gator bites, I taught my self to weld pipes with a torch and solder etc. I did a couple and was pretty proud of it and saved like $400 for a water heater pipe repair. The reason I didn't try the shark bite at that point is that I couldn't find them near by so tried using the torch that time a year back or so. But now this week I noticed shark and gator bites at Lowes and Home Depot and decided to try them out. I had to go to both stores since some parts were sold out. I used it to replace the outdoor faucet with a washerless, ball faucet in the front of the house And was amazed. IT WORKED! And even though I knew how to use a torch, felt like it was easier. Besides I would have had to put something flame retardant in the basement to weld because there are wooden beams there. Or at least spray with water. But now I didn't even have to worry about it. I only had to cut the pipe in the basement, and use a gator bite coupling and push the two pipes together. Then I did the same for the faucet by screwing it onto a shark bite part and then pushing it onto the pipe. It was easy. I was worried about it leaking, but I've checked and no leaks. Not even a drip. Nothing. It sealed perfectly. Now tomorrow, I am going to replace the other out door faucet on the back of the house. No more miserable, leaking 20 year old faucet. And now I have 3 or 4 more repairs I've been putting off all lined up. Over all, I like Shark Bites. You can also get Gator Bites at Lowes or other places.

The average sq. ft. for a 2 car garage ranges from 19x20' to 22x26', depending on how much storage/utilities people want to set up in the garage. In our county, the minimum length for a garage is 18' (one car) with a 9' width. Hopefully this info can get you started, at least. My advice to you is to do the foundation for as large an addition as you can. Use this opportunity to reconfigure your rooms next to the addition, if necessary. You are looking for a good "flow" between the old and new. Smaller additions actually cost much more per sq. ft. because all the same equipment is used, regardless of how big or small the addition is, when you are talking about foundations, framing, etc. Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

Back again. We were busy again with kid activities this weekend. We also started the move out of the house for the reno. Found a house in the neighborhood to stay so we moved some furniture and stuff over to get a jump start on next weekend's big move. Lavender--I do live in Washington--Olympia to be precise. I have a great aunt and cousins over your way in Oakesdale. Where are you? I'm still working on my plan. I'm having trouble finding a way to store all of the stuff that got displaced from moving the two wall ovens to undercounter ovens. I need a few more hours in the day to have time to really concentrate on it! Got the mag. Thanks for calling it to my attention! You're right about how cute that banquette is. Round tables seem more inviting to me than rectangular. That whole space is so inviting and warm. I wish I could pull off a space as put together as that one is! My kitchen and family room would be the same location in that house if I moved the kitchen into the dining room and moved the family room into the living room. DH is still concerned that the family room will be too narrow there. We need to make sure there is enough play space for the kids as that's their main play area. After seeing that DIY hutch in BHG, it reminded me again of an idea I had a long time ago, but was dragging my feet on. I think we've decided to move the antique hutch/sideboard out of the dining room (don't know where else we'd use it) and put build a bigger one with cabs, drawers, countertop etc. like Candace Olsen. It will give us soo much more storage space. Plus, it will give that bland area some character. We decided we could also use it for serving wine and drinks during parties. More cost, but worth it. Yes, I know Cali_Wendy's kitchen. It was one of the first ones I took note of when I found this forum. It confirmed my idea of white cabs. Every time I see it I fall in love again. Rhome--I didn't want to bother you with a re-draw until I had a pretty firm grasp on it. You've got enough to do--like enjoy those new ovens!

shead - I'm going to post a few "hacks" I did. Maybe they have some merit, maybe not. HOWEVER, I need to mention something else. We asked ARG if it is possible to add a window from kitchen to see into side parking/garage/play area. In our current house, we use our kitchen sink window that looks into back yard, patio, garage, etc.. to view the kids riding bikes, playing in treehouse, grill, etc... It's a small window, but in our current situation it is invaluable. Given the amount of time we spend in the kitchen, the ability to see the fenced in back yard, driveway, parking, patio and garage is actually very reassuring as a parent. We picked this house over another when we purchased, for this very reason - as we could work in kitchen and watch small kids at same time. We realize in another 10-15 years, this may not be as important. The new build is a different animal with the terrain in that the play areas will be in the rear - BUT also on teh side of the house with the garage. This is why we asked ARG if possible. He put a very clever change in and provided a conceptual drawing. He pushed kitchen wall out 2 feet, then pulled back landry/pantry wall 2 ft, creating a 4 ft difference - enough for a window. Here is his idea. The net change to the sq ft is almost 0.