Prep sink...yes, definitely! Your kitchen is big enough to support it and it is a definite plus...see below. Pantry...pretty good location b/c it's pretty easy to get to it from the prep & cooking zones. Going around the corner won't be too bad...a door in the kitchen would be better, but I can't see how that would work. Refrigerator & Ovens Locations...I would not move the refrigerator to the sink wall. If it were on that wall, you would lose the separation of the clean up zone from the cooking & prep zones...which, IMO, is ideal. If you have a Prep Sink, then separating the clean up zone from the other zones is a definite improvement in the functionality of a kitchen. However, I do think the ovens & refrigerators could be switched and, if it was my kitchen, I would switch them. There are pros & cons to this: Pros: The refrigerator is closer to the prep & cooking zones (and no running around the island to get to/from the cooktop or prep sink). It allows the kitchen to work as both a 1-cook and multi-cook kitchen...everything is close enough together for one cook but separate enough for multiple cooks. One problem w/big kitchens is that if you let them, the zones become so spread out that when only one person is working in it, it is just too big. The island isn't as much of a barrier to the clean up zone for putting leftovers away You still have direct access to the refrigerator from the DR Access to the refrigerator from the DR or outside will not interfere with the prep or cooking zones. Cons: If you bake a lot, you might prefer to have the ovens closer to the prep zone & sink. The MW is about equidistant from the prep sink regardless of where you put it, so it probably isn't a consideration...unless you do a lot of MW-to-cooktop cooking. Most people do not; most people use the MW to heat/reheat leftovers, cook frozen foods, and make popcorn...which means the MW should be near the refrigerator...and switching the refrigerator & ovens does not change that access at all. There is a bit of a jog around the "T" of the island, but I think the other advantages outweigh this negative. DW...Think about switching the DW to the other side of the sink. I have to admit, I'm not sure what I would if it were my kitchen. If it's switched, it would put the DW completely out of the prep & cooking zones but block access to the kitchen from the DR side for clearing dishes, etc. But it would allow you to put a Trash pullout where it would be accessible to the cleanup, prep, and cooking zones...unless you plan on multiple trash pull outs (not a bad idea if you have the cabinet space!) This location would also allow it to be closer to dish storage...assuming dish storage is on the DR side of the sink...which I highly recommend for ease of setting the table and access from the island. If it stays where it is, it is easy for cleanup but not as accessible to dish storage and will block access to the cleanup zone if...

"What size system would you recommend?" That all depends. Full capacity heating on your Manual J seems to indicate 3-ton. Existing duct system seems to indicate a little over 2-ton. Installing a 3-ton system could be noisy and possibly result in the heat exchanger in the fan coil unit freezing up if sufficient air cannot be moved over it. 3-ton may also result in poor dehumidification and short cycling. Duct modification may be required to handle the additional cfm of a 3-ton system. Sensible cooling seems to indicate 2-ton. You could install a 2-ton geothermal unit and be fine based on the sensible cooling load. This would mean that you would be OK for about 95% of the time in heating mode during winter. The other 5% to be made up by supplemental resistance backup heat. Remember, geothermal heat pumps have no defrost cycles ever. Supplemental or aux heat comes on in addition to the HP not instead of the HP so that the backup is on for relatively short periods of time even during that remaining 5% of the winter. This means that the smaller geothermal system will be OK in cooling, with better dehumidification, provide heat almost all of the winter, be a better match to your duct work and cost a lot less to install in that you will require one less borehole and smaller equipment. On the other hand you could install a 2-1/2 ton or 3-ton 2-speed compressor geothermal HP and be assured of full capacity heating 100% of the time. You should install a variable speed fan coil unit with stage resistance backup on any system. SR

I have the F&P DD24DCHTX6, it has a tall drawer on top and a regular one on the bottom. I think it's great; no splashing, no open door to block traffic or bash in your shins again. Like Bireland it took awhile to learn how to load it. Unlike Bmorepanic I've found the cleaning to be great. Some things are much cleaner than ever before. Tea strainers etc. very nice. Coffee and tea stains never on mugs anymore. Tired old wineglasses so sparkly. For the first little while I tested it daily with incrementally cruddy pots and plates and it always got them clean. Like Kimkitchy, if I could do it over again I would put a single drawer on either side of the sink. I love not having to bend over at all to load or unload the top drawer which I use most of the time. I live alone but I cook & bake all the time and there are always lots of dishes. If I could do one on either side of the sink I'd select a tall single and a regular one and put pot drawers underneath them. Others have mentioned how useful the 2nd drawer is for loading when the first one is already full or running. I do that as well but also love it for a drain-board for hand-washed items. No stupid ugly rack on the countertop. With regard to the noise I think they are very quiet and friends have commented on just how quiet. There is some sound but it's not annoying at all. Silly to admit but I wait until bedtime to put them on because then, when the house is completely quiet, you can hear them and I like the lulling swishing as I drift off to sleep.

The foyer has too much stuff in it. Get rid of most of it(items on the walls and the fake flowers and plants) . I would just have the tall plant stand in the corner next to the front door with real flowers in it and put up a large mirror over the sofa. Way too much furniture in the living room. Get rid of the side chairs and some of the end tables. The kitchen is very nice, like it and the color, not much to do in there. The library again has too much stuff. Remove the lounger chair and a lot of the books and magazines. The master bath is dated. The gold tone shower and fixtures need updating. Use a smaller chair or padded stool placed in the space it is supposed to be (under the vanity). There is absolutely no privacy in the back yard. It abuts a development on one side and some sort of school/business looking building on the other. For this type of house I did not expect that. Needs to be buffered either naturally or by fencing. Could care less about the country club pictures. Would have liked to see what the bedrooms and inside of barn look like. Doesn't seem like there are 9 acres with the house the way the photos are shot. The pond shot needs to be redone. All I see when I look at it is the housing development. Not worth the price they are asking until they start with some of the fixes mentioned in all these posts. But that location would be a deal breaker for me. NancyLouise