YOU ARE KILLING IT WITH TOO MUCH LOVE .. PERIOD .... they die back to the ground for winter... they come up in spring on stored energy ... if they dont go to sleep for winter .. they die.. period ... throw it out the back door .... making sure it ends up on its side ... so water doesnt accumulate . ... preferably having it land.. so the pot is out of winter sun ... and go fixate on spencer for the rest of the winter ... hosta need dormancy .. or they die.. that is why peeps in the deep south can NOT grow them .. because they dont get a proper nights sleep ... make you a deal .... do as all of us have rec'd .... and if it dies... one of us will send you a replacement ... outside.. tipped over .. north side of a shelter .... or whatever is appropriate for z8 ... and i have no experience in your zone with winter pots .. maybe a new post, if others above havent told you how in your zone ... spencer is your babe.. and he needs to be coddled and loved .. this is a hosta.. and it need to be sent outside for winter.. and treated like a hosta... not like a spencer ... have a great day with spence ..... ken

I don't see a problem. Just design an access door and use the same hardwood chosen for the floor. A recessed handle would be OK, but any option that allows you to lift up the door would be fine.

Thx lol I'l pass your comments to her! But, have a feeling she will just roll her eyes and say Puhlease! We form an odd alliance on this project, sometimes not as good as I wish! I tend to do a lot of thinking, research,planning, asking questions and she tends to lay back and once absolutely ready to do it, let's get it done! Sometimes her getting involved late results in major changes and often times her wanting things that aren't feasible.. for example, she now wants a range cooktop rather than a surface mount cooktop but doesn't realize it will have an impact on the cabinet beneath it. But in the end I do TRY to accomodate her needs in the kitchen as she really does love to cook and i really do love to eat what she cooks :) I try to know when to say No, that won't work but need to get a little less matter of fact in how I say it! This balance between wanting more counter top space and having to decide between that and going with a combination mico/range has been interesting. When the kitchen is done we will still have almost 5 feet of additional counter top as compared to present layout and things will be arranged in a much better manner. We wil also have a knee wall and counter top we do not have now so I think the compromise on the micro/range is the best choice.. 33 inches of countertop isn't worth her having to get on a stool to get into the microwave or going with a drawer micro under counter and not having the convection part of the micro. The savings will almost pay for a warming drawer!

Love this discussion! Always fun to see how people work their spaces. You never know what good ideas you'll pick up. wow, 5 doorways! I will complain no longer. My kitchen is an addition added in the 40s (the house is a bit over 100 years). About 13 by 13, with one quarter making the bathroom. The other quarter is the traffic roundabout with the doorways, with room only for a 2 by 2 foot fridge tucked in the corner, so the working area of the kitchen is about 6 by 13. That area had an exterior door which I had removed and put in a window and counter space. It works very well for me. I have (nearly) enough storage. I can, have made wine and cheese, and cook easily enough, with overflow storage in the carport for the less used cooking gear. I can even fit a couple people in there for party cooking, though we have to coordinate movement. There's definitely no wasted time walking across an expansive kitchen. My main room is about 11 by 28. Half of it is vaulted, the other has a ceiling with the loft over it. There's a ladder/stair to the loft which divides the space across the middle, so I treat it as two squarish rooms. One has the tv, sofa etc. The other half has a tiny dining area with pie safe for dish storage, a small seating area and my desk. It works very well and feels very large because of the vaulted space and many windows. With all the leaves in the table and using the daybed as banquette, theoretically, I could have a sit down dinner for 10, though some would have to bring their own chairs. I plan to do that sometime this year. But I have to get two more leaves for the table and more china. I had no closets until I put up the new bedroom. Now I have ten feet of them. Divided into two. I haven't decided yet whether to stick with curtain 'doors' or get louvered bifold doors. I have curtains for now, but it means the cats get in and rummage. It was to be one side for clothes, but I also don't have that much to hang. I keep my dresser in the closet to free up floor space, as I like a minimalist look in the bedroom. The other half was to be washer/dryer and broom closet. But then I got carried away with canning. So the clothes side will combine with the washer/dryer and the other side will be canned goods and general storage. I moved my cleaning supplies to a slim armoire in the living room. I keep a large suitcase and some big rubbermaid storage boxes behind a sofa set crosswise in corner of the living room. I want to build a table top to fit that space, so I can put a lamp there and a plant or some pottery. my 5x6 bathroom feels spacious because I put in a small japanese box tub, about 30 by 36 inches and 35 inches high and tiled the surround for a shower. It will become difficult to get into as I get older, but that deep tub is wonderful to sit in, buddha-like, with hot water to my shoulders.