It surprised me to read that you don't want the screened porch. Many many people here on Gardenweb (myself included) absolutely LOVE our screened porches and list them as one of the very best features of our homes. Do a search for screened porches and you'll see what I mean. So I just assumed you just wanted a larger kitchen, not that you were wanting to get rid of the screened porch. But, if you really don't want a screened porch, here are some ideas of how you could use that space. Make it your sewing/craft room. It is out of sight of the main living area so you wouldn't have to pick everything up before guests arrived. 2) If you have small children, make it a play area for them. When they get older, it could become their study area. With the kitchen door open, it would be easy for Mom to supervise play/study there while keeping any messes out of the main house. 3) If that side of the house gets good light, turn the area into a solarium for your plants. You haven't posted the basement or second floor plans yet but I'm guessing there is no living space above the screened porch area. If that is correct, you could use one of those curved glass roofs butted up against the mudroom section of roof and have a "real green-house" effect. 4) Not sure how much of the deck behind the house you plan to cover but that black square to the far left looks like a support post and suggests that in the original plan, the garage section of roof is extended across toward the house so that only a small walkway close to the back of the garage is covered. If so, and you don't want to change the roof-line, you could just simply put another support post where the corner of the screen room is now and otherwise leave the "screened porch" area open making it into a covered deck area. That would give you a protected outdoor living area (but decrease your heated/cooled sq footage) so possibly save you some money on your taxes.

That was written last night just as the library was closing, so I ended more abruptly than I intended. Our story was more give and take and a real discussion, less abrupt than the way I ended it here. It seems to me that we have as a society become more self-centred, less concerned with the welfare of others and of the community than was true in earlier generations ... and "locations", possibly, as I grew up on a farm near a village and our village and church was mainly long-term residents, so it had become somewhat like larger, or extended family. As a farmer I learned of the importance of being in tune with the earth and using resources carefully and with discretion, not wasting them. The fact troubles me that while small, single-horse-drawn covered wagons delivered milk, bread and ice to homes in cities, about 70 years ago, that they began building refrigerators about 60 years ago, that a substantial percentage of the ones that they built 50 years ago lasted for 40 years ... but that a substantial proportion of the ones that they build today last for about ten years. I feel doubly troubled: that we're wasting precious resources, of petroleum and iron ore, smelters, cutting and shaping machines and trucks to haul the parts ... including plastics, which are also sourced from petroleum. It took millions of years to produce it, and we've been using a major portion of the earth's supply in the last less than 100 years. It seems to me that our grandkids will be angry with us for our wastefulness, our profligacy. Secondly ... when the engineers, who haven't become stupider in the last 50 years, build a fridge and sell it to me with a smile on their face, that'll last about a fifth as long as they could make it to last ... ... I feel cheated ... sort of like being mugged (without a gun). That's without making reference to all of the pollution and global warming that are being generated by these wasteful ways that we've developed in recent years. And are guaranteed to become more acute, as millions in various parts of the world become more prosperous. Dad taught me that when I was doing a job ... that I should do it RIGHT! (And when I didn't ... I had to do it over again). Plus ... when you work with folks scores of thousands of whom have left their former lives and become refugees in another part of their war-torn country with nothing but the clothes on their backs, as you learn how the small things of life become precious to them, you learn of the value of all aspects of this, what I believe to be God's world, that S/He's entrusted into our hands and expects us to make use of as responsible stewards. ole joyful

budiningsih thank you so much. Your countertops look great. So the problem in my area is there are literally no white quartzites. I have been to so many enormous warehouses. The luce di luna/white macaubas here is beige. I was told all of the actual white quartzite is bought by fabricators before it hits the warehouse floor and is shipped to Nantucket etc. Princess White is the only one I have found with a white background with grey parts and not beige/tan. We like the grey but just want there to be enough of it to repeat and establish a pattern, so it does not look like a random blob. The first time I saw Princess White was at a place with a remnant and a cracked slab and ever since then I have been searching for real slabs. I knew it was what I had been searching for. After that I only found one place in all of MA that has it. Overall we want a white/grey kitchen so we are trying to avoid brown/tan/sand which is every other quartzite I have seen. I even told my fabricator I would drive anywhere in New England to look at other slabs but they had zero recommendations. Thank you so much for your help. I agree that a second quote would really help clarify whether I am getting ripped off or whether I will be making princess white cutting boards out of the leftovers for all of my family members for Christmas:)

@Patricia Colwell I might be able to edit that doc a bit and add measurements if I can find them. @Flo Mangan My husband has a cousin who is a Builder/Developer/Contractor. I figured it would cost around $50,000 to $60,000, but he said more like $40,000 to $50,000. I believe the electricals were brought up to date in the 90's, but I do agree with some other areas. As far as the location for the residence, its not a perfect area. However, there are a lot of homes in the area being remodeled or renovated. We've had lots of offers from "wholesalers" wanting to buy, but after capital gains taxes we wont end up with very much. I feel we need to fix it up and rent it back out again or sell. @apple_pie_order Not sure about asbestos, but I don't believe there is lead paint. Our options are to just renovate the bathrooms and kitchen, paint and lay new flooring. Or we can remodel the bathrooms and kitchen (which I kinda want to do), paint and lay new flooring. No we don't have an appraisal at this time. @Rachel Zylstra We do have a current mortgage. We have lots of "wholesalers" contacting us about the house almost daily. At first we didn't know what their game was because we've never dealt with it before. After asking questions of people knowledgeable about it, we found out what they do. With what they are offering (or what my hubby wants to offer), its enough to pay off the mortgage and gives us a little bit of money after capital gains taxes. I don't think its enough to be profit though. If it is, it wont be much profit. I'll contact a local agent. Thanks!