Proudmama: Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for in a light maple. Puppy farms? Egads, just another category of purchases to feel guilty about.... I can't buy anything from China without a twinge of guilt either.... Ellen: Thanks for the insight into Amish business practices. I'm glad they've found a way to survive and still hold their belief system together. I admire those people for their lifestyle and discipline. Thanks again for all of the replies!

sus I didn't read the above responses - so pardon in advance if this is redundant. If you are definitely going to be there for 7yrs, you decide how you would like your home to be during that time. Do pros/cons of relocating - then move on. If you leave laundry there - think vertical! Yes, look into stacking units make sure you have all the space & clearances necessary to do so - ck and double check, it's not just the dimensions of the machines but the duct work for dryer, hook ups for washer - & enough height in the area I would consider making or purchasing a nice panel drapery there that can easily be pulled aside to do laundry - **Do I see pocket doors? closed up when complete. Also, vertical on shelves storage - creative ways of making that little space more efficient - how often do you iron? do you have another spot to dash the board. I would only have what is absolutely daily use in that area. If you leave the laundry there - I don't think you really have space for mud area - other than putting in some hooks to hang a jacket or 2 - scroll down look at tiny laundry room transformation http://realsouthernliving.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html http://www.remodelaholic.com/2010/08/laundry-room-design-with-craft-room-all.html Link below to images Here is a link that might be useful: laundry areas

Ebse, the den is a must-have. I actually didn't care if the house I found had a formal dining room if there was an eat-in kitchen, or if it didn't have a den and had a dining room I could convert to a den, I just wanted a den. The den is too big to lose to being more kitchen, it's 15x16 if I remember correctly. It's going to be just the two of us, and this one of us is usually banned from the kitchen when it comes to the cooking, so we really don't need so a huge kitchen, just more cabinets and draw space for much needed "stuff" eandhl, I'd consider it an eat-in kitchen - the people have that oblong table and hutch. I have a table that seats 6 now, but would definitely get rid of it and have something small for just the two of us which I could open up with a leaf for 3-4 people. Since there's a formal dining room, any more than 4 people, we can eat in there. I may take my hutch with me, have too many collectibles in there not to have it, but then again, I could put that in the dining room and just have a table in the kitchen. diwoman1, the laundry room is very small, the washer dryer on that one wall, on the wall opposite from them, to the right of the door opening going in to the laudnry room, there's a tall bank of cabinets - good for storage/pantry if needed. On the two other walls, there's one window and the other wall is actually the door, leading to the garage. Within the garage is a storage room. I thought maybe I could put the washer/dryer in there, but it really doesn't help me much as that laundry room wouldn't work for much more than a pantry, or mudroom. I was thinking about trying to get a stacking washer/dryer and put it on the right side, and make a bench/coat rack on the left. Fori, the cabinets are just old wood cabinets that she's repainted. I even thought about refacing instead of replacing if possible. The kitchen isn't bad at all, I can definitely live with it for a while, but it's not "me" and I really want to update it, but it's livable the way it is now, at least for the time being. I will actually have the luxury of doing what I need to do before we totally move in - this is if we are lucky enough to get the house. It will be a slow move - DH has to get a transfer, so he'll stay here while I start moving stuff up there. I'll probably tackle the master bathroom first, out of the 4 areas I want to update, that's going to be the one that bothers me the most - this will be second - and besides, the bathroom is soooo tiny, it will be easier and faster to do that one first, or so I hope. Thanks to all who've replied thus far - hoping more will do so too!

pillog, I think you're right. If this location were spot-on for me, or the rest of the house were 100% perfect, I'd probably make it work. But I think to have an "urban" sized kitchen, you need to live in an urban--or at least "villlage"--area. In the burbs, people want to nest, and it's hard to nest when you can't roll out your pasta and hang it on broomsticks, or comfortably entertain the family at Christmas, or try your own hand at a "Julie & Julia Project." And I'm very aware that a problem when I buy will be a problem when I sell. As I said, that's why we sold our condo with the miniscule kitchen at the peak, because we saw the bust was coming and knew we'd never get a decent price in a soft market with that kitchen. What I'm going to do is try to stop out there and walk to the town center, and see how long it is. Of course, it's 76 and gorgeous today, so I have to picture July downpours and February ice storms. If it passes that test, I might try to ask a design-build firm to give me some ideas and very rough prices. I've done that before with architects and contractors, and it only cost a few hundred bucks if I'm clear that I'm only asking for minimal work on their part.