I wish we were nearby so the group could converge and help with the tools we own that you need. My ladder, Bobert's power tools, etc.

I own a pickup truck, so when my contractor (who is also a friend) was working and I was home he'd come in and tell me when he needed something. And if it was something easy, he'd tell me "I can stop what I'm doing and drive over and get the sheet rock, and you'll be paying me for that, but if you drive over and get the sheet rock, you're still paying me to do the carpentry." Hard to beat that argument! I appreciated being able to keep things moving by running a few errands. It's nice when the pressure is gentle and on your behalf.

Distilling our remarks, it looks like good lighting, ample outlets, and accessible counter space are the big three. It's nice if the lights can be built in, but I've had great luck putting a couple of screws in the bottom of the cabinet and hooking up one of those inexpensive 12 inch florescent wands. In my living room I set up one of those strings of three round halogen fixtures that you see in china cupboards. I mounted them each to a small piece of luan for stability and they serve as uplights in front of my fireplace. They could also work under cabinets (I've seen them on This Old House. In other words, these great features don't need to be expensive and you can do them yourself.

Do you plan to have a kitchen table and a dining room table, or will you have a counter with stools for casual dining in the kitchen, and a larger table for other meals? When I moved in I extended the penninsula counter top by 12 inches to create an overhang that I tuck a stool under. This is the stool that stands in front of the stove when I'm using the steam juicer in preparation for canning, but the rest of the time it's for people to sit on.

SRS