I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

I am so happy to see you here! I will have to go back and see if i can retrieve my posts... thought I would make them into a little book for my daughter, with photos. Quick run-down on the bathroom (not travels, no time) - The kitchen has a rather elegant sliding door with beveled glass panels. Painted white, since this was the original colour. GD's new bathroom has the doors I had picked earlier; i thought of polishing them but decided sprayed automobile paint (on a resin primer) would wear better. Especially since it is such a small bathroom, and she is so splashy. I have this finish in my kitchen and it has lasted 15 years now. A tad chipped here and there, but only needs a wipe down once a week. Same finish for the balcony doors, also split like the bathroom. We have a new wardrobe, a study table with built-in shelves, and a small chest of drawers for her odds and ends. I want to re-tile the tiny balcony, more as a little statement. Currently we are looking at Portuguese tiles, though I did think a mosaic with a funky cat might be nice. Let me see the costing. The room will be painted a neutral adobe, with bright white woodwork and an off-white ceiling. This means she can go wild with cushions and covers. Other changes in the flat; We have changed the glass in the master bedroom and living room from small cramped panes to a single pane for each section with a 1" bevel all round. Doubles the cost of the glass, but looks so elegant! The air-conditioning is being re-located. The compressors were all mounted in the bedroom and living room balconies, which looked terrible and meant the balconies (very narrow, only 30" deep) couldn't be used for anything. Not even plants. So they are being moved so that the compressors can be mounted at the rear of the building. two down, one to go. Now we can put in some nice plants, fishtail palms etc. The kitchen counter on one side came out intact and will be reused elsewhere. I am planning overhead storage, cupboards, and a draining cupboard for plates and glasses. Right now there is no dish washer, though a place is earmarked, but for now I will put in a cupboard with steel racks for cups, glasses and plates, all hidden behind pressed glass doors. This is all in the planning stage.... Pictures in a little while, they are mostly on my ipad and don't transfer well to the mac. They come without numbers... so I have to rename the or something. Somebody tell me how to do this!

there is many types of support to be used for counter top for long lasting work... as ... 1) brick wall which takes 2" , 4" or 6" thickness space which is not good for below space as we will waste space for storage under counter... this is used where heavy material is used on top of counter for cutting any food items... 2) marble support... which will take 35mm thk space double support... 3) furniture base if the kitchen working person is using the sink properly for washing purpose and the gaps between the sink and counter top has to be sealed properly for leakage free to avoid any damages for below storage, as i will not prefer this in other area... this can be used only in foreign countries...

Hi, I am from Assam, Guwahati. Yes it is warm humid place with lot of rains (like kerala). The bookcase is gradually drying. Fortunately last few days were very sunny and airy and my room has two big windows. Few mor details of my bookcase. It is 8 feet wide, 6 feet tall and 11 inch deep. It was attached with wall with 6 wall screw and has four pair of legs.I ask the carpenter to divide the bookcase into 3 part (32 inch each) and two door system for each part. Every part has 6 shelve from top to botom. There is no plywood or wood in back. I made it that way because the bookcase is attached in my room's inner wall I understand that the bookcase may have very little gap in between wall and wooden planks and i am ready for it. But I have no idea that beacuse of faulty mesurement, it became 1 inch gap between wall and sheve in the upper side. In lower side it is very minimum gap. I stop the carpenters to put the glass door. But now I see that they also make fault in making the doors. The doors are heavier that the shelf. The wooden planks are 1 inch thick while the door are 1.1/2 inch thick. I actually visit few hardwere shops here, but most have no ideas what to do and few says to apply wall putty to fill the gap. But my back wall is coloured (old wall, that why) and wall putty will not set on old wall and timber. I cannot remove it now from the wall otherwise the wall may destroyed. I really need a step by step guide now that what to do after the heves are dry, how to fil the gap and how to put the door without further damaging the shelf.