I have spent time lurking on these forums and have gotten some great thoughts and ideas. I've read books from the library and purchased countless magazines. I've spent hours scouring the internet for pictures and things of that nature. I've created a binder so that I'm as organized as possible.

What would be invaluable at this stage would be advice from folks that have gone through a renovation, or folks that do these things for a living. For example, I read on the appliance forum that I should take my largest dish to the store with me. I would never have even given that a thought. What was the best thing you did? What would you have done differently? Share your advice and lessons learned.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to teach me! I am very excited and nervous about this project and can't wait to hear from you about yours.

Designing is very often driven by immediate needs or needs projected on a when this happens basis.

The actuality is that nvery often those needs do not include options that arise later. That later can be two weeks or three months or longer.

The best way to allow for such changes is to design spaces for ease of alteration. Things like moveable storage shelving, sliding shelving, and adding more cabinet space in the design. An extra closet or closet expansion can be an immense plus.

End resault is that no matter how much you plan, somethings are going to come up that make you wonder if you had done any planning at all.

Taking extra time in designing and actually waiting while periodically reviewing plans and comparing the plans with how you felt later can show up some parts of the design that might need changing.

The trick is to be satisfied at some point and go with what you have, since second guessing can consume you.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Forums can alert you to special design issues and magazines can help with more conventional ideas but if you want to put it all together and create the best possible house you should try to use your architect effectively. If he/she is not highly skilled you should find one who is.

I have linked a book below that might help you understand how to work with an architect. There are also many other books that focus on particular design and project management issues. If you are starting from scratch learning about home design, it is important to seek the best advice in order to avoid distractions, wheel spinning and frustration.

I just like to have all my ducks in a row and since this is my first remodel, I would like try to wrap my head around it as best I can. That's why I've done reading and planning. I would agree that the internet is certainly not always the best place for information/opinions, but I find that sometimes people's own experiences can open up my eyes to something I might not have thought of or come across.

zaphod42 - thanks for the lighting link. I agree that lighting can really make a difference.

Thanks again!

"Suggestions from internet forums often appear relevant if you have never designed a house before but many suggestions are specious, red herrings or archaic concepts like the "magic triangle" for kitchen layouts."

And then you proceed to issue definitive information in contrast to what you just wrote?

C'mon. Books can be just as irrelevant. People glean a lot of really good information from talking to each other. The internet has simply made it easier for people to talk to many more folks than they could in person.

Oh, that 'magic triangle' concept? Still being used by most architects to date. Because it makes good sense.

Since your comments have taken on a disrespectful tone I think it is fair game to point out how irrelevant your suggestion was to another poster regarding the location of a CO detector.

This is the kind of misinformation that causes the problems I referred to earlier.

To offer definitive information I would need to know much more about the project in order to avoid wasting the OP's time.

Any three objects not in a straight line form a triangle. You insult all architects when you suggest that "most" of them would need to rely on a 60 year old home improvement magazine "rule of thumb" to design a kitchen for a client. The important task areas in a modern kitchen number more than 3 and many kitchens must accommodate more than one cook.