If you have ductwork for your furnace, it shouldn't be too expensive to put in a central A/C. I recommend against window units--that's what we have in our upstairs bedrooms and they are really inefficient. The amount of air that must be escaping around the units is probably unbelievable.

I have Whirlpool Duo w/d--in my downstairs bathroom. A vast improvement from the single stacked apartment style unit that came in the house. In another house the w/d was in the galley kitchen, right in line with the cabinets. In yet another house, it was in the kitchen, but in a closet wide enough for side-by-side. So, I have a little experience with this issue. I do not want to hear or see my appliances while they are operating. I want to be able to store detergent and spot remover and the accessories for my dryer instead of having them sitting way up on top of the dryer! You may not mind hearing/seeing your appliacnes, but before you decide to put your w/d in the kitchen, see if you can put it in a closet behind closed doors instead as part of your kitchen remodel.

If you're going to replace the toilet, go ahead and plan on redoing the floor in there. If the toilet rocks, you probably have rotted floor around it. Might as well do it all at the same time.

Fun times!

Karen