Interesting to pull some of this back, looks like the kitchen was once…somewhere else, as there is siding up there that would seem to make it clear that it was the outside of the house. Working on clearing this stuff out to then get (smooth) drywall up.

Also-link of the day- this is the flooring that is the lead contender:  http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=5191#pr-header-CKCLME