Hey Andrew
Re your first problem, you have an element .infoWrapper in the default_home.css file which has margin-right: 360px; which is causing the large space on the right hand side.
Re your second problem #storeMessage in the default_home.css file has height: 220px; - if thats the area youre meaning, then just change the height to whatever you require it to be.
Hope this helps
Jamie