Since this thread offer is closed, perchancehaps those who have received their wonderful newbie packets would like to leave a review for Bakemom on her review thread at The Rate and Review Forum. Here is a link that might be useful: Bakemom review thread

You had me at "everything has to come off the floor at some point". No short term solutions, move it once and be done, and I cannot say this firmly enough. We did a whole house update/remodel and addition, and that POD was absolutely a life saver, and we should have had it in place sooner than we did. We also had work being done on the garage and in the basement, so those areas were not so great for storage. Trust me, when the demo/building gets going hot and heavy, the very last thing you guys want to do is find somewhere else to put those boxes. We had to do this with some boxes that we stored downstairs and it was, to put it bluntly, stupid. We should have had that POD in place the week before demo began. Live and learn--and then share here! The POD will be worth every penny you spend on it. (unless you have a large, unused room somewhere else that's not being worked on at all--then use that) Put things that you think you MIGHT need towards the front of the POD so you can get to them if you end up needing them. We started out with basic plates/glasses/silverware in the temporary kitchen and quickly packed those away and bought disposables from a warehouse club. You can even get disposable paper bowls that can go in the microwave. Washing dishes in a basin in the bathtub just wasn't working for me--it was the only water source on the main floor available at the time, and it was also our only bathroom. I had made and frozen a lot of meals in advance and we thawed and ate those, interspersing pizza and other brought-in foods as needed. I am a cook from scratch person and my kids were simply amazed at the amount of pre-cooked food out there that they never even heard of! :-) I had a single induction burner and a rice cooker that also came in very handy in the temporary kitchen, located in one corner of the living room. For boxes, find a supply company like U-Line or Associated Bag--you can buy boxes in bulk for less than you'd pay at the UPS store or somewhere like that. We used paper, but you can buy bubble wrap in bulk there if that's what you want. If it's local, they'll usually let you come and pick it up, saving you even more. Label clearly--you will thank yourself when the time comes to unpack! It's too early in the game to be fighting with DH about anything remodel related. Save it for the big stuff that will undoubtedly come later. Or better yet, discuss now how you will deal with those things, because when the tension is high you don't need to be fighting about details. Best wishes for a fabulous remodel! Cj

Keep the baseboard and install mini splits if you have limited need for AC. Even if you have extensive need for AC, mini splits should be investigated. In addition to electric rates, where do you live. (What is the climate.)

I've found free bubble wrap at furniture stores, like Debbie mentioned. We got most of ours from where hubby works (cabinet manufacturing company). You can also use two layers of bubble wrap, rather than just one. I've included the link below that gives the information and also the "numbers". Check the PAYOFF towards the bottom of the page at the link. We moved into a new-construction home almost 4-years ago, with energy efficient windows and energy efficient Levolor blinds on all the windows. The addition of bubble wrap to all the windows REALLY made a difference. While I was squawking about an increase in our utilities after record-breaking cold temperatures for more than a month, plus family visiting for more than a week and all the extra hot water and heating more rooms than normal (natural gas - $103 and electricity - $142), the neighbors bills were nearly double what ours are for approximately the same amount of space. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Bubble Wrap Window Insulation