For reference my directions are as viewed from the street looking at your house. The first pic, that's neighbor on L? The scar on R of fence is where your shed used to be? R half of 2nd pic is neighbor straight back...L half pic your yard (aiming toward neighbor with shed)? The third pic I know what is but I cannot differentiate levels. Sorry. Looks like that lot high, too? The neighbor directly straight back (w/2 large trees) looks like he's been high forever as if subd. created that way. The neighbor on you L side looks like his fill might be much newer. His grass has a new-ish look. (would have liked to seen a pic aiming further left...I'm trying to see where the drain path goes.) Aside from the water, he's dumping on you, where's the rest of his water draining? To his front? And the guy next to him (past power pole) where's his water going (other than what he's putting on you)? If the bulk of their water is going to the front...which you might be able to tell from standing in front of their houses, I'd guess one or both of them has blocked your natural flow. Which says that going to a lawyer for a consultation to discover your rights and make a plan is the place to start. Someone pointed out, what will you do with major rain like hurricane Irene type rain...or the hundred year flood? Your original plan will put you in jeopardy if such were to happen. Actually, with your drainage blocked, you're probably already in jeopardy. just won't be able to see it until that monster rain happens. I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but I think it's important to know where you stand legally...especially, if you can get the cause of your problems to pay for the solution. I would try to find out every last fact about where that water is draining...how it's draining for these neighbors...get out their during the next heavy rain. Take pictures. Make yourself knowledgeable about exactly how all these pieces of the the puzzle fit together...before going to lawyer. You don't want to go with just a few words and a complaint...to which he says, "we'll need to study your issues. That'll be $500 for our next hours worth of work." Go as prepared as you can be.

Delta MS will not address your water table. My recommendation is the following. french drains. not the 4'' ads pipe its crap. Use 3" pvc perf. and 16"w by 26" deep poly sump pits. my rule of thumb is one pump and pit per 100 feet of footing drains. Sump pump of choice is a Zoeller. if you have a block foundation weep holes should be drilled. Now my method is a very old one and reliable. This is more a water management system and if maintaned well your basement will stay dry. If your hire a reputable company a job which i described should only take a few days. Here are the downsides to anything down on the exterior. first is the price. if this product isnt covering every square inch its a waste of your hard earned money and most the time the guarantee isnt worth the paper its typed on. Also any exterior work is going to be very extensive meaning, and landscaping will have to be removed, decks will have to be taking down, porches will nedd to be removed and re built, the list goes on and on. Now the dangers. removing all the earth around your home down to your footing and pushing it all back in when the job is down can result in the basement walls caving in and your home collapsing. A lot of these waterproofers who do the exterior stuff almost never tell the customers about these facts. I know from experience, it happened to us when we used to do the exterior drains. its just not worth it. As for the pumps in your basement you can set them high so they only pump when they have to. Hope this was helpful to you. good luck in your new home

Hi all - thanks again for the great feedback. For ventilation, we are going with a Best 54" hood and 1100 or 1500 (I forget which) remote in-line blower with silencer... I saw that mentioned somewhere, read up, and was convinced. I also saw a gunked up VAH, and was totally turned off forever. As an update, we've decided on Miele dishwashers, I think the Futura Dimension (I think the plus only adds more quiet...which I won't notice). Dissenters welcome. For the fridge, I don't think we can swing a SZ now, and the Liebherr is, indeed, way too tall for comfort. I think we are going to go with a Samsung with the dual evap. Can't find a good, large FD model with inside water, but we're working on it. Seems you need to downgrade cubic ft. Our final major issue is this: Wolf vs. DCS (I really can't seem to find the benefits of Wolf other than "reliability and history", variable simmer, and no yellowing problem with the top). We are really torn. Everyone who doesn't sell DCS says they're crap. Everyone who does says they're awesome, but that Wolf is better...because they also sell Wolf? Also, dual fuel vs. all gas. We are definitely getting an additional wall oven, and I can't decide if it is nicer to have the option of two types, or to stick to one type and brand?) for consistency with large, multi-oven batches. What I really can't figure out is how much more inconsistent baking will be in an AG Wolf or DCS oven (ie. 3 sheets at once, without tons of turning). Obviously, AG saves quite a chunk of change, and then we could really get any wall oven...considering the KA convection with micro over it, honestly, to not only save money, but to have a reliable, and just fine oven that will still be leagues better than anything we've ever had in an apartment. Then, we can always replace with something fancier down the line. We just really don't want to skimp on the range at this point. I am open to KA slams, if anyone feels we absolutely must stick with a Wolf or DCS oven for some reason or another (the price difference isn't entirely prohibitive, and we can work it out if anyone thinks that quality and/or features are worth it). So to sum up, we really can't decide on gas vs. electric ovens, and DCS vs. Wolf. I think my wife may throw out my computer if I don't stop reading on it soon!

Wow! Thanks for all the beautiful pictures! CheriPatrice- You have some wonderful inspiration photos! Laughable- That's a nice kitchen, but those windows are lovely :) As for the wood/white cabinetry, I so appreciate all your input. I have not made a decision, but I am trying to find different examples, to make comparisons. I'm pretty set on white appliances and I like the idea of white backsplash tile, with some leaves or vines...and if I have wood cabinets, I would want white countertops. White cabinets, probably wood countertops. I know I want to use some blue and green accents with the yellow walls. I'd also like to include some reference to the brick, without being too heavy. As you might imagine, not a lot of pictures available, but I'm still looking. The only thing I don't like is wood floor with wood tone cabinets. It all seems to blend together, so either wood floor with painted cabinets or wood tone cabinets with a different floor. The lightness factor...that's big! I do want a kitchen that will bounce some light around, but not too white. Sometimes white can actually look gray, if there's not a lot of natural light. That's one of my concerns, too. My mom had white walls in her new kitchen, but they looked gray on cloudy days. She painted the walls a soft leaf green and it's beautiful. What light we do have in the kitchen is not really bright. We have the window over the sink (4' but could be a little wider) and the french doors to the sunroom...indirect light at best. The kitchen window faces southeast, so good morning light, but not much in the afternoon. One idea is to use the wood lower cabinets, with few uppers (mostly plate racks, open storage and a few glass doors or fabric...with only frames of the wood showing. This would lighten up the heaviness, associated with wood uppers and maybe paint the island green. The hutch would be lovely in blue...maybe tie in a few accent pieces too...a plate rack or the niche by the fridge. The table and chairs are also wood, but the chairs could be painted...and I'd like to have metal/wrought iron stools, at the island. Maybe tie it in with some wrought iron on some of the pendants or accessories. For hardware, antique brass and probably the same finish on the chandelier, over the table. I want it to feel like a country kitchen with a french spin, but as Beekeeperswife says, not too theme-y! LOL Now for the floor, I know it's totally 70s, but what about a vinyl floor that looks like brick? I love brick patios and I have some antique brick out in the garden...so I'd like to find something a little more rustic (less red) if possible. Still just an idea...but I'm kind of liking it! Sunroom...I'd like to paint it a soft aqua/blue, very light, to look good behind the plants and look like a warm, sky blue. We have that soft color, in the summer, on really warm days...and it's beautiful. I'd like to find a small settee and some comfy smaller chairs, for this space. Either wicker or small upholstered pieces. The little table and chairs would be more bistro style, maybe with some wrought iron for the base, wood top, iron chairs. Maybe back to vinyl 'wood' floors in this room...softer with the blue. Now, I'm totally digressing, but it's a slow day at work :) Any pictures, input, ideas? Don't be afraid to tell me what you really think...I may or may not agree with you, but it's good to get feedback. And L...the placement of the woodstove will partially be determined by whether we extend the upstairs part way over the sunroom. If we do, the pipe would still have to be tall, since I do know about the 10' rule. I have been talking to installers, but whether the stove is in the middle of the wall or the corner, will be decided by what we do upstairs. There are advantages to the corner placement, but I lose a few windows...but that's the northwest side...so maybe not a big deal :)