albert....signs of a bad infestation of plant-parasitic nematodes include: * general plant decline * unexplained wilting * off color * stunting * early maturing fruit that are very small * distortion of above soil parts * root lesions, stunting, and distortion of root system * obvious nodules from the root-knot nematode Nematode symptoms are often noticed on lawns quite early on in an infestation, while it may take longer for the symptoms to show up in other plants. The only way to be certain of the extent of the population of bad nematodes is to properly collect a soil sample for a nematode population count (called 'assay)). A nematode assay will identify the nema species and the population discovered. You will be given a population range from acceptable to excessive so that a comparison is possible. Please know that healthy plants can withstand some pressure from these parasitic species....stressed out plants find it more difficult. When I am trouble-shooting plant or crop problems for a client and suspect nematodes, I have to look at the species of plant, the soil type, climate (location), and cultural conditions. Many parasitic nematodes are very specific as to the kind of plant they can use as host species...so that's one of the biggest clues. I'd expect some different critters in my veggie garden (for example) than my lawn. Nematodes (of all kinds good and bad) thrive in good, healthy soil free from excessive compaction, clay, or moisture. They love, love, love, sandy or loamy soils that see regular irrigation or rainfall. Even troublesome populations of parasitic nematodes can be prevented from causing serious symptoms by concentrating on growing plants with the healthiest root systems possible. That, of course, means paying attention to the soil system.

I was in a very similar situation a couple years ago. I wanted a midcentury modern home but it had to be in a specific area. Prices were still depressed at that time, but I knew they were bound to increase soon. I had been watching a home online that was built by one of my favorite 1950's architects. I had seen black and white pics of the house from the 50's and it was beautiful then. Unfortunately, the previous owners had altered much of the architecture. The price was much too high. When the price decreased significantly, the realtor and I went to look at it. It had also been abandoned for 10 yrs. There was major water damage EVERYWHERE. The ceiling ballooned out all over the place. The patio overhang and soffit had areas of rot. The carpet had water damage. The realtor and I walked out laughing that anyone would think they could sell the house for the asking price (which was still above my budget). We looked at more homes, but the bones of these homes did not compare to the damaged home. The home had walls of glass, amazing views of the city and mountains and in my opinion had great potential. When I wanted to make an offer on it, the realtor was shocked. He tried to talk me out of it. But I felt it was a matter of time before I was priced out of this area and despite the terrible condition of the home, it had other things going for it. Before making an offer, we had a roofer look at the roof. Like your roof, it had been replaced in the last 10 yrs. All I can figure is that no one had bothered to repair the extensive drywall damage. The exterior soffit damage was from condensation in AC vents (yes- they had AC on the patio!). After haggling with the bank (shortsale), I finally got the house. I remember that night thinking, WHAT HAVE I DONE? The house has taken extensive investment. It is not done, and because of the expense, I am taking my time with it. I did put in new floors, new roof, new electrical, new kitchen, drywall, opened the floorplan up, etc. The house just appraised for much higher than I paid. If I were you, I would have a roofer look at the roof to verify it is intact. Try to get a contractor out there also to give you his/her opinion on the source of the water damage elsewhere and his worst cost estimate. Think about the WORST possible outcome with the water damage and decide if you are willing to pay this for the house. I was fortunate that for my house the water damage, although it looked awful, was negligible for cost. If you really want the house, repairing the issues may be worth it. Dont forget that other things might need repair/replacing - HVAC system, etc.

Hi, OP here with an update... With regard to ronnatalie's question... yes, it did seem that one of the other light fixtures on the same breaker had some trouble even when the fluorescent light in the kitchen was off. Not quite a flicker, but the bulb (an incandescent, NOT a CFL) was slow to turn on (had previously tried changing the bulb and that didn't help). But now, here's the update... my nephew came over and replaced the ballast on the kitchen fixture and that definitely seems to have helped. I don't know for sure yet if it has fixed all of the "flickering" since I haven't been over to the house myself to test out some of what I had observed (I live about 2 1/2 hours away), but I am hoping that all will be good when I get there next time. If not, I'll post another update. Thanks for your thoughts!

Although there is definitely a bias against double bowl sinks on the GW, there is a subgroup that loves them and knows how to work with them. I've ordered a full double sink and a full sized single sink. They will face one another across the kitchen. The large single sink should accommodate many large items that don't fit the double sink, esp. the dehydrator trays which we now carry to the basement to scrub. Don't know if I'm going to like this sink configuration once it's installed, but it should allow 2 cooks (and an auto repair guy and two veg gardeners and a messy cook and a flower arranger and the dog bucket and a manic dinner party giver) to work together and keep the action flowing. Not only that, but I confess to using a plastic dishpan within my current double sink. It protects the sink and the dishes and allows me to pull it up to access the drain if I need to (such as when I have something greasy to rinse off and there are clean items in the second bowl already). I also know that the dishpan is always clean, not to be used to hold garage rinse-offs, compost, etc. A household policy. I also use a divider protector to prevent clunking of dishes on it. Don't know if I will still do this, but I suspect I will. I buy white ones, occasionally boil them in bleach water to keep them clean. Or run them through the dishwasher. Also, I use a basin or a container to hold rinse water as often as possible. Why waste that water? Rinse responsibly! I agree with so much that has been said about double sinks here. Many of us just can't imagine how to cope if there's not a place to access a drain quickly in the heat of battle and when there's a need for a clean sink RIGHT NOW! Many people say that you can put a container within a mega-single-bowl sink to hold water for washing, but when somebody's dumped a lot of oily slop from salad plates into the drain area, what do you do when you need to plunk another item into the sink and keep it from getting that slop on it? You end up grabbing a second or third container to accommodate that piece anyway! Remember: it's best not to plan a kitchen for the unusual and rare moment but for the usual day-to-day. You can always take that turkey roaster to the basement laundry tub to soak after a holiday meal. Millions have done it for years and years.