Hi sprtphntc (if that is your real name ;-) ). I haven't been back to Gardenweb in awhile. I saw your post on the Seagull and thought I would chime in. I installed a similar product in my kitchen and posted some info on the link below. I thought the Trac 12 was better built than the Seagull and the mini track construction is better than the wire piercing method. But it is your choice, Juno might be more expensive. Some comments on your post.. - 600 watt transformer sounds like an outdoor landscape lighting transformer. Not meant for this application. It could exceed the maximum rating of the system, be sure to check. This could be a hazard if you are pushing too much current through too small a conductor. - 10W bulbs 4" apart will be very bright. Too bright. We put 10W bulbs about 8-10" apart and rarely crank them up to max. - Make sure your dimmer type matches your transformer type. Magnetic transformers need dimmers designed for them, these are usually NOT the dimmers you find in the big box stores. - Yes the transformer does hum slightly. You really need to try to hear it. I don't notice it. Torroidal (sp?) transformers may be quieter, but are usually more expensive. They are also a bit more efficient. - We LOVE our low voltage UCL. We also put them on top of the cabinets and it throws a nice light onto the ceiling. - Hard to install??? Depends. How handy are you? Do you have access inside the walls to run wire? - The biggest thing people overlook with low voltage is thinking it is no big deal and 'safe.' But what you may not realize is that the transformer steps UP the current by a factor of 10. So the quality of wire you use must be appropriate for the application, especailly if you are running it inside walls. Do your reseach and be safe. Here is a link that might be useful: Juno Trac 12

Hi Annekendo, I purchased the xenon U/C lights from Lowes. I can't remember the name, but I think it's the only brand that they have. They have an angled end, and seem to fit under the cabinet nicely, though they haven't been installed yet! They were about $25 each...but they do seem to get a bit warm to me. I mean, nothing scalding hot, but I definitely feel some warmth if I touch them. I was thinking about continuing my search. Let me know what your electrician recommends. How is your soapstone search going? D.

I had the hardest time with UCL. I didn't like anything I saw and I really don't like the spot light effect of the individual LEDs on strips. I did try going on line to look at environmental lights but with a new build and being in a location where shipping is a problem, I decided there were only so many items I could obsess about. Then I saw the WAC UCL LEDme Pro at a lighting showroom and it had everything I needed. Good color, low profile, hardwired because that is what we are set up for, and the diffuser creates an even light - no individual spots. For a few hundred dollars it met all my requirements and the decision was behind me. They aren't installed yet so no picture but I know they will be just fine. Very clean, very simple. Our current UCLs (ALKCO fluorescent and very similar box design to the WAC) have been installed for 27 years, are still going strong and I use them every day. Keep in mind you will probably never change out your UCLs and you will probably never see or actually notice the light source. So make sure you like the beam spread and the color and you are set. Good luck!

Wow, thank you all for the responses! Let me try to reply back to this as much as I can. The link to the house plan should be working in the post above. Here is the bigger brother of that house plan, https://www.houseplans.com/plan/2679-square-feet-3-bedroom-2-5-bathroom-2-garage-craftsman-farmhouse-traditional-40410 cpartist - "One doesn't pick a house plan, and find a sight to plop it down on afterwards." The land I hope to build on is only sold to family members if that makes sense. I meant $230,000 - $250,000 per house. Which should be around $100 sqft for full finished house and $148 sqft for half finished. I hope that helps! Mrs Pete - Thank you for the information about bank financing, I was hoping to finish out the bedroom and bathroom below the master bedroom and ditch the bathroom by the bunk room to make that a larger bedroom. But I do see what you are saying, I do feel confident I could get away with two bedrooms on a house as I seen a few newer homes being built with only two. I figure it'll be around $140-$150 sq/ft ( If I do go for what I listed) not $240-$250 sq/ft but like you've said that'll be up to me to figure that one out. Sun Orientation As for the house the sun orientation the house would face South West (240 maybe), the land is in the middle of a small field surrounded by large trees, the trees on the west side are larger than the trees on the east. The sun rises above a hill covered in trees but those are far away and doesn't delay sunrise by much. The trees in the west cast a larger shadow and sunset is sooner. Houseplan I do agree with you about the french doors, my uncle built a cabin and the french door always meets their table, not good. So, I agree 100% on the gliding door. "Note, too, that this means you can come home (through the mud room) and zip straight into your master without going around through the dining and living rooms. " I've been thinking about that too and how important that is to me, as I work with chemicals and the sooner I can zip into the shower the better. LOL I agree with you having a door in the powder room connecting to the master bathroom, but i'm not so sure about the whole sharing a toilet. I'm one of those i'm a fan of 3 bathrooms. I like to see it like this, I have my private bathroom, the guest bathroom and the powder room for visitors and what not. But that makes the flow of the house run much more nicer! The larger closest is a must for me and I like the idea of keeping it open to allow light to flow into the room. As for the screen porch on the side of the house, if you look at the bigger verison of this plan ( I placed the link at the top of this post) they've moved the screen porch to the side of the house which is a good idea if one wants to max out the view from inside the house and make it more economical. I believe they rearranged the kitchen too inthe larger plan so it wouldn't be so far apart, so maybe I should start looking at that larger plan. Thank you for the feedback it was very helpful! bry911 Location It'll be located south of Nicholasville,Ky, near US 27. 220k is roughly what I figured it would cost me, and I agree with you about the house market around here. Thank you for the feedback! Mark Bischak, Architect Lmao, oops! I wrote all of this late last night being half asleep, I had it coming. For a 1400sqft home with a basement that can be finished out, how much generally would it cost to get a Architect to create a floorplan? I've never looked into that option because I figured it would cost so much more but I see the point you're making about buying a plan other people have versus a completely unique one but lets say hypothetically getting a house plan around the same craftsmanship level of this plan, how much would it cost to have a plan made? Thank you for the feedback! Anglophilia Well that's just it! The location of these homes are in a neighborhood located at the bottom of the hill it sits on, meaning only view they have is the trees and a slope. The location I hope to build on, features a fairly flat small pasture surround by trees, a barn nearby and a huge hill that creates a wall of trees and cliffs to look at and privacy without being too quiet. Location, location, location! Thank you for the feedback!