nandina - actually, our house was traditional 3-coat cement stucco, it was just done completely wrong by a builder who had no clue what he was doing. We actually had one expert who flew up from Wilmington to assess our house - he was one of the guys that discovered the synthetic stucco problem. But the problem is not just confined to synthetic stucco - now that I've learned more than I ever wanted to about stucco and proper flashing practices, I see tons of houses around here that have (or are going to have) the same problems. Sad. karin - The root problem is solved - we ripped every bit of stucco, sheathing, and insulation out of the house and had it down to studs and drywall. Everything that went back on was properly flashed and we took extra precautions such as a rainscreen to insure that water that gets behind the siding will be able to drain. Your question of how much foundation planting we really need is a good one - that's why I was thinking more of perennials (ferns and hostas) along the front - if it dies back in the winter, so be it. I think the house looks much better with no landscaping than it did with the big overgrown bushes. I know that I definitely don't want the traditional yew, holly, and barberry bushes that everybody seems to have around here. However, since you seem to know a lot about evergreens, can you recommend a few that won't grow much more than 3-5 ft tall and are very dense? I'd like to at least get the bushes in to screen the A/C units before winter as they're quite ugly. And I wouldn't mind one or two in the front just so it's not completely bare in the winter, but I'd want them to stay lower than the windows. I'm in zone 6 (think I forgot to say that in my first post). I do have to do something - we don't get a ton of snow and the lawn will be a muddy disaster if I don't get something done - it's only been a few weeks since the drainage work started and I'm vacuuming and cleaning floors about five times as much as I used to. What don't you like about the vinca lawn idea? My landscaper isn't fond of it either, but that's because he told me he hates spending 3 days planting thousands of vinca plants. I don't mind if it spreads - I've got about 3 acres of lawn and another 2 of meadow (lawn I don't mow, basically), and I really want to add something else interesting to break up the sea of grass.

I can't stand non-stick for most stuff. It can't be used on high heat. You have to use those plastic utensils, which I can't stand. Give me a good, thin metal spatula over one of those any day. It's just too delicate, non-stick. I think I have one non-stick pan, and it serves it's purpose (mainly for my husband, when he makes an omelet), but I have other pans that get used many, many times over before that one does. I love Stainless steel, as long as it has some heat-conduting metal in the bottom (and up the sides, if you want to pay for it-ie. All Clad), which so far all I have seen of it does. I have a few sizes of stock pots, ranging from 6 quart to 32 quart. I have a set of All-Clad that came with my cook-top. I like it, and for the most part, they chose handy sizes. Most of my pans are a hodge-podge. Cast Iron, I have a wok and a skillet I use a lot. Lots of Stainless. Some of them are close in size to the All-Clad. I bought them at TJ Maxx and the like, very reasonably priced I thought, because I didn't really want my DH using the All Clad. He has a tendency to forget he is cooking (!) and once actually melted the aluminum bottom of a pan to the stove. My favorite small skillet is just a little steel one. Things don't stick to it hardly at all, and it is just the right size for a single grilled cheese, or a scrambled egg or two. It gets used almost daily. As far as cleaning...If you get stainless steel, some are "stickier" than others. For those, I just put some water in it while it is warm (or put it on low, with water in it) while I eat, and when I come back, the food is soft, and easy to clean off. You should sit and eat with your family. :) When you are done, you can get them to help you clean! I also want to add...Anyone thinking of all-clad with the long handles (frying pan) should hold a pan with some weight in it before they buy. I find the handles to be uncomfortable, as do some other people. We must hold it differently from the people who like the handles. My grandmother always cleaned while we ate, then she would sit down at the end of the meal and try to get everyone to eat more, in spite of the fact that we had been eating while she cleaned and were full! Hopefully you don't do that.

Hmmm, so I fuss over "girl" AND "guy" stuff. When it came time to have our electrical box upgraded from the old 100 amp service to the 200 amp service...I was the one asking the questions to the electrician. When our electrician was here this weekend to replace an old light switch that sizzled and fried (littlerally...black smoke coming out and everything!), I was right there, asking him about it. And I LOVE that he explained it to me as a human and not as "okay, little lady, here's what's up with it." When we were getting ready to build a house a few years ago...it was me that fussed over the dual zone heating. And me that fussed over the geothermal heat pump. And me that was asking about the relative advantages and disadvantages of Superior Walls vs. standard foundations. My husband came along for the ride on most of that. In our house, in many cases, I do the research (be it "male" or "female" based. Narrow down the choices to what I find acceptable. Present findings to DH and then we work on finding a decision. But, me, heck yeah, I'm going to be SO excited (seriously!) when it comes time for us to have the HVAC people in to replace our old furnace. But, I'm a little odd like that.

Honestly I think what you'll be doing is like jannicone and sophie said, over improving for your neighborhood. I don't have a good feeling about what you're getting into with what you want to upgrade. As Sophie mentioned your neighborhood is $400k houses and that's about where you want to stay. Even if you put in an expensive kitchen, it won't appraise for what you invest in it. The appraisals will come in at what the builder basic is. This is not by any means a custom house. It's a development or tract house. The builder is giving you a number of choices and as jannicone said, if you upgrade you'll pay through the nose. As she said, if you decide to go with your appliances, you'll get maybe a credit of $500-$1000 if that. Same if you upgrade anything else. Like I said earlier, it's how tract builders make their money. If you can find a house you like that works pretty much as is, I say go ahead and buy it, but don't go upgrading. It's not worth it. Or if you do upgrade, do it for things that are important such as heating and cooling. Let's take your list and explain: Blueprint Review with Builder Um you said you haven't met the builder Framing Inspection with Builder ditto Full limited Warranty Coverage What does that mean? 24-hour Plumbing & HVAC Service What kind of plumbing and HVAC service? Distinctive Kitchen Features Schrock Oak/Maple front These cabinets are probably one step above Ikea cabinets, although personally I'd probably prefer Ikea. Plus I'd prefer to design a kitchen the way I need it. My guess is if you want to change anything you'll pay a fortune for it. Cabinets w/Dove Tail, Self-Close Do they have soft close drawers or just soft close? Are they full extension drawers? Are they Blum hardware? Granite countertop with 4” Backsplash I'm guessing you are getting a bunch of level 1 granite choices most of which will be ugly. Level 1 granite nowadays is almost considered builder basic. Plus nothing about backsplashes. The 4" backsplash is only done in tract homes nowadays. Double-bowl 8” Stainless Steel Undermount Sink What brand? What gauge steel? What double bowl configuration? Delta 470 single lever faucet Not to be rude but this faucet looks like what my Mother had in her kitchen back in the 70's. Recessed Light over kitchen sink What about recessed lights in the rest of the kitchen? Over the stove, countertops, the island? What about under counter lighting? Let me guess. All are upgrades. Frigidaire FGEF3041KF Smoothtop Electric Range- S/S, Did you know this range is discontinued? And that's what he's putting in all the houses? Granted you want to upgrade to a Wolf, but this range that he has sold for under $1000. You are upgrading to something that is over 5x the price of this range, including adding gas. It's overkill for the neighborhood. A better choice to upgrade would be to go with a GE or a Bosch if you must upgrade. I am building in an area where the houses are in the high 6, low 7 figure range, and I'm not putting in a Wolf! (I'm using Bosch) Frigidaire FGMV174KF Microhood (Non-vented)- S/SFrigidaire FGBD2432KF Dishwasher-SS Both of these are also discontinued. Frigidaire FFHS2622MS Side-by- Side Refrigerator- S/S This is basically one step above an entry level Fridge. Elegant Bath Features Schrock Oak/Maple Front Cabinets w/Dove Tail, Self-Close See comments from kitchen. Ceramic Tile Bathroom Floors Porcelain is better in a bathroom Clarion Acrylic Shower/tub In other words, your tub will have a one piece acrylic surround and not be tiled. One-piece Marbleized Vanity Top We used to call them cultured marble in the 70's. Kohler ‘Wellworth’ Commode Delta 2538 Double-lever Faucets Vanity Mirror Delta Chrome Bathroom Accessories Exhaust Fans – Per Code Kohler Pedestal Sink in Half Bath Final Touch Interior Finishes Bruce Dundee 2 ¼” Hardwood Flooring in Foyer, Dining Room, Kitchen and Kitchen Nook Area Bruce Flooring is HD quality. Superior Gas Fireplace Is this a vented or unvented fireplace. Hopefully it's not unvented. (do some research) Colonial Painted Woodwork What does that mean? What size are the moldings? Crown moldings? Baseboards? What? Smooth Finish Walls and Ceilings What level smooth? Sherwin Williams ‘Dover White’ Paint throughout Living Space Sherwin Williams like all paint manufacturers makes quality paint and builder's special which is garbage. Which is he using? 6-panel Masonite Interior Doors Are they solid core doors or I'm guessing they're hollow core doors Closet Maid Shelving System Also available in HD Solid Exterior Features Viewpoint Slider – Per Plan .Viewpoint Low ‘E’ Vinyl Windows Viewpoint are considered a lower quality window and slider. Near the bottom. Windows and doors really are so important Energy Efficiency & Comfort Central Air by Lennox Lennox Gas Furnace-up to 95% Which ones? All furnace and AC companies have different grades, from bottom to top. R-21 Fiberglass Side Wall Insulation R-38 Fiberglass Ceiling Insulation I agree with Sophie that this is probably minimum insulation and again you need to really check things out. Also what will be the insulation for the basement, the attic, etc. Pressure Balancing Shower Valves Personally I would want only a thermostatic shower valve, especially in your neck of the woods. Do research. The rest is out of my wheelhouse so I'll leave it to others. I can tell you that my specification sheet before I got my final bid was even a lot more specific than what you got.