I like his other work but isn't in style I am going for. I've emailed him a carefully edited group of inspiration photos which had very specific info under each describing what I like about them and didn't like. I was also very specific about what I didn't like about them. I currently have a foot injury I'm recovering from so I can't drive as far as his office. When it gets better I plan to meet with him and the builder at his office. I gave him the brief of rustic elegant with lodge influences but not so much of a lodge influence that it looked like it belonged in Montana with antler racks everywhere. I also told him I didn't want to look dated in 20 years so nothing trendy. That's a real problem around here and has led to some awful houses. I also told him that I wanted it to be relatively inexpensive to maintain and I'm willing to spend a little extra up front to save on maintenance/upkeep down the road. Finally I told him that I no stucco and I wanted it to look at home on our beautiful wooded lot. In addition, I showed him photos of my inspiration and told him why I had chosen them as inspiration. I also gave him a landscaping brief so that the house exterior would work well with my landscaping plans. I specified that I was planning to use native landscaping in front with little to no grass. We're in the middle of a multiyear drought. It's not nearly as bad as CA but it's a real issue that I think will only get worse since the area is growing. I also included a circle drive that matches the contours of the few trees already in front of the house. We chose the site of the house and driveway to preserve those trees.

“Do you have any exposed brick?” All of the brick is covered in plaster, but I would seriously consider exposing a brick wall. “Are your stair treads and risers wood?” No; carpet. But a future project will almost certainly be removing the dark laminate floors and replacing them with a lighter hardwood. When that happens, I suspect we’ll also remove the carpet from the stairs and install hardwood rises and treads. “Do you like the mood of your current dining room? It reads dark, without much ambient lighting.” Yes and no. I like the colors in the dining room – green paint, some original red-brown wood on the door and stair rail, white trim, and black cabinet (painted white inside). We have similar colors in the living room – the same green paint, white trim, reclaimed wood shelves supported by cast iron brackets, and a new (modern-ish) stained glass transom window over the door. There is a casual slipcover couch, that is white. The former fireplace, that is now a built-in bookcase, is also white. Red-brown piano. What we don’t like: the dining room is still a little dark, although new track lighting and brigher lights in center of the room have helped a lot. In some places the space in and between the rooms flows oddly. So I guess my overall inclination is to try to embrace some of the things that seem warm or quirky about the house - but open up the space, improve lighting, etc. “Have you decided what you are doing with the opening to the DR?” The plan right now is employ Rebunky’s idea. To cut away some of the left hand entry – the deep side – and infill the right wall only as deep and high as is necessary to cover the sides of the new cabinets. That keeps the space open for light to pass through, and it prevents any new visual barriers from hampering conversations between people in the kitchen and dining area. We have also tentatively decided on the skylight, and additional lights in the kitchen. There is a single overhead light in the kitchen now, so while the ceiling is out we’ll put in a series of new lights. “If you go with timeless neutrals you'll be able to decorate with color rather than rip out a backsplash when your taste changes.” This is very good point. And it sounds like everyone agrees that in trying to match the warmth and colors of the current house, we're getting too dark. I'm going to step back from the backsplash idea and try to think about what might keep the look a little more light or open. My original idea - gray and white - would certainly have been airier. We could, of course, still chose this. Then again, my husband likes the red-brown cabinets, and they do fit the setting. So maybe what I should think about is how to complement and balance the choice, rather than trying to layer on elements that dark or rich.

I try but do forget. I have also purchased items that were not out of date where they had gone bad. I don't live around the corner from where we purchase our fresh and other non bulk purchases. It is a chain grocery(not national). If I get something spoiled I call and let them know. They have told me twice to throw out the food and they will refund my money at the next trip. They do it no questions asked and with a smile. I asked my most regular checkout lady once if people take advantage of and she said she thought it was rare because customers appreciate their service. I have also noticed they don't do price checks if something won't scan. They ask if you know what it was and will take whatever you say unless they thinks it is too high. Another experience where I was supposed to get a free ham ( points program) they computer system was not programmed correctly and I swiped my cc before the cashier realized. I had to spend some time at customer service to get it refunded because it was busy. I was given a 25 dollar gift card for my trouble. (I wasn't complaining even in my head, it was a mistake) I was able to bless an acquaintance with card who could very much use it. They have captured the idea that I will drive a little extra and be very patient because I know they are focused on the customer.

"Sadly, our current home meets 90% of the requirements in your suggestions: one story, easy access, plenty lighting both indoor and outdoor, wide hallway & door way, wide space in the kitchen, all 3 bathrooms designed for aging...etc. We love our neighborhood. It seems we do not have sufficient reasons to move if it is not because the house and yard are too large for us." Do you want to move, or do you think you should move just because you're aging. If you love the neighborhood, love the house and it's designed for aging, there's really not a big argument in favor of moving. As someone above suggested, can always hire out the lawn work, and if you think the house is too big for you, just close off some rooms, leave them empty or use them for storage, that way you won't have to clean them, and you can shut off the vents to conserve air conditioning costs (heck, a lot of people do just that with a basement...). Not a big deal in my book. Filling in a pool would probably cost less money than paying a commission on the sale of your house combined with closing costs on a new house and the other associated costs with a new house (paint/decorating, minor repairs, etc). DH and I did think about the ability to age in place when we purchased our current house, although not to the extent of the some of the suggestions above (which are great and definitely things to think about down the road - our house is adaptable to a lot of the above). I had a tri-level for a long time, and we were adamant about a ranch. Period. I didn't care about a basement, but DH wanted a basement - man-cave and all that. We did think about ability to access necessities (grocer, drugstore, etc) when we're older and driving becomes more difficult. But, I wonder if that even matters -- in the next 10-15 years or so (if that) self-driving cars will be the norm, so if you're not at the point now where you can't see yourself driving in the next 10 or so years I wouldn't worry about transportation as a criteria for housing for seniors.