Shelf supports: 2 2x4's set on edge (8 feet long) supported in a "sandwich" of 2 2x4's 32" high at either end of the HFGH. This brings the great covered grating exactly to standard kitchen counter height. Shelves are easily removed in 2 four foot sections. I used untreated 2x4 because with the plastic drip pans underneath we can let excess water drain off - and I did not want the chemicals in treated wood dripping on any plants we might set below. We have the 2 6' greenhouse benches that HF sells for the 6x8 HFGH as well. They are "spares". Insulation: Exterior panels are simply wedge fit. They have been in daily on/off use for over a month and are working perfect even in 20-30 mph wind. Our HFGH is protected by a Northside 8' fence and the house. Interior insulation. North wall, bottom - wedge fit 4x8 insulatin trimmed to (I think) about 44 inches tall. North wall ceiling - the extra bolts you are instructed to add in some of the Garden web HFGH construction posts are simply popped through the insulation at the ridge rafter. Bolts: The underside of the roof rafters has a track in it. If you ever want to hang plants inside, during construction you need to slide a nut with abolt attached down that channel before assembling the roof rafter to the ridge and side walls. We used 2" x 13/16 eye bolts which will take the hooks from most hanging baskets. These eye bolts are popped through the insulation and turned 90 degrees to the face of it - hold it up fine. For "personal or detailed responses" please include your personal email - it is a pain finding this thread on Gardenweb! Hard to add photos to the photobucket series as doing so will knock the logical order of the slides all to simthereens Happy thanksgiving Steve & Kathy Wisconsin

Arrowhead Alpinus mentioned something else about the Picea abies 'Millcreek Broom': PICEA GLAUCA 'MILLSTREAM BROOM'. To tell the truth I got this just for the name, presumably it goes back to Linc Foster. It.s an erect dwarf plant that is a pincushion of stiff needled fox tailed shoots each topped by a prominent bud giving the general impression of a dwarf Picea abies.

I agree that for the most part, what trees you like are a matter of taste. That said, there are some trees that, while having some nice ornamental properties are highly invasive. Chinaberry, Ligustrum and Chinese Tallow (another "evil" one) are extremely invasive around here, displacing native species. I think most of us can agree that's a bad thing. I also agree with Lou that over planting any variety of tree, native or not can be a bad thing. Ask anyone in the northern part of the country where American Elm was the dominant boulevard tree if a little more variety wouldn't have been nice when the majority of them succumbed to Dutch Elm disease in the 80's. Like the Live Oak around here, it was a quality, native tree that was just over-used. I hope our neighborhood never experiences Oak Wilt since the builder planted Live Oaks almost exclusively and they are mostly now 20' to 30' trees, along with some mature ones that were preserved. I'm seeing Monterrey Oaks planted more and more, which I find encouraging as they are supposed to be wilt resistant and are also evergreen or nearly so. Bug-the reason I dislike AZ Ash, above all else, is the root system. We have a neighbor that has one on the west side of their house that's about 25' tall, so it's giving off nice shade. The problem is the roots are on top of the ground everywhere, including large ones pushing up against their foundation. I can't see that situation getting any better... If in doubt, go over to Dave's Garden and check out some of the pictures and reviews of AZ Ash. I think if TX Ash was more widely available and it was more well known it would help. People are going to keep planting AZ Ash and its cultivars if nurseries and the big boxes keep selling them. After all, they wouldn't be selling it if it was a "trash" tree, would they? ;^)

oh, also wanted to say, we almost built the yesterview. but builders were quoting us about 20% more to build the yesterview than the fitzgerald so we added sq. footage to the fitzgerald to make it suit our needs. it's now 3,600 sq. ft with a 2,400 sq. ft. basement and a 400 sq. ft. bonus room upstairs that we're about to finish. someone else made a good point about the garages. the gardner plans have shallow garages in general. we lengthened ours to 25 feet and we're so happy that we did. I can pull my vehicle in, close the garage door to keep out winter winds, and then get out of the car and open the back hatch to unload groceries, etc. we also reconfigured the master bathroom so that it suited our purposes better. and we widened the entire house by two feet, putting those sq. feet into the kitchen, dining room and breakfast room. I don't like narrow kitchens. now mine is 15 feet wide and that was just right for what I wanted. my previous house had a kitchen that was 14 feet wide so I knew that one extra foot would give me the wider aisles that I wanted around my island.