I live in zone 10 and have had luck with my Austins grafted on Dr Huey. You can order them directly from David Ausitns roses online. They have excellent customer service there. I originally had two own roots from Heriloom roses and they never bloomed. Once in a blue moon. My Glamis Castle died and my St. Cecilia is just sitting there two years later with a few stems and no flowers. Still small as can be. I then ordered 4 bare root grafted roses from DA and they have all done well. But by far the best performer was my Huntington Rose (pictured). She was listed in the special zone 9-10 list on DA's website and she has out performed my other 3. The other three are doing well but not nearly as many blooms as Huntington. Because of this i went back and ordered 3 more roses specifically from their list of warm climate roses. They are Mary Rose, Abraham Darby (supposedly one of the best DAs out there) and Darcy Bussell. Their list can be found here http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/Advanced.asp?PageId=2063 on the bottom half. I'd really like to try a david austin on Fort. roots. Just to see if it makes a big difference. I've heard dr huey does well in Florida too (second best) so I wonder if it makes a huge difference (i have a few teas that are on fort and they do pretty much the same as all my huey roses, no real difference that i can tell). I wish I had more space! I'd have a hundred roses and half of them would be Austins. Here is a link that might be useful: DA's for our climate

Mine died too. Other phlox also have succumbed to the humidity. One came back. So don't feel too bad.

I wonder. I have heard about "bad grafts" that just don't thrive. But some roses just take a while to get going. I do think the age of the rose and its location in the garden are two big factors. But I still think it has more to do with the variety. Some do better then others in Florida. Even grafted ones don't always thrive depending on the conditions. I have an easy does it (grafted) that did nothing for its first two years and now its hardly ever without bloom so age was a factor with her for sure. Maybe try moving it to another location? Maybe there's roots competing with her down below or something. I have Tamora as well but she's a tiny little own root thing. I got her from Rogue Valley Roses last spring and she was the worst one of the bunch when my order arrived. Her stems were yellow and within a few weeks she had lost all but the top few leaves. Somehow she bounced back however. I stuck her in the ground and she's given me 2-3 blooms. But she's still growing, albeit rather slowly. Keep in mind also that grafted roses usually don't have such bushy growth as own root since they are entirely growing from that one stem they are grafted on to. Maybe that's why she seems skimpy compared to your non grafted austins? I worry about growing them on their own roots down here (south fl), but you seem to have had luck with many of them. I have had success with Quietness and she's on her own roots. And Duchess de brabant too, own root. I had Clothilde Soupert but she died. I also have red cracker rose (2 years now) and shes pathetic. She's just three little branches, but she booms a bit even for her small size. I've been waiting for her to take off. She's older than quietness and quietness has towered over her. I got quietness from Chamblee. I like them alot. I also have a Dames de Chennonceau on her own roots that I put in the ground not too long ago and she sent out a monster basal cane that was like 5 feet tall, so I'm thinking she'll do ok. LOL You can always try rooting a cutting of Tamora. Maybe she'll be happier on her own roots. Mine isn't really doing anything so who knows. But worth a shot.

DH had already said he won't close in the storage area in the garage. His work bench and tools from his current garage will go there. In that case, I'd widen it so that it's useful. I described my uncle's similar long, narrow, have to squeeze-into-it storage ... this is the same thing, and it would not at all be suitable for a work bench and tools. Measure it out: Less than 5' wide ... you use 18"-24" for the bench and tool storage ... you have only about 3' of walking space. He'd knock his elbows against the back wall constantly. Opening it makes sense because then he can store tools against the wall and -- when necessary -- pull a car out, and he has all the working space in the world. If he won't open it, expanding it is essential. As it's drawn now, it's good only for storage ... and it's not really good for that. The breakfast nook will become a coffee/beverage bar area. I like that idea. Regarding the shower in the laundry room... that's the only thing DH has really asked for! It's not muddy feet that we deal with... he and DS get absolutely filthy from head to toe. I get that they're dirty all over ... but only their feet are touching the inside of your house before they reach their own bathroom /bedroom. They're not rubbing up against the walls as they walk, are they? The porch (hypothetically) will be a significant cost in the big picture. We tend to think about "the main house" and discount the costs of garages and porches ... but, yeah, they are expensive. Not as expensive as interior rooms, of course, but they aren't an insignificant cost. Regardless of cost, they are integral to "the look" of a house like the one we're describing. If you are unable to find a good architect, maybe have a look at the Moser Design Group website? I think their farmhouse plans tend to be simpler and less McMansion-like.That's a cute farmhouse (whereas the OP's original design isn't a farmhouse). I like the layout of the kitchen/dining and the living room's windows are great! I don't care for the bedrooms at all, though that back bedroom might be good for the office. North Carolina and the College of Architecture at NC State is full of experienced and talented architects. NC State is not known for architecture; their claim to fame is engineering (in all its many forms) and vet science ... and bricks. Seriously, that's all they have: bricks. It's UNC-Charlotte that's the NC powerhouse for that subject. However, I think the architects must move out of state because we are certainly not rife with them. I personally only know one person who works as an architect; well, I knew two, but one died.