We too built in Norman and had a nightmare (different builder). I already privately emailed this to "soonermagic," but if anyone else out there is reading this and seeing something similar I would run, not walk away when you get a misgiving. The earlier you exit, the better. If we'd balked at the framing stage when our first major issues appeared we would have lost $10,000-$15,000, at worst, which sounded like a worst case scenario at the time but would have been a major blessing, the way things turned out. We were frequently "reassured" along the way (thinking we'd made changes to get back on track), only to find at the end, when it was way (WAY) too late to do anything about it, that we had shoddy (terrible!) work for double the going price. By the way, a 20% builder's fee is not out of line here for a high-end home. (And with a median home price of about $115K, $415 is definitely high-end.)15% is about the minimum we saw from anyone. And now I definitely wished we'd paid 20% and got someone who knew what the hell they were doing! Like another poster here, our builder (and bankers) also discouraged us from making changes (firing subs, etc.) even when we knew things were going terribly sideways. That was a HUGE part of the problem. Wait and see sounded like our only option, but now I wish wed walked away at ANY point, no matter how much it cost us because now we have a house that cost $200,000 more than it appraised for and probably $250,000-$300,000 more than it would actually sell for. I, too, thought I was "smarter than that" and talked (until I was blue) in the face about what I wanted (submitted a ten page, room-by-room list of all finishes in each room to builder before getting bid), and what I didnt, and then got called "picky" (and a whole lot worse) when I actually had the nerve to say this isnt what I asked for/wanted. In the end, I lost most of those fights and it still galls me. (Our money and they STILL cant do what we want. They just do whatever the hell they feel like and were supposed to be grateful they show up at all.) We researched our builders other homes, and talked to his other clients. We got other bids and references. We checked legal proceedings and court documents. We even priced/sourced all the major materialsfloor covering, countertops, appliances and fixturesBEFORE we ever even signed a contract. We, too, knew we were probably a bit over the neighborhood, but planned to live there long enough not to matter. But wed thought about a $50,000-$75,000 difference--at worst--between house cost and appraised value. Our house is 4,001 sq. ft. total and our appraisal came in at $505,000, or $126.22 per sq. ft. And, that was with a very good, generous (but fair) appraiser. Another appraiser lowballed us at an unbelievable $112/sq. ft. saying that NOTHING in our house mattered except for the sq. ft. (typical in this area) and neighborhood comps. He wouldnt even look inside. Well be lucky to reach the "break even" point of ownership in 15-20 years--which is just ridiculous. Were not "upside down" in the house (in terms of mortgage anyway), because we used our savings to pay the overages. The fact the work we did get was subpar, at best, is the real kickerwe paid top dollar and got bargin basement work that our builderwho hasnt spoken to us in almost a year nowrefuses to do anything about (even big problems like foundation issues). I wouldn't wish our problems and issues on even my worst enemy. -Susan W.

Lots of really good light is necessary. Trying to differentiate between the navy blue pants and the black pants and then trying to find socks that match is hard without good lighting. I'm always having to bring my stuff out of the closet into the bedroom where the light is better to figure it out. I have a mix of hangers - padded ones for blouses, clipped ones for skirts, my Dh likes wooden ones for suit jackets and I like really strong ones for my jeans - and those are really hard to find these days. Costco often sells nice packages of hangers. Think about what you are storing other than clothes - shoes, purses (I have a deeper shelf at the top for purses so as to keep those pesky straps under control and they are in cubbies that hold about 4 purses each), accessories such as scarves, belts.

That is soooo cool. I'm happy for you. Thrift store has been good to me but nothing like your score. I had really good carpet installed when we moved in 17 years ago--so you can guess that is is hunter green. I had it replaced with travertine in all areas except the guest area. I left the hunter green because it was like new because of very little traffic over the years. Try to fine any fabric, bedding, window treatments, accessories that are hunter green---it has been purged from the planet! Then I thought---where would hunter green be? Thrift stores. Scored with some items that don't look too dated.

Hhireno I burst out laughing at your post : ) Good idea, beekeeperswife! I have a friend who has patronized a particular well-curated antique store so much--it's basically the exact vibe of my friend's house--that her entire house could be a photoshoot locale for the store, and she's now made friends with the owner (the owner eventually asked to come over to see what she's done with the house) and my friend's daughter sells her quilted bags there. It became a real relationship. Although now my friend will go in to the store and be considering a piece and the owner will tell her straight out 'you don't have room for that' LOL!