I might be able to see this as a conditioner, if you rinse it out REALLY well... But they suggest it as a styling help. Nu uh! My hair is very fine, I have a lot of it, but very fine, very straight... and geez... this would just weigh it down, don't see how it could help with holding a curl or any body or anything! LOL

I am with you on all of the reuse and buying out of the box so to speak. I have gotten some amazing finds where other people would refuse to look. I have gone to auctions and builder's clearance centers and flea markets.... You name it. I love the idea of finding something for a lot less than you would have thought possible. I also like to find unusual uses for things that end up being cheap or free. Examples * a tub at auction $25 * a double basin ceramic vanity top (new) $5 * shipping crates from a local factory (free) - used the dividers for building cabinets in kitchen - used the dividers for underlayment for hardwood floor in the bathroom. (seems crazy, but it only cost me $50 at auction - used the 16 ft boards from bottoms on ceiling for rustic barn look - used 4 shipping crates to build garden shed * bought a refurbed ceiling fan with 3 yr warranty for $24 at builder's clearance center As you can see there are a million ways of doing things differently and saving money. By the way, your kitchen is gorgeous! I love it. And I agree on the whole white appliances being universal and timeless. I think they are easier to keep clean compared to stainless. It was nice to hear from someone who likes to think outside the "box" when remodeling, too.

I found a locally owned store that sold Chelsea flooring that we just installed. What I liked about it was that I got a great floor made here in the US, and supported local business as well. I did have to make, at least for me, a huge compromise. I wanted walnut so bad, but it would have been at least $2,500 more. Wasn't in the budget. I still got the brand, but had to go with a darker ash hardwood flooring that is wire brushed. Do I like it as much? Not even close. But I got it for $5.35/sf (product only), in a combination of 3", 4" and 5" laid in a random pattern which turned out beautiful. I got a Home Show discount. I think I got a great deal.

Lauren, there could be a million scenarios to your situation and most will not do you any good. It all comes down to the person you dealing with and the practices how they run their business. You buying a home from a builder, you have a contract which probably includes listed items that come with the house. Any deviation from these items the builder can charge you anything he wants...and nobody can do anything about it... It's pretty much comes down to "take it or leave it". Most custom home builders that I know don't do that, it is all about the person you're dealing with and their reputation and in your case if they try to jack-up the price that much, this is not a very good practice. I will give you one example of a similar situation. A few months ago I was doing 3 basement designs and layouts for homeowners who purchased new homes in the same development of 13 homes...most homes still under construction, they the 1st-3 to move in. All 3 homeowners were telling me the same thing that its impossible to get anything from their builder. Anything they want to upgrade is quadrupled in price, i.e you want oak stairs $6k extra, you want crown molding 3k per room, etc Its beautiful close to 1m homes, and when I came to one of them the 2nd time, they had a contractor there building coffered ceilings, doing crown, trimming out a few openings, etc. Back to drop cloths, back to dust, back to painting, when everything could have been done long ago before the closing and the builder reputation wouldn't be diminished. Most of the homeowners who purchased this homes know each other, 8 of them out of 13 homes are friends and work in the same field, and the first 3 who moved in warned everyone else that builder is impossible to deal with and he won't budge on anything. That said, there is always a mark up on upgrades because it involves extra work and you endure extra expenses, but the mark-up is not to bankroll a homeowner, its reasonable and its priced in the way to be worth while for the homeowner and so they keep on smiling while they job moves along. We not living in the stone ages, today you give a price for something within a minute you can pull up the phone and look up the price online, and everyone knows that and every industry is trying to stay compatible with pricing or nobody would be buying anything from them... and I'm sure nobody wants to look like an idiot for giving unreasonable price. Now put all that all mambo jumbo aside, I wish you best of luck with your new home and I hope everything will go smooth and you end up with a well built home!