Thanks for the advice. Brute I will look into the compost but have run into problems like zakey describes, up North. Main problem was weed seeds and chemically treated greens. Our town, in NY would also collect horse manure from the neighboring stables and compost that separately. We would help ourselves to that each Spring. We also try to grow mostly organically. We were successful in NY and our soil was beautiful from years of composting. Florida seems another story. The soil on the Key is pure sand and I can see will take years to build up a thick layer of organic material. There is less rain and everything dries so fast in the heat. On Siesta, the wind blows off the water constantly which also dries out the soil and compost pile. Add to this, the plant material seems very tough and difficult to break down. Zackey, I would love to live on Siesta but prices here are above what we could afford. We are thankful our daughter and husband own a house here and we can stay until we find a place for ourselves. I'm practicing my gardening skills while staying here and have a lot to learn. Water is expensive to use. I would use rain barrels when I find a house. Sunlight is so much stronger than what I am accustomed to. Bugs are plentiful and have done a lot of damage to some of my houseplants. I have always had success using my homemade oil/soap sprays but these bugs seem to enjoy it. I posted a question above about moving my plants back inside as I am afraid of bringing bugs in the house. I am still terrified of Palmettos, but we seem to have won the battle inside the house. Haven't seen one in a month. The organic pest control seems to have worked. But, outside is another story. I see them at night on the patio and near the house. I do not venture outside at night. When we get a house, I would prefer to stay away from lawns. That will limit a large amount of greens for composting. If there is a lawn, I will collect the clippings for compost - even the grass here seems tough compared to the soft grasses up North. Sorry for the long response, so much to learn! Jane

Oceanna, I'm in the process of going thru them, I've looked at so many pics, I'm getting lost in them LOL. Annie1971, what I'm looking to do is not so much a "theme" room or decor but something that reflects the beauty of the colors found in nature in the tropics and at the beach. BTW, I'm close to the SE Coast, Sandhills of SC. My landscaping is going to have a lot of Banana trees, Palms, and tropical plants with a lot of lush green. I'm also planning some roses, lillys and annuals with an eventual Koi pond. For instance, it's an instant archetecture(sp), color, decor and garden feast for me when I visit Charleston SC. That is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life. I had the same reaction to the the beauty of the Bahamas. My house is a ranch style, about 2200 Sq Ft., nothing fancy yet. I chose a light Cape Cod grey exterior, charcoal colored roof, white trim and black shutters. I have a lot of windows/natural light in the living areas, and Master Suite. My office is on the sunny side of the house and DH's is on the darker side, making the perfect Mechanical Engineer CAD station cave for him. I'm strongly leaning toward Blues/Blue/grays in the dining, kitchen and open living room adjacent to them. The one room I've done so far is my hall bath, darker side of the house with white marble countertops, double sink and white fixtures. I chose a nice blueish (if that is a word LOL) seafoam green (I used SW Forrest Glen) with bright white crown moulding and other trim. I have bright white plantation blinds and accented with decor in sand, peach, shell pink and taupe. I've some pictures on Flickr that I can link to. I used a nice thick group of white sheers as curtains to give the "Key West" feel to the room. This kinda gives an idea what I'm trying to go for. Sometimes I'm not the best with words. LOL Please feel free to critique, as I'm looking for ideas and the best ones for this house. I'm not looking to make this a "resale" house, I plan on livinghere a long, long time. Its a custom built house on 15 acres. Here is a link that might be useful: Hall Bath

Hi neighbor- St. Johns County here. We used a really amazing custom cabinet maker named Jeff Kerr to do our kitchen and living room built ins. I wanted white inset shaker cabinets, which he had never done (not very popular around here). I showed him a picture of a kitchen from Garden Web and he did an amazing job! He did ours for way less than a cabinet company quoted for full overlay. Here are some pictures...completed in 2009... Let me know if you need his contact info! Good luck with your build!

I live in area...may not be what you are looking for but I just did a kitchen remodel and entire flooring. I'd highly recommend S&W Kitchens in Palm Harbor. I also used Flooring America in Dunedin who also does tiling -- both his tile and floor guys are expert craftsmen. I can also recommend a great painter and awesome interior designer...all that I've used so far and I'm not done yet! LOL!