What is the purpose of the trench? If to keep the rabbits from tunneling under, I don't know why you can't just put the dirt back in the trench on top of the netting. With our garden and very determined rabbits, squirrels, and my cat, we used chicken wire and t-posts and folded it at the ground so 3' up was fence and 1' along the ground. I put 12" concrete pavers on top of the wire on the ground both as a weed barrier space and to keep the animals from digging under. I left it kind of loose to keep the cat from climbing over. If any animals ever got in, I never saw them.

Thank you both very much for the information. If I thought I could get something pretty close to what I want for $20-25,000, I might be able to convince him. I will certainly have to pull out all of the stops to do so though... :) Gorilla, I understand what you mean about the economies of scale. I guess it does not take much to dig a bit larger hole and add a bit more material while they are doing the whole thing. It is good to hear that the extras are what add most of the cost, because I don't really need much in the way of options. I can do without a heater to start with. Your idea to add those types of things later is an excellent one. Snookums, thanks for the information on topics I should be researching. In the little bit of time I've put into it, I've read that maintenance effort has come a very long way in recent years. Maybe I will have to promise to take care of it myself!

I'm so confused. I can't post a picture on this forum (gardenweb discussions) but I CAN on houzz discussions...which I thought were the same now. So here is the link to the houzz side of the discussions (picture included) https://www.houzz.com/discussions/paint-examples-for-dhs-bathroom-i-hate-paint-dsvw-vd~3235154

This is a classic British recipe I've used for years. DH is a big fruit cake fan (me, not so much, or at all, even) so I make this once a year. It keeps well and you don't eat a big slice so it lasts well too. This makes a fairly large, dark cake (10" square) but it keeps for months. You could also cut it down or bake it in smaller tins. Cher's Christmas Cake Recipe 2lb currants 12 oz white raisins 12 oz dark raisins 4 oz candied cherries, quartered 6 tablespoons brandy (I use Irish whiskey as that's DH's tipple) 1lb all purpose flour 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp mixed spice (you could sub pumpkin pie spice if you wanted, I think) 1lb butter 1 lb soft dark brown sugar 8 eggs 4 oz blanched almonds, chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons black treacle/dark molasses grated rind of 2 lemons grated rind of 2 oranges Baking time 4-5 1/2 hours approx The night before: Place dried and candied fruit and grated rinds into a bowl with the alcohol and cover. Leave overnight. On the day: Line a 10" square 3" deep pan with 2-3 layers of paper and grease well. Preheat oven to 275F. Sift together the flout and spices. Cream the butter and sugat until light and fluffy. Beat eggs and add to the creamed mixture a little at a time, adding a little flour if it looks like curdling. Gently fold in the flour then stir in the soaked fruit and the nuts. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread the top smooth with the back of a spoon. You can decorate this with a pattern of blanched almonds laid very lightly over the top, if you're not icing the cake (if you were you would use royal icing, or fondant). Cut a square of greased paper to cover the top, with a hole about the size of a walnut in the centre to let the steam out. Place in the oven to bake. Do not peek for at least 4 hours or it may fall in the middle. When it is fully bakes, remove the cake from the oven and let it get cold in the tin. When it is cold, remove the cake from the tin and place in an airtight storage container. You can "feed" the fruit cake with more alcohol ever two or three days, sprinkling a few teaspoons over the cake for about three weeks. I admit I tend to be a bit heavy handed with the extra alcohol, even though we're not big drinkers :-) Enjoy!