I'm sorry I must have only previewed the previous message & not posted it! I live in Indianapolis, zone 5 B. Most of the residential grass here is a combination fescue/bluegrass, which is what I will probably use. I only have a couple of trees at the back edge of the lawn, so the only shade is from the house, which faces east. I did the jar test last week, & it still hasn't all settled. It looks like 5% sand, 10% silt with 10% clear water at the top leaving the remaining 75% clay. Also did the rolling test & had a strip about 4" long before it broke. I sent my soil samples to Purdue's extension & am waiting on results. In the meantime I just used a test kit from the hardware store. The pH color change was considerably darker than the color indicating an 8. Nitrogen & phosphorous had barely any color, indicating very low amounts of either & potash was right in the middle. Another indicator is drainage. There are a number of holes in the yard from where the previous owner removed the scrubs. When it rains they fill quickly with water (about 6") and take a good 10-12 hours to drain. Its sticky when it's wet & like trying to dig into concrete when its dry. I'm still raking up the left behind rubber mulch, but it hasn't rained for 4 days & it's still wet under those areas. I'm not opposed to clover & mulch in the back yard for this year, but would like to have grass in the front. Thanks for your responses.

Dawn, you are my type of girlfriend. I love old stuff too, and my dream is like yours - to have a quaint little shop - but like you said, it is very difficult for small shops to survive these days. I have had a gift shop in the past and just when things were going good, the DOT came in and widen the road which came right across the little country house I was renting. Was really sad to let it go because I sold not only what I painted and made but also older things that had been decorated, along with new things. Women loved coming to the shop even just to sit around and talk. The men loved the swing on the front porch. Heck, even when the shop was closed my friends would show up and we would sit in the rocker and swing, drink sweet tea and talk. Life was good (but a lot of work).

The HOA is doing it and I'm on the HOA. The building was built in 1961 and it has galvanized water. I think we're going to share the meter. Not individual. This should keep it cheaper. My main concern at this time is how soon the system would degrade? Which would last longer PEX or Copper? Seems like scientists say PEX last long, but it's only been around in california for a few years. I've seen first hand copper corroding with pinhole leaks after just 20 years, but I don't know if that was just a fluke

If above ground, likely corrosion to main (in/under your meter outside?) which will cause partial outages and dimming. Likely a loose neutral if lights are actually flickering (bright, dim, bright or rapid on off); this can cause both low and high voltage surges. This may be caused by corrosion and should be checked very soon at least by PGE or whoever your local electric company is, to confirm the problem as the surges can cause anything from PC failure to appliance overheating/fire. Installations performed with high-dielectric silicone or other "goop" will not have this corrosion issue. If it is an underground system, I think you definately have to consider the hot. However, partial outages are usually due simply to corrosion. The fix? Call the electric company, ask them to investigate the partial outage or flickering and then call an electrician or general contractor if necessary. I would NOT suggest opening up your meter, brushing and caulking. This is not a old battery.