THINGS I'M GLAD WE DID We planned for the future and ran PVC pipe underneath all our concrete walks and drives so landscape lighting could be added later. Also ran pipe for electric wires out to the backyard where we would be building our barn the next year so we wouldn't have to dig up the yard again. Wired for an entertainment system in the basement (which we are finishing now -- 2 yrs. after move-in). DH insited on 400 amp service so we would have plenty of electrical for pool, barn etc. Splurged on the kitchen cabinets and appliances. It's one of our favorite rooms and is large enough for both of us to cook at the same time. Makes cooking & cleanup easy and enjoyable. Insisted on a pool bath with a separate entrance into the home. We fired our first designer when he insisted it was a waste of space in our northern home and would present a security risk because it makes another entrance to the home. It's great not to have guests walk across our wood floor when coming in from the pool to use the restroom. It's also a great changing room for the pool and hot tub and the shower is a great place to wash the doggie. Lots of very large windows to view the beautiful landscape and wildlife from everywhere in the home. What a way to increase the endorphins during an upper midwest winter. We used to live in a house where we could barely see outside. Our coffee area in the MB suite. We saw this in a parade home and had our second (and final) architect plan for this. It consists of some cabinetry, a small refrigerator and a bar sink -- perfect for making coffee in the morning or storing juice and sodas. It's located outside the bedroom, bathroom and closet area but still inside the suite area. Planned for a single, very large MB closet. It's 10 x 15 and is a perfect size for storing all our clothes and is also a roomy changing room. A covered lanai in the back of the house to escape the summer heat but enjoy the rainstorms. Our hardwood floor (Brazilian Teak) throughout the house. One of the biggest "wow" factors to people visiting. THINGS I WISH WE HAD DONE DIFFERENTLY Mostly small size changes which you wouldn't understand unless you were inside the house. A couple of feet here and there to make a room slightly larger. We actually cut those feet off the original plan to keep it just under 4000 sq.ft. Boy, I wish we had kept them. Really checked our cabinet layout. Our laundry room has a tight area when using the fold-down ironing board. It's mainly because we chose a front loading washer & dryer which are deeper than traditional machines. Try to visualize the cabinets and how they work in the room.

ROTFLMAO! I didn't know there was a thread going on about this. It's about time somebody mentioned this! I LOL daily when I peruse the CL's ads. Where are these people coming from? People, proof your ads before you hit that "submit" button. I really LOL when they list an appliance for sale that is so filthy and then they say "would really look nice when cleaned up". Well, duh, clean it up before you take the picture and heck, you might actually "sale" it! I'm glad somebody posted this thread, I've been thinking the very same thing for months. LOL Now I think I'll go have a looky at Craig's list and see if I can find me sum of them thar anteek chester draws.

This is one of my all time favorite threads. lax, your husband is a lucky guy (and I will *not* be reading this thread aloud to my husband, haha) morgne, your post was hilarious -- classic statement on marriage (nearly every marriage): "I love the little booger. Too bad I also want to kill him." Everytime I think about it I start laughing again. Thanks! Crafty, I, too, am glad things are looking up. :-) Hang in there.

The bedrooms and bathrooms are in the same family of colors but are a lighter shade. When you open the door to go into the bathrooms they are a lighter gray from the same color family. Nicely done. I personally think blues are hard to coordinate, but I also know my own limitations, and I know I am a total idiot when it comes to color. As far as my house looking real people nice .. you said it perfectly! That is exactly right on point and exactly what I wanted and could afford It’s just my family home, sweet, simple and a place that makes me feel happy when I look at it That's my goal too. Also, my bedroom suit was dark oak and in pretty good shape. I lightly sanded it, primed it, sprayed it and brushed the tops of the dresser, night tables, and chester drawers so they would be more durable It turned out beautiful and I finished the entire project in about 5 days You've convinced me to paint my bed when we move. but I can assure you that I would never paint my home again.. it would have been worth double that to pay someone It gave me a great respect for painters and why it cost so much .. it is a job that I would never want to do again.. I’m still touching up paint and if I could I would have used spray paint I don't mind painting a room here and there ... but to paint the whole house /I assume you mean interior only ... and to paint new drywall, well, that's a task. At the same time, $10,000 is no mean savings.