Has anyone tried wattle fencing? Works great for raised beds. That's what I did with these two. Instead of filling the whole thing with dirt I did the whole lasagna deal. Working like a charm. Mine are 1.5 feet high but you can go as high as you can find sturdy uprights for. All you need is bendable branches for the weaving, sturdy "sticks" for the uprights and compostable material for the middle. They look rustic and work beautifully AND I don't have to get rid of my brush from the winter.

The International Residential Code has required sprinklers in new homes since 2009, unless that requirement has been removed by your state or other code adoption authority. That said, if you are already required to install sprinklers in your new house, adding a few more sprinkler heads in the basement won't break your budget. ------------------- As for greater deflection and "bouncier" floors with dimensional lumber, I would dispute that allegation since closer spacing of joists or using denser dimensional floor joists lumber species has always easily eliminated that problem.... In fact, it has been I-joists, floor trusses, and other types of engineered joist that have garnered the most complaints about floors being bouncy since these products have been introduced than have solid lumber floor systems. That said, there are multiple ways to build floor systems that will carry the loads and not excessively deflect...multiple ways to 'meet code'...and multiple products and systems that can be employed for one to 'believe' they are getting the best end product... And in the grand scheme of things, 'believing' you have made the best decision(s) for your own personal build is all that matters! Be happy with your choice and enjoy your new home! ---------------------- PS: Fire protection of floors is NOT just an item promoted by firemen and other first responders. Nor is it a code requirement there just to protect them. On the contrary, fire protection of floors is a proven life safety concern for occupants who live in homes built using engineered wood products. Why? Because floor systems built of engineered wood products combust more quickly and collapse much more quickly in a fire than floors constructed using dimensional lumber. That affects the means of egress and escape for trapped occupants in the first minutes of a fire far more than it does firefighters once they arrive... Firefighters, who are trained NOT to enter the building if they arrive more than 15 minutes after the first call anyhow! ------------------- Statistically, most residential fires occur at night when occupants are asleep. Unprotected engineered floor systems can completely fail within 15 minutes of fire ignition. A sleeping occupant who may already have been delayed by becoming aware that an actual a fire is going on...and one who is awakened from sleep and already not thinking clearly...can make poor escape decisions in assessing the risk to their lives in a fire...and have very limited time to respond before unprotected floors collapse. That is the PRIME concern here...NOT firefighter safety. Because firefighters are not entering your house in a fire if they know the construction includes engineered joists anyhow...Because they know the risk is too great. So let's put to rest the 'myth' that fire protection of floors by building codes is there only to protect firemen. It isn't. It is there to protect the OCCUPANTS...who might otherwise DIE trying to escape...when unprotected engineered floor systems collapse before they even know what is happening.

I go against the popular opinion here, so take it for what it's worth. Also, I suspect you've already made some decisions, but here goes anyway. If it were me, I would keep the high quality materials and reduce square footage. You can always add on space later, especially if you plan for it now. But cheap quality materials will be a source of regret for you forever. And the house will never, ever give you a feeling of rightness. You will always feel disappointed. What I personally would eliminate (your choices will certainly be different): Drop from a 3 car garage to a 2 car garage Do you really need both a formal living room AND a family room? If you keep both, don't sink the floor of the living room. As someone mentioned it seems very dated, and it is also a bit of a hazard. I have never been in a house that had one and not seen a guest stumble at the threshold at least once. You have a lovely eat-in kitchen and a large dining room. Do you need both? We have not eaten in our formal dining room one single time since we added a large eating area to our kitchen twelve years ago. We entertain frequently, but in the winter everyone gathers in the kitchen and in the summer everyone is out on the back patio. What I would absolutely keep: The porch. It is a wonderful feature and gives your house distinction. Rosefolly

I'm partial to the Limestone for it's color range and that it stays cool even in the hot sun. In order to install Limestone as coping for a curvy pool, templates must be made up to reflect the shape. We use tempered hard board/masonite to make up the templates. Generally we shoot for lineal lengths of at least 30". The width, front to back, 14". It's time consuming and each tracing must be cut carefully with a jig saw and numbered to allow for proper location on the pool. The Limestone pieces chosen will be bigger than the template and there will be waste after cutting them. But you still pay for the entire piece, not what you used. Some very tight radius areas require a large piece. We trace the template onto the stone and cut with a demo saw or sometimes a circular saw with a diamond blade. We get as close as we can to the lines and then after setting the stones we use a belt sander and a circular sander to true the stone. The longer stones look nicer as there are less joints. Many joints, say on brick coping, is too busy to me. Using Limestone, or any stone for that matter this way is expensive as the labor to get the finish is intensive. Limestone itself is reasonably priced but you must buy large pieces to make up the curves. You pay for a large piece and only use part of it. Limestone must be set in a particular method. Here's an article I wrote on how to properly set Limestone. https://www.aquamagazine.com/builder/article/15122892/builder-blunders-failure-to-damp-proof-limestone Some stone suppliers offer a service to template and cut the stones for pools or any project. We do it ourselves as time is of the essence.