I feel your pain and confusion! We are designing a one-story with a walk-out basement which, after the first pass for an estimate from the builder, came in about 15% higher than our original budget. So I thought I could make the footprint smaller by putting the guest rooms on the second floor and save some money that way. But in doing that, the total square feet increased. The one-story floor plan uses space very efficiently, but putting the guest rooms upstairs meant I had to add hallway space and a second staircase. I figure I can run both plans by the builder but how many times can you ask your builder to look at your ideas and tell you what it will cost? Every design consideration is always followed by "wonder what that will cost" which you really can't get a handle on until the actual bid is complete on the house. That can send you back to the drawing board, though! (Sorry I didn't have anything of value to add to your post - I usually don't like responses that don't add value. But I thought, misery loves company!)

It hasn't been my experience that lower end/basic DWs last longer. Our most recent experience: We lived in an old mobile home (already on our property) while we built a home from 2005 to early 2008. Soon after moving in, the 2 to 3 yr old, basic GE DW that was in there quit... We put in a basic Frigidaire to replace it and it was on its last legs by the time we moved into the house (parts breaking, latch not working right, etc.) Meanwhile, both were loud, melted things (Bosch sure won't do that, since there's not a heated dry with the coil in the bottom), and didn't do a good cleaning job. If I wanted something for a rental, I'd want something that would last and work well (for no complaints and repair visits), and the only ones that have done a good job at that for us is Bosch...But our current ones are the 500 series, so not their most expensive, but not the cheapest either. The one that did a good job for us running 2 or more loads a day in our last house for 7+ years (and still working as well as new when we left) was near the top of the line when we bought it, but now would be comparable to the 300 series, I think.

Whenever you wonder about buying different grades of paint, there are several factors to consider. How long are you going to stay in the house? If you plan to sell the house within the next couple of years, no I would not purchase the ultra premium products. If you are staying in the house for a long time, yes I would purchase the best paint possible. The Pro Hide Gold does a good job for less money. It will usually last about five years under normal conditions and is easy to touch up. Are there children or pets? How durable the paint needs to be will impact your choice of paints. Having children or pets marking up the walls requires a good washable finish. The premium grades of paint are much better for this reason. Look at the Red Seal Porcelain Eggshell Finish by Pratt and Lambert, it is guaranteed washable and scrubable, and is green approved. How often do you repaint a room? If you like to change colors, such as a nursery, premium paints may not be the best choice for expense reasons. If you are painting a living room, which does not get repainted very often, the premium paints are much better. The Accolade Velvet Finish is great for this application. It has a long durability.

NCrealestateguy, how do we know for sure at this point that the appraisal won't come in? I'm talking some years down the road, as I don't get the impression Cas is ready to sell right now. In the scenario I mapped out, I don't envision the new owner to be "an off the wall buyer" or that that buyer would be "over" paying. My point is, we don't know what the figures will look like in 5, 10 years. We may think we do, but we don't. You're the expert NCguy, not me, granted, but so much of this is like reading tea leaves. Afterall, who knew the economic downturn was going to hit, and impact quite the way that is has? (I know...many say they saw it coming and in graphic detail!) As for me, I am dedicated to taking care of my house and improving it, to the best of my ability, while not making outlandish changes that would be inappropriate to my neighborhood. I have faith that down the road, I will do fine when I sell, even though I "over" paid and indeed, was "an off the wall buyer" myself. Having said that, I DO think that people who bought in 2005-2006, who need to sell NOW, are in difficult straits. It's a shame that they can't wait it out. That paper loss will become real for them, and as one who looks at real estate daily, I know that there are plenty of people out there right now in this unfortunate circumstance. Some are choosing to rent out their houses if they must move, and rents, at least in my area, are quite high. That is a saving grace for many. I personally would not want to rent my house out, but it's a solution for some. Anyhoo, we can imagine the best as easily as we can imagine the worst, and so we might as well have faith in a good outcome.