I have not bought hydrangeas bare root but I can see why they do that (less shipping costs). Hydrangeas will have some small roots near the surface and maybe this is the case here. However, I really would have expected some visible roots of some size in each specimen. Just where did you buy this anyway? I would call them back to confirm all is well and just so they (and you) have a note that you called... in case the plants do not make it! Note: I assume they did not send you a specimen of Viburnum also called Snowball Bush.

Lyfia, all great points you brought up, it really helps me plan and think. Honestly we have no set time frame for having this project done, since we have an up and running kitchen in the other part of the house and we are working on the new kitchen as time allows. I spent part of this week filling every little brad hole with putty and sanding everything. This weekend we should get a primer on and if dry time allows the walls and ceilings painted. I think we are at the point we are going to put in the cabinet order too. We still have the floor to put down, sand and seal. Tile the whole range wall, put up shelves. The wiring is done, we still need to run plumbing .. which means going under the house in the Summer .. YIKES! We live in copperhead country, not a fun prospect. Last year my DH got bit, we were very fortunate it was a 'dry bite' though! Valinsv, thanks for the help and suggestions, they are very helpful! Les, I love those 50's dinette chairs and if I was going to do a booth, I'd be all over them. I honestly don't think with a very rustic table I'd be happy with them ... even though they look super cushy to sit on. :) If I do go with these chairs I'd have seat pads made for them. I still haven't put my chair order in, I was all ready to go, now I'm hemming and hawing over details again. Part of me wants to go this way, part can really see everyone sacked out in a comfy booth and chairs playing board games and drinking coco. I know that everyone brought up very valid reasons to stay away from a booth, like people being inconvenienced by having to move to let the inside people out, etc. The thing is though we don't have those types of sit down and eat parties where I see it being a problem. When we entertain adults it's normally in a relaxed, casual setting outside on the deck or around the pool area, where we have large tables in each area. When it's just the five of us here, there would be plenty of seating that we could all spread out. I'm lucky that my girls really do get along, there is not alot of she's looking at me, touching me, breathing my air problems. *LOL* I grew up with 3 siblings, I know how that goes, we spent a lot of time bickering. ;) When it's the kids and their friends having snacks, I don't see it being a problem where the kids would feel inconvenienced. So in short I'm still stuck, I think! *LOL* Sometimes I can see right away the path I want to follow, sometimes I start second guessing myself. *sigh* Normally my Husband will chime in with his feeling on the matter and we'll work it out in a way that we are both relatively happy .. this time he really doesn't seem to care, well other than wanting me to make a plan so we know how to finish the room. ;)

This tends to make homes less than desirable when you sell. The garage is unconditioned area of home and aren't included in the heat load calculation when the home is built and people often under estimate the amount of money required to do this right, to be able to make a garage comfort enough to be livable in. If you convert it and the room is uncomfortable you won't want to live out there. Then you find out how much more it will cost to make the room comfortable. It's a double edge sword. You need to think long and hard about this decision and find out true costs to do this the right way. Many times people think they can steal air (heating or cooling) from the HVAC system of the home, just run a duct over. But this doesn't equate to 'comfort'... Under extreme heat or cooling the system will likely not perform well enough and in the process makes the rest of the house uncomfortable to boot. If your house is too small, it is almost always the better way to add to the house. If you can't do that it might be better to consider buying a larger home and selling this one.

First find out what started the fire and make sure you don't repeat that mistake. Like the idea of swapping a fireplace for a patio door. It is entirely possible -- even likely -- that building codes have changed in some ways since the original building was constructed. Hiring local pros, beginning with an architect, that knows what is and is not permitted is the best way to avoid expensive mistakes.