Below is a link to a nursery in West Palm Beach that carries moderns on Fortuniana. They have a few OGRs too. From what I have read Fort is the only way to go in S. Florida. Other rootstocks only last a few years - literally, so it's almost like buying annuals. I have two Don Juans in Fort, 1st year, growing well, but they do get BS. Not much doesn't here in the summer - and other times, too! There are several mail-order nurseries online that carry Old Garden Roses and more modern ones, too, on their own roots. A few of the Chinas are foolproof as far as the rootstock is concerned; they don't mind our nematodes. In fact, Louis Philippe (go to: http://helpmefind.com/plant/pl.php?n=2044) is called The Florida Rose. These roses don't look like what you'd expect - different flower & bush shapes, but they stay healthy here and are everblooming (with pauses) & evergreen. Tea Roses are fairly long-lived here on their own roots - I've heard ten years is not unusual. Also, this is going to sound funny but the nematodes don't like cement, so if you plant own-roots next to foundations, driveways, sidewalks, etc, it's an advantage. They don't like organic matter also, so I have greatly amended my very sandy soil. Hopefully, I'll get some years out of my roses this way. I have many more own-root than Fort rootstock so my fingers are crossed. You can Google these nurseries: Ashdown in SC, Roses Unlimited in SC, Antique Rose Emporium in TX, Vintage Gardens in CA (they're having a sale now), Chamblees in TX and others. They're all very reputable, I have ordered from all of them. When you move beyond Teas, Tea-Noisettes, Noisettes and Chinas, you need to do further research. Some are not well suited for our heat, humidity, lack of dormancy, heavy BS pressure, ad infinitum. But these are beautiful roses - just different from the type you find at the florist. As to organic concoctions I really don't have any. The milk didn't work, the baking soda didn't work, the vinegar didn't work, and regular spraying is not my cup of tea. So I am going for disease-resistance in my rose selection. And even then it's trial and error and how much BS can you tolerate. Some can look past a lot, some can't. But yellow leaves either constantly or from time to time are a given on roses in Florida. The really ugly-BS-prone roses you just want to do without because beautiful blooms on bare canes aren't that beautiful. Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: Cool Roses

As the OB/GC, I've enjoyed the process but dang it is a lot of work while trying to maintain a regular job ... wife is pretty much single during this process. Anyway, at first I started with google to get me going but found that many of the ones I contacted weren't ones I ended up going with for a variety of reasons. The most important ones were the foundation and framing. I worked backwards though. I interview about 5 framers and then got a recommendation for a foundation guy since the good framers know good AND bad foundation guys since they have to 'clean up' the mess is foundation is out of whack. I used estimates from other foundation companies to get good price from the company the framer recommended (our foundation guy turned out to be one of the best in the area and many builders use him). Then, I got a recommendation for a dirt guy from the foundation guy for same reason. I ended up paying more for the dirt guy but I had a tricky dig and wanted to make sure I had no issues. As far as other contractors, you've got the big ones but trying to get accurate estimates many months from when they would come in will be tough. Price increases (we just had insulation, roofing, doors go up last month), ... As far as prints, except for two people, I emailed everyone a PDF vs giving out copies. Having a set laminated is great idea because trying to work with a damp/dirty set is tough. Happy to help if you need more Here is a link that might be useful: Our Building Blog

Sorry for your family and like the others, I doubt anyone will care what he has on. My Beloved and I laugh all the time about the way he dresses. For the last 50 years he had to wear a suit and dress shirt and tie and he is not about to even come close except for very special occasions. He goes to town to get gas for his mower looking like his pants haven't been washed in a month and the other day he was having an issue with his sandals hurting his foot so he put on a pair of socks and said......How bad does the sandal sock thing look and I told him......You are almost 72 you can wear anything you want. I said if it bothers anyone they'll just be whispering...Look at that old fool over there wearing socks with sandals and let me ask do you really care......Obviously he doesn't..and as long as I know he is clean, I don't care what he wears either or how dirty his work pants are............

Hooray for install day! You will love it and will love that you planned everything! You finally made it to here...even with a crazy funny contractor, nearly setting yourself on fire, and the many many delays. So exciting. It will all be fine. I remember the same gut-wrenching feeling when they brought my cabinets and started the kitchen--somewhere between excitement and throwing up. With a whole house remodel like we are doing, it can be SOOOOOO hard to keep yourself from second-guessing everything since there so many details and decisions. May there be many many tomorrows that make your project finish soon! We are moving in Monday after 16 months living with my mom and am almost delerious with joy and relief....I think I need to be sedated until then!