I love Santa Rosa Gardens, always get great stuff.

Good story ... ... I'd forgotten the punch line! ... (lines?) o j

Wild petunia can actually work as a decent ground-cover in heavy shade where it looks a bit less ragged than it does in sun. Downside is that it volunteers worse than salvia coccinea. We're pulling our shade experiment because of the added weeding effort it creates throughout the other shaded beds.... and any pots that get within "spittin'" distance. Seeds from the sunnier alley bed mostly get washed down the storm drains, so will keep them for now. It's a host plant for 3 or 4 butterflies which is a main reason we encouraged it, but have not seen any signs of activity here after several years. Here's how it has been flowering since late July in nearly full shade:Covers fairly well... and, if you look close, can see the green anoles like it... which suppose might explain the lack of butterflies:

The cost of foam is not a serious issue; it seems cheap if it will pass inspection. It is not worth the trouble to argue with the builder about phantom R values from foil wrap; it might be worth R0.5 and I doubt you can teach him anything. But if it is true that the design of the HVAC system was not in the architect's contract or in the builder's contract, you need to find out who designed it and if it has been well designed. Frankly, I fear the worst. I continue to be puzzled that your architect is not dealing with these issues. Did he not design the house? Would that not include hiring a consultant to specify the HVAC system or including that design work in the construction contract? Did the architect not provide a complete set of contract documents? Did you not hire the architect to observe the work to be sure the builder followed the contract documents? Did you feel you would be able to do that yourself? It just seems to me that the architect either failed to do his job or was prohibited from doing it. When I design a building, I do it all or I do nothing. To do a partial job would expose me to unreasonable liability. Why not ask the architect to advise you? He can certainly understand the issues better than you or we can. And he would cost you less than a lawyer or a delay of the project.