I originally posted my "move in diary" over on the building forum. The thread's long since fallen off but here's a link to the log of my trials and travails in moving into a brand-new semi-custom house. I just re-read it for the first time in months and it's still pretty hilarious in a Wile E. Coyote way. For those who've never built a new house, builders charge outrageous prices for upgrades, so I took standard carpet everywhere but the kitchen and master bath, then immediately tore it all out and upgraded. Here's the diary. Amazingly enough, I had yet another water leak a few months after the last entry. I should go back and make a few more entries. The TKO will catch a few references to kitchen stuff, like missing holes in the granite, un-level fridge doors, crooked backsplash tiles, etc. Here is a link that might be useful: The chief's moving in diary

bmorepanic, You might have Autumn Joy in the wrong place- (too much shade?). Mine never reaches 4 feet high. But, if you wanna keep it where it is, try pinching the new growth when it's about 8-10' high- that might keep it more manageable.(And you can always use a plant ring- I finally broke down and bought several from Lee Valley that are like a grid supported by green plastic covered wires. Put them in place before growth is too high and let plant grow through grid. No more flopping!) And part of growing the right perennial is putting it in the right place- which is why my customers really appreciate my input, and most of my business is either repeat or referral. It's totally blown me away that I seem to care more about my $10 sales, than my suppliers have for many many thousands of $$$. Our windows took 6 months to finally all get installed correctly- we were offered no discount or recompense for the delay and hassles (long story- won't go into it here). Not that I would EVER delay an order by six months, but even if I'm a week or two behind (I sell seeds online), I always include bonus packs. And to carry the Autumn Joy analogy further- in your garden it doesn't work, in mine it looks good 8-10 months of the year- a definite winner. Lots of people love their marble, though I love the look, I KNOW I could not stand the extra care needed and that I would be bothered by marks, stains, etc. So, because it doesn't work for me, doesn't mean it's not an appropriate choice for someone else. BUT, this is where it behooves the supplier to inform the client- it bugs me to no end how much research is required for every single item. It certainly is a Buyer Beware atmosphere out there- some have lucked out in getting really good GCs, but for many, and for those of us DIY, it's a huge ordeal to have to investigate the pros and cons of EVERYTHING. (Sorry for the OT rant- I'm just so tired of all the work) Anyhow, had to go check my favorite shoes- I kid you not- they are called "FUNCTION'by Solidus. Well, I thought that was the name, cuz that's on the sole- but I think that may be their motto. Here's a pic- Have worn them to two weddings- didn't mind the lack of fashion as I danced well into the night at both of them.

Ohhhh....I was the one who posted that. Well, I was just so-so on keeping my resolutions. I did try more yoga and meditation. It seemed easier for me to meditate regularly (nothing major, just 5-10 min every morning) when I was going to yoga regularly. They just seemed to go hand in hand. Then I did something to my shoulder, and I had to stop yoga. Still hoping to get back to both activities, because I do think they were beneficial to my mental health...just not for my wonky shoulder. This fall, our family life seemed more "settled" than it had been for quite a while. Oldest DS found a job that seems like a good fit, second DS was feeling more settled in college, and DD was very happy starting high school. Then DH walked into a tree branch in Nov. and ended up at the ER and then had to see an opthalmologist every day for about 10 days, over Thanksgiving, to monitor the healing closely. That healed, although he is on an eye medication until spring! Then, a couple of weeks before Christmas, he woke up with a sore neck, which turned into a lot of pain plus numbness in his arm and hand...long story short, he has 3 herniated discs. So the last month has been a total drag for him, and for me to be honest! Meanwhile, DD is in a back brace for 4-6 weeks due to a gymnastics injury, so I am dealing with her both physically (driving her to conditioning and PT and now, accupuncture) as well as emotionally (it's a huge disappointment that she might miss her entire competitive season). So...see yoga and meditation. I need some of that again! My new years resolution this year is to put all of this in perspective and hope for better health for my family! And I still haven't looked into Invisalign. Doh.

I think you've already been dissuaded from these two house plans, but here are my thoughts on them: First house: - Extremely complicated exterior and roofline that'll be very expensive to build ... also expensive to keep with a two-story living room. Fireplaces are far from cheap ... would you really use three of them? - Both houses have a curved staircase. Is this something you're looking for? If so, know that this is a very, very expensive option. - I do like the location of the library ... open to both the foyer and the master. - Note that the dining room is very far from the kitchen; you'd have to walk down the hall, past the half-bath multiple times to get the dishes and food to this area ... I fear that the reality is that you'd never use this room. - The kitchen is very poorly laid out, and for the size of the house it's rather small. Why a rather large desk, given that a library is included elsewhere? - The half bath is so tiny ... could you go into the room and close the door? - The breakfast area is nice and large, and I like its proximity to the kitchen. - The living room and the breakfast room, which are side by side, each have a special window layout ... but who'd want two different, special window layouts side by side? They'd compete. - The laundry is not convenient to the master. - Note that the master suite is larger than either the living room or the family room. Is this really how you'd want to use your space? - Typical overblown master bathroom. - Upstairs, two nice-sized bedroom ... and then a 25' bedroom. To put this into perspective, my family room and breakfast room together are 27' in length. Do you really need /want this much space in a bedroom? Second house: - Again, complicated exterior, expensive build, no function from any of this. - Same problem with the dining room: It's far from the kitchen and probably won't get much use ... however, this plan has a much smaller breakfast room; it'll be cute, but that area'll be tight. - This kitchen might be a little better than the other one, but it seems quite tight ... as if it has a little too much cabinetry. - Again, the laundry room is very poorly placed ... you'll have to wind your way through the kitchen carrying baskets. - The upstairs bedrooms are all nice without being overblown, though the bathrooms are all complicated (read, expensive to build). - The game room isn't large. What do you plan to put in that room? I will start looking for other plans. The reasons why I liked these plans are, master bedroom on 1st floor, Mbr away from kitchen and family room with a living room separating mbr and kitchen/family area. And both have garages walking into kitchen. These for me are some of the basics I need. And an extra bedroom on 1st floor. If any of you know any good plans that meet above criteria and within 4500-5000 sq ft range, please don't hesitate to post the links or send me a private message. Your wish list isn't particularly difficult to fulfill, but the two plans you brought up had many other similarities ... I think you have other wants that you're not clarifying here. You're looking at more than double the size of a typical American's house. How many people are going to live here?