Firstly, crassula are sun hardy, but you can't just slap them out in the blazing sun or they'll burn. You have to acclimate them by starting out with a shady spot, then slowly increasing the time they recieve direct sun over a few weeks. I do find that they will get a little TOO red with full sunup to sundown exposure. They perform better with direct sun minus the later afternoon sun. The acclimation thing applies to ALL succulents. None of them will tolerate being moved from your house or a plant shop, right out into the direct sun. As for watering, if you have branches falling off, then you are definately overwatering. A big question here is what kind of soil are you using? If you are using a primarily peat based potting mix, you are asking for rot trouble. Judging by your description, that the soil never looks dry, I would suspect you are growing in a peat moss based mix, and in that lies your problem, plus your lack of restraint when it comes to watering. Joe

The hyper heat heat pump can make sense to cool an area with difficult access for ducts. Does the basement fit that description? It will cost you more to heat it with a heat pump than with natural gas. What are the aims of zoning, saving energy or comfort? If the former, you are probably barking up the wrong tree. If you have a well-sealed, well-insulated home, your heat transfer rates between rooms/floors will be much faster than out of the structure. Zoning can be difficult to accomplish, but not impossible. With old-school high mass boilers, it was not so difficult, but a modern, low-mass boiler, if sized to heat a large area, will be shutting off frequently. The same may be true for furnaces, but I am not as familiar with that issue. I've seen you write boilers and furnaces, which are you looking for? You can do forced air heat with hydro coils powered by a boiler, or with a furnace. With a hydro coil, you might be able to heat the bonus room but you'd still need a way to cool it. Cost calculations would tell you if it is worth it to install separate cooling and heating systems there. What are you planning on doing in the basement? Is is going to be just one, open area? I'd consider hiring an energy rater to help you plan and set milestones for the builder. They can help you choose your mechanical systems appropriately. They can do blower door tests to make sure that the house is air-sealed and insulated properly. Where are you located? It can make a big difference in figuring out what kinds of equipment to install if you have to heat a lot vs. cool a lot or both. Humidity is an issue too.

Sometimes I agree that real and faux marble shouldn't be paired but I really like the tones in your two pictured samples. I think you're right that stark white isn't great and that some tonal variation would be. I think either of those woild be pretty. If you're going to use the marbles, I might get more sample blocks, just to make sure the pattern/effect isn't too dizzying when repeated. There was a thread about London Sky ( faux marble) quartz started a couple years ago, in which people showed their real marble backsplashes with it. That might give you some idea if you hate or like the pairing. Grays will have different undertones - not all are greenish. Your wall looks like more of a purple undertone on my screen so if you're thinking gray, you do need to work with that wall. But a light gray, maybe with a bit of texture and/or color variation in the tile, as your marble has, could be pretty. Look at Tilebar, if you haven't, even just for inspiration. Strictly for example, this tile is Montaug Fog, from thst website. This is what I mean by variation and your samples have it. Even if you move to gray, I'd be looking for something besides a flat or strictly one color tile. Love your kitchen so far!

Rug a bit complicated, I'd think dining set should be more the same [finishes of, etc..] e.g., maybe the table could stay dark but all else the linen/ beige upholstery. Or lighten everything and let a color from rug 'show out'... https://www.houzz.com/products/casa-faded-traditional-ivory-and-blue-rug-710x1010-prvw-vr~35555599