I don't see why a contract (cost plus or fixed fee) has to include the cost of appliances. IMHO appliances are NOT part of the house anymore than draperies or the television set are. In fact, we chose to buy our appliances separately rather than add them to our mortgage because appliances typically wear out and need to be replaced long before the mortgage is fully paid off. It is not sensible to still be paying on these things long after they're worn out! In your case, just tell your builder that you will be purchasing the following list of appiances and installing them your self and that they are not to be included in the contract. You will provide him with necessary information regarding water/electric/gas lines and the sizes of cabinetry opening necessary. If you're doing all the work of finding and purchasing the appliances and waiting for their delivery, and the appliance provider is doing the installation, why should builder get a percentage? He gets paid for running gas/electric/water lines to the appropriate locations so the appliances can be installed. Doesn't make any more sense that he should get a percentage of the price of the appliance than that he should get a percentage of the price of your TV, stereo system, electric toothbrush, just because you're going to be plugging them into the wall! IF he is going to be advising you on your selections, doing the ordering, waiting for installers to arrive, supervising installation, AND dealing with any issues that should arise if one of the appliances goes on the fritz 6 months after you move in, then it would make sense that he should get a percentage. Otherwise not.

Delta: I love that chair rail organizer idea, unfortunately I don't think we have the wall space for anything like that. Almost all the walls will have furniture against them or back up to a door--except for the corner where the oak hutch is now which I'll probably put her easel there until she outgrows it in another year or so. I do agree she needs some type of hanging coat rack and saw a few iron with curlicue ones on eBay--but that's for the finishing touches. What did you think of the Barely Teal I have above? It's the lightest color on the aqua strip. lyban: Hmmm... the lime ones do look pretty good. I'll have to look at those some more when I get ready to order my next batch of samples. DD prefers aqua with lime accents. Other option is this aqua rug on Overstock.com: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-woven-Majesta-Shag-Rug-5-x-8/2870502/product.html It's hard to tell from the pics, I apologize, but her room is very small. We currently have an accent wall, but I don't think it works in a room her size--also was thinking the same with an accent ceiling. I'm actually wondering if it'd be better to paint the ceiling the same as the walls to give it a more expansive feeling? As much as I like the seafoam furniture, I feel it's starting to pull this room in another direction. I was thinking the color that would really compliment it is a pale lavender... but that is not DD's wish. Hopefully some kind soul will take pitty on me and lend some photoshop help so I know which direction to go for paint samples.

Hi island. Our banquette was built (several years ago) by the same guy who did our cabinets. There is no back on it ... just loose pillows, which we sort of toss around depending on how many people are actually sitting on it. It does have storage. There are sliding doors on the long front of it (this is not easy storage to access but it's for the cookbooks I pull out once a year, etc.) and a "morgue" drawer that comes out from the end (where we keep all the dog leashes, collars, etc. Super handy storage!). I will take some measurements tonight or tomorrow for you, but I recall that the seat is about 19" tall after the cushion is on. I made the cushion extra thick, 4 inches, and raised it up a little because I prefer to sit a little higher at a table. The chairs came with the house and I sort of painted them on a whim. I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint, which was OK, although I'm not sure it was any better than any other kind of paint, other than not having to prime them first. They do seem to be wearing well though. Hope that helps for now. More to follow.

although the linen choices are more limited and probably not the provenance/quality of RH, Village Workroom (aka VillageDrapes.com) does very good work. I've used them many times. Joe will send you samples of their swatches within about a week. Leadtime is about two weeks. (They may be willing to source other fabrics) There are a couple of other online workrooms that people have used, but I have not used them -- see those threads. (I did source some nice linen samples from DreamDrapes but have not ordered from them). The Shade Store has a good selection of linen. They also have Brick and Mortar boutiques now where you can see samples and get consultations. They tend to be pricier. Calico Corners is also an option, with a good variety of higher quality linen.