nandina - actually, our house was traditional 3-coat cement stucco, it was just done completely wrong by a builder who had no clue what he was doing. We actually had one expert who flew up from Wilmington to assess our house - he was one of the guys that discovered the synthetic stucco problem. But the problem is not just confined to synthetic stucco - now that I've learned more than I ever wanted to about stucco and proper flashing practices, I see tons of houses around here that have (or are going to have) the same problems. Sad. karin - The root problem is solved - we ripped every bit of stucco, sheathing, and insulation out of the house and had it down to studs and drywall. Everything that went back on was properly flashed and we took extra precautions such as a rainscreen to insure that water that gets behind the siding will be able to drain. Your question of how much foundation planting we really need is a good one - that's why I was thinking more of perennials (ferns and hostas) along the front - if it dies back in the winter, so be it. I think the house looks much better with no landscaping than it did with the big overgrown bushes. I know that I definitely don't want the traditional yew, holly, and barberry bushes that everybody seems to have around here. However, since you seem to know a lot about evergreens, can you recommend a few that won't grow much more than 3-5 ft tall and are very dense? I'd like to at least get the bushes in to screen the A/C units before winter as they're quite ugly. And I wouldn't mind one or two in the front just so it's not completely bare in the winter, but I'd want them to stay lower than the windows. I'm in zone 6 (think I forgot to say that in my first post). I do have to do something - we don't get a ton of snow and the lawn will be a muddy disaster if I don't get something done - it's only been a few weeks since the drainage work started and I'm vacuuming and cleaning floors about five times as much as I used to. What don't you like about the vinca lawn idea? My landscaper isn't fond of it either, but that's because he told me he hates spending 3 days planting thousands of vinca plants. I don't mind if it spreads - I've got about 3 acres of lawn and another 2 of meadow (lawn I don't mow, basically), and I really want to add something else interesting to break up the sea of grass.

Does anyone remember what the back of the Electrolux slide-in units look like? Anyone have a picture? Is there a space at the bottom (wall-side) for electrical connections? I'm curious if I need to have the outlet moved before installation day. The existing outlet (compatible with a free-standing range) is surface mounted on the floor for a freestanding range - and sticks out about ~3 inches from the wall, a couple inches high with the plug (maybe 5). Trying to figure out if I need an eletrician come in and move the receptable to a wall box per the installation instructions? Is there an identation on the slide-in similiar to a free-standing range? My countertop is 25.5 inches deep with no backsplash where the stove is going. I ordered the backsplash kit which is the manual says will take up 24 of the 25.5 depth. So is there enough depth behind the stove to handle the floor mounted plug?

Since my post on New Year's Day a few noteworthy things have happened: I received an apology for Soft-Lite representatives not making it down before the holidays and a request to come this week (today actually). The Regional Sales Manager and the Director of Technical Services drove about 4 hours this morning to review my concerns along with Mr. Hillebrand of Morris Energy Solutions. I was very impressed with their response. They were able to correct all the problems while here except for the bowed spacer sash which will be replaced and packaged differently for shipment. Their explanations for the root causes were honest and I believe they are correct. The three windows with the black “caulk” were corrected by removing the glazing bead and pulling out the offending black “blob”. The screen with the broken spring action was disassembled and reassembled to allow proper action. I have had a few hours since they left to reflect on their commitment to ensure the satisfaction of their customers. They informed me that the production team had seen and discussed the photos I had sent a few weeks ago. From the CEO down, all have shown a true pride in their windows and correcting the noted issues. In summary, they have actually done a remarkable thing...turned a bit of a critic into a fan. I learned that a lot of the frustrations I ran into would have been corrected by the installers during installation. Since the homeowner (yours truly) installed them, I found them and did not necessarily know how to correct all of them. Given the magnitude of their response to correct the issues today, I have to update my grading of both Soft-Lite and Morris Energy Solutions to “A”. I am not only satisfied but appreciative of their efforts and feel I can now recommend both Soft-Lite and Morris Energy Solutions. ---A Happy Soft-Lite & Morris Energy Solution Customer in Cincinnati OH

Thanks again for the information everyone. I think I'm going to try the electrical conduit idea. Actually, there is a local place that will powdercoat the conduit to closely match the brackets. Don't have to deal with the mess of painting or fears that the paint will flake off. The finials sold through the place that sells the brackets fits over the tubing, so I think they will work (I can use plumbing or electrical tape for a snug fit). My only concern now it that the rigid conduit will weigh approx 24 lbs for the 12 feet of rod. Does anyone think this is too heavy for the walls? I will be getting 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" for the outer rod (silk lined drapes, heavy)and 3/4" for the inner rod (which will hold sheers, so I'm not as concerned about weight or sagging). Hopefully both rods won't sag with only a center support. Worse case scenario is that I have to replace the rod in 7 or so years, still cheaper that the custom ones!