Whether it makes a difference or not will depend on the distance between the photosynthesizing surfaces and the light source. Light is diminished by the cube of the distance from its source. I.e., a light that is 3 feet from a leaf will only provide 1/27th the light it would @ 1 foot. @ 5 feet, the light provides only 1/125th the light, not enough to make an appreciable difference, so "Close", when using fluorescents is key. The bulbs you chose are expensive, but do furnish light over a wide spectrum, providing both blue and red portions. They do not provide near the lumens that the T12 cool whites provide (@ 3200 each) though. I use all cool white in 22 fixtures over my grow area and change them mid-way through the grow season. I just purchased 4 cases of these bulbs yesterday (19.97/10 bulbs), along with a fixture to replace one that is down. FWIW, I run the lights 18/6. Al

Some basic questions as I have recently replaced the older appliances in our home. What type of range are you currently cooking on? Do you already have a gas range/cooktop? The reason I ask is that when your used to one type of heating switching can be a surprise. I've had the Frigidaire FGGF304DLW (in white) all gas double oven range. I've only had it for a week so I'm still getting used to it. So far I really like to double oven feature. We've only used the larger oven once, but the small upper oven preheats quickly. Can't really comment on temperature uniformity/accuracy but the temps don't seem far off. The one surprise is how much heat is 'wasted' on the cook top with the sealed burners. We had an older (not sure how old) coil top electric stove before. If I try to boil a cup and a third of water in a 6" diameter pot (an AllClad) it seems to take longer than the old coil stove. Also we've found out that our over the range microwave has a overtemperature feature that turns on the exhaust fan. It had never gone off before. I'm still on the learning curve so I won't give a full review. Just to let you know if your going to a different system, you may be surprised at how different it is. If your already using a sealed gas cook top, it might not be that different. The Consumer Reports appliance review did mention that even the electric smooth top ranges are more efficient than the 'consumer' gas ranges they reviewed. In terms of your other selections, we have Kitchenaid DW and cabinet depth french door fridge that we are happy with. Also look at the 'distributor's' in your area. These are the companies that sell directly to builders, they may also sell to consumers. I'm in Cincinnati and the one I've dealt with has come close to on-line prices (definitely beats big box stores). Also see if there are stores that have scratch and dent show rooms. Often the slight damage is in the unexposed area.

Overall, it's nicely done -- as you said, basic and traditional. A couple things I'd want to tweak: - You said you want to cut down on square footage. The foyer seems very large in proportion to the rooms -- it's only a hallway, but it's larger than the den or the dining room. - The problem with changing the foyer, of course, is that while your front rooms seem to be a comfortable width, and the master and kitchen seem to be a comfortable width, the Great Room and the breakfast spot are none too wide, and you cannot afford to give up space there . . . thus, you really can't cut down the foyer without making major changes in those other rooms. - Up above the foyer, I wonder if that smallest bedroom could be made "equal" to the others by closing in that open space a bit? That might be impossible. - Or, better yet, switch the bedroom to the back of the house and bring the -- what's it called? Loft? Rec space? Whatever, to the front of the house. This'd give you a smaller open area and a larger bedroom. - Bathrooms upstairs were discussed. How many people will share this upstairs? Three bedrooms. If it's three people, I'd cut out one bathroom and save massive amounts of money. Three is a fine number to share one bathroom. - I see that you don't care for island seating (and I'm with you on that), but you will have room only for a small, small table here. I find the "table against island" concept a little "busy". How would this do: Remove the doors in the nook area (move the doors to the great room). Bump a four-person table way back near the window -- wait, make it a bay window. This will allow you walking space in the middle of the room right in front of the island. - I like the layout of the great room - nook - kitchen, but not the photograph. Carpet on one side and hardwood on the other makes the room look choppy, but that's a super-easy fix. And that fire place looks like some pre-fab something stuck into the wall. Yuck. I'd absolutely want a fireplace, but you can absolutely do better. - I don't think the kitchen is as bad as some other posters think. I would have to get the sink out of the corner, of course. And the refrigerator is too far from the action; if you move it out into the main kitchen area, your pantry could be large enough for shelves on both sides. - I like the beverage center on the way to the dining room and the location of the pantry. This is very practical and will be great for parties -- I'm imagining food on the island, drinks in the butler's pantry. - Master bath: I do not like all those doors. They're constantly going to be in the way. I'd eliminate the one for the toilet; it's kind of silly to hide the toilet in a closet -- it's claustrophobic, it's difficult to clean behind the toilet, and it's a nightmare for an elderly person who needs a walker (and although you're probably not an elderly person today, you probably will be eventually). Then I'd make the closet doors into pocket doors. - OR at least make the doors both bump "into" the closets instead of having one in /one out. Since both closets have a wasted "blank wall" inside, there's no reason both doors couldn't open "in" without blocking storage. - I would flip-flop the whole bathroom so you'd have a window over the toilet. It would make no difference in function. And I'd get rid of one sink. No one actually uses sinks at the same time anyway, and this would give you better storage by the sink area as well as saving money. I think it's an okay plan. I like traditional, and this one could be very nice.

It depends upon how long you intend to stay there, how much you can or want to spend & what does the rest of your house look like? My priority ( from what I can see ) would be to replace the countertops and backsplash, have the cabinets professionally painted by a competent cabinet painter, new hardware & I have no idea what your appliances are like. The flooring is not my favorite but I have no idea what the flooring is in the rest of your house.