Yes. Get a good set of Felco's if you can afford it. Also, last year Costco's was selling a package of imitation Felco's that even came with replacement blades, hardware and a sharpener. The quality was good for the price, so see if they carry them again this spring.

I know you've already decided, but just an FYI. Not all 'soft-close' glides are created equal. In our kitchen we have Blum and some Chinese brand. The Chinese brand unfortunately is the one in our large pots and pans drawers, and they are losing bearings (every so often we find one in the drawer). They still work, but if I ever built another kitchen I would ensure that Blum brand was used. (That's what our carpenter used in our vanity). For me, (though it's easy to say cuz all my drawers are soft-close), even more important is that they all be full extension. We had our bedroom furniture custom made, and I swear all the drawers were supposed to be/used to be full extension. A couple of years later, they don't seem to want to open all the way, and since all my kitchen and BR drawers do, I'm always yanking at them to get them to open more! We're in the middle of hot tub shopping right now, and I hate the cost of all the 'add-ons'. So I know how it's too easy to start with a certain budget in mind, and then get swayed into spending more for all the extras.

We put in more than the required amount of outlets. There is at least one circuit per room for its outlets (the lights for the various rooms are shared across a few circuits). We added switch-controlled outlets in the bedrooms and living room (although we have ceiling lights anyway), ran an extra wire to every ceiling box in case a ceiling fan is installed down the road (to separately switch the fan and lights), and used multi-location dimmers just about everywhere. We supplemented our exterior lighting with floodlights and added a few exterior-mounted weatherproof junction boxes so we can add hardwired landscape lighting later. Don't scrimp on the exterior outlets, consider adding some under the eaves (on a switch) for Christmas lighting. Run extra circuits for these. Also, check out http://www.sillites.com/ if you like candles in your windows. Consider, if you'd like, having a photocell added to the north side of your house to have the exterior lights turn on and off at dusk and dawn. We forgot to do this and I always forget to turn off the exterior lights. In our bathrooms we have separately switched wall and ceiling lighting. The sconces on either side of the bathroom mirror are best for getting ready. We added recessed receptacles where our flat screen TVs will be mounted. We also added piping in the walls to pull our own data wiring (cable, phone, ethernet, HDMI, etc). Consider, as some have mentioned above, using double-gang boxes for some of your receptacles, especially on either side of the beds and where TVs, etc, will go in bedrooms. Where we have furniture to hold electronic equipment we've used triple-gang boxes. One thing I would stress is be generous with your circuits. I did all of our wiring here (passed final inspection too!) and I don't think there are more than seven receptacles on any single circuit (but that's just me).

Thomas Tzeng Either copper or PEX are good choices for piping inside the house. For an existing house I would at least consider PEX because it can be easier to install. The service line (from the street or meter pit to the inside of the house) can be replaced at any time. Galvanized pipe that is 50+ years old is going to be significantly restricted AND will be nearing the end of its intended lifespan. That said, I've had galvanized service lines last 80+ years. If you have the resources, go ahead and replace it. If you don't, it can wait. There's no real compelling reason to do it at the same time. If the service lines are lead - or have lead connections -- replace it ASAP.