sparklegirl - the wet marks on the ceilings were not there during the viewing of the home or the HI and they have been painted over? Sounds to me that the seller is attempting to cover it up, especially since it's been painted. Was this in the disclosure? You definitely need a lawyer pronto. DO NOT CLOSE on this house until this situation is rectified and there is a significant money held in escrow. Do not rely upon your realtor to advise you on this. Listen to logic. Get the lawyer to write a letter asking for a disclosure about the water on the ceilings. I also agree that the tree is a non-issue. Unless it is dangerous or could fall onto the house, I wouldn't bother with it. You could ask that money be set aside for its removal if you feel that it could pose a danger to the house. Since it was winter when you viewed the home, it is impossible to tell if the tree was dead at the time, so I think you should have the right to at least mention it. But it's a pick your battle kind of thing.... the water marks are most important. Logic - get yer mind outta the gutter! ;) terrig - thanks for the offer. We just found out that we're going to the Twin Cities now. *sigh* The joys of the federal govt!! lol

Thanks, beagles! You pretty much confirmed my suspicion about a charging drawer. Scratch that idea. MamaRachel, my DH is the same way so while I like the idea of putting charging items behind a door, I wonder how well that will work IRL for us. Crazy as it may sound, I'm tempted to forgo the doored cabinet and leave that lower section open. It would be similar to these hutches: I like the division of 3 spaces below the glass doors. I'd get a simple napkin holder or basket (as shown in the pic above) for bills. lol, I found a pig napkin holder at PB! Pity I don't have a towel pig to go with it. But I kinda think DH would squash the idea of a pig napkin holder. ;-) Anyhoo, in preparation for remodeling the kitchen, we moved the filing sorting trays to the den, which is actually a good place for them to reside permanently since that's where the file drawers are. Maybe I don't need a bunch of cubbies in the kitchen hutch after all. I'd also get a decorative basket to hold items as they charge. That would put them out of sight, MOL, but accessible, a plus if the phone rings. The other option - and I need to wait for our GC to see if it's possible tomorrow - is to add a USB outlet to the 9" deep cab opposite the entry aisle from the hutch and use a shelf in that cab for a charging station. Maybe simple is the way to go. I'll talk to DH tonight and see if we can make up our minds. Thank you, everyone!

1) Recessed outlets behind furniture -- nightstands, wall-mounted TVs, fridge https://www.google.com/search?q=recessed+outlet&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMIibiwo-H5xwIVlVqICh1vewte&biw=1333&bih=658 2) Adjustable depth outlets (the ones with a screw that you can tighten or unscrew to move the entire outlet box forward or back within the wall) in kitchen, bath, and anywhere else that would be relevant. After your walls/tile is finished, it is so easy to get the adjustable outlets to be flush with your tile/backsplash, but it so hard to get non-adjustable ones set to the right depth ahead of time (before any walls/tile are in place). 3) Two-way switches at the entrance and exit of every hallway, staircase (indoor and outdoor), and large room. 4) If you are getting dimmers, go handle some dimmers at a lighting store. Some of the controls are super annoying (the buttons, the slides controlled by a tiny nib) and some are a breeze (the slides with larger handles). Make sure you like what you're getting. You will handle these things every day. 5) Think about glare on the TV and try to provide for at least some lighting that avoids that. My husband hates the glare from our lighting on the TV so much that our entire living/dining/kitchen has to be dark when he is watching TV. I rarely am watching TV with him and do not want to do my activities in the dark. Many arguments have sprung from this. In some large rooms or rooms with several different types of lighting (like the kitchen), you might want to break up some of the lighting into different switches. Think that through. E.g., in the family room, maybe the table/floor lamps are on one switch and the overhead lighting is on a different switch. E.g. #2, we have seven can lights in our kitchen, and they are controlled by two switches -- the two cans over the sink on one switch, and the five others on the other switch. I don't ever really want dim light in the kitchen, but sometimes I am just getting a glass of water and all I really need is the sink illuminated, but I want that light to be bright. 7) If you do not already have your light fixtures chosen, quickly choose as many of them as possible. For example, one light over the bathroom mirror requires one box, but two lights over the bathroom mirror requires two separate boxes. You may think the former will be fine but then in practice down the road, you cannot find anything you like that is both pretty and bright enough in one fixture. Now you wish you could get two, and you're stuck. Place boxes with actual fixtures you already know of, like, and an can afford either purchased or in mind.

I'm also confused about whether this is in the design phase or the walk-through phase. Hopefully you have designed all the elements into the plans or you will find these potential add-ons quite expensive. You really have to think out how you live in these spaces. Our build is in Florida, so we have ceiling fans in almost every room. Bathrooms: We have vent (exhaust?) fans over every toilet. I wanted those light up mirrors, but I don't think the electrical was done for that. We'll end up with standard over mirror vanity lights. Be sure there is an outlet for a bidet if you are doing an accessible bathroom. Lights in the showers because I hate dark showers. Kitchen: We have a giant vent hood over the powerful gas cooktop. Can lights at the specified distance apart and away from the cabinets, light over the sink, under cabinet lights, in-cabinet lights for the glass fronts, and pendants over the island bar. Lots of switches in the kitchen, and a lot of outlets to plug in appliances, I think every 12-18". Exterior patios: ceiling fans and lights controlled from inside. Also had switched high-mounted outlets for Christmas lights or string lights. And a spotlight for a wall which was have art on it. Other exterior: light walkways, dark corners, think about security and bad guys not being able to hide (but thats landscaping too) Big rooms: tend to have paths leading in/out/through, so think about multi-switched outlets at each end, etc depending on your expected use. Media: Put an outlet smack in the middle where the TV/monitors will go. Where will the routers go and where to run RG45 or Cat6, etc. We have junction boxes with all the cable or ethernet lines running to the routers and TV locations. Security cameras. Lots of electronics to think about. Good luck!