Congrats, Midnight. Growing a clivia to blooming size from seed is a great accomplishment. I hope you'll start a separate thread with pics once the blooms are open. Great plants! Socks, Disneyland and I have a lot in common, heh heh, and no, not because I'm "goofy"! I like a lot of the plants they use, and how they create such cheerful/jarring combinations. I just planted a bare root 'Disneyland' rose, which, while not jarring, is certainly perky like the many they have planted there. I've been gardening since I was five years old and have reached the point where I just plant what I enjoy and what makes me smile, so "tastemakers" be damned, lol. The brighter, taller, and stinkier, the more I like my orange marigolds. I actually struggle to find non-dumpy dwarf types. Usually I get them from Select Seeds or Seeds of Change...what about you? Take care, Grant

deanie I did the exact same thing and had similar experiences. You have to put yourself in their shoes - how can they possibly give you an exact number without knowing the specifications for the house and what your quality requirements are for the finishing materials? I used the square footage ball parks for rough budgetary planning. The contract price won't be known until you have a plan (so they can do a take off) and you have made selections on the finishing materials. The end cost won't be known until the house is finished. Note that many posters on the GW have had a large (10 to 20%) difference between the contract price and the finished cost. I would use the ballpark numbers to get an idea of the range of house you might possibly afford. If you can barely afford a certain square footage now at the planning stage - then beware - becuase the house will likely cost much more than your ball park estimate. The residential builders have volume on their side to keep costs down. They do have higher overhead, but don't assume that custom means lower cost. Custom building is at least the same cost (but usually higher) than large residential builders for the equivalent square footage. But a custom builder customizes the product to your requiremments and should provide much better quality (assuming you pick a good builder). Residential is a production line, with a limited set of menu options,and quality that can range from crap to decent. The ball parks you have sound reasonable for Tenn. Just add 20% to the highest number you have received and that should be good enough to determine if what you want to build is possibly achievable. If you can't make the the budget close with this - then you might either pick a smaller house plan or think about trades on materials (like siding vs brick/stone). Also - keep in mind that there may be more costs that are not included with the builder square footage numbers. They may be quoting you costs for the structure only. Ask them if the ballpark figures include everything including site development (lot clearing, septic, driveways, etc). I found that most of the builders quoted me square footage numbers that did not include these items - and they can be significant depending on your lot and utility situation.

davidrol, The faucet was an American Standard---about twenty years old. It had been slowly falling apart in various ways for some time. We had been putting up with it until now. I am shocked to hear that the hose could not have been full of holes, because when I emptied out the cabinet and turned on the faucet, the hose was leaking at multiple points along the length---kind of like a soaker hose. Unfortunately, the faucet has been put out in the garbage, so I can't offer a post-mortem autopsy to provide any other answers. As I said, the faucet must be about twenty years old, so I think it provided adequate service for some time before giving out. This was one of the first faucets made with a pull out sprayer instead of one on the side--quite advanced for the time, but archaic compared to modern faucets. The pull out sprayer portion was made of black plastic. You pressed on the top of the sprayer and the water stream would change to a spray and automatically go back to the regular stream when it was turned off. It stopped going back to the regular stream when it was turned off years ago, so we had to turn it on and off manually ourselves. We had a friend who worked for a plumbing supplies distributor at that time and he was able to get us a good deal on it at the time.

This is where I am at, DH seeÂs us remodeling kitchen in three or more years and I see us remodeling our kitchen in the next year or earlier. So, Right now I am more in the process of elimination as far as cabinet brands go. Many earlier brands have been eliminated due to size issues as in I want and need deeper and taller wall cabinets and prefer little to no fillers. Also, cost has been a big factor. I have a basic idea of layout but need help in changing the nook area and windows. Some appliances will be reused but we will replace refrigerator with the kichenaid 42" built-in French door paneled and replace the microwave with the adventium. I have the countertop narrowed down to three or four and know exactly what I want for the backsplash, still unsure of wall splash behind stove though. The kitchen sink has been narrowed down to two choices and cab hardware to three. I know what I want for lighting but havenÂt found exactly the right one, I will know it when I see it. Still tossing around the idea of wood range hood verses stainless. The doors of my dreams are simple $$$applied moulding but with most likely end up with nice raised panel for style of home. Husband thinks I spend way too much time thinking of and planning for the kitchen.