Laura12, I have looked heavily at many of the floorplans, our builder we will likely go with already has it and lucky us my really cool sister in law is an architect. We plan on trying for a solid LEED certification as well "sola tubes, green foam, new roof sealing technology, stained concrete etc" I am stoked about adding the folding rear doors to the pool, think it will make the house. A floor drain is a pretty cool idea for the mudroom. You could almost have a "Italian style" shower drain if you have the room to wash off boots etc, people with reef saltwater aquariums use these a lot and plumb skimmers directly to them. I want to have a large cabinet under the center island for all of the appliances, the only caveat I will have to add is a way to run the cables up the top and close the door still for things like a crockpot or breadmaker. This is a basic DJ control panel, would create stickers for the switches to label them, and probably wire a manual switch underneath to turn the unit on, so two switches and go. http://www.amazon.com/American-Pc-100A-Mount-Power-Switcher/dp/B0002GL50Q Cheap vampire timer http://cableorganizer.com/belkin/conserve-socket/ http://www.igo.com/other-power/power-smart-tower-with-igo-greenr-technology/invt/pm000110004/?source=165_75 Things like this should in theory allow me to plug in nearly all my appliances and just about cut vampire wattage. Thank you for the option on the sinks, I am checking them out vs dark copper. I am thinking of the eletrostatic non replaceable air filters that are washable, any thoughts? If so I could wash it monthly and that would cut down on dust etc. I am also thinking green foam insulation and ceiling up the attic totally, as we have more of a heat issue and leaving the attic floor wo insulation resulting in heat rising "all our cost are in cooling here in Texas". Have talked to an owner that did that and his attic is amazingly cool/home.

To control dust. Dont live. Seriously. Most dust comes from you sluffing off old skin cells. Like a million a day. Having carpets, especially old ones increased dust production. Opening windows allows dust particals from outside - usually dirt - into your home. Dust coes from clothing, bed sheets, comforters, dirt off of your shoes etc. Pets add alot to the dust and hair population. Everywhere a cat lays there will be some hair...esecially clothes that come out of a dryer or places where a cat can snuggle down and get warm. My dog just finish one of two blooms he has every year, once in the fall and once inthe spring where every piece of hair is shed from his body. The hair floats around if the windows are open. This is natural, just like people, we "shed" our hair as well. If I wwas super worried about it, I would get nothing else done. My home is by no means dirty. Twice a year I just need to brush him more and do a bit more on with the hoover. Other than that, I have a life to live. All of my friends have dogs and go thru the same thing. It is all part of living with an animal

Never tried a Roomba. Does it hold a lot? Would it pull dirt out of a rug? I think of these as useful for crumbs, other loose debris, but don't know. No, it doesn't have a big reservoir -- expect to empty the "pan" every time it runs. Yes, it pulls dirt out of a rug; it is a good vacuum. Pretty much every time I run it, the pan is full of dust and dog hair. Because my daughters and I both have long hair, the Roomba beaters do need "cleaning" about once a month -- I suspect that in a house of short-haired girls or all guys, this wouldn't be an issue. I sit down on the floor, remove the beaters, and use scissors to snip off the hair; it takes about 10 mintues a month. What I like about it, of course, is that it requires NO effort on my part: We "live" in our family room, so I run it 3-4 times a week in there. I close off the door to the hall, close off the door to the office, move the trash can and a bar stool to prevent it from running into the kitchen, then push a button. When it's done, it returns to its charging station. I must disagree that hardwoods are easier to care for. I know it's not the current trend, but I do think 60s housewives were on to something when they covered up all their hardwood floors with wall-to-wall carpet. I prefer taking care of carpet too. I don't think 60s housewives chose carpeting IN SPITE OF the extra cleaning it requires. They chose wall-to-wall carpeting because it was a new trend, because it is warmer, and more friendly to sit upon. You haven't said whether or not you have children, but two people could be quite comfortable in less than 1700 sq ft. The smaller the house, the less to clean, it costs less to build, less taxes, less for utilities; the HVAC system will cost less because it is smaller, etc. As scone911 said, you could save enough to pay someone to do the cleaning. The goal isn't to have a small house; rather, the goal is to have a right-sized house. You need adequate storage and space in the right spaces ... but not wasted space that'll just be -- as you say -- more to clean, more to build, more to tax, more to heat and cool. The house in which I live now is a study in where not to place space. We have a giant master bedroom -- but the empty space at the foot of the bed isn't particularly valuable. At the same time, our master bedroom closet is cramped. Likewise, we have a giant kitchen, which means that replacing the counter tops was very expensive, but our combination walk-in pantry /laundry room is too narrow for comfort. I wish I could move some of the space around!

I was also thinking about this thread after hearing the the News Quiz on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. One of the items on the News Quiz asked something to the effect of "This influential individual died 50 years ago this week", of course Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the correct answer, but my objection was to the usage of "died". Yes, he died, but more importantly, he was murdered, nay, assassinated, and their use of "died" sounded beyond non-optimal, it sounded WRONG. This thread remains very thought provoking, and I appreciate everyone's musings.