M, It has been trial and error - starting with planting roses that can take the cold (it was 22F this morning and I can count on some -5 to +5 days in the winter)as well as the scorching heat. In many years, all but the most cold-hardy will freeze down to within a few inches of the surface. Some years I'll get a couple of feet of non-damaged canes. The more tender roses get a bit of extra mulch around the base and all the roses get some extra dried horse manure which is applied by towing the cart near the rose beds and flinging manure in their general direction. Basically, they are on their own - something I tell them repeatedly this time of year. I do go to each of the climbers/ramblers (about 10) and tuck errant shoots back into the whole mess until pruning time in Spring. The wind gets pretty fierce here at times (Idaho high desert)and tucking those shoots in seems to help. The folks in colder climes than mine must do a lot more - or stick with the most cold-hardy roses. Drainage is not an issue since we get a grand total of 12" of moisture a year and not a lot of snow. What I have learned over the years is to not prune too early (and ignore the forsythia blooming) during the Spring. It only takes a few times of pruning at the "right" time then have some 20F weather and have the joy of re-pruning. I envy your mild winters - and the gorgeous rain.

NC RE Guy- We have a terrific A/C guy who actually fixes stuff. Your question reminded me....the tenant in our 2nd floor condo calls us for everything. Fortunately it's only a few miles away, but she has no idea what to do if the A/C stops working and I do all the troubleshooting myself - (once the thermostat needed a new battery, once the drain was plugged up (easy fix with a shop vac) and once the repairman had to put in a new circuit board - yay! - didn't try to sell us a new unit even though this was really old). We've had to replace the hot water heater which was leaking and the catch tray that was installed with a big hole in it (!?!!?), not difficult to do ourselves. The auto garage-door opener was the worst. She called one of those companies that came out and declared we needed a new one to the tune of $350 or something (she paid for the service call of $100 or so since we did not authorize it). My husband made a trip to the local Ace Hardware and replaced the belt drive for about $5. That was about two years ago and it's been working fine since then. Same local A/C guy, our home A/C needed a new electrical something (can't remember) so that was $130 or so, and then a few weeks later mid-summer, he sold us a new fan for the cooling unit which we installed ourselves because he was too busy for a few days - nobody else would sell us the proprietary Trane part since we weren't authorized service people. That was awesome of him to do that. Unfortunately, the leaks are going to have us replace the whole thing before next summer no matter what. We've also changed out the 2nd circuit board on our pool heater after the warranty ran out (chewed up by fruit rats both times, now protected by a wire cage). The salt generator needed a new circuit board, but that one was covered. I just put new wings and feet on the pool vac. A used-to-be SubZero but no-longer-authorized guy fixed our fridge for next-to-nothing (another electrical do-dad). Anyway, yes, there are still people around who fix stuff, but honestly, they can only fix stuff that is high quality to start with. Friends of ours with a bike shop have a difficult time with folks who bring in their cheap big-store bikes to get fixed up and there's pretty much nothing they can do for them. Our last no-name dryer (came with the house) was not worth fixing when we could buy a brand-new dented high-quality one for the same price at the Sears Outlet store. Basically, there are the fix-it people and the people who have to call for service or just replace. Fix-it is definitely a more frugal way to go. I mean, I'm always amazed that there are people who don't know how to change a tire in their own car. Really? That's the lowest level of fix-it and everyone should be able to do it - it's so easy! I just wish my tenant was even just a little bit of a fix-it person! (batteries? really?)

Hey Bee! I'm so glad things are working out for you!! I've been following this even though I haven't posted. And Bee, your chunky trim pic is one I've been looking at for inspiration too. We've finally started our build and I've met with two great cabinet people. But both quotes are putting me way over with the stacked cabinets. It's disheartening. I'm OK with not going to the ceiling if it looks great otherwise. I just couldn't find the right look. Then I came across that somehow...House Beautiful of BHG? I forget...and a few others that have helped me come to terms. I think I'm going to the ceiling with the hood though. Looking forward to the next update!

I've been thinking about gutters this week, and I'm really interested in the rain chains. I've been looking at Craftsman /Bungalow rooflines ... and they tend not to have gutters. Only some have rain chains. I've been reading that you don't really need gutters IF you have deep overhangs and the ground is sloped away from your house so water won't pool against your foundation. I don't know whether to believe it, but I'm interested. That's what I originally thought. Maybe in CA or AZ where it doesn't rain much, but here in FL, I need gutters. Sigh.