Yeah, but the plantain is all going to seed now. And I can see what happens if that's allowed... there are some vast mats of plantain babies in places where that happened earlier. I want to get them before that happens this week! Believe me, I don't want to do marathon lawn weeding either. I have a 1000 sf veg garden and lots of perennial beds I already have to stay on top of :(

sdkath, My husband and I are in the process right now. He even took on the task himself of the plumbing and electrical. that is the only thing we regret. Not because it was difficult, just a lot of work on his part working 10 hours a day and then coming home and working more. We started late July and are almost finished. What makes us think 20% is that our lowest quote was 38K and we are doing it for 20k. Ours is simple, free form, a couple rock ledges, play deck, seat, no water falls, etc. but we love it and it's going to be great for us. I agree, do your homework......Most subs are eager to help and they know all the steps them selves and know all the other subs. Take them a glass of tea, pull up a chair and talk to them about their work when they are there and pick their brain for other subs for the other steps. Schedule work for the days you can be there, Since ours was simple, each step was a one day process for each sub. A lot of PB's will help with owner builds now in our area because it's so popular. I think folks are catching on.....Make sure they have a license and get a signed agreement and quote before you start work. Never pay until all work is completed. If someone needs money up front they probably don't pay their bills and don't have the credit to get your materials. The most important part is a soils test if required in your area and good engineering for your plans. The rest of the steps are pretty simple.

Hi guys, Sorry for the delay in responding. We have been on the road making other appliance choices. I was thrilled to see so many helpful responses when I got home. Thank you all for your contributions! Here are a few general answers/reflections: 1)Good point about this fridge not being built in so it can be replaced if desired. 2)We have yet to see the fridge in person (we have to drive a hour away so it is a long distance love affair at this point). I will see how the plates match at that time and see how true to cobalt it is. 3)We had thought about painting the island blue, but I think I would prefer a less bright navy colour. We had also thought about a dark walnut colour as suggested above, but not sure how that would look with a blue fridge. I don't think I could go do either perimeter cabinets, nor island in a royal blue. 4)We will be limited in our ability to match other appliances. The only other appliance we could get in the blue would be the DW. They make a range, but we are doing an induction cooktop and separate oven. So if we did the blue fridge it would have to look good with all stainless appliances. 5)We don't want the fridge to be the major focal point of the kitchen, as we thought the glass cabinet would be. The decorative glass we are going for on the glass cabinet is a repeat of the decorative glass we have on the front door (Lexington glass from Trimlite). 6)I agree that others have asked about alternatives to stainless steel fridges on this forum and there are some great options besides the blue. I am having trouble finding any ratings on this fridge, so the fridge itself needs to function well as a fridge, not just look pretty. 7)You are right that I need to consider balance, and one bold coloured appliance may not work alone 8)We definitely want a stained island colour as mentioned to limit dirt as we have a family. I will get my light painted cabinet fix with the perimeter cabinets. 9)The plates could go in my dining room if they look bad with the fridge. I have another collection of Hummel plates that could go on the kitchen plate shelf (the Hummels are creams, brown colours). 10)Thanks to all who posted on how to tie in the blue colourwise. This is an area that I need help with for sure. You have given me lots to think about. What shade of cream would look okay with the blue? Thank you all again for your time and thoughts. Sorry to not be able to respond to each and every one of you individually. Carol P.S. I am going to try to use the helpful suggestions of how to add an image of the Heartland fridge by editing my initial post (thanks for these tech tips).

I might look for a lamp that could move forward on the chest enough (without danger of toppling off) that the shade just hides that thermostat. Place it just a couple inches to the right of where it is now, or move the whole chest to the right a bit. It won't affect the functionality, esp if you use an LED bulb = no heat. Then look for a large piece of art, or a couple of stacked pieces to fill in over the right side of the chest, as shown above. Another idea is a gallery wall incorporating the thermostat: I would trade you those beautiful folded blankets for the star wars lego decor my grandson has decorated my house with! eta: I was just looking at it again and think Cyn's idea to switch the cabinets would work. You could then place the floor lamp in front of the thermostat and just ignore it.