Just did. It's just the two of us & we just bought our 2/1 retirement house. We have several years to get it ready & will use it for weekends until we're ready to go there full time. Might eventually add another bathroom, but might not. We're going to renovate the one we have with a walk-in shower to make it easier for us as we grow older & I'm sure we can live with just one. I know a lot of people prefer a bigger house to accommodate guests (& stuff) but with the money we save on a smaller house, utilities & tax we can put them up at a local B&B when they visit & still come out way ahead! My parents stayed in the large family home too long because they wanted us all to have our own rooms when we came home - even though all of us were almost never there at the same time - maybe twice a year. The rest of the year, they had to deal with all of the maintenance required on a 4/4 with large yard, etc. Our primary residence is a large 3/2 and that's cool too - just takes me longer to clean, more money to heat/cool & lots more money in taxes. We can, and prefer to live small rather than large. Our last residence was a 1/1 farmhouse & we loved that too. Had no problem selling it either.

Well, it's hardly surprising. The rich continue to get richer, while the middle and lower class keep sinking. When did real wages last rise? And yet the CEO of bear sterns, who ran the company into the ground (just to take one example of very many) is a multi-hundredmillionaire. Added to that, of course, is wealthy foreigners for whom the dollar is almost like play money.

What fun reading this thread, lots of giggles. So far, I like what you've chosen the best. I would also suggest a throw for an arm chair to keep handy for a quick lie down without messing the bed. A fake fur would add texture which you need for that sensual feeling. Here's an example of one on Overstock below It even comes in a purple tone. For good quality and low prices, go to 55 Downing Street. My niece just did her whole condo with items from that site and it came out gorgeous. I have a similar decor as what you're choosing and I put in white carpeting as the room is huge and I wanted a warm feeling. If you're going for an area rug under the bed then you can put down a random shaped fake fur rug in white to add more texture plus they feel so good to step on with bare feet, lol

Thank you all! Now I have a bid for a 9,000 compressor and air handler for our BR and a 12,000 air handler and compressor for the LR. The Fujitsu is 12% more, and the company rep 'prefers' Mitsubishi, saying "more robust" trumps the cheaper electric bill. (Electricity on Maui is four times as much as we pay ComEd at home near Chicago.) I'm inclined to ask for the 9,000 Fujitsu for the BR. It is a little quieter (42 dba v. 46 dba on the Mitsubishi) and it's SEER is better (Fujitsu 33 v. Mitsubishi 21). The BR unit will be run more often than the LR unit. The company rep says there is also an air handler that could mount low -- replacing the through-the-wall unit in the LR. This is in a corner of the room; less cosmetic work and wiring, but less efficiency. Door shut-off switches: This seems very high cost to me -- $900 for each of two doors. Seems a lot for a simple on/off contact. I would only want this in the LR. I can also have the controls hard wired for another $400 each, BR and LR. (Our ceiling fans are hard wired to wall switches.) The bid is for all Fujitsu or all Mitsubishi. Totals here for just the A/C units, installed, including electrical and tax but not cosmetics (wall repair, paint): Fujitsu $9880 Mitsubishi $8658 This is the 'only game in town'. It's a small job, and many companies refuse to deal with condo complex rules for installation. It's a big company, though -- THE authorized Mitsubishi company in Kahului, Maui, HI -- if you hadn't already guessed!