. You can certainly do solar hot water heating if you're correct about your sun . . even here in central New York state; right now it pretty much can pay off quickly. If you're gonna consider doing PV . . make a game plan. Get RID of anything with electric heating elements in it . . stove, water heater, hair dryer ( ugh ! ) etc . . they are incredible consumers of electrical power. Are you gonna connect to the grid, or not? That's one you NEED to determine right up front. The dilemna is, that if you DO grid tie; you have a place to "put" your extra when you've got it; and a place to draw from when you haven't. That is of course; if you have net metering in your state . . many do. If you DON'T, then you've gotta put in a bigger system so that you have the power you need ALL the time. This is a big question you need to answer early ! You need to get an idea of what your needs WILL be; in your new place, as you live there. Your motion sensors are a neat idea; however: know that they consume "phantom" power 24 / 7. So does your TV with a remote . . your phone on the wall . . etc . . EVERY wall wart in your place. It all adds up when you're on a "tight" energy budget. And, when you are trying to produce your own power; it will be tight. That does NOT mean you can't have all the modern inconveniences; just that you need to choose and use them wisely. Get an idea of your electric usage in previous place . . how many kWh per month you used. This will be helpful in determining your energy "budget"; which in turn determines what size system you may need. PV on the roof . . . mixed bag. Snow may not be a concern where you are; but consider it. Also; on a roof; the angle of the panels is fixed. Best output says tilt them through the year for best angle. Pole mounting may be an option to consider. If you DO grid tie; there are lots of flaming hoops to jump through with your local, friendly, helpful, environmentally minded utility. You MUST follow thier requirements . . for lots of reasons . . . safety of you / your house / the utility workers. You need to take a thought out approach to the whole thing; it's not easy to "piecemeal" the thing. That is in part; why folks charge big bucks in some instances . . to truly figure out what you need; and the right stuff to put together. There are lots of good brands of batteries, panels, inverters, etc out there. Putting them together wrong or poorly matched; WILL result in poor performance. I'm a DIY myself; built my own place pretty much ONLY with my own two hands. I wouldn't consider doing a PV system without good, professional help. I did the bull and go-fer work . . to be involved and knowledgable; but the design / sizing / matching of equipment etc was all done by pro's. Here in NY at least; there are some pretty good incentives . . rebates, tax credits etc. However; here they are ONLY available by using a licensed installer. Had I done the same system myself ( even if I had been able to design / choose / size / deal with utility ); it would have cost me another $12k. I applaud your efforts and intent; but this is one thing that is tough to just put together . . you need a real plan here or you will likely be dissapointed . . I've had a system in place now for 1 1/2 years . . very happy . . works great . . . supply most of my electricity in a calendar year. VERY pleased with it . . . If you have more specific questions, or would like some further info / pix of my setup; email me via member page with a REAL email address and I can send some stuff along . . Good luck . . . Bob

Add a SunTouch controller and you can do it all.

Here's the deal: an interior designer can draw up plans for all of those renovations, including the kitchens and baths. But anytime you're dealing with structural components and load-bearing walls, you'll need either an architect or a structural engineer to sign off on the designer's drawings. Generally (but not always), architects tend to be concerned with the "building envelope", ie. the roof, exterior walls, foundation, and mechanical systems. Very often times, they will hand off their plans to the interior designer who will do all the finish work detailing, from the millwork to the cabinetry, to the tile layouts, paint colors, etc., etc. And that same interior designer will often do all the furniture layouts, specification, and purchase of all the elements that make a house a home, too. Kitchen and bath designers are just that: they focus only on those areas and are often (but not always) employed by cabinet vendors or custom cabinetmakers. So since this work is interior-related and not changing anything to the outside of the house, I'd find an interior designer who does remodeling projects. S/he will do all the construction drawings for permitting and bids. Most designers have structural engineers they often work with, and if they don't, your contractor will. And btw, if you work with a design/build, they make their money on the construction, not the design. So there's no incentive for them to do the design work for you if you're not going to have them build it. As for budgeting, start asking around to your neighbors and friends what construction costs are like in your area for similar projects. What you're looking to do is a sizeable amount of work, so be prepared to spend some money. I always tell clients it's best to invest in the design work first before hiring a contractor so they have a solid plan from which to bid. You can expect design fees of roughly 10-15% of the cost of construction. This will vary tremendously by region, so do your homework.

Sorry I apparently didn't see the question directed at me. No one can say for sure how long something will hold up, but if I had a toddler I wouldn't be planning their college graduation party under it, that's for sure. It's a hard pill to swallow but right now it's not a good pergola and it's not remotely suitable for a covered roof structure. Personally, if I rolled up to my little brother's house and saw this, it would be going away. Working with a designer is the way to go with these types of things, even just for the space planning and function discussions. You might also look at one of the kit companies. One of the ways we save our clients money is by designing the structure, then sending the drawings to a company like Fifthroom or StructureWorks. They build everything in controlled conditions, then break it down and ship it out to us. That makes installation much quicker, which makes it way less costly. This is one we did this year. Good luck!