Hi, Most of the things you listed are really hardy except Astromelia. All the hardy plants can be potted into large pots and will be ok in them. I have left hardy plants in pots out all winter on the east side of my garage even and have found them to be alive in the spring. You can put your bulbs in pots of dirt also. There is a recent post on this forum(I don't have time right now to link it.)about sinking pots in the ground for winter when they can not be planted in their final home. So that is an option to do with them once you get to your new location. The Astromelia might be best kept in a cool location but not directly outside. Hope this helps and good luck! Remy

I just searched all forums for 'rats' and found more postings than I could read. Most recommend poison. None mentioned Shake Away. One suggested cayenne pepper in the birdseed. Lots of suggestions for cats and dogs - and some lengthy posts about outdoor cats. I believe I will have to continually work on this problem and not expect to resolve it completely. Too many rats for traps, live or otherwise, and I don't want to deal with any caught rats. No more postings about rats from me unless I find a sure-fire solution - NOT LIKELY!!!

You have reasons to be especially concerned about avoiding major issues, but they may be on their way to making major issues out of things that need not be. Molehills become mountains when we are stressed and exhausted. Take a few deep breaths and try to look realistically at what the current situation is and what you are certain to deal with in the near future and not everything that could possibly go wrong unless you don't want to buy ANY house. I would ask for the sealant to be applied and then schedule it to be checked and reapplied if needed. Asbestos is a problem if it becomes loose and airborne or "friable." If it is bound up in concrete, it doesn't sound friable as long as the cement is not breaking up or becoming powdery and having lived with cement slabs for most of my life, I just don't see it as inevitable that cement is going to start flaking and turn to powder. If it will give you peace of mind, ask them to apply the sealant or do it yourself if they say no. Grading and adjustments to landscape grading are both acts of nature and maintenance issues. It isn't practical to try to overcome nature, so you try to control what you can. And then there are different approaches to the same problems. You can DIY -- fill in the low lying areas with some new soil and let the grass fill in over them on it's own, create a rock bed or other drain path to give water ways to move away from the house. A bit of working in the yard can be good therapy -- or it wouldn't cost that much to get a yardman (as opposed to a landscaping company) to help you with some of these things. A French drain or other way to remove water against the house would be something most women wouldn't undertake on their own, but it doesn't sound like you need those if a 45 year old house doesn't have any damage issue. The other extreme is for a landscaping company to come in and spend thousands - even tens of thousands, removing everything, grading and replacing the plantings. You will still need to make adjustments down the road -- maybe more if the soil does more settling. Even homes with good drainage can have mosquito issues and there are any number of ways to address them. I've added a link below for a place I've purchased from to give you some ideas. The garlic oil really works too. I wouldn't expect the relo company to do much on these issues, and I wouldn't expect them to upgrade hoses that are not failing. That's one of those things a good agent here would remind you that (1) the washer and dryer are not usually sold with the home and if you are getting them it is a plus so take the plus and pay for the hoses, (2) most folks suggest you replace the hoses each time you move , so if you brought your own W&D you would be buying new hoses anyway and (3) you are asking for an upgrade when you are entitled to repairs. Relo companies are often adverse to doing anything they don't have to if there is a chance it could come back and bite them -- and they may see buyers who expect too much to be exactly the kind who will come back and bite them. Also, keep in mind that when they respond, you will have to decide to take the house with what they agree to -- even if it is nothing, or move on. They are more likely to negotiate the size of price adjustments for repairs than they are to change their minds on the yes or no factor. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Mosquito control ideas

Hiya sjblick, Well, we had a similar setup (old kitchen and one bath demo in one go, the only other bath was downstairs) and we went through the entire remodel without eating out (no microwave, or paper plates either), so it can be done. This is what we did: 1) We had the demo crew save us a piece of the old kitchen cabinet/counter. This was about a 36" section and it happened to have a pull-out cutting board. This we set up next to the fridge in the "dining" room (we don't have a formal dining room, this was a corner of the living room that was masked off from the demo with heavy plastic and a zipper "door". That really did keep most of the mess out). In the cabinets went the basics (and just the basics. A scaled version of the kitchen in effect) for indoor cooking (for us, that was: A george forman grill, an electric teapot (we use a french press for coffee), and an old electric skillet on loan) everything for prep (knives, bowls, etc.)as well as spices, dried goods like pasta and rice, etc. 2) we set up an outdoor kitchen. A BBQ and a propane powered camping stove did most of the heavy cooking. Weekly, a menu was drawn up (we picked the meals carefully--nothing too complicated (one or two pots used tops!), and we tried to sneak in meals that could be easily warmed up or were equally good cold to stretch over 2 days. We kept a stock of "dips" (hummus, tapenade, etc.), cold meats, and ready-mixed salad for the days when we were both tired, late, and just couldn't cook (these saved us from take-out and pizza). Cooking was a 2 person event (one was the "sous chef" doing the chopping and cleaning up as we went, the other did the actual cooking and pitched in with prep). You will get used to taking everything you need from the fridge and up to the prep station in one trip (a shopping basket or reusable bag does it). Oh, and running up and down the stairs was a great workout. Clean-up was also a 2 person event. One washed, the other dried and put away. More workout. When the kitchen was finally up and going,I can't tell you how much we appreciated it (you will too!). I hope this helps.