Today turned out to be one of my lucky days! I called a fellow about some 5 and 6 inch black locust I was told he has a bunch of. A friend has a planer and says that if I buy a set of blades he'll mill it for me for. So me and locust man are talking away and I asked where he got the locust from. He starts telling me about his horses and shows me pictures of these two enormous horses all decked out in harnesses and reins pulling great big logs behind them. He tells me about his being into what is called "sustainable forestry" and how he refuses to turn a tract of land into what appears to be a lunar landscape after a thermo-nuclear war and minimizes the use of machinery to loading logs as close to the road as possible. Next thing I know he is asking me what else I might be wanting besides Black Locust, so I told him about the kind of Black Walnut I am looking for. Lo and behold he says he has around 200 boards of eight inch wide one inch thick Black Walnut that is just what I am looking for. He says it seems that no one wants unless they get to sort and pick it and price it for "color". And, he says it is all in 8, 10, and 12 foot lengths that he says has been sitting in a barn since the summer before last. I am going to take a good look at his walnut and locust one day late next week, and if it looks even half way like what I am looking for, I am gonna buy it on the spot. Then again, he asked if we have any decent timber on either of our our properties, and as soon as he heard "yes", we start talking trading some of our trees for some of his Black Walnut and Black Locust lumber and mill work.. And maybe we would be willing to trade out some pasture time for his horses when he is working "in the neighborhood"? So maybe, just maybe, we'll get all of our flooring for "free" I just love living life in little bitty towns and way out in the country, though a week in the big city every once in a while is a nice distraction. We're going to my personal favorite big city, Chicago, for ten days in June! To each his/her/their own I reckon..... If he has something like close to 200 sq ft of something else really unique and interesting, Cyndi can just kiss her heart pine bedroom floor dream goodbye..... We have some huge Beech and Hickories, and quite a few rather large White and Red and Chestnut Oaks too, but I am looking for "character". I know where there is a very large Osage orange that the folks who own it tell me they are tired of dealing with the millions of oranges that it drops year after year, and just might let me have for cleaning up whatever mess taking it down makes. Osage orange is a very rare tree in these parts.... a local exotic so to speak. I know where there are a few groves of Honey locust trees near by too, which is IMNSHO, as beautiful and hard as a rock wood as you'll ever find anywhere east of the Mississippi. Thanx to all y'all for taking the time to comment/reply. If all works out, I reckon I'll be posting pictures of what my wife is going to threaten to kill me for real for buying without any input from her.

Crown rot is my biggest problems with hahnii so keeping the crown elevated is always good advise. That said, they seem to grow new pups at soil level or below so some times I have to re-pot razing up the plant a little. Strong Sun light is a natural anti-fungal so come summer time outside vacation is always best for them. Karen, Love your Jade Marginata. Those yellow margins really stand out. I almost lost mine. Crown rot and then out of no where I got two new pups that are growing but ever so slowly due to no mother plant. I guess I'm lucky to have one at all. My hahnii Silver Marginata which I purchased as 'Starlight' has done remarkably well also but the leaves seem to have darken up some being inside thru winter. It really filled out the pot and needs a re-potting asap.

The fan is on the "to do" list for sure, as well as replacing the furniture (see my original post). By the way, the wall with the sofa is the garage (so no windows can go there). @latifolia Seriously, this house has...in total 1 sidelight window next to the front door, 1 glass slider in the living room, 2 55" x 33" in the family room, 1 glass slider in the master, and 1 x 20" x 55" windows in the the two other bedrooms...oh, and a little kitchen window and little ones in the bathrooms. The problem is all but the guest room windows face N.E. and I live in a wooded area, so it's pretty darn dark! Landscaping certainly would come into play, but it's only about 10 feet between the house and the fence. The front door is one solid piece of metal (photo below)...I am already planning on replacing with something that is at least 1/4 glass, and considering putting an opening into the wall between the entry and the living room. Please ignore the nasty looking plant, it to is on the "replace" list. @Jessamy Tsoris Any suggestions on the number / types of lights for the space?

Even in a mid-term furnished rental I'd have no mysteries in appliances. Don't assume everyone is familiar with what you are familiar with, especially if you plan to be open to renting to foreigners. Very frustrating to not be able to figure out how to turn on TV. or how a recliner works, outdoor fire goes on (and off!) I think your fireplace/bbq options should be ones you provide after you interview the tenants. not ones embedded into your design. (Personally I would never bbq in a rental, or use the fireplace.) If I had poured concrete furniture I would not only want optimal seat cushions, I would create a way to be able to secure cushions to the back, rather than put loose pillows on the bench. In your design it appears it would be a simple thing to drive several very long pegs/hooks into the beds so it is possible to loop and secure one long back cushion or several individual ones so they lay flat against the concrete as back cushions, I would make sure the bottom of the back cushion doesn't reach the bench itself, but leaves room to put a bench cushion under it, on the bench but shoved back far enough that touches the concrete back, and has slipped under the back cushion Basically these kinds of suspended cushions, but with longer loops/eyes/hooks to secure to something you've created to hold the loop.