I think it depends on where you are building. There was a recent thread on here from a gal with zero construction experience who built a beautiful house in 4 months. On the other hand, my husband and I have extensive construction experience and every tool known to mankind and it took us 8 months to get to where we could move in, but we still aren't done. There is a building boom in our town and we had a tough time getting subs. We ended up doing about 50% of the build ourselves. And, even with all of our know-how, mistakes were made. One other thing, we have been on the job site every day since we broke ground. Will you be able to be on site each day? If you want to do research, I would try to familiarize yourself with what goes into building a home and the order things are built. Also, find out what each sub is responsible for in your area. An example is sometimes the plumbers install the gas lines, sometimes the HVAC guys. Be ready for thousands of decisions too. Best of luck on your build.

P Bradford, For your peace of mind, take it back. For the sake of starting off with the healthiest rose possible, take it back. Take it back. Tell them to destroy it! Meticulously look over any replacement rose or future purchases of roses, from all sources...even very reputable ones, like Sherlock Holmes with his hand held magnifying glass would. Disease and epidemic insects are spread very easily. Look at the gypsy moth (N.E. hardwood forests invaded...you can very audibly hear the crunch of the millions of gypsy moth caterpillars chomping away), emerald tree borer (ash trees here....gone), Dutch Elm Disease (elm trees, long gone except for isolated specimens and the variety Princeton Elm and the even more resistant, new, Patriot Elm), and the recent plague in the making, Spotted Lantern Flies, here in Pennsylvania alone! Moses

THANK you so much for responding. I guess you can see why I'm confused by his question. So you're saying that when he asks which regulating body, he means "who is reviewing and certifying the soil?" I'm sorry if its a dumb question. I have little to no knowledge or experience with gardening or soil. I'm worried that if they find out I'm not experienced, they might take advantage of me and charge me triple the amount. The company I'm looking to order from advertises that all of their soil is certified organic. So I'm really confused as to why he is asking me who will be reviewing the soil I purchase from him. Essentially I'm looking to order their soil, ship it across the country, and add my own recipe of organic ingredients to create customized soils for different gardening needs. But I dont want any chemicals added. I want 100% organic. So I figured if I am using their soil, it's already certified organic and I won't need to have it reviewed and tested. What are your thoughts? Again I can't thank you enough for responding to my question so quickly. I apologize if I'm not using this site correctly or if I'm asking too much. I really appreciate any response or advice I can get, from an experienced and knowledgeable gardener. Kind Regards, An Aspiring Green Thumb

Agree with Echeveria for the first, and Portulacaria afra for the last. Compare #2 with Crassula perforata.