I dig up my cannas after first frost, lay them out inside to dry a bit for a few days, then pack in barely damp peat moss like Don suggests. Your cool dark place ideally is around 50 degrees. Anything above 60 will encourage sprouting. I put mine in barely dampened peat moss in a large ziplock baggie kept open a tad at the top for ventilation, and I put the whole mess in a metal tin to keep mice out. I check every month or two to see if I need to drizzle a little water inside (usually not needed). Sometimes they sprout but I just ignore that. I pot them up in March or April and grow them in a sunny warm window until they can go outdoors again. I overwintered an Alocasia (not labelled but probably 'macrorhiza') in a pot last year. Put it in a cool, fairly dim basement room. Didn't water much. It just sort of sat there without growing all winter, then when it got warm it took off again. Much easier than keeping it in a warm, sunny place and fighting pests all winter. 'Black magic' is tough. Spider mite magnet. But some people can do it. I'm not one of them. I'm guessing the plants you lost either froze or rotted. Tropicals need to kept very dry in the winter indoors. What sort of potting medium are you using? Are you digging them up from the yard or do they stay in pots outdoors all summer? If they are potted, I suggest buying a good soilless potting medium like Fafard's or ProMix to reduce soil bugs. MiracleGro soil is cheap and easily available but stays awfully soggy and which can lead to rot.

I don't have a copy of the basement floor plan. However, it did come with the house plan and it was so well done, that we made very few changes. The only rooms that do not have windows are the play room and the bathrooms--which is fine by me. The basement windows are large and to the south. We also have tall ceilings down there and it does not seem like a basement at all. The house is 3500 sq ft, so not as big as you may have thought--although certainly big enough. We finished 3000 sq ft in the basement. We don't really need the upstairs great room either, but surprisingly we do use it. I have my baby grand in there and it has NO television. I do love my home. I wanted a home that was elegant but not pretentious, like so many new homes in my area. It took us about a year to build and we had a terrific building experience with the best builder I could have hired. We did time and materials, which I know is frowned on here--but for us it worked out well.

We LOVE wide plank hardwood. Here's the thing with wide plank hardwood...It should be milled properly, it should be acclimated accordingly and it should be install correctly in the perfect indoor environment. I can appreciate your contractors telling you/ warning you of the potential risks associated with wide planks. It's actually a good thing they did that because now you know how to prevent and what mechanics need to be installed in your home in order to prevent any damage to the wood. (ie. HVAC system with a humidifier and dehumidifier, etc) 6" or 7" is pretty wide. We have worked with companies where 6 or 7" is the narrowest they milled and they only specialize in wide planks of over 9". Oh, something else to consider is having the flooring end matched. *Sometimes* with wider plank hardwoods, they aren't milled with the end match. So definitely speak with your contractor about that. We personally like having the flooring end matched.

Here is the side table and lamp. Is it okay? I think the contrast of the dark table with white walls will look good. Table at a good height? Lamp style and height okay? The table isn’t an exact match to the TV console but pretty close. Too matchy?