pkponder 7B Yes,thanks, I got it to work yesterday. :) It is too humid in my GH that's for sure. Today it's 62F here so I have it all opened up and added an oscillating fan. I also put a large temporary fan in the doorway to make sure plenty of fresh air blows in while the sun is shining and it's warm. I really need an exhaust fan on the far wall for these warm days. Maybe next spring........

I thought that the design software would help us set limits on numbers of plants per area but since it has yet to arrive in the mail perhaps Martie is right we should continue on so we dont loose too much momentum. I still however would like to plug our choices into a digital design and will share my attempts and ask for guidance with that as we go along. Below is the list of chosen plants for the vegetable beds although still in the kitchen garden lets move on to herbs (again another area of gardening that I know nothing about). This game is a creation of mutual effort so if you feel strongly about one thing or another or have a different vision please let us know. Should we move the fennel, garlic, and onions to the herb garden or are they considered veggies? The herb garden is 30 x 30 which will allow for nice wide pathways and easy access to plants. Clematis 'Polish Spirit' - Vtskier Turnips - Cady Rhubarb - Mad Gal Spinach 'Prickly-seeded ' - kt Carrots 'Early (Scarlet) Horn' - Bug Tomato 'Early Cascade' - Nhbabs Peas 'Sugar Snap' Tee Pee - Cady Beans - green, yellow and purple with Dill - Mad Gal Basil 'Lettuce leaf' - nhbabs Fennel - Florence - kt Asparagus - Vtskiers Apple 'Golden Russet', espaliered - Martie Eggplant - Bug Swiss Chard 'Ruby Glow' - Cady Onions - Martie Cherry Tomatoes - Vtskier Garlic Nhbabs Globe Artichoke - kt half-dozen sweet bells if they have freezer space for winter use, 4 'Mexi-bells' if seed were still available (slightly warm, wonderful for salsa which I put up in dozens of pint jars each year), 2 Jalapeños, a 'Cayenne' and 3 'Thai' peppers for both heat and their beautiful, compact size. - Solana French Breakfast Radish - Bug Red Leaf Lettus - Mad Gal Cady its your turn to choose an herb.

I was only suggesting a format for said idiot-guide... ...stepping back in a hurry...totally don't have time to actually DO it...sorry. I agree...pea did have a good start on this...but the information needs to be sterile & objective, I think. By that, I mean that any & all references to "who" and links to the "whos" need to be scrubbed. It is possible to discuss a project objectively without going into personal details. There did surface an objection to having personal information of ANY sort linked...which is why pea's efforts were eventually (and unfortunately) scrapped. I think if we can be objective, organized, and ANONYMOUS, that it can work. There are other places to go to 'find' someone. I really think the "personal" aspect needs to be left out. Shutting up now.

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions. We trusted that our architect had a handle on local renovation and addition costs as he does a lot of homes in the area per year. He felt confident that our second take on the project would be on budget. The GC (his preferred person) thought the bid would be good to go and we had been discussing start dates and timelines. The second project bid seemed to shock everyone. There were some sub numbers that were way out of line (plumbing doubled despite similar scope of work, painting interior and exterior went up by 75% despite smaller house/project). It almost felt like multiple subs took a pay increase - if one had done it no one would have noticed. Since they all decided that 6 months later they were worth twice as much it was quite apparent in the bid. We had been in contact with the GC throughout the design, but he hadn't reviewed decisions during the process. Our architect seemed to find the most expensive ways to accomplish things both times through. This was pointed out in the bid and subsequent reviews of the project. This may have resulted in a prettier finish, but wasn't cost effective. We are still debating how to move forward. We have engaged a design / build grouo who would work with our architect. They have reviewed the 2 projects and feel the original plan is the more cost effective way to go (in price/sf). They aren't sure if they can get it in budget, but are willing to try. We have a plan C that involves no addition and just a remodeling of our home. It isn't cheap, but we have it if all else fails. For now we are going to play this out and if the addition projects are dead we will have a contract lawyer figure out what we actually owe/don't owe. Really is painful to think that after 9 months and $15K we would have nothing to show for it.