We bought our land 4 years before we built our home. We wanted to build our dream home and were not in a hurry to rush into it and then regret decisions made too quickly. I was the designer on the project and honestly enjoyed all that it entailed. We also had a wonderful builder that made the whole process go seamlessly and stress free. After we chose a house plan and had it updated to include the must-haves on our list, I poured over those plans for hours and hours making sure each room was as ideal as possible. Now is the time to decide if you want an HVAC duct in that place or a light switch or outlet in that spot. Decide if you want floor outlets, special outlets in pantries or cleaning closets. Are the rooms the right size? Could a couple feet make a difference anywhere? I sure wish we had made our laundry room 3 feet wider. Choose as many products as you can before your builder gives you his estimate. If you want granite and he's giving you laminate pricing the cost will be more. Also, painting the interior all one color is less expensive than having several rooms painted differently. Are you going with pre-painted siding or having the exterior custom painted? Are you using brick, cultured stone or natural stone? Huge difference between brick and natural stone. Plumbing fixtures vary in price as do lighting and appliances. Make sure he's taking your choices into account with his bottom line. Think about any upgrades in insulation, soundproofing, radiant heating, etc. The best advice I can give from someone who's been there, done that, is to sit down and really think about how you want the house to look, function and feel....and cost. Are there things you can't do without? For us it was a 3rd garage, his & hers master's closets, a computer space off the kitchen area where we can monitor our son, and a particular type of kitchen layout. Break the house plan down room by room if it's overwhelming but KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. If you're unsure of that then you can be talked into a lot of stuff you will find out later you really didn't need or want. Almost all of us have to stick to a budget so the trick is getting what you want overall at a price you can afford. This website is a treasure trove of information that I'm sure will benefit you in the days to come. Good luck on your build and keep your chin up.

First, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry for your loss of your loyal friend, Cutter. Our dogs that have passed have been cremated as they are just too large to bury. I recently lost my old gal and her ashes are in a beautiful box placed on on one of the shelves of a bookshelf in my office. She has entire shelf to herself. A picture, her nametag, a glass heart dish with hair they cut for me when we had to put her down, a footprint, two different Christmas card pictures from years past. I have a memory candle and some other things friends sent me when I was grieving, a literal entire shrine. Sounds crazy, but I love the shelf and it helps me honor her. We have buried two cats in our back yard as we too live on a wood property and have a creek that runs past our property. Like some of the other posters, we had family ceremony. They were both buried in wooden boxes (friend owns a liquor store and was so kind to give them to us). My daughter was very young when both passed, so they were wrapped in a blanket and placed into the box along with a favorite cat toy, one was buried with a piece of the door trim DH has to replace because Tig had shredded it.)). Any event, we mark the spot with a stone purchased at the local garden center. Many of the homecenters and garden centers now carry the markers. I planted dyanthis (sp) which comes up every spring/summer so we know where they are buried. I can relate to not wanting to accidently dig and disturb a dear friend who has already been buried.

Very nice room. I am curious why you can't use an area rug? I've installed hardwood in our entire home through the years, and have used area rugs immediately. Any wood floor with an area rug is going to wear differently under the carpet (it will look newer than the uncovered sections). It won't really matter that much when you start to include area rugs However, an area rug would go a long way to anchor your furniture, and give the space a warmer feel. Also, the area rug would provide another texture and more color. I had a similar dilemma when we first bought our first home. I had to decide whether I wanted a "LR", or did I want a family room? I chose a LR, and decorated it that way. I had to do away with the existing entertainment center. I did find a different piece that was more in keeping with the look of my LR. If you don't want to use your buffet, would it be possible to find a piece that would accent the other pieces of furniture in the room? Rather than adding a piece, I would just try to put the tv on the buffet piece and components therein. Looks to me that the TV would certainly fit on the top and components easily contained in one of the side storage areas behind the glass doors. You would have alot more wall space and the problem (I had the same issue) of all of the furniture lining the walls in the room, will be less apparent. While I totally understand you're wanting to use the piece in a future DR, for now, it would really streamline your room, by taking out that corner piece. You can put it into a storage situation and bring it out again if/when you move and have a family room. What color have you used on your walls? I know my monitor is off, but to my eye, the right side of the window, reminds me of our LR wall color (SW Blonde). I have used two differing types of window treatment with that color. One matched almost exactly, which I liked as I wanted the window treatment to almost disappear. The other is a new burgandy/gold which I am using only to frame my windows. So, either try to match the paint color, or make it a stark contrast. Either way, extend the rod if you can, if you can't, you can pick up a longer decorative rod and beef up the curtains. We don't have a privacy issue, and I am not sure if you do. So, if you don't, I would remove the blinds for a more open/airy look. I would also pick up some decorative pillows in jewel tones similar to the colors in your artwork. The current sofa pillows seem to disappear being monochromatic. I would love to see some more color on the sofa. JHMO and $.02. Great room, can't wait to see pics of changes if you make any!

In eastern Mass. at least, the most common plant that meets the 'daisy' archetype (Jungian perhaps? It seems like kids know how to draw them without actually seeing one) -- fairly large flower, white petals, yellow center (I apologize to the botanists cringing at my inaccurate use of these terms for composites) -- is the oxeye daisy, a non-native. The easiest way to identify it is the depression in the center of the yellow (which is lacking from the flowers in the picture from Utah). Asters and fleabanes, while they also may have white petals and yellow centers, are generally too small to fit my concept of a daisy. My field guide's description of wild chamomile is consistent with the flowers and foliage in the photo. (Oxeye daisy leaves are much wider and lobed/serrated.) Other daisy-like flowers in my guide (albeit only an eastern U.S guide) are: sneezeweed yarrow, mayweed, feverfew, and scentless chamomile, all non-natives to this area. (Sorry, too lazy to put in latin names, but they are available upon request.) -- wd