Hello again Peggy, Just my two cents here - Because of budget we are DIY'rs. We ended up going with Lowes on their cabinets because we liked the designer so much. We had been to others at the big box stores and were not impressed, but then we ran into some guy that had been doing it for 5 or 6 years in there kitchen dept and loved his job. He listened to what we were trying to achieve and spent oddles of time with us trying to make things work based on what I was trying to accomplish inside my cabinet doors and my space in addition to getting the "look". Had it not been for him we probably would of ended up looking into custom - we are having to manipulate and piecing things together to achieve the look we want which has required alot of patience and frustration along the way. Maybe this is normal with DIY...there were certain elements that I wanted within the cabintry that couldn't be done (feet on my island, panels on the sides of cabinets we built up to look like furniture, roll out trays on our island that they didn't carry for that piece, etc.,) Looking hindsight I would have checked into custom, I've heard it here before as igloochick mentioned that alot of times it can be cheaper! Another problem we ran into is after we ordered and installed our cabinets we went back to add crown molding (we waited on this because at the start of our renovation we bumped our wall out 2' and it gave a slanted ceiling, we wanted to install our cabinets first to see what we would need for pieces with the crown molding - in the meantime our designer from Lowes moved and we had to begin dealing with someone else in that dept which has been a nightmare - that is a story in itself - Kraftmaid says we have to deal with Lowes and go through them for our needs. I'm sure this wouldn't happen often but it is possible - our original designer has tried to help us long distance but Lowes does not want him to handle it out of state since our take backs and pick ups are here....with all that said I wish I would have checked into custom since I knew what I wanted - BUT I am happy with the way things are looking, just thinking the frustration and aggravation wouldn't be as it is AND it could have costed less. BTW, I answered you on my post (I too had a hard time finding my post??!!) Just in case you don't get there - Thank you for all your support! I would love to see pics and hear progress! Keep in touch Jen

First step is getting a sense of what your budget is. Next - this is a tricky topic here. This board believes STRONGLY in going the architect route. We are doing that, and there was never any question that we wouldn't. BUT it is definitely more expensive. And definitely worth it. But people have different budgets. If you are dealing with a reasonable non-shoestring budget, then yes - DEFINITELY hire an architect. But whether to go to a builder or architect first - there are mixed opinions on this. If a friend has a recommendation for an amazing builder or architect, you should look into them. (If you really think you are going to go with a stock plan instead of an architect - which again, I don't advise - you definitely should interview and choose a builder first. They WILL have specifications on what they will and won't do. If you are looking at eco-friendly, guaranteed if you have a builder who does this without a custom architect it is because s/he builds a very specific design. You're wasting your time and money looking at plans that your preferred builder may not be willing to build.) Otherwise - you say you want eco-friendly. That is not going to be hard to find in Washington State. But it is still something that only select builders and architects do well. If you want to go as energy efficient as possible, you are talking Passive House. Which is expensive. However, it gives you a good framework to start looking for builders. You don't have to go to the expense of pursuing full Passive House requirements. But this will narrow down your search specifically to builders who build eco-friendly homes. Again, this only matters if you are serious about eco-friendly, as in this is the area you would prefer to focus your budget on, as opposed to tile and molding and cabinets and the like. If you are, this is not something a regular builder does. Or at least does well, in my experience. There is a huge difference between a builder who thinks foaming all the walls constitutes a well-sealed home, and a builder who does blower door tests to ensure they have plugged as many tiny leaks in the envelope as they can find. Architecture also plays a big part in designing an eco-friendly home, and there are architects who specialize in it. Again, search for passive house architects or green building architects. (Personally, I would look at builders first if you are SERIOUS about eco-friendly. Sometimes green builders do things in very particular ways, such as SIPS or modular, and you would be better served finding that out first and choosing an architect they work well with.) You will get a good sense of what is out there. Narrow down a list of professionals, and then contact them. You will probably rule several out over the phone, just based on budget requirements and other issues. Then meet with whose left and go from there. They will definitely have answers to your listed questions. And for questions like timeline, those answers will vary quite a bit between builders, so will perhaps play into your hiring decision.

so you would know that leverage increases risk. This is not true. A levered firm will be more risk than the same firm unlevered. However, that is different than saying that leverage increases risk for several reasons. Essentially, the overall risk of adding debt to a firm depends on the overall risk of the underlying assets. For example, $100 invested in Enron stock in September of 2000 was more risk than having $100 invested in Enron and $100 invested in Apple, even if your marginal debt is $100. Moreover, this is largely not true for highly liquid assets. Essentially, having $100 and owing $100 is the same financial position as having $0 and owing $0. Looking at our example, you have added $500,000 of debt, but you have also added $500,000 of highly liquid investments. you had a good run in the longest bull market in history but it could also have gone the other way and you could have lost your 500k investment and now the bank owns your home. This statement is incorrect for several reasons. First, I have been doing this for 25 years now so the recent bull market isn't really relevant. Since the 1929 collapse (when the modern market was introduced) there has not been a single down five year period, and only a couple of small down three year periods. I put money in the market in 2003 and after 2008 I was still in the black. Meanwhile my house wasn't liquid at all. So had I needed cash, I would have had it available, the credit freeze didn't bother me at all. Additionally, the equity market recovered much faster than housing, two years after the collapse the market was back at 95% of pre-crisis value. Next, properly diversified investment portfolios don't just go to zero. They may lose some value, but it isn't like one day you have money and the next day you don't. One day you have money and the next day you have a bit less. Finally, houses are riskier. It is much more likely that your house will decrease in value than it is your investment portfolio will decrease in value. Above you mentioned a scenario where I could lose my house. However, in reality it is much more likely to lose your house or health from a maintenance issue. The house that is across from one my rentals has a foundation problem, the owner who purchased it in January of 2011 for $210,000 cash just sold it for $130,000 in November of 2018. Had he financed $168,000 and invested that amount he would have had $401,000 in investments and maybe fixed the house instead of giving it away because he can't afford the $80,000 to repair the house.

cpartist Nhb we are talking about aisle clearances in case of the need for a walker or wheelchair. What works minimally doesn’t always translate for ADA Yes, I realize this. Just sharing my experience with our adult daughter getting around, in both a wheelchair and a walker, in our kitchen that a had 42" clearance. Of course, more is great! But if you cannot manage more distance between isles, 42" works. :) If one has a large island, cutting off 3" on either side is not going to make that much of a difference. I may do that in our build. The island will be the last thing to be built. malabacat - I agree whole heartily! My husband and I were both in this accident with our daughter (38). After the accident, I could barely move getting up and down, but I could walk on flat surfaces. Our daughter had to live with us because her home, at that time, had steps in and out. Plus a laundry in the basement. Her husband was working in another town. Our house had steps to get inside (we borrowed a ramp), but we had 3 ground level bedrooms, bathrooms, and the laundry room! Now, we have both moved to rentals. Us building a home. Our daughter and husband relocated. Their home has no bedroom, and only a half bath, on the main floor. She has to have more surgery on her hip. Guess what!!! She will have to come live with us during her recovery phrase! Our new home will have two bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms on the main floor. All with 3/0 doorways. Laundry is located near our bedroom.