grizzman I guess it came out wrong, it was late and I needed to get to bed. I meant that growing in soil generally takes about ten times more water than growing hydroponically. With soil you pour water on them and it all drains down through the earth (pots etc.), that takes continual watering (often daily). Where hydroponics makes use of all the water in the system (unless it's a run to waist type system). So really the only water used is what the plants drink, and some evaporation (depending on location and setup design). jfd986 I simply cant tell you how much it will cost to build and run the system that you decide to build. That's why I wanted to explain all the variables to consider when making a decision. If you decide to use a water culture system that only uses one or two air pumps, you wont notice anything on your electric bill. Unless you decide to grow inside, then you would need to factor in the cost to run the lights as well for the same plants. Bottom line * Water pumps, timers, and air pumps cost almost nothing to run, unless you are using a lot of them. * Lights I would go with what grizzman said with respect to cost to run, I don't use lights myself, I grow in sunlight (its cheaper that way). But you would need to factor in the cost of equipment. It isn't just the cost of the bulb. As bbrush said there's the cost of the ballast, and metal halide, and High pressure sodium ballasts are not interchangeable to the best of my knowledge. So if you are needing both type, for different phases of plant growth, well that adds up. Also you will need a light reflector to direct the light down to your plants. * The cost to build the system depends on how you build it, how elaborate you want it, as well as what the cost of the materials you need are. What type of system you decide on etc.. I can tell you that I built a system using 4, 5 gallon buckets for the plants, a 18 gallon reservoir, all the tubing and parts needed to build it, including the water pump and timer, even both black and white spray paint to light proof the system (as well as the growing medium), for under $100. But again I use natural light so I get great growth, without needing to buy expensive lighting (much less the cost to run them). This system cost just about nothing in electricity to run, and I had 4 large broccoli plants growing for about 6 months in it. do I really have to keep the light on for 24 hours? No, the lights don't need to be on 24/7. Everybody has a different lighting cycle for their plants, and they often change the on/off times (cycle) as the plants grow. Some plants like more light than others do, so lighting cycles should depend on the plants you grow. 1) Change the water Here everybody has their own preferences. Some change it once a week, some ever other week, some once a month, and others change it once or twice a year. The size of the reservoir, as well as the size of the plants is a big factor in those decisions as well. I personally chance it between one week and one month. There are a lot of variables in my decision, and I always pay attention to how the plants look. 2) Add nutrients (Are there instructions on the bag for that? Should I just comb through previous posts?) Again here everybody has their own preferences, and each situation is unique to that situation. I'm not sure what nutrients you plan to use, but any manufacture of hydroponic nutrients should have mixing directions with the product (and online as well). But generally you can mix them a little weaker than the manufacture directions. There is also a difference in how strong they should be depending on size of the plants, but manufactures list that as well, they refer to it as the growth phase. 3) Water them (Do they even need watering?) Every plant needs water, so I'm not sure what you mean. Are you asking if you need to hand water them? That would depend on how you designed and built your system. But that's why people use pumps in the first place, so the watering cycle is automated. In the case of a water culture system, the roots are always in the water, and the air pump provides much needed oxygen, and air bubbles to the roots so they don't suffocate. 4) Expect them to yield edibles I must of mist it, I'm not sure what plants you decided to grow after all. But generally speaking about the same as growing in soil. They will probably (and likely) grow a little faster than in soil. It all depends on how well you control the growing environment, that makes a big difference in both plant health, as well as yield. The better the conditions, the faster the plants grow. Any pet supply store will carry air pumps (and air stones) in the fish tank department. You can get an air pump designed for a 30 to 60 gallon fish tank at Wal-Mart for about $12 (air stones $2-$3). If you are planing to build a big water culture system and more air output, they do make high output air pumps, starting for about $80 and up that you can find online. P.S. I have some good links to strawberry information, but you say you decided not to grow them after all, so I guess I wont post them after all. If you want to keep track of the electricity costs get a Kill-A-Watt, you can get them at almost any home improvement store inexpensively. They will tell you exactly how much each electrical device is costing to run. You just need to know how much you pay per kilowatt hr (that's on your electric bill), and is programmable into the device.

Evergreens are most important in the winter i think. I use mine as anchors for the rest of the landscape....also i use the idea of focal points....the eye needs to be drawn to areas of interest, sitting areas, art, fountains or water ponds....i let that define what i plant.....figure out what plants you love...look at photos and see what you want to borrow ideas from...where you want your eye to go....what critters you have to contend with...we have deer that love everything i plant and especially my day lilies..sigh....i am a bit unorthodox and design by the seat of my pants so to speak.....i let the terrain speak to me rather than the other way around. Our terrain is a challenge....we do all of our own planting and building and wall making...i am 66 and do crazy stuff like lift giant rocks....my husband and i built the rock wall.....i built a grotto fountain in my backyard. I put in the small spitting fish pond one afternnoon just because i wanted someting to look at when i sat on the bench....the bench guards the knockout roses from bambi along with rosemary planted on either side of the bench...they dont like the smell....think outside the box.....i do art some too.....it helps me be creative maybe....look close...mama deer brought baby to visit and sample gourmet...lol......just be sure to love what you do...then it is worth the effort

Could really use the opinion of professionals and non professionals. We have a strong feel for the direction of our project but are getting weight down in the sheer detail. We want to enjoy the pool as soon as we can so need to be prepared to open in late May and get plantings and structures up so we can swim in June. Section to the left is 22' x 38' and will hold the gazebo (with sectional) and beside it a dining table. You can see the side of my neighbour's shed which they use for entertaining with a serving window and speakers and lighting. We want that to be completely hidden. We installed the water feature to drown out the ambient noise from their yard. Loungers will go where the sectional is currently located and just to the right of that we have a stone porch with another sitting area that is attached to the house and gives us access to my office. We are meeting with carpenters to get quotes on new fencing, privacy screens and a gazebo. We think we can build up a small retaining wall to support planting around the pool We want to plant between the pool deck and the chain link fence (city owned) so that the edge of the newly installed pool deck is softened. There is an 18" drop from deck to grade and the width between deck and chainlink is 24" (30" along the sides between deck and wood fence separating our yard from the neighbour's yard). We want install privacy screen intermittently around the edges along with small scale columnar Trees, cedars and tall grasses. The retaining will hold the dirt needed for these plantings. Grade is relatively flat but needs preparation for level installation of retaining, drainage and soil. We also want a few natural stones between deck and chainlink (approximately10" in depth and 20" width)at the far left to extend the deck so that we can walk around to access the pool equipment. This area is currently a gap with a lesser drop but we have to step down from the deck to walk along the chainlink to get around to the equipment in the back corner. Preferably we would walk alone stepping stones. Picture is project just before final decking completed. Orange temporary fence is where the gap is and where we want to plant. The orange is covering up the chain link fence so the retaining wall needs to run along the base of the chain link. Thanks Love the clean spa feel but need to reconcile with our traditional house and traditional interior. If we plant boxwoods or yews at the grade level it will add some structure to the beds. We like the look of the uplight standards as well. I think I prefer small scale columnar trees that will max out at 20' in height and 5' in width, which we would repeat around the backyard. Three grouped together on opposite sides and one on either side of our double doors to the backyard, again surrounded by boxwoods or yews. I was think about a columnar Purple Dawyck (fagus sylvatica)because we have some along our driveway and they are a nice purple colour. We have Two 15 foot cedars that survived the pool install so we want to blend in the new look with the old cedars. Because our neighbours are close we need to obstruct views from their back windows. The raised, level pool deck has increased visibility for our neighbours as we walk around the backyard and was was a 6 1/2' fence is now 5' height. Once neighbour wants to replace the fence and we will install 7' if they are good with that. The other neighbour is moving and doesn't want to speak a lot of money so we will do Privacy screens in the same still installed 2' from the property line. (love the boxwood around the base of the columnar tree and hope to do something similar along the house line (there are 3' beds running along the house). The structure we want to build needs to be about 13 x 13 and will line up with the pool so we have a shady area to overlook the kids in the pool. We worked with a designer who helped us with the pool location and some planting ideas which we are incorporating but we plan to do the planting ourselves and pay carpenters based on our screening, fencing and gazebo needs (it's more of a budget issue or we would just hire someone to get the whole thing finalized). We may have to do this in two stages and need to incorporate the lighting plan. We had to follow city restrictions and grading issues so the pool sits where it sits to maximize patio space and still have a reasonably sized pool. All was discussed in depth before instal so I am trying to solve for problems that I was aware would be part of the project. I'm a big believer in working with the experts and using professionals where I can. Just need your thoughts and feedback. Thanks!!!!

@K H I tried to come up with a starting point for you. My thoughts regarding home theaters are that, for sound insulation, they are usually isolated spaces. Also, due to the close proximity of sleeping areas, this may be something that you should consider. For organization purpose and clean visuals, I like your idea about using cabinetry and shelving to contain toys and craft materials. I personally think that this set-up would lend itself to an open area off of the stairway. And, for yours guest room, I think that the storage room would be perfect. Regarding your husband's weights: perhaps a small weight room can be created from the large mechanical room by creating a mechanical closet?