I am probably the master of low-energy cooking, and not just in the summer when we have temperatures over 100°F. - LOTS of NO-Cooking, or almost no-cooking meals ;-). I'll also a place stir-fry in this category, which can be done quickly. -I have 3 different Solar Ovens/Cookers I use all the time, not just in the summer. -The induction burner is used almost exclusively to keep the heat out when a cooktop is necessary, as well as using the microwave. I have a number of microwave recipes I've collected over the years, including REAL quick breads. -LOVE my little Redi-Set Go - indoor grills (I have the small and large one). I have a adapted it to a lot of quick meals using chicken tenderloins or boneless thighs, and the ever-popular 6-minute pizza using a corn tortilla for the crust. -My microwave is also a convection oven, so it helps keep the heat out of the kitchen. Things bake in approx. 25% less time and you reduce the temperature by 25° - all in a small space. I can stack three 12-inch pizza pans and bake cookies in 5-8 minutes. It will bake 2 full-size loaves of yeast bread in 25-minutes (one loaf in 20-minutes) and NO pre-heating necessary. When checked with a Kill-A-Watt meter, the Sharp will bake 2 loaves of bread for 3-cents while the Zojirushi Bread Machines will bake 1 loaf for 2-cents. The Sharp does a better (and faster) job than a toaster oven, plus it has a larger capacity. -Cooking in a Thermos - http://www.thermoscooking.com/ A great way to "cook" beans, rice, whole grains..... -Thermal Cooker - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_cooking I use this for large cuts of meat and use my induction burner to bring the contents to a boil and heat for the necessary amount of time (usually 5-15-minutes, depending on what you are cooking) before placing it in the outside unit. The passive "slow cooker". -I also made Wonder Ovens (http://prepared-housewives.com/alternative-cooking-wonder-oven-2/), which are another passive method for cooking. I've even made loaves of steamed bread in my Wonder Ovens. Examples of Cooking Times using the Wonder Oven: Whole Chicken – boiling time 20 minutes and Wonder Oven time 5-6 hours Steamed Bread – boiling time 10 minutes and Wonder Oven time 2 hours Pinto Beans – boiling time 15-20 minutes and Wonder Oven time 5 hours Oatmeal – boiling time 10 minutes and Wonder Oven time 1 hour or overnight -Not a big fan of the slow-cooker (Crock Pot), but I do use it occasionally. The biggest problem with using a slow-cooker is there may NOT be all that much savings in energy used. Check out this link if you want to know more: http://www.cookingmanager.com/slow-cookers-energy-efficient/ -Saladmaster Stainless Steel Cookware - These pans can be stacked so you cook everything on one burner. I can make a pot roast and vegetables in the Dutch Oven, and bake a cake in the top with the dome cover, and cook other things for that meal, or another entire meal, all at the same time on a very low heat. -Grainlady

I think the distinction between semi-custom home and truly custom construction is significant. I've done both plus lots of renovations. In our custom build, we had a fabulous GC. The way he liked to do business was to spend countless hours up front getting into excruciating detail about building products. Once we had cost out our desires, it became apparent that this house was going to cost a whole lot more than we had anticipated. We owned the land. The unknown costs lay in porches and basements. We all agreed that we needed another plan. (We were using William E. Poole plans) I went home and quickly found another plan that would work with a few modifications. It had smaller porches and we ditched the basement in favor of a FROG. It was a smarter build thanks to my GC. We owned the land and had more than 60% of the construction cost in cash. The bank loved us. Low risk. They only got involved when we were close to finishing up. I think we had one construction draw and a final inspection. Our GC suggested that we mutually determine his fee up front. It was a flat amount. This way, he was assured that he would be paid and make his profit. We paid him in monthly installments. The last payment would be withheld until we had release of liens from all of the subcontractors and the GC. Any costs would merely be passed through his accounts. There were no mark up on materials and services. They were entirely at his cost. I was given a copy of all of the receipts. He would present a months worth of bills and receipts at a time. There was one or two items that he needed the money a little faster. I think the framing material was an example. It was a pretty big bill as I recollect. In the areas where a guestimate was required in the budget, he would tend to overestimate. This way the surprises were pleasant. The hard work was done up front. We used those surprises to finish out the FROG. I ended up sourcing the appliances, the plumbing fixtures and the decorative electrical fixtures. He was a little leery about that, but I had everything ordered and stored in my garage ahead of time. I would take them over the day before they were needed and have them on site. The appliance dealer kept my appliances in storage until I was ready. The only plumbing fixture that I had the plumber order was two real cast iron tubs. I didn't want to be responsible for transport or installation of those. The GC had such a great time working with us, he and his brother, decided to do all of the interior finish carpentry themselves. They were used to working on projects that were 50% bigger than our home. We fit right into their schedule. It had been a long time since they had gotten to work together, they wanted to do it. They did a beautiful job. They built my mantle and an arched pocket door from a picture I provided them. They did a beautiful job. Semi-custom building, now that is an exercise in frustration. I'll never do that again. The answers in semi-custom building always seem to be no.

What do you mean by "digging out"? If you're actually talking about digging out a dirt floor cellar ... definitely rethink that. Do you have a garage or even a carport you could enclose or an unused bedroom you might remodel instead? Do you have room on your lot to build a screened porch now that could become an enclosed sun porch later?

Your septic was permitted with a certain number of facilities in mind. In a certain location. Double inlets is usually frowned on. It’s not just about tank capacity. The building site has to be master planned for it all to work. It must be sited for gravity draining to work. “Just” adding an ADU that wasn’t accounted for in the original property layout and septic design for the house’s location will require its own system. If there is room. If there isn’t room for another septic? No ADU will be allowed. Contact your septic permit issuer. You’re not gonna park an RV as a dwelling. Not a chance.