dallasbill, I just checked with DH who tried it both ways, and he said the chain saw as you described it worked best for the wires, but the hot knife was easier for him when doing the boxes. DH also said to be sure your HVAC guys run a Manual J before determining what size furnace/AC you need, or it will be oversized. Almost all of the HVAC guys we talked to based the size of the unit on square footage, even after DH explained how tight the house would be. He said if they won't do a Manual J, use someone else who will. He also said to be sure that the drywallers don't glue the drywall to the ICF foam. If they do, and if you ever need to remove the drywall (leaky roof?), the foam will be pulled off in chunks when you pull the drywall off. Good point about the holes needed through the ICF walls. We had professionals do most of ours, since the largest were 6". We were the GCs and weren't sure exactly where they all were going to be, so we couldn't preset them before the concrete was poured. It was MUCH cheaper to have them come out just once to drill, since they charged per visit and per hole. We had: --4 hose bibs --2 make up air (1 for woodstove, 1 for HRV) --exhaust air for HRV --hood duct --dryer vent --2 geothermal pipes (preset before pour) --well pipe (drilled by installer) --gas line --2 electrical lines (due to geothermal) --central vac exhaust --central vac to garage --septic/sewer pipe --sump pump pipe --gas pipe for patio grill --telephone/cable Anne

The best flower fragrance and flavor is with the European species (Sambucus nigra). When I grew Sambucus canadensis the flowers only were fragrant during certain parts of the day and only for short periods of time. Anything I made from the flowers had no flavor or fragrance. It could be different in your area.

I dont think a 45 will stop debris, but you could put one 90 on the top and not glue it, if it has problems freezing up then its easily removed. I personally live in a super cold area, and I had to insulate my radon pipe to stop it from freezing at the termination, and it is straight up.

Every single seed I've ever planted has germinated. I usually nick them top and bottom and soak for a day. They are good to go. I've tried every kind of soil but regular miracle grow potting soil works best.. if you nick the seed too deep on the root part, it isn't going to grow.. The root part is more rounded.. If you don't nick the seed it will take a lot longer to get soft. i haven't tried any of these darker seeds though.. And this is all in my limited experience... EDIT: They germinate super fast for me.. They usually sprout up in 3 to 5 days after a 24-48 hour soak.