Marlin, I have thought of roses the bush type or just the stalk type but I was always told that they needed full sun no matter what. Well, thats what my grandmother told me.... About 8 years ago I planted 4 roses I got in a bag I think right out in the middle of my yard in clay soil and never did much with them. Not much water not much of anything. And they would just bloom and bloom. Big blooms too. 2 were red and the other 2 were pink. If I remember right they were antique roses, and from what I have read on here they dont need much fluff to grow well. Which is my cup of tea :) Last year I bought 13 oleanders (before I knew they were poisenous, luckily they are in the front yard...) and put them along the southern part of my yard where there is no fence as a border. In the beginning I know I watered too much because thier leaves started to turn yellow. So I stopped watering, and they were fine and I didnt water at all during the summer (we had a wet summer though to be fair :) ) Yeah the different plants could be interesting. I was thinking of kind of zig zagging them. I think I have enough room to do that. The "bed" is not that wide, but luckily the next door neighbor is not a jerk, and his house is pretty far away from mine. So it would be ok if they went onto his area meaning branches or whatever. I really do like the lilies and the cannas. I know cannas grow pretty tall, there is also a huge square blank spot in the front that is like a blank canvas, it looks bare, so I thought cannas. The square is my house LOL.But I have also been reading that termites are just rediculous and I dont want to get termites as we have an older wood frame house. that area is middaysun no morning shady spotted afternoon sun. I dont think lilies would get tall enough for that area its about 15-20 ft tall and WHITE!!! I have a bed in the front made out of cinder blocks it is fairly big and I will be planting ferns and stuff like that in the front. I have been putting ALL the leaves in there through out the fall. It kind of curves around trees and such, but its pretty much full shade except in the late afternoon. So, on the mixing shrubs, would it look better to have a progressive color from light to dark, or just placed in micellaneous areas no pattern? Can I plant them now or do I need to wait? If the nurseries have them does that mean I can plant them now?

Lyds, Thank you. The tv is recessed in a niche we put in during construction. DH picked out tv width and we went from there. We'll never do one larger, but there is a little room on each end and even more top/bottom. I went from trying to find an antique folding screen to having a four panel folding screen made using wallpaper but never found the perfect pattern. I ordered a screen from Gump's and the colors were horrible when it arrived. TWO years I tried to come up with a solution and FINALLY I wake up in the middle of the night and it came to me! TxGal, Thanks! I had a thread on Decorating but I can't locate for whatever reason. It was custom. They made the shutter into a door to hide the tv equipment and DVDs also. It's on sliders. I have no idea who they ordered them from. The sliders are attached to 2"x2" strips of wood. They built the sliding panels sort of box-like in that the side/top/bottom are to the wall. In other words, when you're coming in the front door you see the side of the panel and it looks like a wide picture molding. slc2053, we don't have a problem with glare since the house faces south and we have a deep veranda. Also have window film across the back side of house. Found the thread: Here is a link that might be useful: Decorating Forum Thread

You, and only you, are the best judge as to whether or not you need an architect. You may decide that will be the best road to go on, and then I would encourage you to do so. However, do not let anyone here tell you that the way your builder suggested is not legitimate. I find that amusing. The OP wrote: "our builder suggested finding a plan online that we like then taking that to an architect." The reason I find that amusing is because no legitimate architect would copy someone else's plan. That's called copyright infringement. Nor would they make just a "few" modifications. A draftsman would do that. Not a legitimate architect. I would guess many more houses are built that way than by using the services of an architect. Obviously you didn't read what her builder said which is to take it to an architect. To be honest, if I was you, I would run as fast from here as you can. It isn't worth the occasional piece of decent advice you may get. Too bad if she does because my house is the fabulous house it is today because of all the help I got on these forums. And those "mean" pros helped me so much. If you want to find an online plan, this is not the place. People here are adverse to online plans, and architects seem to think that showing them a plan you like as a conversation starter will stiffen their creativity (this seems weird to me, but...). Some architects don't want you to bring them internet plans and others feel it can be a jumping off point. The biggest problem bringing an internet plan is not a problem for the architect but for the home owner who looks at the plan and gets attached to it to the detriment of them seeing other options. That is why it's best not to bring a preconceived generic plan. know that those who have 4000 sqf houses have a hardtime believing that, but we do not need huge houses to be happy Sorry but I disagree. Most here if anything will tell folks to build only what they need with no wasted space whether it be 1500 sq. feet or more. No one that I know of advocates to build bigger just for the sake of building bigger. Cruelty is a sport here for some I would think as adults we can wade through those who are genuinely helpful, even if it's a hard pill to swallow, and those who are mean for the sake of being mean. However, the majority, even those who are blunt are here because they genuinely want to help others get the best house possible. It is easy to say, go to an architect, and it is easier to have an architect design your home, but that ease comes with a price tag. Hirirng an architect is no guarantee that they will be able to meet the needs of your family if you have not defined those needs or if your needs don't fit your budget. The functionality of your home for your family is largely based on the amount of time and effort that you put into planning your home. Truly excellent advice as is the rest of Jennifer's post. Build for the life you actually live and not for the imaginary life you think you might want to live, which I see by your comment you are doing. Bravo. The best thing you can do is make a list of your wants, needs and wouldn't it be nice to haves. Also how do you want to feel when you pull up to your house and also when you're inside the house or in the backyard?

Bestyear, I am so sorry this happened to you. I had a very similar incident. I experienced confusion, loss of balance, memory loss, and extreme tiredness. It resulted in two visits to the hospital. During the first visit I was told I had vertigo after a CT, MRI, and blood test. The second incident a co-worker observed what happened and communicated that to my SO. I refused to go to the ER but had SO call my doctor. The doctor had me admitted on a four-day observation in the stroke ward. No one did an EEG untill the last day. It was too late to diagnose a seizure, thought that is what my doctor suspected. At the hospital I had a strange sensation of a shade lifting and just feeling fine. The world seemed brighter, and I felt sharper. I am sure that is the moment when I was all better. Fast forward four months later, my doctor called and asked if I had any connection to a particular daycare center. I did. It seemed a woman who worked there, also my doctor's patient and had the same symptoms I had. She had agreed to a spinal tap. She had aseptic meningitis caused by a Norovirus that ran through the daycare in April. I had spent time evaluating that daycare in April and had gotten sick with a very bad stomach virus that resolved after four days. It is presumed that I had aseptic meningitis. It took three months from having a stomach virus to seizures. I went on vacation to Machu Picchu and Ecuador four days after my hospitalization and had a great time. I hope you get a diagnosis, feel better and never have another episode.