Steffie, I wish we were next-door neighbors, too, but since we live more than just a few miles apart, we'll have to be cyber-neighbors. :) I am far from an expert, just a gardening nut who relentlessly tries to learn and understand and improve what I do as I go along. And, lest you think I have a perfect yard or landscape, let me disabuse you of that notion right away! I have weeds I can't defeat, bermuda that invades beds it shouldn't, trees and shrubs that outgrow the spot where they were oh-so-carefully placed, plants that just give up and die and I never really figure out why they died, etc., etc., etc. Discussing things with my Oklahoma friends and neighbors here at this forum helps me keep things in perspective. It educates me. It offers me encouragement on those days when everything seems wrong and nothing seems right. It gives me new ideas and inspiration. Every one of you is better than me at something that is gardening-related. And, believe me, I know it. So, for example, when one of you writes about hydangeas, I pay attention and soak up everything you say, because one of these days I WILL succeed with hydranges. Have you ever noticed that most all gardeners are just the kindest, most giving and sharing people? You know what I'm talking about.....you see someone working out in the yard and you stop to tell them that you love their irises....and they dig up a couple on the spot and insist you take them, saying...."I needed to divide them anyway". Or, you drop off some of your extra tomatoes and a carton of hen or guinea eggs at a neighbor's house.....and they won't let you leave until you have some of their 'extra' fresh corn and peaches right off the tree, and some bacon from a hog they slaughtered and processed. I've yet to meet a fellow gardener who wouldn't give you the shirt off their back, or loan you their rototiller, or give you tons and tons of advice and ideas, and then apologize to you if their ideas don't work for you. So, I am very touched when you say that I am your hero. That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. You have to believe me when I say that I feel the same way about each and every one of you. I believe we are all heroes for one another, and I believe that is how God meant for it to be. Life in this world can be cold, hard, and cruel, at times. For those of us who love to garden, the love, friendship, caring and support we receive from one another is a beautiful gift And, it is a gift I appreciate each and every day. Hugs to you, Steffie, and hugs to all the rest of you too. Dawn

Okay, I could never figure out how to post photos to the site here (I am not savvy) but I think I can embed a link to my mac.com account where I have a few stored. Also- a caveat - I *just* noticed that the original post indicated "high end" which is not our house, so my cost figures are really not comparable. I don't know how I missed that when I first read the posting, sorry all; I hope this reply is still relevant. The house is 6290 sq ft (porches add another 2410) and the finished space above the garage is 1175. You will see the garage to the left of the house. (You drive around the back of the garage.) Ceilings are 10' on basement and main floor, 9' on second floor. (Garage apt is 10'.) I thought of a few items I did spend more money on that I was not prepared for...like wood-mould brick (Old Virginia Brick) on the walk-out basement level (not visible in these photos) and the masonry fireplace. My DH wanted three true masonry-built fireplaces (only God knows why they had to be "true," the boxes with masonry surrounds and chimney look great to me), and the labor cost of doing that really blew my mind. I also thought of a few other "saves" ... Anyone on a tight budget like mine might find these useful, but they are more time-consuming so if I were building a dream house on a dream budget I might pass! I bought my marble direct from a Ga quarry, because I had my heart set on "Georgia White" which is similar in color to Carrara but is harder and less porous (so better in a kitchen application, though still not perfect) and is from Georgia (Tate). It has been a bit of a PITA because it is no longer quarried, so the only slabs were the ones still in the yard, and the quarry is not really set up for individuals walking in and buying half a dozen slabs. (They are more of an institutional source.) But, I got a beautiful material at $22/sq ft which was far less than similar marbles quoted from fabricators. For windows, I really wanted true divided lights, and I love casements. But, I restricted myself to casements in the places where I could see really using them (kitchen and master bath) and I put double-hungs everywhere else because they saved $$. Also, I have not accounted for window treatments/drapery in my budget. I have saved a ton on appliances by shopping at discount stores over a long period of time and so far, I have not made a compromise in what I wanted. For example, higher-end panel-ready units often sit at discount stores because people who shop scratch & dent discount stores are usually not buying custom cabinet panels. So the stainless dishwashers sell quickly but the panel-ready ones sit there and get marked down. I bought my new DW - Kitchen Aid, stainless-tub, panel-ready, hidden controls, etc. for $199. I got a built-in Jenn-Air panel-ready fridge for $1300. I did compromise on my cooktop - I wanted the Viking 36" induction because it has true knobs not touch controls, but I saved $2200 by buying a discontinued Siemens 36" all-induction at 50% off. The icemaker was discount because it had a nick on one side of the door that is hardly noticeable (and won't hold a candle to the havoc my toddler will bestow anyway). I won't buy the ovens discount because I really want the white Viking ovens, one convection and one steam. (A girl can have one perfect appliance, right?) And, the tile I used in the shower surrounds and kids' & guest bath floors is super-basic white ceramic (3"x6" and penny rounds). For mudroom and utlity rooms, instead of Peacock Pavers (Athensmom, they look great, get samples, they are gorgeous) at $6/sq ft I used gray pavers at $2.25/sq ft for mudroom floors. Savings on the tile all around. At the outlets (up 400 near Dahlonega), I found amazing deals on hardwired light fixtures. I bought 7 solid brass sconces for the stairwell for $7/ea, which was probably my greatest find. So, I saved enough that I could then go a little overboard with Circa Lighting in the areas that meant the most to me. Sorry for the very long post! I hope this info is helpful to those of you with budget constraints. Like I said, someday perhaps I will not spend the kind of time that shopping discount requires, but then again, it has been really fun! I will try to remember to post updated photos. I hope in 6 weeks we are complete, and then I can share the final finishes and interiors. At this point, if we stay on track in these last 6 weeks, the per sq ft construction cost is just under $72, so not in the high end category for sure. I will keep ya'll posted if there is interest. Here is a link that might be useful: New house photos (mid-October)

Good luck to you, Judy! Starting small is a good way to start until you can see what amount of traffic your market has. I plan to make some orange sweet rolls for Saturday, put them in small sandwich bags, display them in a napkin lined basket and hope they sell out immediately! LOL! I'm probably not going to go with the name Bungalow Breads, the main reason being that I may not stay in this house. For right now I'm not posting a name on my sign, just introducing myself by my name when people ask. I will want to perfect my Parker House roll recipe. People in the South love Parker House rolls! It's the roll of choice for every holiday and special occasion meal. But I don't know how many cooks still make them. Teresa

Thanks for the link to the backsplash. I would have been interested in somthing like that, but I had a sheet metal shop make me a backsplsh (stainless) and bought a Grundtal shelf form Ikea...also got the s hooks! I think it will all be hung tomorrow. Still trying to decide about the canisters in pic..have more of them, but they just are not going to work for me. Maybe my DD could find a place for them I know about the Harwich tile shop. LOVE the items you got from them.I am going to do just a simple subway tile in a brick pattern, but I will go and look at their fabulous selection..As you can tell from my name -nauset (as in beach), I am in Orleans.