Oh my gosh. My order from Rockytop just arrived in my afternoon mail. First off I was surprised at the really big box as I had only ordered 15 iris and that included the 5 Special Bonus that you qualify for when buying anything else. I bought 4 of their 2010 intros- BLUEBERY FUDGE MAGNIFICENT MASTERPIECE BEVS BABE BACKDRAFT Six others of various year intros- POLESTAR CABERET ACT DONACHCLONEY FABULOUS ONE MAGICAL REALISM PERRYMONT I got 6 extra special bonus iris even thought I only qualified for 5. He had told me they were out of the first i choose so I picked an alternate. But both my original choice and the alternate are both in here. I have- LAKE TANEYCOMO ROYAL VESTMENTS MACHERALON JAMAICAN BREW SURFERS DREAM BEWITCHING HOUR Then there are 8 more bonus iris. I haven't even gotten a chance to look them up yet. I have only afew and I mean afew single rhizomes and those are quite large. Many doubles and those are larger than other places sending singles and almost as large as the singles. Then some are triple rhizomes and some clumplets were they are all attached and some have even more babies coming out of the sides. Also large. Not like he needed to send the doubles or more bewcause they are small, they are not small at all. So now I know why he needed the really large box. I will be taking pictures of some of these and will have more to say about all the extras. I am simply astounded at what I recieved today. Just unbelievable. You couldn't do better. I have never seen anything like it. Just past fabulous. I am really happy to say the least :-))

It is very hard to judge how large sconces are when looking at them inside. I looked at some that looked absolutely huge. The salesperson walked me outside and asked if I liked the size on the building. I did. Same size. They look big inside, but look small once outside. Don't go too small. You also have to consider quantity. I have 9 (I think) hanging lights on my porch. I went with small Cape Cod lights. If I went with the larger light it would have looked like too much because there are so many. But I used the larger sconces on the garage since there are only 2. Also be very careful about the height they are installed at. Don't let the builder slap them up wherever he wants them.

I enjoyed reading this very much even though my experience of planned communities in Ontario is light years away from those in Alabama, and yet strangely familiar, if you understand my meaning. I've spent most of my adult life in these spec communities, getting progressively larger and more customizable versions. Currently, though part of a community, the home we are in has shed most of the internal telltale signs such as those one piece fibreglass tub/shower enclosures and prefab one size kitchens. (no disdain here just making an observation). I agree that the claustrophobic feeling of tight halls is awful and so spending money on opening them up or adding nearly invisible partitions (half walls, spindles, wide openings) is a really good idea. In my own house I incorporated the halls into the rooms in many cases, making the pathway a suggestion created my furniture, which I prefer. I have seen and lived alongside these front facing garage free homes and do enjoy the street scape more that way. But like you, question whether form is really following function here. Mass produced suburban homes, to me, can often look like an expressionless face, because they design them (at least in my part of Canada) with the family spaces all in the back and the front reserved for lesser used formal and work spaces. Maybe that is an age old design, but the with more uniform facades it can leave communities feeling cold. Walking down the street and being presented with 2 sealed garage doors, and a dark office can make you wonder if the armageddon has come and you missed the signs. I think a viable solution is something I've seen more called 'the widelot'. Which encourages the houses to be wide rather then deep. And backyards shallow but long, across the back of the home. That might help change the landscape.

I wouldn’t for a couple reasons. Firstly I limit pendants so they are special, I only have pendants over my dining table, island, and in the center of my great room ceiling (with a dozen recessed cans) but in this case even if I wanted pendants in the corners I would want them switched separately. Art lights on paintings in the corners or a decorative fixture in the center of the ceiling could be an option with a flexible budget.