1) I need to enlarge one of my beds by 18" or so across the front. A couple of sprawling roses in the bed have encroached on the lawn and interfere with mowing, and I don't want to move them, so I'll move the lawn instead. I also need to get a better handle on companion plant selection and placement. And I need a few strategically placed stepping stones in the deeper beds to make it easier to avoid treading on said companion plants. Certain areas of this year's garden have looked as though a moose was coming out of the woods every night to stomp on them. Or maybe wild pigs. 2) I have a blend of different bloom sizes, shapes, and petal counts. I don't care much for "lazy" blooms that look like they could be more full or more shapely, if only they were willing to put out the effort. But when a rose says "this is what I am and I'm proud of it," then I don't care whether it has 5 petals or hundreds of them. 3) I've reached my limit, space wise, with 142 individual cultivars, plus duplicates of several roses I wanted to audition in more than one area of the garden. Any duplicate that is truly redundant is living on borrowed time and will go away when I need the space for something else. I also have a few plants at risk of eventual displacement because of health or performance issues. Or simply because of their failure to please. 4) I try to visit the Gardens of the American Rose Center over in Shreveport every year or two. They haven't been a source of much inspiration in the area of garden design, but I do see roses that make it onto my wish list. At least they do when I can find a label. That's what I'd change if I could: a garden that exists to promote roses should do a much better job of identifying them. It makes it all the more frustrating that I'm in a nearly identical climate zone, and thus have an interest in knowing what doesn't thrive there, as well as what does.

Great post. Outdoor space was just as important to us as the interior. Siting the house optimally within the landscape and blending the architecture with the natural topography was a priority. 18 months later, usage patterns: Screened porch on back elevation, with comfy seating for 7 is the favorite room in the house. The porch is accessed from the breakfast nook/kitchen. Used much of the year in Northwest Arkansas. Family and guests gravitate toward this room. Large front porch with 2 rockers is welcoming and perfect for decor/planters. Used frequently by all. Open elevated deck on rear elevation, with bar top table and swivel chairs for 4 is typically only used for dining when hosting guests. Back stairwell to ground level fire pit with 5 Adirondacks is generally only used when entertaining family. With large gatherings, these areas are easily accessed and used by guests and kids. Balcony off of guest bedroom, overlooking ravine, is often used by overnight guests during morning hours. Easy access to nearby coffee station. With 28 acres, cleared football field size area immediately off of driveway entrance. Inspired by numerous Houzz ideas for cleared woodlands. This area of the property leads to a lengthy limestone studded draw, and a natural 6 layer limestone waterfall. Reduces my blood pressure and brings a smile just by pondering the outdoors...8-) ~bgj

Some of this is a bit of hypersensitivity on your part. Some. Because once a couple of normal snafus happen, you look all the closer. Nothing is perfect, and looking at a paint job from 1” away will always find something. That hypersensitivity created from those snafus isn’t your fault, but be aware that you could be over reacting on the smaller stuff at this stage. I’d bet $1 that they are used to doing lower quality, less detailed, cheaper dollar figure projects and this higher grade project is a stretch for them as a company. If I lose so my $1 bet, and they weren’t the low budget bid among a few genuine luxury remodelers, they won’t continue with the higher grade projects when handling them like this. It all goes back to the Project Manager in charge of your project, and the Designer you hired to do the drawings and specifications. If they hired him away from building cheap production builds, he may not have the organizational abilities or eye for detail that someone who came through the ranks of a custom builder would. If you hired a Decorator or Home Designer rather than an accredited Interior Designer or Architect, then some of that issue lies there. Theres no way of knowing cause. And the blame game isn’t a good one to play this far along. You’re in the Solution Business now. No matter the source of the issues. You’ve got to rebuild that team spirit that you had at the beginning of the project. Everyone wants a success. Talk to your GC first. Don’t involve the PM or Designer yet. Talk over The List, and ask him who he wants on his team from your end to help it get done. If he diplomatically doesn’t mention the Designer’s input, you may have some small answers there. But, in the end, he knows it’s all on him. His PM isn’t truly performing. Maybe he is over extended. Who cares. It’s the Gc’s ownership in the end. And nothing makes a GC unhappier than an unhappy customer. He wants to make you happy. So, he will do what it takes to make that happen. Based on some of your comments, I’d want pictures of the windows at installation. A properly installed window or door should not allow water intrusion even if siding was not in place. The right flashing should keep that out. I would want the crawl space encapsulation revisited by removing the barrier in the “traffic paths” that will need to be accessed regularly. That will get the most wear and tear, and needs to be 100% debris free. The rest is poor protection of your home that the results can be whittled down. And that’s why I said they are above their usual experience and quality level. Every upscale contractor that I know protects the new work, or the existing that is staying, automatically. Vents blocked off. Ram board. Plastic sheeting dust barriers. Plywood over the tub, or the paint on plastic coating. That’s the cost of doing business at that level rather than Section 8 housing.

Not enough information. You must show everything you're considering in some kind of context (how it relates to house usually), including its surroundings & general setting, and then tell us what is where. We can't be sure where the "back of house" is without making guesses & assumptions. Usually, it helps if you stand at a single spot where you can see most everything, and then pan the camera taking slightly overlapping pictures all from that single spot. You just pivot.