Caroline, Where in the Dakotas are you. I am in southern South Dakota and I know the western part of south Dakota got up to a foot of snow. My youngest daughter will be in the western part from May 17-July 20 and I told her to keep her shovel in the car as well as a winter coat of some sort. Last year on the first weekend in May they received a lot of snow and many parents were unable to make it to graduation. Hope you are not affected by the flooding at all. Deanna

Jo Ann, I believe I paid $52.00 a gallon. Well worth it. I like the coverage (used much less than Farrow and Ball paint at half the cost). For a 12 x 12 room approx. I only used less than 1/2 gallon and that's with two coats. It dries slowly as compared to Aura and even BM. Or maybe it just dries differently. The color is more clear and intense in a good way. I had Bleeker Beige in his room before and it was sort of ho hum boring. This color is deeper and depending on lighting can go either more olive green or more brownish. But not muddy at all. Her colors seem vibrant almost as if the light amplifies the color in a good way (not garish). I need less artificial lighting now and the room looks cleaner if that makes sense. Sort of the feeling you get after a good rain storm when everything looks crisp and clean. And I have to say Ellen is awesome. She felt bad cause one dealer she tried to get mixed for me, screwed it up. She actually sent me two gallons free of charge and had them delivered no charge the following day. Now that is good service and an amazing person. I would have gladly paid because it wasn't her fault. There are so many colors I would like to try. The colors are beautiful and she has a good sense of color and is really helpful. She can send you large hand painted swatches so you can really play around with them in different lighting situations. She has a ton of neutrals that would work for you and some bold colors as well. I think with the natural setting your house is in, full spectrum would be awesome. It wouldn't hurt to call her as she is an amazing person who really wants to help out. I wasn't sure of the color for the room in question but in the end, Ellen was right. Honestly, Bm colors, while nice, just look flat and lifeless in comparison. The full spectrum just ights up the walls. I have one more room to paint and it's a hard call between Farrow and ball and EK. But I know the EK just makes the walls come alive and I am drawn to that. Let me just add that I was one of those people that liked greyed down colors. There's just somethng special about full spectrum paint. I think I am becoming a paint snob or maybe i just like experiencing new types of paint rather than the status quo. Go to he website and you can see many photos and even do a search here. Everyone says the same thing.

I used SW Camelback in my living and dining rooms. I's a nice, warm "camel" tan color and it's a bit darker than Whole Wheat on the color card. No orange tones at all in my space. I actually wish that I had used it throughout more of the living areas, where I went lighter instead.

For construction details, see the link above and this one from Martin Holladay of Green Building Advisor. As noted by Holladay, there is evidence that vented crawls work OK in dry Western climates and the cool moist climate of the Pacific Northwest. I was assuming you're not located in those locales. Essentially, vents should be closed and sealed, the floor sealed in heavy plastic and sealed to walls insulated in moisture-proof insulation (not the ceiling of the crawl) and ideally an exhaust fan installed and a passive air grille installed between the living area and the crawl. Details will vary depending on the depth of the crawl. There are many specialist companies on the East Coast US, and especially the Southeast where crawls seem especially popular. I've personally come across crawls in New York, Ohio and southern Ontario, so I guess they're present just about everywhere.