I am sooooooooooo sorry, I will finish the story for you. Got to tell you what we found that night, what was so 'surprising': [This is after we watched the fledgling video several times and saw a shadow across the outdoor camera lens...] We decided that we had better go outside and check the yard to make sure there were no fledglings on the ground before we let our 4 dogs out for the night. Two of our dogs have birding instincts. By this time, it was pitch black (after 9pm). And thanks to our list's researchers, we know there was no moonlight. We each took a flashlight and went out the back door, Dave went one way, I went the other. I headed toward nest box and as I was walking past it, my light caught something out of the corner of my eye that didn't fit ...I saw something on the TOP of the outdoor camera. I YELLED to Dave "It's a snake!!!!!!!!!!!!!". As he was coming to me, he told me to get a reacher [a device used to help folks pick up things beyond their reach], which I gladly did so I could get away from the snake. I grabbed a digital camera but I was too shaky to set it to flash so I don't have a picture from then. This snake was coiled up on top of the outdoor camera!! Coiled twice or three times, it looked HUGE! What first ran through my mind was that the camera might be warm, especially since it'd been on all day. Is the warmth what attracted him? Don't snakes work that way? I've seen Dave try to get a snake we saw in the spring with the reacher and he wasn't successful. Where am I at this time, you ask? Halfway across the yard of course! As Dave extends the reacher toward the snake, it extends its head and body in the other direction as it tried to span the distance between the top of the camera to the underside of one of the patio umbrellas. Just like in the jungle movies. Eeeekkkkk! Reacher-with-snake in one hand, flashlight in his mouth, Dave's moving toward me to grab a plastic bucket that has straight sides and a lid but the lid had a hole in it. I'm screaming "He's going to get out of there, there's a damn hole in the lid!" and my 'Snake Rangler' said "He can't climb up the sides!". I finally edge slowly toward the bucket. As I peeked into the it, flashlight on the snake, I started yelling again "It's got diamonds, diamonds...look at the head...it's triangular...it's a rattler." We have rattlers in these parts. I've not seen any, thank goodness, but some of the male neighbors enjoyed regaling me with stories of them when we first moved here. That and little scorpions which unfortunately I've seen in our basement. I digress. Dave took the snake bucket to the yard past the gate so the dogs wouldn't get at it. He put a flat stone on top of the hole. It took me some time to get to sleep. Of course, I was seeing the snake reaaaccchiiinnnggggg out to me. But I was mostly wondering if the snake was attracted to the warmth of the camera. I didn't say I was thinking logically that night. I was concerned that if the snake was attracted to the heat of the outdoor camera which is the same as the IN BOX camera, are nest boxes with those cameras putting our chicks in danger??? === That's where my head was that night. Keith Kridler, expert and nice guy, identified the snake as a rat snake. They can crawl up ANYTHING, they have good eyesight and probably was watching the nest box for days, and can detect vibration. You know what it's like when a box of 5 15 day old chicks start to flapping their wings and all that kind of activity. Amazing, huh???? Linda...

"Hi Anthem, and Happy 4th!" Same to you. "You don't know how much money I have. I have a lot." Good for you. All relative I guess. Glad you have a lot, buf if you have a lot, why do you fret over supporting other people ? If you have a "lot" why don't you give away most of it to the beggars with sores that seem to be so important to you ? Why are you asking others to forgo their desires when you yourself have "a lot" ? "You don't know what kind of house I can afford." You are correct. Nor did I ask or care to really know. "Maybe nicer than yours!" To each their own. Again subjective, but I seriously doubt it. "My reasoning has nothing to do with "libertarian" principles." Good. "You don't sound like a libertarian BTW you sound like a Republican" OK. . . So what difference does what I sound like ? I never said I was a libertarian, democrat, or Republican. What relevance does my political leanings have ? "...if only these terms weren't so boring and narrow. I'm an unaffiliated voter myself." Good for you, but I fail to see why that has any relevance or why you it enters this discussion. "I think you lack imagination. I don't believe humans cause global warming but I do believe in finite resources." Finite resources, yes. Humans don't cause global warming ? You're kidding right ? Maybe not directly but absolutely indirectly. Without humans, there wouldn't be anywhere near the carbon footprint that we have now. "My objection to the OPs post wasn't actually related to his elaborate (and evidently dysfunctional) wiring scheme, but to his personal environmental footprint. Try really hard to imagine the moment when technology development stops keeping up with rampant overconsumption of non-replenishable resources." rileysmom, your stated immoral objections have been noted before. It appears that anyone who spends (or apparently capable of spending) more than what you think is a reasonable amount is immoral - and that you feel the need to tell others that their are needy people in the world. I'm not sure it has to do with environmental footprint either as you don't really know his environmental/carbon foot print and/or otherwise. But seriously I don't see your concern for environmental footprint as you don't mention it anywhere. You started off as you did before over the fact that someone else spent more than what YOU consider acceptable and called it immoral. Here, let me refresh your memory "I was wondering: does anyone else think the OPs house is practically immoral? If you have enough money for 11 refrigerators (just had to have each and every one of them, huh?)". . . . Now its environmental ? "If he'd added a paragraph or so about using ICF construction (do you know what that is?) I'm quite familiar with ICF. ICF works really well for "simpler" houses and is a nightmare with more complex houses. Complex houses might be immoral to you, so that would preclude that issue for you though, right? Besides there are quite a few diverging opinions on using concrete and by extension ICF. While less wood is used, it isn't any more energy efficient than a well built/insulated house. I think the discussion of "green" revolves more around energy efficiency than the actual material being used. It's just that people choose to use insulated concrete forms because its cheaper to attain the same level of energy efficiency than its counterpart - but again with significant drawbacks (especially when it comes to flexibility or automation, which the original poster did do (or attempt to do)). "low VOC finishes" low-voc is definitely human healthier, but it remains to be seen if it has any real relevance to environmentally healthier. The majority of low or no voc paint has enough enviro-unfriendly ingredients that no matter what you do it isn't environmentally better. It's just less voc's being emitted into the household. "or even...energy star appliances" I don't know his appliances or items, but usually anyone who is into automation is going to have fairly high-end appliances which almost certainly are "energy star" appliances. By the way, energy star is a MINIMUM standard. It's such a poor standard that I am not even going to get into it. It's meant to establish a minimum standard so that the average consume shopping for a refrigerator isn't going to be ripped off by an energy inefficient refrigerator. Most anyone who spends big bucks on autmation is going to be buying in the subzero, viking, GE monogram, Liebherr type of level which are all well beyond energy star minimum ratings.. . . "for all 11 refrigerators and 4 dishwashers and maybe 2 laundry rooms) I'm sure his megamansion wouldn't have chapped me quite so badly." And that gets back to the basic question - Why does someone doing beyond YOUR levels dictate them being immoral ? People can spend what they want. If you haven't walked a day in their shoes - why are you calling them immoral for building their house ? Hey, you only need one toilet in a house. How many do you have ? Is it immoral for you to put more than one in your house ? It's all relative depending upon where you are coming from. I just don't get where you think everyone who does a bit more than you, or spends more than you, or is less energy efficient as you is "immoral". "Note this has nothing to do with how much it cost to build and how much it is appraised for now." Not what you said earlier. Should I refresh your memory again ? "Well, I do get a laugh out of something I read somewhere at some time...maybe The Economist? predicting that these whopping huge houses eventually will all be subdivided when the gated communities become the gated slums. Probably this subconscious thought prompted my comment about the poor and downtrodden." I really doubt it in our lifetimes or the next. Most of these won't last beyond a generation or two. And even then, it gets much more complicated with property lines. You're more likely to see teardowns than you will of change of use. The reason you see "mansions" (true sense of the word) in the past being used for multi-tenant is in high-density areas. You don't see today's megamansions in high-density areas. you might call them high-density, but even if everyone bred like rabbits and doubled the current population - it wouldn't change suburban america. Perhaps if you increased the population 10 fold, but we're talking many more generations beyond now.

I did pretty much the same thing as starplex when building my pool. I have friends in the Houston area with salt/flagstone and they have corrosion. Could be coincidence, but I didn't want to take the chance. Because there's no definite proof on the cause, I think some pool builders in the Houston area will only install suggest salt with brick or preformed copings. From what I gathered, complete submersion of flagstone is ok, but the coping is where the problems lie. I elected not to use salt, so to help get the softer water I added Endure. Have been very happy with it. Since I have natural stone coping (travertine), I choose to seal it. Mine needs to be done every year at the start of pool season, but probably could use it every 6-9 months. I just don't think about noticing it in the winter when I'm not in the pool. Regarding pool equipment - I don't think there's too much of a difference. From what I understood the PB use different equipment b/c they have a contract/bulk price break/hook up to do so. When pressed, all the pool builders claimed the customer service representatives/time to come service equipment is better with the brand that they pushed. However, when I interviewed the PB, I asked if they would be willing to install the other...and all said yes. I second the control system part. Don't quite remember why now, but if memory serves me correctly the Jandy controller that I picked out wouldn't service some function in the other brand of equipment correctly. In this day and age, you'd think that they would all be compatible...but ask before hand just to make sure.

CURRENT PROJECTS Retired couple (retired electrical contractor) 100% hardwired both security w cameras & network Tech couple w teens (chip design mgr) wireless security, 100% network no cameras + 7 extra conduit runs Tech couple under 30 (design & finance) hardwired security, 9 camera runs, full network w several repeater points SECURITY NOTES At the point we will remove security prewire from our proposal templates as the big wireless providers have installed in 3 of last 4 completions, and 1 of 2 in process. Each of the wireless installs required visible to the eye white sensors on all exterior doors which some might find surprising and tacky in custom homes Typical wireless contact install. The lower photo is an 84" x 120" entry pair for scale. What bothered me most is the salesperson told the client they would use the prewired contacts and prewire to control pads he had just installed and paid for. An hour later the install mgr made flimsy excuses why they couldn't (but was able to use in a prior build). Client paid $1600 to the wireless company. NETWORK Home uses a hardwire camera system hardwired network w repeaters. All clients are set up to work from home using their cell phones, so high quality wireless network is also critical. MISC "Smart" aftermarket doorbells w cameras don't connect the same as typical door bell buttons. Typically the units need an internet provider installed, up and running and the transformers in the doorbell system need to be modified, replaced, etc. Cryptic translated install instructions. Similar with some smart thermostats.