Azura, last year was my first real veggie garden, and I learned a lot. There were successes and failures, but I enjoyed it so much. Skybird is right about you wanting to make it bigger next year. I created a separate bed for the herbs this year, just so I could plant more veggies in veggie garden. So far, I planted onion sets and peas (twice). I also have five kinds of lettuce, and broccoli sprouts that were wintersown, that I might plant out as soon as the crazy winds die down. Plus there are tomatoes and peppers in my kitchen windowsill, and tomatoes that were wintersown but haven't germinated yet. I'm also direct sowing carrots maybe this week, but the cucumbers, canteloupes, and beans won't get planted for another month or so. My goal is for as much variety as possible, even if it means just one or two plants of each - 5 kinds of beans, 4 kinds of canteloupe, 5 kinds of carrots, 4 kinds of cukes, 7 kinds of peppers, and as many different tomatoes as I can cram into the space that's left, and the Earthbox I just bought. I'd rather have too many plants and have to give some away, than to realize I have empty space in the garden, and not enough time to start something else before the end of the season. The bed and soil look great, and I wish you a bountiful harvest. Bonnie

Tiger is right. Take the free money and get the better system. $1500 is just the from the Feds. Your state and/or local utility also will give you rebates, but you'll need to meet a minimum efficiency which your quotes do not achieve. If your cost delta goes from $2300 down to $400 that is a big difference. Your contractor is not being very helpful. I interviewed 8 contractors for my home and went with the the one that: a. did the load calcs b. worked with me and all my crazy thoughts on various system configurations c. was professional and responsive when it came to answering questions. d. made me and my wife feel comfortable with what they proposed. I did not go with the cheapest bid or the most expensive (although it was quite expensive). My costs were much higher due to a lot of duct work. Either way I can promise you that you will get what you pay for. Tigerdunes is steering you in the right direction. In the end it is up to you. I spent a month researching and interviewing contractors before making a decision. BTW I took an option for 12months 0% so I could actually get all my rebates and returns and spread out the cost at the same time. In my case I get the $1500+ 1200 more from my utility. There are also a lot of rebates for new systems. I know Carrier and Lennox have major rebates at this time for sure, but in general they are larger with the nicer systems. It never hurts to get a variety of quotes to weigh your system options (I had multiple quotes from the same contractors)

I haven't scalped the lawn, just got it shorter in preparation for the aeration. The reason why I'm aerating is because it hasn't been done in a while judging by the soil - the thatch alone after a quick rake was enough to build another lawn from the dead material! The question is more directed towards seeding - Temps have been steadily dropping in the evening and I want to make sure I have the right plan (both financially and logically) before the frost comes. Since seeding after core aeration is a standard practice, I was wondering the best course of action while in a water ban.

Hi, David, Given that your stated preference for choosing a stock plan, I suggest you have three basic options with regard to selecting the land: 1. ) Pick the land and then find a plan to suit. 2.) Pick the plan and then find land to suit. 3.) A hybrid of 1.) and 2.) Include a study period as a contingency in any land purchase offer. The study period enables you to consult with various professionals to assess the feasibility of your project. If, for whatever reason it's not feasible, you get to walk away and don't get stuck with a piece of dirt. Keep in mind your total investment includes land cost, survey/architectural design/engineering cost, site development cost, home construction cost, landscaping, and any decorating such as window treatments. If you have Realtors involved, be aware they'll expect (okay, the right word is "demand") a referral fee for recommending builders and it's likely to be one of those hush-hush, under-the-table costs. Get real-world cost information for each category and test your budget against reality so you don't end up owning land that you can't build on because you overspent on that category and don't have enough money to build the home you want on it. Real-world design cost information comes from architects and designers who do that work for a living. Real-world site work comes from site work contractors who do that for a living. Real-world construction cost information comes from builders who do that work for a living. Get your cost information from the wrong sources and you can end up with an unpleasant "surprise."