Budget? Uhhhh, that's a no. I have definately trimmed back over the years in how much I spend b/c I "grew up" and got a little bit (remember I said little bit) smarter about my money. I remember the days when I would walk in a garden center, buy pretty much whatever, you know, drop $100 bucks or more and not even think about it. I don't do that anymore but my tastes have also changed from annuals (the early years) to the rare or tissue cultured onesm which of course, cost more. When your favorite plant (echinacea) cost $20-30 bucks for one, it doesn't take long to burn a hole in the "budget". I do buy plugs now, which helps but I just spent $90 bucks on something to spray on one particular type of plant in my garden. OK, that's pretty insane, but we do it for the love of our plants, right? Like I said, I don't spend nearly as much as I used to, but this isn't exactly a cheap hobby either, is it? Mulch, trellises, plants, etc. all add up and quickly. I guess my total now is probably still breaking the thousand mark, somewhere in there. It used to be thousands, LOL, so I am doing great! :)

I've been shopping around, have just finished a remodel and have bought several appliances, so I'll take a crack - please note the following price ranges assume mid-range models and shopping around carefully for the best price. I've included what I just bought with notes in italics: Fridge: $1,000-$2,000 (add $500-$800 for counter depth) - I compromised and kept my existing fridge Range: $1,000-$2,500 (Assuming 30" range) I bought a GE Cafe AG range which normally retails for $2,200-$2,600, but I always look at the "scratch & dents" and found one with some minor scratches for $1,440 Dishwasher: $500-$1,000 I bought a higher end ultra quiet Bosch stainless for $865 - I just saw it at the same store I bought it at (45 days later) for $200 less because they're discontinuing the model (Them's the breaks!) Microwave: $50-$200 - I bought a small cheap one for $35, I don't really use a lot of fancy features and generally don't understand paying a ton of money for one - I'd rather just replace the inexpensive one when it dies. Down the road I'd love to get an Advantium, but it wasn't in the budget this time around. Total estimated price range for Fridge, Range, Dishwasher and Microwave $2,550 - $6,500 Best wishes - it'll be fun to see what others say.

Service up grades in most States require the homeowner to be responsible from the weather head down. When considering upgrades it is better to remove any splicing in attics, crawl spaces and any other place that those splice may be located at. A splice is a weak link in the wiring and with the amperage involved it is not a good idea ever to splice. Electrical power will always take the least resistance to ground if properly grounded with a 8' ground rod or rods. When updating the Meter Base and Main Breaker panel consider whole house surge protection to be placed into the 1st Main Breaker panel not out laying subpanels. Also consider ATS (automatic transfer switch) for auto start fueled generators and alternative electrical energy like solar and wind. The ATS will not backfeed utility grid power when it goes down from fault due to storms or other grid issues. But the ATS will feed onsite requirements as designed to do so or until the grid power comes back on and then the ATS once again does its job and shuts the generator cycle down. There are grid quality off the shelf products in today's market from various vendors that are designed to be mixed and matched (battery banking, inverter power, solar, wind) to form your own grid quality electrical power. So as for the cost of what it takes to upgrade a electrical service what are your onsite wattage needs and voltages? Along with a host of other considerations to account for. Alternative electrical power is an investment that pays for itself and is safe, reliable and efficient. the old days are gone when you had to wait 10 seconds for the fueled auto start generator to kick in. High end grid quality inverter power now is so fast that clock or computer resets from electrical power transfers is not necessary. www.dbelectric.us

Neither comes under the category of affordable. Especially since a slab that was designed for carpet is usually pretty bad in the hump and bump department. To do tile or concrete, the floor will have the high spots ground down flat, and the low spots filled. That could e $5 a square, or that could be $12 a square. Only someone in person viewing what you have could give you a price on that. A concrete microtopping and epoxy finish coat would run in the $20-$30 a square. Concrete tiles won't be much less, factoring in installation costs.