Standard doors are 6" - are you suggesting not to upgrade to 8" ? We felt higher the door height, the easier it is to move furniture and stuff, of-course the width of the door isn't changing. I wouldn't bother with this. How often do you move "furniture and stuff" that's taller than 7'? Extended Lanai: Oh, I thought it'd be a deeper lanai ... I'd be less inclined to pay for a wider lanai. Wider isn't all that useful, and it means more rooms are shaded /have less natural light. Vent Hood/Microwave to Outside - If we don't choose, the smoke will stay indoors - the builder should have included this in the base price but it is what it is. I am really surprised that this isn't standard. I would do the oak riser steps instead of carpet. Yes overpriced but probably better now. Yes, if you don't do the oak risers now, you probably won't be able to do them later ... at all. If they do carpet stairs, they're going to use plywood /paint quality stuff under that carpet; thus, it won't be a matter of pulling up carpet later and staining /painting. It is easy to say walk away and build a custom home, but not everyone can afford to do that, nor does everyone want to go that route (even if they can afford to). True. Tara we all have to make compromises. For ourselves it's been a 2 year journey building our custom home, plus the hours and hours spent researching and finding even the smallest details. So I understand where you're coming from. Yup, no matter your circumstances, you're going to "give" somewhere. For us, we're taking the same route as CP describes above: The place where we're "giving" is time and personal effort.

I've no idea whether has to do with tipping, just my subjective spontaneous thoughts I was cleaning houses too in my youth(interesting how all these random jobs enrich one's experience), I know what a hard labor it is, and I forgive my cleaning lady driving me nuts with coming whenever she pleases, etc, because she's a nice person and a good cleaning lady and we grew attached. And of course I give her/her helpers Christmas gift and Easter gift yet a great stylist-it's a level or artistry there. it's rarer. I embarrassed myself once by kissing a hand of my previous hair stylist in NYC(the one who recommended the current salon)...I don't know what I was thinking, I was just so happy and grateful to him I took his hand and kissed it. He looked very touched but very overwhelmed. The public was slightly puzzled)) I like my cleaning lady but I'm not kissing her hand when overcame by emotion)) Her hands have less of this magic power of transformation. I had several great stylists in my life-I lost them only when either they moved or I moved away, and life taught me to ask for their reference on the next stylist wherever I go, in within their powers of course to give me that info. In NYC I had to take a train and then subway to get to my stylist Here, it's an hour drive without traffic and minimum two hours with. It's very tiresome to even to go there, to that salon of theirs. Yet I go(much rarer than I should, because far away, and to save money), and I tip, and as you already know- I sometimes do silly things like kissing a stylist's hand in public)) It's not like I'm crazy to tip, of course, it's a lot of money. And they're much more affluent folks, these salon owners, than I could ever be. Like, they don't need this tip to survive. At all. Not on this top of the mountain they were able to get to. But they're special kind of artists. That's how it is. Great stylist-whole different level. It's a very hard and often ungrateful job that takes years and passion to master and there's huge talent involved, in their case, a talent I was lucky to meet and am not about to loose until it depends on me It's customarily to tip here-okay then I'll tip It's not customarily to kiss one's hand)) especially-not for a woman to kiss a man's hand. In public. lol. I'm just chanelling my appreciation in a culture-appropriate way)))

I have a mask story to add (not a rant , since none of my loved ones were endangered). A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend. She lives, and works, in the small village where I grocery shop, and we were both there during designated senior hours. She recognized me, although I was wearing a mask, but she wasn't wearing one. I asked if she had a mask, and she said that she had only one, disposable, which she was saving for the days she had to take her father to his medical appointments. I asked if she'd like me to make her a fabric mask, and she graciously accepted. I dropped it off to her the same day, with some shop towel filters, as I was on my way to drop off my father's groceries. Today, as I was leaving the grocery store, she was arriving--sans mask. I jokingly asked why she wasn't wearing her mask, and she said that she didn't think she needed it unless she was in close quarters with others. When I pointed out that by wearing a mask she was protecting others, she responded that she didn't need it because she's "been good." I'm disappointed that I gave her one of my nice, 600TC Egyptian cotton face masks, and she doesn't wear it. :[ At least she has it if she changes her mind.

@socks, thanks for posting this, I was thinking of doing so. To be effective, there should be a tight fit between the mask and face. If your breath is escaping above, below, or out the sides, it is not providing optimal protection. Using the nose wire is important to form the mask to the face. Interesting adding a layer of nylon hose was found the be quite effective in improving face mask seal and protection. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/22/840146830/adding-a-nylon-stocking-layer-could-boost-protection-from-cloth-masks-study-find To all who are masking, thank you!