Yes, log everything. My aunt used to work in the state welfare department and she had to attend a lot of court hearings. I was surprised when she told me judges put a lot of worth on journals. After all, you could be lying. But I guess long detailed accounts tend to reflect at least what you think is happening. If you keep a journal, don't just write things down once a week. Everytime anything happens enter date, day-of week, time, and full description of what happened, exact words that are said. Be sure to make an entry for every single day. If nothing happens that day, write down that nothing happened today. If you use a computer, print out the notes each week, and do not go back and change the entries for that week later on. You can add notes at the bottom if you remember something but make a point not to alter it once you have finished the week. This increases the credibility of your notes. If a judge looks you in the eye you can state truthfully you never revised the entries. I sympathize with the steak story. I lived in a 'luxury' apartment surrounded by woods. Pets were allowed and dogs were to be walked in the woods. A neighbor would walk her dog to my lawn and let it go there. I got mad and yelled 'why can't you take your dog in the woods like you are supposed to?' She went off in a huff, and the next morning my second floor balcony was full of dog doo-doo.

That's a big undertaking. Its tough enough to deal with all the construction choices, fixtures, kitchen, lighting, etc. let alone paint choices. Paint colors are so difficult in the best of situations. One thing to keep in mind is each color change will probably cost you $$. That may help you keep it simple! If I were you, I would focus on making choices for any rooms that would be more difficult for you to re-paint later, like 2-story foyers, etc. Or rooms that would be very inconvenient to paint later like a master bedroom with large, heavy furniture pieces to get out of the way. If there are kids, I would let each child pick their own room color. I like the idea of a high energy color for an exercise room, if you are positive on which room that will be and it won't change purposes. Lime green popped into my head. Many choices. Other than that, find 3 neutrals that you love (in the store), put some samples on the walls as soon as drywall is up (prime first). observe it in different lights. Pick a winner and go with that. More than 3 can be too hard to choose, less than 3 really isn't enough. Once the samples are up, its usually easy. I think any more complexity will be too stressful, but of course, I don't know your stress threshhold. Mine would burst! I wouldn't worry too too much about floor hardwood tones. You'll likely have runners and area rugs down. The overall color theme of the room controls more. Having said that, I was browsing recently on myperfectcolor.com (benj moore) and I noticed they had packages of "coordinated color themes". That may help you keep all of downstairs or all of upstairs cohesive if you decide to go with multiple colors.

Hi there! While we are not located in Detroit, I think we may be able to shed some light on a few of your questions... Humidity in hardwood flooring is not something to mess around with. Whatever you chose, solid or engineered, be sure it is properly acclimated in your home. A local dealer/contractor with NWFA ties should be able to make adjustments for the time of year that it is being installed. But, do not be surprised if you still see movement in the dryer months... if it is installed right the gaps created by a dry winter will close right up as summer comes around. Engineered floors will usually have better dimensional stability in a 5 inch plank. But, that's not to say that solid wouldn't preform. And, solid flooring will give you a structural improvement value on your home that you will not get from an engineered floor. Trust your contractor. Local contractors should be taking humidity readings of the floor and be prepared to give you a good answer to this question based on your weather conditions. I wouldn't want to speculate, as we are not based in Detroit. Five inch boards are much more widely available these days than they were just a few short years ago. But, finding that combination of species, colors, plank size, etc., is where using an informed flooring store comes in. All the online research is for not if you don't have a contractor/store that can give you good options that are based on industry knowledge. It sounds like you did find a store that you like but you are a bit afraid to jump in due to price. We would use this opportunity to remind you that in the $13 per square foot price (which is not an out of line price based on the information you have given) you have to factor in their knowledge, time, flooring options, etc. Remember you are making the choice to stay away from the Lumber Liquidators for a reason... local dealers' pricing will reflect that difference as well. As far as the straight edges versus the mirco-bevels go, If you go with a line like Mirage that is of a higher caliber manufacturing process then the straight edges are much better. Regular, run of the mill products may have issues arise from trying to get the look of a job-finished floor without the on-site sanding or better milling processes. I would suggest mirco-bevels if price is important. Once again, refer back to your local dealer. Thanks for the question! We wish you luck on your project! Champion Floor Co. Here are a few links to help with your search for information: http://woodfloors.org/ http://www.miragefloors.com/ENG/why-mirage-hardwood-floors.php http://www.flooring-professionals.com/how-moisture-affects-hardwood-flooring/

So without any dimensions just going off what I can see in the photo here is a conceptual layout. I'm visualizing SW Passive as the dominant color with Seawashed Glass as the accent. I hope this helps!