You guys are being very harsh. How about being more supportive? This is an expensive and very stressful process and not easy for newbies. Hope the following info helps: We did not have a great idea of remodeling costs either before talking with an architect and getting bids in. We had an idea of our max. budget and the architect drew up plans roughly corresponding to what he thought worked for our budget. Imp difference from your case, he put allowances in for the builders to use for estimating tile costs, appliance costs, and any owner variables. He also specified in detail what types of materials to use. Any builder questions were answered by the architect not us. The bids came in significantly higher than expected. However, we were able to pick a builder and then meet with him and the architect to reduce costs. Now the architect is drawing the final plans and the builder will then give us his revised bid. Your strategy seems similar but perhaps lacking in detail. Ask the architect to step in more perhaps.

Update - using the helpful sign advice on the Kitchens forum - we made some changes to the layout. Ultimately - that resulted in the "eating end" of the island moving to the east / by the fridge, and changing some zones around. As part of that continuing discussion, DH and I decided to swap the great room and the dining room for the following reasons: We can bias the dining table back further and integrate it easier with the kitchen (less steps) We can move the great room to have better views of the courtyard and feel more "snuggled" into the main part of the house. It will also be the place we spend a decent amount of time, closer to the half bath area, closer to screened porch, outside, etc. Moving the dining room closer to the entry allows us to "create" an entry space with either screening furniture or some other "barrier" that won't dump you right into the great room (a room that will be more crowded with furniture and likely to be "less neat" than the dining room) So - thanks for the ideas, we've already incorporated others, and with the kitchen changes, I think we're getting very close to the most livable plan for us. I'll have the plans updated and then we can get our head around the changes and make sure we're not breaking something else by fixing these other issues. Hopefully, crane will be scheduled for 2 weeks from now and we'll have walls in 2 weeks after that!

Garden Ho - the problem re eliminating the current ones is, as the MNR people point out, coyotes are now widespread in urban/surburban/rural areas. Eliminate these ones and that just opens the niche for new ones to move in.... I think the local Humane Society made a big mistake this past summer by trapping them, treating them for the mange they had, and releasing them. Mange seems to be a good population control and I think they need to just let it run its course. That would reduce or eliminate the group and the den site would likely retain the scent etc. of dead coyotes, which should help discourage a new pack from moving in once this one was naturally eliminated. When the foxes that used to live where the coyotes do now died out from mange a number of years ago, it was about 5 years before new ones moved in - they promptly got mange again.... Then the coyotes either killed them or chased them out. I've got my fingers crossed that mange kills the coyotes off in the next year or so....

Nice house. So I'd first look at what the warrantees are and how long the company has been in business. We bought steel shingles for our roof with a 'lifetime warrantee' but then the company was dissolved into another who wouldnt add skylights without voiding the warrantee. Depending where you live , ie florida, louisiana, texas, if you have hurricanes.. /lots of rain.. I wouldnt ignore new flashing. and hurricane straps as necessary. maybe go straight to the manufacturer of the current skylights and see if they have local contractors that might salvage your present windows. or Pella or Anderson, for new windows .. from there you might have a pick of the litter for actual shingles from different sources and get exactly what you want. If you have to choose a contractor without window company help. my question is do you like the skylights where they are or have you found they might be better up or down /left/right? Might as well get that ironed out too. Another serious matter is whether you plan to add extensions to the house. Extensions need an equal slope on the roof as anywhere else. No cutting corners with that rubber roof sealer.. I just say this from experience. our new ceiling of extension is in worse shape than the 50yo house its attached to. The rain comes in under the gutter of the original house. Have the final plan in mind; before you get a roofing company that kaboshes all your imaginations with warrantee limitations on shingles. It might be a question of getting most of the house shingled one way and rinky dink shortlife shingles for the part that will be cut away later. Whatever product is easiest to maneuver around for changes to the structure.