I found this topic, and although an old post I thought I would share my experience with costs. I am having a 1000 SF patio installed, which includes a 800 SF patio area, with a retaining wall and steps which connect to a lower 300 SF patio area. We are using a manufactered 3.5" paver that looks like flagstone. Due to existing water/basement issues, my project also involved substantial regrading about an additional 600 SF of area, installation of pipe/pop ups for my 2 roof gutters. This project is also incorporating some basic landscaping of the non patio area (i.e., mulch, and about 25 One gallon plants and 5 Rhododendron bushes) The average cost per SF installed for my job is $17/SF for the patio area. My total project cost is around $18K. Its a HUGE amount for an outdoor project to me, but I have a large clean finished outdoor space area that I expect will help when I go to sell my home in 6-7 years and hopefully address my basement water issues. My project did involve a lot of stone and regrading. I also am happy with the pace of work my contractor proceeded at. From notice to proceed to the 90% complete point was less than 2 weeks, which included rain days!

Another option (might have already been addressed, I didn't read every response), one that I have done in the past was go to a city park nearby me that had a pond just PACKED with water lilies - I went to the office and asked them if I could take a few for my pond, and they gave me permission to take as many as I would like so long as they were for personal use and they were not going to be sold. So if you're driving around and you see a park that has a pond loaded with lilies, make a few calls, talk to a few people - there's a good chance they'll let you take some. To the person who gave the info about not transplanting from the wild - Good job, I was glad to see that. It can be illegal to transplant them from areas where they occur naturally...thats a good reason to check out a county or city park and ask for permission to remove some. Hope that helps. ~Mike

Go to the follow websites: intellichoice.com edmunds.com kbb.com. These sites will allow you to enter the information on your car and give you a price. Remember, used car pricing is not a science. Also check your local dealers to see what they are selling similar cars for. Enjoy the journey. eal51 in western CT

From what I have read, a sofa loses alot of its resale value as soon as it leaves the store. This is true even for premium brands. If the sofa is in excellent condition, 1/3 to 1/2 of the original price would be reasonable. If you think about it, is it reasonable to give $600 for a 3 year old piece of used furniture that you can get new for $850? If you look at places like craigslist, you will find that people think WAY too much of their used furniture.