Wonderberries are excellent. Pick lots of them (only purple ones) and freeze them in gallon freezer bags. Put them on pizza and in frittatas. Use fresh ones in salads, frittatas, and pizza. Don't compare them to blueberries. You'll be happier if you compare them to tomatoes. Trade Winds Fruit sells the kind I use. If anyone in the USA wants seeds, let me know. Cooked whole on pizza, they provide more taste and less juice per volume than tomatoes, IMO, and are attractive like olives. They provide great taste to frittatas similarly. They don't add much flavor to salads, but that's part of the appeal (the flavor doesn't distract); they add visual appeal and nutrients. The longer you keep them on the vine after they turn purple, the softer and sweeter they'll get (but they also risk going bad later in the season if you do that). You can use them in desserts, but when people do that, they usually mix them with other berries. I personally like eating them fresh and plain (but I find few people who agree with me.) To me, they taste like sour watermelon, oranges and a bit like huckleberries. Despite my using them like tomatoes, I don't think they taste like tomatoes—but they are related to them, and many people who aren't me think they taste like tomatoes. Cooked on pizza, they have a sweeter, tangier taste than tomatoes tend to have. Cooked whole on pizza, they add a slightly fruity olive-like flavor to me. I haven't tried them in lasagna or spaghetti, but they'd probably be good that way. They combine with tomatoes well (including in frittatas and on pizza). They'd probably be good added near the end of a stir fry. I imagine they might be good cooked on grilled cheese sandwiches.

the difference between topping.. and pollarding .... is the pruners understanding that he is creating a situation of long term maintenance ... if you think you will cut once.. and be done with it... or worse.. leave it for the next owner.... you are mistaken ... it will rot .. in tree years... which would be decades ... it will collapse ... and it will need annual pruning to repair those part which fall off.. in wind storms.. ice/snow.... etc ... i am not sure you are answering any questions asked ... and keep introducing new variables and personal opinions .... you remind me of my engineer friends.. lol ... can we see a pic of the situation .... can you do this yourself ... why cant the tree be replaced .... are you prepared to replace or remove if and when it becomes a problem ...??? imho ... bleeding is a natural cleansing response to pruning ... its usually not a big deal ... i agree with campy ... a great experiment... if you have the budget ... just dont leave it for someone else ... ken

Agree with the above. Keep it simple, minimal corners, don't go overboard on the windows etc. We built a modest 2000 sq ft, four bedrooms on the main eight years ago. We did a basic rectangular house, vinyl sheet flooring (which I love having with two boys in the house), fiberglass shower, laminate countertops, really not much of upgrades other than where it counted (windows, spray foam insulation etc). Originally our mudroom was much smaller and created another corner up front, at the last minute a frind of a family member questioned why the bump in front and we ended up running the wall straight across, giving us another 50+ sq ft plus it saved us money. You certainly can build on a budget, however you have to be willing to look for deals, quote several contractors and laborers, talk to the lumber yard about what you can do to save money and give up a lot of the "nice to haves". Agree on the width of trusses, we were told anything over 33 was not basic and would cost substantially more as they aren't "in stock" ones, needless to say our current house is 33' wide (not sure if this is still accurate now days). For the house we're currently building, we priced out four different lumber yards, by going with one 45 minutes away, we ended up saving roughly $6800. That said building materials alone have nearly doubled since last time we built (talk about sticker shock!). Also I'm not sure were you are located, but talk to people and find out what price per square foot they are paying. Obviously try to find people that generaled themselves to give you a better idea but that's what we based our budget off of and in the end we came in less than one and a half percent over budget on our current house. They should be able to give you some pointers, and some insight to see if building is feasible for you.

No slabs in upstate NY. The frost line is too deep. Uncoupling it from frost heave and attaching it to an already existing basement construction is way too risky. You will have separation between the two.