Hi goils! Gosh--how great to see all of the posts!!! :):) Tikanas-- great questions! It's been a looong time since we've done this, so here goes: 1) My interests/hobbies are: reading, HERE, junk rooting, auctions (whodathunk??), crossstitch, and I love my hairy 24 pound cat! :) 2) Well, I am an accountant by degree, but I have recently had the good forture to become a fulltime auctioneer, which I just love! 3) No kids, unless you count the hairball and hubby! LOL! 4) I am 41, and feel like 17 most days! :):):) I've been posting here since late '98, and these are the greatest ladies! I've had the pleasure to meet BJ, KYSusieQ and Zig, and they are all just as lovelt in person as they are here. :) And I just bought an old battered copy of the 5 Little Peppers several weeks ago--and sat down and read it--talk about memories! :) Lynn--((((hugs))) and treats to Simon--my 24 pounder wasn't quite that big at a year, so your purrball is going toi be huge-- :):) Things have gotten interesting here--I've told you all about my first auction that is coming up on 9/12--well the %@#$%!! that has the real estate option is acting like a $%@#%!! and is threating to sue my @ss. I'm not sure just exactly why, since I am just selling the personal property of the lady's. I suspect he knows he has a shadey deal, and now, he is threating the old lady as well. I'd like to...well.... I don't know what to do--Raeanne--any ideas? Gotta go--tomorrow's a long day--we're working a flea market over the weekend and Monday, so it will be a busy one for me! And where is Amy and Patti??? John??? Hugs, Maddie

Salmon: Thanks for your great work in compiling this. This link shows how to create a link within a document. A few things I'll add: 1. Another "where to buy" place is ABS Wood. I worked with Jeff at East Teak. 2. The decks.com guide is good. American Wood Products also publishes a good code reference. 3. I bought several deck books, and the most useful (starts with the basics, lots of photos) is Black & Decker's. It's updated for recent code changes. 4. I sketched out my plans and used decks.com's $99 plan drawing service. They did the load calcs, produced a framing plan, footer plan, and materials list in 24 hours. A great time saver! 5. Tools: I love the Bostich metal connector nailer, and have the Paslode framer and finish nailers (love them too, even if the framer took a nip out of my finger). I buy all my expensive power tools on ebay, and prices are generally 30-50% off retail for tools in good condition. If you're only using them for one project, you can put them back on ebay and probably recover most of your expense.

Hope the girls get through this well, Sharon. I have finished up a couple of small applique wallhangings I invented to take on a recent cruise. I can't sit long without stitching on something. They are ready to quilt now. They will be house warming gifts. Then I looked in the sewing room and decided that lots of things I've been unable to find are probably under my quilting frame so I decided to tackle the large quilt I put on the frame a year ago. It's taken me this long - plus getting over the shoulder surgery - to decide what to do with it. I have gotten a long way by doing a couple of passes every time I am in there but hope to have the thing off the frame and the great reveal of what's under it soon. It's like finding buried treasure. Finished up a baby quilt last week and if I can find my camera I'll post that soon. Just got home from two back-to-back trips and still getting my head together.

"Not all that much work" !! You've just described a 90-100K remodel without breaking a sweat. And that is with some pretty serious bargain hunting and every single thing going correctly and you don't need to touch the contingency fund. :) You live in one of the most expensive labor markets in the country---and the most regulated. The permits alone are likely to cost you 3-5K and weeks of waiting . Some of your projects have a good potential for hidden issues. And you've gotten one estimate from a low ball contractor You need at least 2-4 more estimates here from other contractors. Not only will they bring fresh eyes to your projects, but their estimates are likely to be clustered around a close range, giving you greater confidence that you are getting realistic numbers from those neither too high nor too low. Things you've forgotten or didn't address in your outline. *Insulation for your basement project.2K+ Wiring needs for your basement project. 3K Flooring needs for your basement project. 5K HVAC for your basement now that it is to be living space. 2-15K The plumbing alone can run anywhere from 5-15K depending on a number of factors. *Removing a wall means that you will need to address the floor where that wall was located. That could be harvesting hardwood from a closet to blend in and then refinish the whole floor to complete replacement of the flooring on the first floor. 1K-10K You will also have to redo the drywall, and getting that level will be a challenge. Electrical will most certainly need to be addressed, and possibly plumbing and HVAC. $$$ A structural engineer's report will run $500 to $1500. If you need to have structural needs addressed, you're talking 5K to 10K. *New kitchens require a pretty good update to your electrical system and rewiring a lot of circuits. If you already have a 200 amp subpanel and the kitchen was done sometime since the 80's, you might only have a 3K electrical bill for the kitchen. If you have an old 60amp panel, then you're talking a whole new service and panel for the home. 7K You'll need to address lighting needs as well as the dedicated circuits that the fridge and MW will need. 1K You'll have to deal with the flooring. Sheet vinyl will be the least expensive choice at around $500. Even laminate counters will be more than 1K for most kitchens, and you can spend around 5K for bottom end cabinets. If you want something better, double to triple that. You still have the sink, faucet, lighting fixtures, ventilation system, paint and other details to pay for.1K for low end. You'll be opening the walls up for some of this, and there's no better time to address the insulation needed. * You're gonna get another sticker shock when it comes to the door issue. A plain jane interior door that's not hollow core will run you $150, plus another $100 for the install. Multiply by x number of doors. What about closet doors? You can't replace all the others and leave the old closet doors. Exterior doors can be $200 for a builder's grade steel to $5000 for a medium grade wood with sidelights. Don't forget the work your trim and drywall will now need as well as the paint. You'll be painting all of the trim for sure minimum. *Most appliances will need their own dedicated electrical circuits and will also need a plumber. Appliance prices vary wildly from a 3K first apartment type of package to a 30K+ one for the serious cook. *There is no point in replacing the soffits without replacing them with vented soffits. There just isn't any better way to vent your attic and there's no better time to do it. Vented soffits will need you to tweak your attic insulation for proper airflow, and I'll bet you don't have enough insulation. Hardly anyone does. Then you'll also need to install a ridge vent in the roof peak for the hot air to exit the home. Whirlybirds and power vents don't move enough air. 5K+++ *Cedar for siding is pretty pricey. Even more so if you're talking $hake$ instead of lap. There are plenty of cases with homes having their original 200 year old siding because the home was constructed and maintained correctly. Siding on homes doesn't just fail without some cause. Water infiltration is the primary suspect. I'll bet that the drainage plane behind the shingles is compromised or non existent and that the window flashing is also done incorrectly if at all. You have a lot of warning issues with damaged exterior systems here, and that means you'd better have a pretty good contingency fund before tackling those issues. You are very likely to have to increase the scope of the work due to hidden damage once you begin the project. This has the potential to quickly turn into a 70K project, especially if you're dealing with wood windows and no water barrier under the siding. This home has some pretty serious potential issues that can quickly run through a budget without completing your list. It's far better to tackle a few of those key "bones" projects that may have hidden issues like the siding and soffits and have a pro do them right while you live with the more cosmetic issues like a kitchen redo. A basement reno could be a DIY project for you where you learn enough skills to be able to also at least partially tackle the kitchen reno. And do some research on the Kitchen Forum here to see if you might tweak the utility of the kitchen while you are dealing with it's cosmetics, especially since you are removing walls.