Kathi, Funny you should mention the shredder because DH had looked into that awhile back. I'll have to ask him about that. Joel, I did tell him to water it for just that reason. Should I dig it back up anyway? Either way I'll make sure we get it staked. He did bring me a small saguaro about 1.5 feet tall. I can live with that. Maybe I should have called the cops. I didn't think about it because it was late afternoon on Sunday and I knew he was taking the stuff to his house literally right around the corner from me.

Connie, regarding the plants I rescued from another garden, they are still way back there next to the corn field. I only took ones I really cared about and that would thrive in the main part of my shady yard. That area was beyond the part we mowed and was only planted to beautify the area that had formerly been taken over by thistle and burdock and trash. Those are now considered abandoned by dev. co. and it is my hope that they will continue to thrive. I don't think the development company will bulldoze it as there are many young trees and this is at the very, very back end of a very, very large lot. They would be smart to leave it for any future new owner. That is my hope anyway. Lois, next spring, I will "trespass" and attempt to recover many of my plants within the hosta bed, the most important to me being "Spilt Milk". I did more investigation yesterday and almost all of them are there, waiting for spring. I hid them with leaves and a few wood chips to weigh the leaves down. Big Mama is missing but maybe the crown is down there some where and she'll show up in April/May. Bunnycat, we did find out on Monday night that the land was lost and the lawsuit was dead...so we did have one day's notice. However, I felt it was so late in the season (mid November?) that they'd have a better chance surviving if I waited until spring. We'll be able to test the theory/choice in the spring when we see if the Guacamole they threw aside (the one I grabbed while they were gone to lunch & planted next to the house) survives. If it doesn't, I still have 3 Guacs left. Thank you all for your thoughts and condolences. Thanks again to Ken, Papou, & others who pounded into me the necessity of garden maps. They will be invaluable. Char

I had an epiphany over the weekend. By virtue of a happy design accident, the back side granite piece for the tub deck is nearly identical in size to the front piece that the fabricator screwed up. And because I'm super anal about balance, the single hole drilled in it for the handshower is exactly in plane with the cold faucet handle hole on the front piece. I realized that I could move the back piece to the front and all it needs is 2 more holes and an edge polished. I took the pieces back to the fabricator yesterday and they got me hooked up. There was enough scrap left to recut the back piece with a seam down the middle so it's less conspicuous and easier to level out. I just got back from picking up the new pieces, and it's all going to work out. No seam on the front edge, and I can live with the one in the back. Problem solved! I was pretty fired up for a while, but the shop took care of me in the end. They even knocked some bucks of the top of my already good deal, and the lady that runs the shop was exteremely apologetic about the whole thing. She told me my next project was on her! Maybe the fireplace hearth needs a facelift :) Thanks again for listening. Joe

It sounds like you are not fully informed about some of the issues with construction in your area. Exterior - definitely a big one. The arched windows, the round column, the frilly embellishments, the classic rough stucco - we're not big fans of. Lyfia, agree these could be updated. You might check with your local zoning folks first. The neighborhood I moved from last year specifically disallowed the type of architecture you want to change to. The neighborhood was known as a "bungalow" area. You could build anything you wanted to behind an early 20th century bungalow facade that met certain criteria. They sell for $200 to $500 per square ft, so they are out of reach to many people. Still people buy them as blower uppers. People do not come to that neighborhood expecting to find an eclectic array of houses. Thus the housing value for the neighborhood would be expected to decline if you started building odd looking homes. If your neighborhood does not have any architectural design restrictions, others in the neighborhood would forever point at your modern house as, "that house," and not in a friendly way. foundation - cheaper pier and beam type - floors creaking, some sagging. We wish this was a sturdier more modern basement type foundation. Pier and beam can be cheap, but some of the most expensive homes in the world are built on pier and beam. Pier and beam might be the only possible foundation depending on earthquake prevalence. If your floors creak and sag, that's a remodeling issue, not a rebuilding issue. What is modern about basements? I could probably count on two hands the number of basement houses in California. Something about earthquakes makes them impractical. truss roof - low 8 feet ceilings throughout the house. We cry a little every time we experience nice high ceilings. Truss roofs can be built above any room height. I think the room height is more of a problem for you than the structural design. Square footage - small for the family. We'd love a bigger 2n'd story - not just a room on top of the garage. Small rooms and bathrooms. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths in 1590 sq feet. We could do with a better floor plan. Unbelievable!!! I thought 3-2 in 1800 square feet was cramped. Pitched roof - we've grown up in flat roofed houses with roofs that we could walk out on to. We'd love to have that again - and a partial terrace would be phenomenal. Just curious what part of the world you grew up in? You're not originally from California, are you? Dated interiors - floors, floor boards, moldings, tile floors - this I feel would be an easy change Sure. This is last one is all remodeling, but you have other issues. If you are absolutely in love with this location, I would suggest looking for a more run down house in the neighborhood, buy that, and redo. You have a serious multiplier effect going on. If you buy a 1500 square foot house at $300 psf, and remodel/rebuild it to 3000, square feet, you likely still have something in the range of $300 psf in value. That's what is going on in the bungalow neighborhood I mentioned above. Most of the psf cost goes into kitchens and baths, so adding larger bedrooms and family rooms is relatively low cost.