In various homes and various bedrooms over 40+ years, I've never bothered to attach the headboard to the bedframe. Of course, all the headboards are held upright by the wall behind them and the mattresses on the bedframes in front of them, but they've not been a problem. I've had to raise some of them because of the newer and taller mattresses, but you can use inexpensive bed risers to raise the height of the headboard. Helene

I have prices on 3 direct set picture windows that are standard Loewen window sizes. Does it make sense that taller window costs substantially more per SF of frame size? I am surprised that the "premium" for taller windows is so much. Dimensions shown are rounded frame sizes, but SF calculation was done precisely to 1/16" #1 3/0 4/11 14.535SF cost $468 $32.20/SF #2 3/0 6/11 20.371SF cost $808.60 $39.69/SF #3 4/0 4/11 19.380SF cost $544.05 $28.07/SF Based on frame size SF, #2 is 40.2% larger. If it were priced per SF like #1 then the cost would be $656, but costs a premium of 23.3% more at $808.60!! These are all standard metal clad exterior, mixed grain douglas fir interior, with standard double pane glazing. I have far fewer window costs from Marvin of comparable windows, and in general all are more expensive than Loewen; however the "premium" for taller windows is less. My only speculation for the large differences in Loewen per SF pricing relates to possibility of wasted glass from their supplier Cardinal Glass. By this I mean that I assume Cardinal makes certain large sized sheets, which are then cut into smaller sizes; and that for 6/11 size there is more wastage. I guess the same might be true for the DF wood casing. Any help in understanding this is appreciated; and especially if you know that this same "premium" is there for other Mfg. such as Kolbe, Marvin. I am not going to re-design many of my windows, but in some cases I can modify dimensions without much change to visuals, and potentially save a great deal of money. I am building a modern house with the typical extensive glazing, but my estimated >$60k price tag has me floored. Thanks for your thoughts.

To gain a real idea as to the costs of your proposal, you should probably start with an excavation contractor and get an estimate. You need a licensed professional with experience and appropriate equipment (and insurance!). He/she will be doing a major portion of your work: dirt removal and then reconstruction of your yard and driveway to be sure proper drainage is maintained. Will existing infrastructure (buried utility/phone lines, water and sewer lines, etc.) need to be moved? You'll have to pay for that and that ain't cheap. I believe if I decided to do that at my house, I'd have to hire the owner of the specific line, for example, A.T.&T., to do the work. Advice from a structural engineer would be valuable first to make sure that removal of the dirt will not compromise the integrity of your house's foundation. You'll need someone with construction/basement knowledge to seal the to-be-exposed concrete foundation and to cut new window holes. And someone to install new windows. Then a concrete contractor to rebuild your driveway/sidewalk/other new things you might decide you want. And a landscaper to design/install new plantings. Oh! And you mentioned removal of a large tree. In my area, removal of a large tree costs $2,000. And that's just what's above ground. Will you need roots removed too? Others might know: would advice/permissions be required from your municipality because of the change in the grade of the yard (which may affect runoff both into nearby municipal-owned and privately-owned properties)? Obviously I don't what any of these services would cost you in a major city in Canada.

36" is a compromise that works for a large part of the population. After all, tall people can bend down, but shorter people can't easily get taller. Of course, the downside is that tall people find their backs hurt whenever they work in "standard" kitchens. That's why you hear from all the homeowners who decided to raise their counters by a few inches. Since @Ellen said that she doesn't suffer from the problem of being too tall for her kitchen. So, there would be a good argument made to lower it to 36". On the other hand, another 1/4" higher than standard is barely noticeable. So, it might not be worth the hassle, when there are perfectly good solutions to adjust the appliances. This is a relatively common problem that contractors have to do deal with all the time. And that's ultimately what I would suggest doing. Defer to the expertise of your contractor. No matter what you decide to do, I bet than 6 months from now, I won't be able to tell the difference.