I would take another look at SIP's- they're really easier than stick, IMO. Check out greenbuilding.com to get some very specific answers to your questions. The problem with stick construction is all the places that air can infiltrate. You can build a good tight house that way, but you need to be thorough in stopping air flow. Nowadays, they caulk wiring and plumbing penetrations, and of course any seams. One nice thing about sprayed-in foam is that it tends to seal everything up. Also, studs conduct heat, so you want to create a thermal break. One of the easiest ways to do this is apply foam over the outside of your sheathing. Firring strips are then applied to create a nailing surface for your exterior siding, and to create a drainage plane behind the siding. Even if no water ever penetrates your siding, condensation can build up.

Thanks, SweetFish. I appreciate your helpful response. Geoffrey, I can appreciate GOOGLE, but when I want real input, I tend to ask for advice specific to why my wants are, which is the purpose of this forum. GOOGLE seems to be overrun by those who are selling a product, and are somewhat biased. I'm sure that your type of response would be apprecaited... somewhere else.

My fiance and I have been looking to buy our first home for almost a year now. We have been looking for an older home (pre 1930's), because we love the historical feel, especially victorian architecture. A lot of us have that same dream. When I was a teen, I was dating a guy that was in a fraternity that was out of a beautiful Victorian. I remember the stairway, the flowers that were engraved in the wood. I remember the "dome room" and while it was a PITA to put furniture in, amazed me every time I went into it. I remember beautiful moldings, everything was etched and 3 or 4 fireplaces. It had a decent sized kitchen from what I remember, also had a servant room. Man I loved that house and swore that one day, if I could afford to have the house moved I would. The house was located in one of the worst neighborhoods. You had to lock your doors to drive there and run in the house. I bet that in it's day, it was one of the grandest houses. They ended up knocking it down, don't know when but I drove by about 16 years ago, there was nothing on the lot. Anyway, a lot of us have the same dream, to own a beautiful, grand house. Reality is the lack of things needed to live in it in today's world as Tricia said. Since you are not married with kids yet, it wouldn't really matter much, you would probably get by fine. Once you have kids and they start getting older is when you will notice how hard it is to raise a family there unless you luck out and get a house that has larger rooms where you can make closets, or one that has a decent kitchen. I wonder then if my fiance and I should actually change our dream to accomodate the current economy and the deals available? IMO, this might be a good idea, at least for now. Being newly married can be stressful. Unless the 2 of you are currently living together, you have to learn to live with your partner. How do both of you handle stress? Buying a house that you are working on all of the time is very stressful and could eventually start pulling you apart. You'll come home from work some days so tired but you have to sand & throw another coat of spackle on, or paint, or run out to the home store to buy supplies. Hubby & I worked on our last house starting 2 years after I moved in. We removed paneling, faux brick, painted, put in floors as well as putting a new floor frame on a concrete slab in the laundry area to build it up so that we could put a floor down. By the time we sold we were tired & cranky. Add to this a roof, electric upgrade, plumbing, which was a job in itself since there was only 1 shutoff valve, which meant we lost water for the day. We also did central air, a hot water heater as well as new furnace, and had planned to redo all of the baseboards as well. Are there any houses that are in between the old house and new construction for a compromise? You might be able to live a little bit more comfortably and not have to work as hard. It will also give you an idea of how the 2 of you work together as a team (or not). You can save the Victorian house for later on

Have you considered sod? That gives you an instant lawn. You could plant seed now with the understanding that you will likely need to do it again in the fall. Water lightly several times a day every day to keep the seed moist (not an inch! Just a few minutes) and as the grass germinates and grows, increase the amount and decrease the frequency. Eventually you get to one inch all at once each week. Do you have irrigation? If not, you will need sufficient hoses and a timer if you're not home during the day. You cannot use normal pre-emergent now if you're planting grass. You might give the seed a little more time to see what it will do. You have what is called "dormant seeding" since it didn't get much of a chance to germinate last fall. It's just now warming up enough to get going. Keep it moist (lightly several times a day) for a couple of weeks and see what happens.