Loves2read, funny that the Florida Cl seems better than your Dallas CL. I found the opposite, with much better CL options here in Milwaukee vs Florida. Maybe because there is such old stock here. Most of Florida seems to have been populated after the 60's, and I am not too keen on the quality of recently made furniture. I'd rather rehab something solid wood. My needs are unique, though: dirt cheap but great potential. And I have time to search out pieces and to rehab them. I just finished a $7 Goodwill chair that started like this and now is this I am learning to sew and upholster practicing on the guest rooms, ha. The chair will go in the twin bedroom for which I just found those wicker headboards. I have miles of the red fabric ($1/yd) for bedskirts and scored 2 new oatmeal linen Shabby Chic duvets at Goodwill into which I'm slipping clearance Kohl's $16 quilts. I have a free dresser that needs painting, and some Goodwill wicker lamps. Some CL desks and tables, and a little yardsale dhurrie rug. Sew up some pillows. DH and I will make artwork - and I use the term loosely. Voila! One room done. I found it helps to let a vision evolve in your head for each room. I go nowhere now without my notepad filled with fabric scraps, paint colors and dimensions.

Grainlady makes a good point in that you may get a bigger bang for your buck by looking at other areas where your savings might be more significant. For me, as well as many others who contribute faithfully to this forum, frugality is a way of life. I have certain "friends" who laugh at my efforts, and my grown children accept them as part of my personality but they seem to be grateful that it is not part of theirs, for some reason. So be it. I'm the one who has no debts, and where my kids are concerned, the one they always turn to (sometimes successfully, but most of the time not) when they have gotten themselves in a financial mess. They don't want my advice and I keep waiting for them to get a clue. So far I wait in vain, although I'm seeing a glimmer of hope in my one daughter, finally. There are so, so many ways to cut down on costs. Start by making a list of everything you spend your money on and examine each one for potential savings. Usually, when you are frugal about the things you buy and the way you live your life, you will find you are also decreasing what they are now calling "your footprint". One nice thing about DD is that she buys a lot of the same things that I do. It is not uncommon for one of us to say to the other, "I'm making out an order to _____. Anything you need?" Then we share shipping. When I first started visiting this forum, I went all the way back to the first post and read each one. It took several days, but it allowed me to get to know people and to see what they were all doing. I'd recommend that as a first step for anyone new to this forum. It is very educational. My parents started out as farmers in Kansas. Because they did not have the financial expertise to run the farm at a profit, my dad started working as a driller on an oil rig. This set the wheels in motion, as my mother could not run the farm alone and he struggled to come home from a gruelling day's work on the rig and then work on the farm. Eventually the rig owner moved his operations to Oklahoma and we followed, selling the farm, moving into a small house with a good-sized yard in a small town. We were not poor but we were not well off, either. My mother was frugal in some ways, but in other ways not. For instance, every summer she would buy printed cotton fabric that was sold 4 yards for $1. (this was between the years of 1954 and 1965) From this, all her daughters would make their school clothes, and she would make dresses for herself and shirts for Dad. When double-knit was first marketed, my mother was in hog heaven. She bought so much double-knit that she wore it until she got too old to sew. And she recycled any plastic bag, whether it was a bread wrapper or a zip-lock bag that one of her "wasteful" daughters brought something in. BUT, my mother was not frugal when it came to buying a car. Because her father had been a horse-trader and she witnessed him haggling for the best possible price, feeling embarrassed about it, she would never, and would never allow Dad to, haggle over the price of the car. Car dealers loved to see Mom and Dad walking onto their lot. They always bought brand new and paid the price on the sticker. They usually kept the car for ten years so there was some recovery in that, at least. Mom loved to play the piano, and after she tried out her sister's electric organ, she had to have one. She went to the most expensive music store, and as usual, bought without haggling. Clearly, my mother had issues with money. And it seems a lot of people do, as if their worth as a human being is measured in dollars. I have a lot more respect for someone who lives comfortably on very little than I do for someone who brings down a huge salary but lives from payday to payday. When the job is lost, who's homeless?

Papercrane & MClarke, what a small world--we're neighbors ;) My mother is still down the street from there in the home I grew up in but we're going to be selling it sometime in the next year or so since we're moving to NC. The home we're building will have an "in-law's suite" on the lower level so she'll have her privacy and independence. I'm still nearby in Villanova so only a stone's throw away from my childhood home. Fortunately, they can't split the land up due to township ordinances. If I remember correctly, existing properties in certain areas must remain intact so in this case, it can't be split into several single family homes. There are so many homes like this in the Main Line area, 70 to 80 years old or more, that are in need of repair and updating. Although there are many people in this country with accumulated wealth who could afford the initial costs, the upkeep on a property like this is tremendous, not to mention the utility costs. My mother's gas and electric bill in the winter is close to our mortgage payment. And I'll never be able to imagine writing a check for a $27k a month mortgage payment unless we hit the lottery. Glad so many people enjoyed the tour and thanks for sharing the other great links with us. I really enjoy looking at these grand old homes. To answer a few questions posed, no, it's not haunted though there are a couple in this neighborhood that are rumored to be. There are some nearby properties on which the Revolutionary War battles were waged and some are said to be frequented by spirits, LOL! As far as the AC goes, it may be cooler than some homes in the summer due to its construction but not enough that AC isn't needed. Central AC is a necessity as far as I'm concerned, not a luxury. Plus with the size of the rooms in that home, you'd need two window units for each room. The home was being lived in by a woman whose children all live out of state now. Much too big for one person, and all though she recently remarried, I imagine they were ready to move on to something that required a lot less upkeep and time. It would be wonderful to see a family with lots of children move in and renovate and enjoy the home.

I have to go with ninigret on this one. You are so sweet to have thought of this but, if you want her to love it, let her have a say in its design. I also sew but what I’d want may or may not appeal to her. Personally, I’d want a narrow table/desk to hold my sewing machine. Mine is already in a cabinet but, if hers isn’t, I’d recommend a tabletop in which she can recess the machine so that she has a flat sewing surface. She should be able to pull this table away from the wall (if she sews anything large, the fabric needs to be able to trail off behind the machine). I’d want as much storage as possible so, drawers under this table, on either side would be great. It could be L-shaped but I’d add shelves and drawers on the end wall, for storage. I’d probably prefer a straight table with a bookcase and bins at the end. Be sure the table top won’t snag fabric. You might want to pick up a laminate countertop and cut it to size. Finally, I’d add decor pieces (oversized buttons, vintage signs, etc.) and small storage racks (for bobbins, thread, peg board for scissors,etc.) along the wall facing the dormer. Hopefully the room doesn’t face west because it would get very hot. Present her with some options, to show you’ve given it some thought, but let her decide. It is such a treat to have a space dedicated to sewing and you want her to love it. Again though, so thoughtful of you!