Grendal.....We do not have the measurements yet. This plan isn't the 'exact' copy with all the specs for the contract. However, the KD and I specifically talked about this and for some reason I have 42" in my head, but I may be off here. Lulu, you are so funny!! Actually, that IS a collection box! JK......we asked the same thing. We were thinking that each room was marked with dollar signs based on how expensive it was going to be!! Actually, the KD just put that in there to show that there is a light switch there. Again, we do not have any of the lighting/electrical schematics yet. I have to say that I made progress with DH today on the single-level island idea. What everyone is saying makes so much sense. This forum is so addictive....I was combing the internet today while the kiddos were in school for gorgeous photos of kitchens. Some things I just have to let go and not get too mired in the details....like my dishwashers being different brands. I really don't care about that and I don't want to care because I am going to have so many things to worry about, if I can let this go, it will help me with the stress level. Donations anyone???? LOL Melissa

I still have the aluminum patio furniture that I bought 17 yrs ago and it's held up extremely well. During strong winds the chairs are light enough to blow around the patio but they've never lifted off into orbit! When I know there's going to be a wind storm sometimes I'll push them over into a corner where they will be more protected, just so they don't bang into other things. Usually those types of storms are in the winter so if you are really worried about individual chairs moving just buy a patio cover that is large enough for the table and all the chairs around it. Last year I bought a pair of wrought iron chairs from Smith & Hawkins, they've got a black finish on them to protect the iron. S&H sells a protective cream for this type of furniture, it's expensive but if it keeps the chairs from rusting it will be worth it. As you know we get our rain in the winter and ours is a dry climate so I doubt wrought iron chairs are going to rust like they might in a more humid climate. I use Koveroos covers for all my outdoor furniture and when I know rain is coming I just throw it over them and remove when the sun is shining again. I haven't had these chairs long enough to know if they're going to rust or not but with these precautions I'm taking I'm pretty confident they'll hold up for many years. And if they do rust, well there are products to stop that from spreading. This may sound like a lot of maintenance but they're still a lot easier to keep clean than the white vinyl on my aluminum chairs. My neighbor bought a complete set of patio furniture from OSH a couple years ago, including a gazebo-like tent for overhead. I couldn't believe all that cost her only a couple hundred dollars. The problem with buying patio furniture from discount stores or hardware stores is the cushions. Better to find a set that doesn't require cushions because that's what desintegrates first. The original cushions that came with my set all faded very badly. To replace them would have cost a fortune but I know how to sew so I ordered a bolt of Sunbrella fabric from Calico Corners and made new ones. Unless the fabric says "Sunbrella" you're going to end up with faded fabric. Furniture sold by K-Mart,etc is not going to have Sunbrella fabric on it. In that case, chose a cushion that is light in color and definitely no prints. It's one thing to sew new cushions it's another when you have an unbrella that is also fading. Even though all the red & green color on our expensive Brown&Jordan unbrella had faded to a disgusting yellow I had no idea how to replace it so that one we pitched and I bought a new unbrella, this time in a solid color and using Sunbrella fabric.

Even though those 2x4's may not be load bearing, when you add windows, the windows can become loaded with a substantial wind load. When we built our house with large glass openings, the vertical load (load from holding up the roof/ceiling) was minor compared to the wind load. This set the amount and size of beams/headers. I would recommend a builder and get this permitted or you could be asking for trouble and for the square footage gained, this is going to be a really expensive project. I'm on Lake Lanier, if you are near there, I can recommend a really good builder/remodeler. This post was edited by lkbum on Mon, May 5, 14 at 18:08

Hi, everyone Our backyard is in need of attention and we are shifting our attention back there. We have a large, cleared lot, but the majority of the backyard is designated for septic drainage fields - which means we have to keep our planned patio area close(r) to the house. Our wish list: 1. In-Ground Pool (will need to be covered in winter) 2. Hot tub (does not need to be connected) 3. Fire Pit/seating 4. Outdoor kitchen I'm hoping someone can photoshop a patio into the pics so we can 'see' how much area will be covered in stone/pavers. Also, need advice about how to incorporate the two patios that flank the centered walkout and if that window would be better if it was a set of french doors. This yard has so much potential - I want to get this correct the first time. Thanks for looking.