After having been absent for so long (trips to The Netherlands and New Zealand) I came home a few weeks ago to my gardens that I had expanded (ref. post Balance in the Garden) but had not planted let alone mulched to a world of weeds I never imagined could move in so quickly (worse than second cousins on welfare). I have spent the last few weeks spreading 15 yards of mulch hoping that would slow things down but I am not so sure...any way POLLY HILL yes we need to do a trip. She is probably best known for her azalea introductions, my yucca's are in bloom now, deep pink, light pink, white, and the occasional half white half pink blossom the size of a standard petunia blossom. Magnolia's are another plant that her name is often associated with. We also have some amazing nurseries and of course a slightly different flora. I would love to host a weekend this summer and or possibly one in early fall. The first detail to work on is housing I have room to sleep eight to ten (five dormitory style in a garage apartment and two guest rooms with double beds as well as a room with one single). Rentals although I am sure are still available are very $$$ but if enough people share perhaps that's an option. Prior to making arrangements I suppose I should ask is any one interested?? Katy

Click here to visit desperationfalls' link without having to copy and paste. Interesting article and some of the comments are interesting. Some are what you would expect and some - like the one about health care - are amusing.

I tried roof vents, I do know what you're talking about. I destroyed two or three of them trying to get one put in on top of the existing insulation. I ended up ripping out the insulation in the channels and replacing it with R-13, which leaves about 1-1/2" of air between the insulation and the bottom of the roof deck. Holy COW did that make a difference already. I'm used to the house being 77 degrees after a sunny day in the summer and the bedroom being so warm you cannot have even a sheet over you without sweating to death. I got home to find the house at 75 degrees and the bedroom was cool enough to take a nap with a sheet and bedspread on top of me. Here's a picture: http://www.ankylosaur.com/images/housetopfloor.jpg A) The triangular, unheated, space in front of the bedroom. B) the "channels" The top of the 2X6 is the roof decking and the bottom of the 2X6 is where the bedroom's ceiling is nailed. These channels are about 5' long from the storage space to the attic, proper. C) the standard attic (yes, the ceiling of the bedroom has a down slope in the back of the room) D) the bedroom, heated in winter, cooled in summer.

I really appreciate all your comments and suggestions. In rethinking this, we’ve decided to move the dining room table to the left of the kitchen, ditch the banquette and turn the former dining room into a morning room/library. (I am having trouble giving up my existing house and I was attempting to take many of the rooms we now have and recreate them in this proposed house. Both my husband and the building designer had suggested otherwise but it wasn’t until reading all your comments that I finally realized this just wasn’t going to work. ). I think this arrangement will work really well. Greenfish1234, I love the house pictured in the link you sent. Our proposed house looks very similar, flipped so the garage is on the opposite side, with a shed dormer above. It will then have the master bedroom wing where the garage of your picture is. And there is enough room over the mud room to connect the bonus room with the rest of the upstairs and include a bathroom there. I also think your suggestion about finishing the bonus room later is a good one, and that was our original intent; however, when I tried to fit my husband’s TV into the plan downstairs, it just didn’t work. We compromised by deciding to finish the mud room sooner, rather than later. And if it seems too expensive, we’ll just have it finished to the drywall and flooring and my husband can do the rest later. He’ll be retired at that point, his “shop” will move into the basement and he’d love having a project to work on. My existing furniture will fit there perfectly and it will get the morning sun.