> Are these worms likely the type that's used for Vermicomposting? There is no way to know what species they are, but if they are living in composted organic matter, then you probably have some type of composting worms. You live in Seattle. In Seattle composting worms are pretty common in the soil. > If they are, how do I separate them from the damn, cold compost? You might not. I think you use the compost as your initial bedding, worms and all. > Do you just have to go thru it by hand? That may be your only other option. Any attempt to get them to migrate to a more hospitable environment isn't likely to work, since partially finished compost is about the best food/bedding you can provide for them. If you are really determined to remove them from the compost, you would have to use light to drive them out. spread some compost on a tarp where it will be exposed to light. The worms will migrate down away from the light. Take a thin layer of compost off the top, and continue the process. But really, they are already in excellent bedding/food. If you want to use them to create a bin, take them compost and all.

Taking Worthy's comment one step further, you might be able to do the math by taking the overall sqft cost and deduct the non-changing majors (HVAC, windows, doors, appliances). The figure you have left can then be divided to determine the adjusted sqft cost. As an example, 2000 sqft @$105 per equals overall cost of $210,000. Taking figures out of the air to cost HVAC, windows & doors (low priced), appliances, mediocre roofing shingles, and tiling for kitchen and bath, I came up with a majors cost of $40K which was then deducted from the $210K; that gave an adjusted sqft price of $85. That means removing 250 sf from the original 2000 would save you about 10% of the dollars while losing 12½% of the space. Personally, I think that's a bad deal. It is far more likely that you can save an equivalent amount (or more) by buying the least expensive for all replaceables. "Replaceables" means anything which is not actually structural, and which can be replaced without excessive effort. That means all appliances, kitchen and bath counters and cabinets, flooring, and doors. i.e. that lovely $2K front door should be put on hold and a $300 one used instead (or refinish a discarded antique for even less cash out of wallet) and using vinyl tiles instead of terrazzo. Some may disagree, but I consider roofing to be a replaceable -- unless you are spending big bucks for tile or metal, roofing IS going to be replaced at some point. Therefore it is not unreasonable to use elcheapo-15 year warranty now and in five or ten years replace with the wonderful bigbucks-50 year warranty stuff. The difference in cost is considerable. Unless you are planning to use insulative layers of window covering [$$], it is *not* cost efficient to not use sealed double-pane glass. However, using standard sized ready-made windows instead of custom sizes can save quite a bit (multiplied by the number of windows). Using elcheapo hollow-core interior doors can also provide a nice savings. Some savings can be less obvious, such as standard chrome faucets from a box store (the price difference can easily be $100 per, times the number of sinks). It can be painful giving up "I-wants" for the new house, but if you think of the less expensive stuff as temporary and the wanted stuff as deferred pleasures, it can be bit easier to accept the differences.

My friends recently launched a really cool Product-Netro, the completely automatic irrigation system. It will save you money, time and keep your garden healthy and green. This advanced Wifi-enabled water control system utilizes a solar powered sensor, the Netro Whisperer, to monitor and regulate water consumption. This sensor wirelessly collects temperature, sunlight and moisture level in the soil which is then analyzed on the cloud server. Based on the collected data and advanced gardening knowledge, Netro customizes your watering schedules to suit your specific watering requirements, thus reducing overall water usage and taking pressure off both the environment and your budget. For some states which have strict water restrictions about when and how much water is allowed for home irrigation, Netro will automatically upload your water regulations to your controller and monitor the water usage according to these rules. This is an amazing product. It will definitely improve both life and garden. If you are interested in it, please check their Kickstarter website https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/391917434/netro-scientifically-water-your-garden/description, and share the product to your family and friends. If you also love it, please back their product. Thank you very much! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEnTJRzJdzI

Do you really think the living area and kitchen will be that dark with there being windows on all 3 walls of the breakfast area and lots of big windows on that living room wall???? To answer your question, yes. My last place was a condo. I had floor to ceiling sliders in the living room and dining area. My kitchen had no windows and the layout was kitchen>dining room>sliders to the outside. My windows faced due west. Even in late afternoon with the sun low in the sky, the light didn't penetrate into my open kitchen and my kitchen was only 11' from the sliders. In my second house, my dining room never saw any natural light. I had a 3 season sunroom right off the dining room and it had windows on the south, east and west wall. That room was only 10' deep. No light ever penetrated to the dining room. I think some of you are used to a much fancier life than we are haha 😅 This has nothing to do with fancy and everything to do with good design. My first house was a small (1600 square feet) bungalow on a 40' x 100' lot with a detached garage. The house was built in 1927 and the bedroom/master bath was added onto in the 60's. Even in that small bungalow my bedroom had windows on two walls. And my kitchen had an actual window over the sink. For example I grew up in a bedroom with windows on only one side and I survived just fine. I dont have the time to lay in bed and stare out a window anyway. It isn't only for staring out a window. It's also for cross ventilation and natural light.