Wow, am I envious! I live in the Tampa Bay area and we are hoping to come in somewhere about $110-120/ft. Average prices are between $175-300/ft. The main thing to consider is that our building codes are probably some of the strictest in the country due to the hurricanes. The home is built to withstand 130mph winds. It is built from concrete block which definitely increases our cost substantially. As we are the GC, we did hire a manager to over see the entire project (he also did the slab/block/frame). But the money we are paying him to manage is definetly worth the peace of mind! He is very reputable in our area and has many many contacts so we are able to get his pricing. In the end, his management fee will probably wash with the savings. We are also going pretty high end with everything else from windows to appliances to flooring and so forth. In the end, it will all be worth it. However, our cost to build does not include what we paid for the lot. Land is NOT abundant here and you pay for it - ALOT. Our lot had a home which we initially wanted to add on to. But after talking with our architect and engineer, the cost was more to do that (by going up a floor) than it was to demo and start over. We went that route since then we are not limited to the footprint and could then have exactly what we wanted. Our new home is 4000 sq ft living/8900 sq ft under roof incl 1500 sq ft covered lanai/3 car garage/semi-detached 4 car garage. So, with all of this, in the end we should be about $450K (not including pool). For Florida, this is not bad at all.

Gotcha. My kid is in our HS Marching Band, so I am on your page. We usually don't have any foods kept hot even for home games, and the kids eat standing up or sitting on benches/steps right outside the music room. Food is served off folding tables. We have plenty of trash cans around and all recyclables are saved for fund raising. For home games we have a collection fund, about $20 per person for the season, and we order from local restaurants. One person knows what and how much the kids will eat (has it down to a science) so she is in charge of ordering, other parents pick it up and help with set/up etc. Usually its pizza, breadsticks, garlic bread, ceasar salads, fettucini alfredo, Subway type sandwiches, Panda Express, Mexican (trays of enchiladas, beans/rice). High carbs, etc. I can ask if you want. Our away games, given that we are in Los Angeles where distance isn't as much as a factor as is traffic, means we get the kids on a bus, stop someplace to eat, not fast food, usually one step up, like Portillos (chain, they have a big room for 80 kids). Kids bring $ for themselves, about $10, I packed a sandwich for myself when I chaperoned. I can't see how we could serve dinner off a bus, unless tables were brought with us, and I wouldn't want to impose our group on another HS's facilities. As much as I advocate parents bringing food, this system works for us. Its reliable and we know what will be the most appealing to all kids. That being said...it sounds like you guys have a different schedule going, so I'll add my own idea of a blintz casserole which could be breakfast as well as lunch. This freezes well (unbaked!) and could be served room temp. Blintz Casserole 2 pkg frozen blintzes - mix cheese/fruit 1 1/2 pts sour cream 6 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup sugar Cinnamon Mix together the sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, orange juice and eggs. In a large baking pan melt 1 stick of butter/margarine. Put in frozen blintzes and coat with the melted butter. Arrange blintzes in pan. Pour sauce into pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

This is a great thread. We're not remodeling but building a new house, and man, can I relate to a lot of these. ...you know every lighting fixture, faucet, sink, appliance by memory because you have endlessly researched each one. you freak out your own GC because you can discuss minute details about your house/kitchen from memory down to the 1/8". you have more e-mails from your GC/subs than you do from your friends. you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat about some critical detail and then go downstairs to e-mail your GC about it right at the moment before you forget.

My mom always bought the largest turkey she could find -- had to be over 20 lbs and was 24 lbs one year. For Thanksgiving, I have tended to follow suit because I now have the gang, and the saddest thing ever at Thanksgiving is not having leftovers (it happened one year. I was really upset and cooked another turkey that weekend. :D This year, we had a 20-21 lb turkey but only had 10 coming. We had more leftover than usual, but it wasn't too much. The turkey was free in a grocery store promotion, so it is a lot of good eating for very little money (some with the rub and brine), it's easy to cook and everyone loves it. I have cooked 2 smaller turkeys side by side in a very large roasting pan. That works too. If it is just for us, I will cook a 12-14 lb turkey. Rhome, have you used the convection roast cycle on that Wolf oven of yours for roasting turkey or whole chickens? Fabulous! We brine our turkey, but not the chickens. I use a dry rub, may stick some lemon or orange in the cavity (the rub we use most often has citrus in it too) and pop them in on the preset convection roast cycle. The hot air of the convection sears the skin, seals in juices and it cooks fast. I think our 21 lb bird took about 3 hours - and it was moist, juicy and the flavor was fantastic. We may do turkey at Christmas or New Year's and experiment, but I doubt we will every make our Thanksgiving turkey any other way. I love that convection roast cycle.