Your main problem is going to be finding a bamboo that only gets to 10'-12' high AND is hardy in your Zone. Do you expect to have a hedge that maintains its foliage in winter? As far as planting in buried pots, that's not a good idea: 1) the bamboo will get unhealthy over time as they crowd their pots, and 2) the rhizomes will escape from the drainage holes. Your idea to have a 3" X 50' space enclosed by bamboo barrier is entirely fine. I don't know where a good source for bamboo barrier is on the East Coast since I am on the West Coast. The most likely source will be a nursery that is a member of the ABS (American Bamboo Society), so you should explore the link below which gives info on such nurseries. If you have no luck with this approach, you could order from the place I buy my barrier from (although shipping charges may be pricey): bamboogarden.com in Portland, OR. Here is a link that might be useful: ABS Sources

Erin I will say I got rid of my maple and planted a crab apple....so far my plants seem to be thriving but I'm not sure if that's due to the maple being gone, or all the rain we've got here this season...regardless I'm happy it's gone. I hated that tree because it aside of having a mature tree where everything else are babies it did nothing for me. No esthetics, no real shade, nothing. The leaves were purple but always looked brown to me...and then they'd just turn really brown and die in the fall...so no pretty fall foliage either like you can get w some maples. So yeah I'm not much help, but I will say just be careful with what you decide to plant near it.

Make sure everything you are doing is based on how you actually live now and in the near future and not how you think you might live if only. I say that because we as humans are creatures of habit and if we think we'll change our lifestyle if only we had a (fill in the blank), chances are we won't. we (I) want a large master bedroom with a sitting area to enjoy the view with outside access How often will you actually sit in your master bedroom enjoying the views? Really think this one through. If you will use it on a regular basis, then yes put in that sitting area. However if this is a "dream" that you'll have long afternoons sitting and reading but your lifestyle doesn't warrant it, rethink it. and big walk in closets, Figure out how much closet space you actually need for clothes. For example, I'm not a shoe person (I know, a woman who doesn't care about shoes???) so I only put in enough shelves for my current collection plus a few extra just in case. If I were a shoe person, I'd need a lot more. I did the same with all my hanging stuff, etc. You may find you need huge closets or you may surprise yourself and realize you don't need as large a closet as you thought. walk in shower Again a walk in walk in shower can be huge or just large enough for one or two. My shower is 5' x 45" and it's plenty large enough for 2 of us. large pantry, Again, how much stuff do you actually store? Figure that out and then you'll know how large a pantry you'll actually need. For example, DH and I eat out 3-5x a week plus we can walk to the grocery store or the farmer's market downtown on weekends, so we really only needed a small closet. large enclosed laundry room near the master and a special pet room with access to a fenced in area separate from our other outdoor areas. Couldn't the pet room and laundry room be combined in some way? Maybe have a pocket door between the two? inside workout room, game room, office spaces, study, Again, is there any reason why some of these spaces couldn't be combined in some way? Combine the game room and workout room? Combine the study with one of the offices? Or maybe one of the offices could be combined with the laundry room? lap pool, inside sauna, poolside Jacuzzi and lots of outside lounging and grilling areas. Question. Do you still work full time? Does your spouse? If so when will you have time to make use of all these spaces? If you have children, won't you be needing to shuffle them off to activities on the weekends instead of lounging by the pool? Where are you located? Are you in a warm climate where all these activities will be used most of the year or are you in a cold climate where you'll be lucky if you can swim 2 months out of the year? I ask because again, the question is how much is a need and how much is a desire that may or may not come true? I don't want a totally open concept despite that every home being built around here is this concept. I don't want to walk in from the garage into or through my laundry area, pantry area or have to walk through my kitchen every time I come in. And that's why you need the services of a talented residential architect to help you design a house that will meet all your special needs. I want as many windows as possible. Good! Then you want a house where it's only 1 or 2 rooms deep to allow lots of light to brighten up the spaces and give you the option to have cross breezes. I want a huge kitchen with lots of storage and a built in fridge and a big island and a keeping room, a breakfast nook that is big enough for a large farm table. Again, do you need a keeping room and a breakfast nook? Couldn't the two be combined in some way? I want at least one guest room And once again, couldn't the guest room be part of the workout room, or the study or one of the offices? Do you really want a room that takes up space, needs to be cleaned and is only used infrequently? Or do you have guests come for days every month? For example, my exercise room has a murphy bed and a reading nook in it so when I don't have guests (which is most of the time), I can still use the room to exercise and/or read a book while looking out the window. and I want a huge workshop and a 3 car garage And once again, couldn't the workshop be the rear part of the garage? And what will you be storing in the third garage? ...and all of that is really what we will do, so technically our want/needs are one in the same. No you have lots of wants, but only a few needs.

Yup! Your plan will work quite well (I never bothered with newspaper) since you live up north. It wouldn’t work at all of you lived in the south and had Bermuda grass... because that stuff is the spawn of Satan. I was so happy with the grass in Indiana compared to the grass in Texas. LOL! (I often built up berms in my yard in Indiana this way... cut it super short, slice it up, lay it upside down... sometimes I used roundup to speed up the process and sometimes I didn’t. I’m not particularly averse to using that stuff properly.)