My uncle always said he could predict the weather by his knee pain. I see it more as good guesswork than real foresight, the_fiona. The future's just too messy for anyone to actually see.

Forget the finished homes, ask to see a job that's halfway done. The way they keep a messy site tells you everything about how they run the whole show.

Honestly that "extra storage and potential living space" line hits home. We did a slab in Ohio and the lack of basement storage is a real thing. You get creative with sheds and attic space, but you never stop wanting that big underground room. The money we saved was nice up front, but I'd probably pay the extra now for the basement.

Heard about a buddy's chimney crown crumbling in a single season.