1. “Darn, I made the list last year, but not this year! Gives me a new goal for 2018!” (A comment on last year’s list here: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5059293/2017-the-year-in-100-quotes

2. “I only hit the like button when it's good advice delivered in a respectful, professional tone. That's the style poster that impresses me & deserves my likes. I value my like button.”

3. “The best and most helpful people on here aren’t the ones who criticize, one-liner, and badger others into submission so much as those who explain the why. And they’re measured enough to be pithy WITHOUT slamming every design that doesn’t pass their personal test of quality. It’s the difference between a pontificator and a teacher. This is a great forum but it has flaws too, and certainly has entrenched biases at a given time. That’s human nature, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to address them when they pop up either.”

4. “Good projects result from happy people accepting help and being a partner.”

5. “Here, the OP is asking for advice. Good advice always is better than ‘everybody does it’ advice.”

6. “It’s not the architectural crowd on here discussing architectural design principles. It’s all of those who abide by the principles of architecture, which does include some drafters and builders as well as interested homeowners.”

7. “The biggest issue is that there is absolutely no ability to discern between bad design and good design on [this forum]. When fool’s gold looks the same as real gold to someone, it’s hopeless to send them out mining.”

8. “Gosh, I dunno - if we can't criticize something that seems pretty flawed, design-wise, what's the point of engaging in discussion on architecture, design and decor at all? If there are no standards, no fundamental principles, no "better ways" of doing things, nothing we can learn from critiques like this one, the whole exercise seems pretty pointless to me.”

9. “Criticism is the way architects improve a design; be glad they are willing to help.”

10. “Does the bolded and italicized "constructive" mean that we have to be polite?”

11. ”This is a harsh forum.” Reply: “You know, it's really not. I'm on other mainstream forums that are much, much worse (anything parenting related runs a high risk of getting pretty vicious). This one just has people who will disagree with you, some more politely than others.”

12. “When have we ever stopped just because the OP has left the building? Wouldn't that take the fun out of Houzz?”

13. “I guess I missed the news that the OP intends to design a house with only the free help available on the internet. So far I haven't seen any indication that's going to work well.”

14. “Architects charge a fee for services. They have a living to make just like everyone else. What one gets in return for a professional fee is a custom designed house which is specifically designed around a family's needs, their site, their budget and local ordinaces and regulations.”

15. “Crowd sourcing, while effective (and often not effective) doesn't solve the manufacturer installation methods or lack thereof, nor guarantee a warranty.”

16. “If you are going to ask questions about construction costs, ask someone you can shake hands with.”

17. Thread title: “Where should you face when taking a bath?” Reply: “Up.”

18. Thread title: "Do We Need a Real Estate Pro to Build a House?..." Reply: “Only if they do drywall.”

19. “It's so tempting to design houses for the type of people we wish we were, rather than the type of people we are. We did a bit of that when we put an additional on our house a number of years ago. This time we're aiming for a house designed for the reality of who we are.”

20. “Don't let the fantasy person make decisions. (The person who we envision we would like to be and sometimes confuse with the person we really are.)”

21. “One thing I did notice is that if you are in bed, it is closer for you to get a beer from the kitchen than a shirt from your closet.”

22. “The kitchen is a crime. And you’re sentenced to 15 to life in it.”

23. Thread title: “What are some must haves when planning a new kitchen?”Reply: “Sink, refrigerator, stove, and some counter space?”

24. Thread Title: “Does this floorplan make sense?” And after all the comments: “Yikes. Thanks everyone”

25. “I love you guys for this nice kick in the rear. Everything you said makes complete sense.”

26. “So, round two. Am I crazy or are we heading in the wrong direction????” Reply: “Am I crazy ….No. Or are we heading in the wrong direction???? Yes.”

27. “I'm really at a loss for words to be honest. I'm glad I asked you guys [about the house design] before starting. And you're exactly right. My Husband is ready to pour a slab & is pushing me to pick windows & doors. We have a lot to talk about after work today!”

28. “ I realize everyone on here says to hire an architect. But when your spouse isn't ok with that....you have to make the best decisions with your options” Reply: “If your husband thinks this is such a great [internet] plan, ask him [where to fit in your pantry].”

29. “So sorry you have to bear this burden but maritial bliss is better than design aesthetics.”

30. “Personally, I avoid plans that have a title.”

31. “Never assume that another region's vernacular architecture ‘makes NO sense.’“

32. “Do the occupants of this house wear or wash clothes?”

33. “I can't believe anyone would put a house on the market without fixing such an obvious deficiency” [A large crack down the middle of the house]. Who would list a property with CAUTION tape on it? ‘Don't mind the tape, it’s just for the SINKHOLE!’ It'sworse than a chalk outline of a body on the floor”.

34. “I just tried to rewrite my post about 5 times pointing out all the flaws but it was too long. That right there should tell you a lot.”

35. “I posted last night and deleted because I didn't want to get into the middle of this. But at some point, someone has to stop the bleeding.”

36. “I always like to compare room sizes to the same room in my own house. It's a good way to judge.”

37. “Yes, but ‘black and white’ does not constitute ‘form’ It's decor, not architecture. There is a difference. In other words: The cat can have her kittens in the oven, but that don't make 'em biscuits.”

38. “You might as well save that wasted money and just buy the Pro version of Chief Architect yourself. But, you’ll learn that GIGO remains true. It’s the person of talent wielding the tool that is important. Not the tool itself. Otherwise any tool could design the Taj Mahal.”

39. “Pencil and graph paper is the cheapest and easiest to master. If you can't do it with that, software just accelerates the end bad result and is a lot more frustrating and expensive.”

40. “I hate it when a client discovers tracing paper but that’s what you should buy.”

41. “I have already talked to homeowner, the cabinet maker, and the GC about this oversight. I'm really pissed at all 3 of them for not catching it sooner, but the good news is that they will do whatever it takes to solve the problem. It's an easy conversation because are all 3 of them are the same person...ME!”

42. “If all you want is all you ever experienced, then you'll get nothing new.”

43. Thread title: “Thoughts on stone and wood placement for back of the home.”And the first post in the thread which happens to be by the OP : “Please ignore things like the roofline and window placement, and wall indents/protrusions as the rendering is not…..accurate.”

44. “Oh boy, here we go again....’Oversized roof. Dark interior - especially kitchen. Pretty tall house for a ranch.’ ”

45. “Decks should be treated like any other room, as an integral part of the home. You wouldn't design a house without a dining room then add it late in the design process.”

46. “I don't really worry about what other people think. I find they don't do it very often.”

47. “This is exhausting!! The OP is going to do what she wants regardless........”

48. “You can't design, so you source it out with a Hail Mary for free work from unknowns on the internet? Who are pointing out massive issues that you choose to ignore.”

49. “Everyone realizes you're happy, it's for you. But when a dozen people, trained and untrained, tell you the same thing? There ya go.”

50. Thread title: “We are in over our heads” And the last post after 111 comments: “We're in over our heads” (emphasis mine).

51. “Don't fall into the trap of designing a house one element at a time.”

52. “Architectural design is a simultaneous exploration of site planning, interior space planning and design, and exterior form, massing and style. A decision in one area directly impacts and limits the possibilities in the remaining two areas. Architects understand this, but consumers seldom do. This why architects always think and design in all three spheres simultaneously. And it's why most consumers spend inordinate amounts oftime on just the floor plan.”

53. “Cut and paste of bad design doesn’t ever make it good design. It makes it worse.”

54. “This board loves architects, and I admit to being very impressed with the architects on this forum, and indeed in other encounters. In fact, this board loves architects so much that many will gladly commit non sequitur leaps in defense of their value, even lacking an attack on said value.”

55. “The whole house needs to go back to the drawing board -- too many jigs and jogs, not a strong circulation concept. Sorry.” (A comment about one of ARG’s house designs)

56. “After seeing both floor plans you've posted (one plan being another ARG design), Ithink neither of them are really what you want or need and neither make the best use of your land space or your square footage.”

57. “Architectrunnerguy…Chill out. You seem to scare easily but internet stalk well.”

58.”The most important thing to have,….. whether you are a pro or homeowner...is a sense of humor.”

59. “Speaking of architects and design...who designed this website? I hate that I can’t reply to individual posts directly.”

60. Thread title: “Design elements that age well” Reply: “Ages well: Gardenweb. Does not age well: HOUZZ updates”

61. “Houzz really needs to improve their forum features but that's another topic.”

62. “Some benches can change. I know this because I have one that used to be just the right size, but now, years later, it is too small.”

63. “Ok I'm going to be blunt. The difference between a well designed house and the ones you are looking at are the difference between being dressed like Coco Chanel or a street walker.”

64. “Yes, I agree that I don't want to have a prominent garage. I'm more interested in our house, than our vehicles house.”

65. “Unfortunately, painful introspection is your best friend right now. You need to find out why, how, and what you've done wrong from the beginning. This could result in more pain, such as firing your mother-in-law [who’s the GC] and her hack subs. Patients scream when their wounds are scrubbed, but it's for their own good.”

66. “Is this an outgrowth of some Quest video game? Find the golden goblet in the maze?”

67. I'm bumfuzzled (yes, I made up that word) that a trained architect couldn't come up with a better layout and design.”

68. “If you have to tell your architect how to incorporate a foyer into the plan, then he is not a very good architect. The process is for you to tell the architect WHAT you want, then it is up to him or her to figure out how to do it. You may need to hire a better architect.”

69. “It’s not only the closet. Look at all those doors on top of each other. An architect that does not know how to properly place doors is like a plastic surgeon that does not know how to stitch.”

70. “I agree that we need expert advice to make it all work. Unfortunately the designers we have employed to this point (we have worked with 3 different companies in total) have been unhelpful in making suggestions like how best to use space etc. Rather, they have listened to our unsophisticated ideas, and drawn them out for us. We needed them to say 'No, that won't work, do it this way.' We requested feedback as such. We are acutely aware that we don't have the first clue about house layout. All to no avail.”

71. “[A previous poster] summed it up perfectly. You get a disciplined architect with the ‘stones’ to tell you ‘no’ when you need to hear that word.”

72. “What does your architect suggest? Reply: "Honestly, he's not a ton of help. He's not very creative and pretty much only does what I tell him."

73. “Everything is orthogonal and uninteresting. It has no life or spirit. It looks like two boxes smooshed together without thinking. Other than that, it's pretty interesting...”

74. “When in doubt, ask yourself, will this item enhance my family's lives ... or just make the house fancier? For example, your children will not be happier eating off marble countertops, but they probably will be happier with a great room where everyone can gather comfortably.”

75. “‘4.00 Bathrooms’ That's a pretty precise bathroom count.”

76. “I simply don't agree that any house on a farm is a farmhouse, any more than I agree that any house built out and away from other houses is an outhouse.”

77. “According to the company bio, the VP ‘turns out new designs with amazing speed’, which to me at least is a bug and not a feature. Also in the bio, ‘In his career he has rubbed shoulders with names like Susanka, Lander, Cudd, Bloodgood and more’. I'm not sure that rubbing shoulders with Sarah Susanka's name is enough to have good design skills rub off.”

78. “Just because the draftsman has drafted plans for 20 years doesn't mean s/he has any design ability.”

79. “I've been working on designing the home myself and dropped it off with a designer who will put on some finishing touches and send it off to the architect.”

80. “That being said, this is the latest layout we come up with. It isn't exactly to scale and we need the architects to draft it still.”

81. “I don’t care how much time you spend on decision making or how many pros you have helping you, there will be regrets..even if they are small. The sooner you accept that, the better off you will be. Perfection is impossible.”

82. “Every house plan results in compromises. Only [M.C.] Escher can create a perfect plan without them but few builders are willing to attempt building his designs.”

83. During our first build, we noticed that one of the newly-installed master bathroom windows was both inoperable and off-center. Weary of the process and eager to get into the house, we didn't raise the ruckus we should have. That damn window has been driving me bonkers for fifteen years. Fifteen years, people. Fifteen years... age 36 to 51, every day, the window has been there...”

84. Thread title: “What drove you to custom build” Reply: “I wanted to experience insanity”

85. Thread title: “Difference between an aboveground basement & a raised ranch??? Reply: “’aboveground basement’ There’s no such thing!”

86. “For the most part you SIT on a toilet! For the guys? The ‘parts’ are hidden as nobody can see in and DOWN. A plantation shutter [in the window] and done.”

87. “The front facing shower should be ok as it appears there is an eyebrow window instead of a regular window. One's wobbly bits won't be on display to the neighbours.”

88. Thread title: “Are bidets and commodes with phones next to them worth it? I've seen it before but I'm unsure I want in my home?” Reply: “Please send us pictures of this when you are finished. With the installation that is.”

89. “I DON"T mention track builders in ALLOT of my posts......But they are the used car salespeople of HOUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All they do is scam people to put money in their pockets!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really sounds like you work for a tract builder??” Reply: “To think that the language of Shakespeare and Dickens has come to this: misspelled words and overwrought punctuation masquerading as coherent argument. Sigh.”

90. “Why is a bedroom sharing a wall with the master bedroom? Guess you want to scar your kids for life?” Reply: “Birth control by floorplan.”

91. “This [a suggested plan change] would fix the awkward situation of having sex whilethere is your kid in the adjacent bedroom, separated by 2x4s and 2 layers of drywall. Privacy please!!!”

92. “Good design, while not cheap, is one of the best bargains in life.”

93. “If you base cost of your home purely on money, tents look real attractive.”.

94. “I don't like the idea of ‘small house’ so much as the idea of a ‘right-sized house’.”

95. “Until I started hanging out here about eight years ago, I was a nescient amateur myself. There's no shame in lacking knowledge, especially in a field like architecture; as it's often mentioned here, architects and others with design talent have a particular ability toconsider, all at the same the time, a house's interior, exterior, and siting -- rather like playing 3D chess. In fact, coming to this forum lacking knowledge in search of knowledge, education, and assistance, is a good thing.”

96. “Sometimes Houzz can be aggravation, but there's a lot of value here.”

97. “I tried to educate myself as much as I could before starting the process but I now realize I know very little." Reply: “Realizing your limitations and asking for help is key in successful home building. You are off to a good start.”

98. “I continue to be amazed by the number of regular homeowners who come to this forum because they have some sort of nagging, persistent uneasy feeling — backed up by no special education or training whatsoever — that there is something very wrong with their house plans and they have problems pulling the trigger to start construction.”

99. “WHAT?? A courteous exchange?? Am I on the internet??”

And finally:

100. “You are allowed to do anything you want. This is the internet. (Inside joke, I want to make ARG’s list at the end of the year.)”