More on "Please Help Me To Decide"

Remember the Wacky Wisteria on the W. Shop?  This is what it ought to look like.

 Thank you to everyone who has shared their opinion about my next project by voting and/or commenting. The poll will be open until next Friday (21st) so there is still plenty of time if you haven't voted yet but would like to, or if you want to vote again you can vote for as many different options as many times as you like.

As far as the results to date go I think 'landslide' is the only way to describe it with 100% of voters so far in favour of the Retreat. It surpises me that everyone is being so like minded about this and I wonder if somehow I gave out some false impressions about the projects I have in mind.

Judging from the comments that have been left I somehow gave the impression that I have more details plans and ideas for the Retreat than I do for the other two projects. Let me clarify now that this is not the case. For each project there are certain aspects that I know exactly what I want and other areas that are still either blank or variable and they will stay that way right up until I start to work on them. I prefer to work this way for a number of reasons. For example both the Old Castle and the Georgian, new layouts can't be fully decided until after I've discovered how easily the walls can be knocked out and how hard it is to cut holes in others and how much damage is done to the elements I want to retain through this process. Besides, last time I had something fully planned out before I started it I discovered that a staircase was emerging right in the middle of a fireplace. Basically, I work better when I'm winging it.

As far as the Retreat goes, I know the theme; "Japanese tea house". I know I want to rig the door to slide. I know I want to add a garden. I know the ground floor will have a table and some tea accessories (tea pot and cups) That's it. The "things I don't know list" includes such things as colour (for the walls, inside and out, furniture, accessories, furnishings, etc) what the blazes to do with the entire upstairs, what roofing material/style, what will I do with the ugly stairs that came with the kit, how do I fill up the ground floor (it's bigger in reality than it looked on screen), how do I encase the garden to stop dust settling in it and cats eating it and where do I put it when it's all finished?

Both the Old Castle and the Georgian when finished can go back where they were before. Both have themes; "Victorian Camelot" and "Grand Georgian with a possible touch of Cinderella". Both have at least two rooms fully laid out in my head and vague ideas for all of the other rooms including layout, colour, function and style. Both have furniture already bought to go in them. Both have been plundered for elements to use in other projects (many of the Old Castle's best elements are now in Starcaster and the Witch Shop, the candlesticks in Starcaster's bedroom started out in the dining room of the Georgian). The unkowns are largely limited to "things I won't know until I start" (e.g. how wide can I make the stairs before they look too wide, is that paint colour a shade too dark in situ) and "wild ideas" (e.g. maybe I should rip the electrics out of the Old Castle and use the lights in the Georgian instead).

Furniture bought for the Old Castle's Renovation

 
All in all, I'm probably about as ready to start any one of these three as I am any of the others.  And that is the basic problem.  I could start any of them now.  I want to start all of them now.  I have to pick just one.  Thus far it looks like popular opinion says it will be the Retreat, but maybe something in this post will cause a swing in voting to one of the other two.

To address some of your comments specifically:

Linda - The theme isn't entirely new, there is this roombox from a few years back:

Rosella - Thanks for the compliment that you like them as is, but the  Old Castle at least is in total disarray because I've "borrowed" things from it.  It needs lots of love to put it back to rights.

-P- The cave will have a well in the floor, undressed stone walls with shelves 'carved into some of them, a fire (possibly in the middle of the room) and all the usual magiciany things like owls, potions, books and scrolls, staffs, a comfy chair to collapse into after a long day of spell casting and of course a magician/wizard/sorcerer.  I want to see it too!

Irene, Fabiola, Patty and Maria - I think I've pretty much already covered any response to your comments, but thanks for leaving your thoughts.

It's Spring and things are again in bloom.