Make the most of your investment by ensuring a solid, level and dry foundation and lower level.

Now that we're down to assessing the competing quotes from our contractor finalists, we have to look at what features we can afford to include in our initial building contract.

Gone is the pipe dream of having a fully automated, computer-controlled house with voice-activated lights, 10,000-watt sound system and solar-powered vibrating/rotating bed.

With our budget, we can probably throw in a few "clapper" controlled fixtures -- for a taste of cutting-edge automation.

Although, I don't imagine you'll want to be shouting the word "clap" when activating that rotating bed -- it would be a bit of a turn-off, I'm guessing ...

We're finding we have to take a common-sense approach to our up-front features. What seems to make the most sense for us is to focus on the structural elements that would be difficult to add once the house is built.

We can always add built-in entertainment units, granite countertops and rotating beds down the road.

One consensus reached at an early stage of our planning involved the foundation and the basement subfloor.

Because the soil in the Winnipeg area tends to be heavy on the clay, we've decided to go with a concrete pile foundation.

The builder will come out and perform a soil test to see what we're dealing with, and then set the foundation up on rock-solid piles.

Custom builder Doug Milne, of Milne Homes, says the trend towards pile foundations kicked into high gear about eight years ago, as builders realized it was smart to set their larger houses up on piles.

It provides much greater stability and will mean fewer cracks in the trimwork, doors that won't need adjusting, and teleposts that rarely need to be raised or lowered.

As for the basement, we decided to go with a structural wood subfloor instead of poured concrete.

A wood subfloor is essentially constructed the same way as the regular, main-floor system -- using plywood sheeting on top of floor joists set on steel beams.

There are several advantages to using this system.

Because we're building on a lot that has plenty of thirsty oak and aspen trees, the soil beneath will likely swell after contact with rain water and runoff. Rather than risk a damaged concrete basement floor, we're banking on the subfloor system for a constant, consistent dry surface.

Because our wood subfloor will include a crawlspace with three or four feet of clearance below the floor, the water will safely run to the sump-pump pit in the middle of the dugout.

The builder will also place pea gravel over a layer of poly and sand on top of the soil in the crawlspace.

An added benefit of this system is the heating ducts can run below the subfloor, and the full ceiling height can be maintained for future lower-level development. Hot air is also circulated through the crawlspace to keep it warm and dry -- another bonus for lower-level inhabitants.

Milne says, on average, the cost of a wood subfloor is around $10,000, depending on the square-footage.

We figure we're making the most of our investment by ensuring a solid, level and dry foundation and lower level.

Not only will it mean fewer repairs down the road, it will also add resale value should we ever decide to move to the Middle East and become sand sales professionals.