In my opinion, how you use your access to $1M depends entirely on how thick a hide you have.  

I've been using their 'Harmonics' oak laminate. 8mm thick + a pre attached 2mm pad; cost is around $1.46 per sqft.

Lots of newer homes lack the detail that older homes have with wide, thick and tall baseboards and trim.

The flooring is done using the old belts in the identical thickness and then they are glued to cover the walls and the floors.

The thick underlayment (3 -5 mm) they sell in the big-box stores is not worth the extra cost (IMHO) and often makes for a poorer installation.If you are trying to save costs by skipping the underlayment  why not simply ask the supplier to throw it in?  

Thick skin, researched and out in the open about your position.

If not that, you need to find an underlayment to go under the cabinets that is the exact thickness of your tile+mortar.If the floor under the cabinets is lower than the floor in front of and around the cabinets, the appliances will be too high and run into your countertop...

They claim this is five times more earthquake-resistant than conventional buildings.The company also says that it is five times more energy efficient, with 6-inch thick glass curtain wall insulation and four-paned windows with built-in shades, a heat recovery system and 3-stage filtration air conditioning process that purifies indoor air to be 20 times purer than the air outside.

Mike -With all of your investing successes so far, surely you've got thick skin.

Use the thick-wall stuff and you will be happy with it.