Happy New Year DouglasYour talking to a California Boy here Douglas, whose spent more time on a skateboard than a snowboard and thats the Gods honset truth.But I'll give it a tryYou should consider insulating both your hot and cold copper lines with the heaviest poly foam insulation you can buy,,,i'm talking 3/4 to 1" thick and I mean every linear foot of pipe,,,,Now having said that,its my understanding that in colder climates there are systems where you actually wrap your water supply piping with heating wire to prevent freezing,Of course the key here is you must have 24/7 electrical power to the wiring.Now to my new friend Alex M,,,In a word Alex ,youre off to a good start,,,,,For my money ,your cant beat the Noritz tankless water heater products,,,,in the first place,,,if you have a troubleshooting issue ,they send their tech guy out to your house to check out your problem with your unit,,,you heard me right,,,Secondly ,they are a class act,,,,I'll say it like this ,,,contractors like myself LOVE THEM ,,,because we get no call backs from Noritz products,,,,Bare in mind ,,,the secret to tankless is;You want to install them on an outside wall ,,,why?

For each transaction here in California I had to sign a stack of documents two inches thick.

Maybe I have thick skin and, as I indicated, I think there is typically no value in calling someone sensitive.  

My skin is thick, pierce at it at you will. lol And thank you for making my comments valid.  

I have a very thick skin, and may bully the bully.

It depends on the thickness of your skin and your stomach.

If you are able to save up and land a 2-4 unit property and add some value to it over time while collecting rents and learning how to manage a property, you will be on the right track and you will also learn quickly if you have the thick skin to manage multiple units over time.

Without a thermal barrier (i.e. drywall) or an intumescent coating to counter flame spread, there's little chance it would meet fire code.  3/4", or possibly, 5/8" may well meet fire code requirements - particularly if treated with an intumescent coating.Old victorian wainscotting (not the faux 5/16" modern stuff) is 3/4" to 1" thick and the wood would be much denser that a modern 3/4" board.  

Definitely the mountains with thick forests, clear mountain streams and rivers, and lots of outdoor recreation! 

Imo it's also easier to maintain.One tip: go for laminate flooring that has 12 or mm thickness.