Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

Birchpoint - Larger tile was from; http://www.flooranddecoroutlets.com/calacatta-porcelain-tile-12in-x-24in.html This web picture looks a lot more beige than my tiles which are more white. You can order a sample. The Floor tile is from Arizona tile: http://www.arizonatile.com/Assets/ProductImages/M/Misingi_Suber_464x464.jpg I think the combination of the taupe floor tile and the porcelain marble tile is the most stunning part of the bathroom. Though some might argue that we should have used mosaic in the bottom of the shower floor but I chose "form over function" for this. With the grab bars which I definitely use because I don't have good balance, I haven't fallen. There is a spray you can purchase on Amazon for tile or other possibly slippery surfaces that can be used if you want to be sure it is less slippery. My tile guy recommended it if i needed more traction. Maybe when I get a bit older, I will apply it for more safety. The size of the shower is one of the best parts of the remodel. 5ft X 5ft is the official size that allows one to say their shower fits the ADA standard. We didn't size ours for that reason but it turns out, it really is the perfect size for us. I love how when you are showering, all sides can be reached without moving too far yet there is still a nice feeling of spaciousness. Some of the pictures I posted in another thread may give you a better idea of the bathroom. Here Also, as I have mentioned in several other threads on GW, not having a shower door has turned out to be so wonderful and enhances the shower experience greatly. We had our contractor build the walls so we could add a shower door if we decided we wanted one but as it turns out, that is the VERY LAST THING we would ever want. To anyone who is in doubt, I say "try it, you will probably like it". Here is a link that might be useful: Hall bath

The only entrance to the master suite is allll the way at the back of a rather large house. I'd consider a second entrance nearer the closet /bath end. I suspect this would be convenient quite often. Since you're talking about aging in place, a toilet in a closet is impractical. Tuck it behind a door or behind the shower, but allow yourself the space you'll need to navigate the area. I would open up the pantry to be a part of the mudroom. This means that when you enter the house with groceries, you're set to put things away. I don't see laundry anywhere? You have a large, space-hogging set of stairs . . . but they're tucked away. These lovely and expensive stairs make sense, if you're showcasing them in your entry or on the edge of your family room, but if you're tucking the staircase away to the edge, I'd go with the less expensive, less space-hogging straight stairs. Also, if you are going with these stairs, at least harnass the space underneath them. You have probably 4 or 5x8' of half-height space, which could be storage open towards the garage . . . or a built-in desk or shelves open towards the office. I would not block off this space! If you stick with this staircase, definitely add a window on the landing. You don't want people navigating the stairway in the dark. Both of your showers look narrow-skinny. Your kitchen aisle looks rather narrow-skinny too. In the secondary bedroom, if you move the closet to the bathroom wall, you'll insulate that room against bathroom sounds . . . and I think you'll get a larger closet. You'll also have a bit of an "alcove" as you enter the room, which is nice. Reaching this secondary bedroom is a long walk. I'd consider a door near the kitchen. If you (or another owner) ever needed to use the office as a bedroom, this would be a better option. I'm not a fan of over-sized garages, but I see a problem with this one: The opening closest to the house, I'm not sure you can pull into it. I think the front stairs might prevent you from making that turn. Will your middle garage door allow a large vehicle (i.e., handicapped van) to enter?

Hi tmnca! One thing to think about with the Kohler shower pans is whether you may ever be using a shower stool with legs. If you were to get a longer shower bench, the Salient may cause problems because the oval really does have quite a bit of "curb" to it, as shown in Badgergal's photo of her son's shower. With a small shower stool set in the center of the shower, it is fine. If you ever need a longer shower stool, the Bellweather gives you a surface not impeded with the raised oval. I does, however, have a slant to the overall shower floor, so that must be taken into account. I have seen the Bellweather in person. It is a non-slip surface. It almost felt like a surface that would make me trip - catching my foot if I did not pick it up and step. Like if I dragged the foot, it would catch and I would trip and fall. It was a funny feeling to the bottom, and I wondered how it would feel when wet. It was NOT going to feel slippery, though! As for tile in a shower floor, the other reason to have small tiles (besides the grout lines giving traction), is that the small tiles allow the tile layer to better cope with the slant toward the drain. Larger tiles only allow you to slant in one direction. The smaller the tile, the better it is for following contours on a floor that is flowing to a drain from all directions.