Before the GardenWeb gets around to pulling my plug I thought I would point out that one of the greatest, if not the only, benefit of using an Eagle Window is the fact that they will put a different color sash in their aluminum clad window frames as I referenced in my earlier post that was thought to be rude. A black sash can sometimes be an excellent choice in a gray or off-white frame because it gives the windows a more dramatic, deeper, and larger appearance. It was commonly used in older houses and has worked well for me in several historic restorations. But without seeing the rest of the trim colors and materials and the general setting of the house, it would be inappropriate to recommend anything that specific. Making the entire window sash and frame black can be too strong IMHO since subtlety is an important issue in any huse although it can work when the windows are inset in brick openings with no trim. Whatever is decided it should be accurately drawn to scale in color or mocked up. Making the windows all white seems a waste of a design opportunity unless the style of the house demands it (Georgian, etc). But if you like the Craftsman Style you really shouldn't be thinking about white windows or even clapboard siding for that matter. Pick a theme and try to reinforce it with the appropriate materials. There is a reason the Craftsman houses used shingles and earth colors; it was part of a cultural movement protesting the industrial revolution, not just a fashion or a "style". mdev, you apparently thought I was speaking to you about your window color comments but you should not have. I try to only speak to the OP in a thread and often don't read the other posts very thoroughly since I'm working in my office and often don't even see a recent post because it can take me an hour or two to post if a client calls or if I go to lunch. I can't do this full time. If I had something to say to you, I would normally have used your name. Others appear to have understood that and I only just figured out what you had assumed. I believe that responding to other posters comments rarely helps the OP and it often hijacks the thread which is truly a rude thing to do. The original post should always take precedence or AH would just become another chat room like the garden and kitchen forums. People come to BAH for real answers. The late Ben Thompson often told us to never design in a vacuum. It actually took me some time to understand what he meant: never focus on one design element to the exclusion of the others. The first thing you consider when selecting anything is how it will reinforce the central idea or design motif (called a "parti" in design school and you had to have one you could defend or your presentation was over). Only then should you consider the other aspects of the design. (You can learn a bit of this from the "What Not To Wear" TV show.) Focusing on the big ideas first instead of your old favorite ideas actually makes designing easier as well as more powerful. Toward the end things just seem to fall into place. The choice of a window color should fit into the larger "parti" and if you haven't defined that yet or can't describe it to others you can't move forward and get effective help from others. In other words, your're stuck. Know that feeling? It took me 4 years as an engineering and art student in college, 3 1/2 years in graduate school (interrupted by the war) and 10 years in an office to figure how a design process worked. I offer it to you in a 10 minute tutorial for free. Whether you understand it or not, you can't say I didn't try. The photo below is of a Cambridge, MA house restoration finished last year. On a lark I applied to do a another Cambridge house advertised on Craigslist with just my resume and this photo and beat out 250 other architectural proposals from all over New England. What many years of experience teaches you is proportion and balance. I don't know how to teach that in 10 minutes but learning to design a Palladian window would an excellent place to start.

jeffery, 1st, bryant does not even manufacture straight copper coils any more they are all tin plated as of early 2009. What they have on their site about copper coils is for customers who have coils prior to the tin plated coil. The models the contractor gave you for your 2nd and 3rd options. These models are being phased out for updated models so there is a very limited supply. This is what I mean by availability. A note: There is nothing wrong with the models they listed but as per my state FL we no longer have those models available Plus, I even gave you an out dated model because it is in bedded in my head. The 225A is being replaced by the 225B so you see it's very easy to put down models that may no longer be available. next the SEER rating is only part of the system, The other part and what is more my concern is the quality of the system. The 213B is a no thrills system and the parts used are just basic parts. This system was to compete with Trane's XB13 Goodman, Amana and other low end model systems. Sure the systems have 10 yr parts, but they are made to last 10yrs and a day. Plus they have a tendency to be noisy and flimsy. This is the industry as a whole when we talk about the low end models not just that bryant model, remember I'm not talking about lower SEER but low end on quality. for your annual operating cost, I like to know how those numbers are got. The thing is no one knows, I mean they are tested but how? Trust me, I was at the manufacture plant where they test and I still don't get it fully. So for me it's about quality, you pay for a tin plated coil, you pay for a sturdy case, you pay for a better blower motor and a better condensing fan motor. You pay for electronics that make the system run smoothly. You pay not to have issues or problems. Remember if life was all no thrills we all be driving yugo's Now I have actually tested the bryant evolution system with yearly averages of utility costs. I have found in my area the customers who have the Evolution Heat Pump Models their monthly heating and cooling averaged out to $48 to $54 dollars a month. I will say, that if you elect to go with a Bryant 2 speed condenser you will save more no matter what the SEER rating is over a single speed Bryant. I have seen success with bryants 2 speed systems even their base non communicating 2 speed system the 226A. The 226A Heat Pump is my top selling condenser it really does the job well when match with a FV air handler and T6 Edge stat. It does need 10 wire ran to the stat though. Next if you choose zoning and the zoning is designed well you will save even more money in utilities. Since you are having your duct redone, now would be the time to re do it for zoning. The evolution zone with evolution heat pump is my first choice. So it never hurts to look into your options and then you can decide what it best for your home.

Thanks guys. Well, yesterday's people came back again today. Again - over an hour late. Again, the buyer's agent called the office notify us of the delay, and again.. I wasn't notified. Oh well. They spent about 25 minutes in the house, and raced off to other appointments they were also late for. Haven't heard anything back yet, but I'm not obsessing over it either. We have 2 more showings tomorrow evening, and if these people come back for a 3rd time, it's all good. We replaced the screen on the slider door tonight, and I got a quote and hired someone to refinish the deck.. that will be done this week. The previous owners painted it with latex and it's peeling off. It's not hideous, but a bit of an eyesore compared to the rest of the house. I think it will be $700 well spent. I was out weeding my gardens and had to trim the grass growing around my For Sale sign. That kinda made me sad. jy_md - I have no problem with the amount of showings we're getting, and I do think our home is adequately marketed. My only issue is the lack of communication, and him not being reachable half the time. Of course, at this point I'm sure he considers me a colossal PITA and can't wait to sell it just to be rid of me ;) marys1000 mentioned "If now that you've lowered your price you still don't get a nibble I'd wonder if he's not working with the other agents well? " Which brings me to a new issue, and I think there may be some truth to that. Our neighbours across the court (ones who started out FSBO then listed with an agent, and subsequently sold 5 days later) were over talking to us (they're rooting us on big time, bless their hearts) was telling us their agent (from a different realtor) knows of our agent, and knows a few people who have closed deals with him - and he's apparently not very good to work with. Again, unreachable, and when the going gets tough, he shoves things off onto other people. Not sure how much truth there is in that, but it might explain why, out of 30+ showings and 30+ agents, the agents are for some reason pushing their clients to other houses. This is a question HE'S also pondered, but didn't have an answer for. If there's any truth to what we've heard, that may be our answer. I don't know, but I just have that sinking feeling in my stomach that we made a very bad choice, and it's a lesson well learned. Anyway, tomorrow is a new week. Onward.....

Wow...I am shocked by your fathers response to what is clearly a problem that he significantly contributed to. If you are able to find one of the tile pros from John Bridge who works in your area...you would very likely be in good hands. There should be no delay in getting onto the JB site to ask questions. I think the delay is just for uploading pictures. Be prepared though because they may also suggest you need to start over if you want certainty that it is done properly. On the bright side, at least it looks like your husband has discovered the source of the water behind the wall ( it's hard to understand why this wasn't investigated by the crew that did the original tear out ). While it does not address the shower waterproofing/ material suitability issues it is at least a step in the right direction.