I know what you are going through because I am in this same situation now. I would add that I have to pick up a tub on top of what you have. Don't laugh, but I started with the towels . I got from Frontgate the colors that I wanted and I had them monogrammed . I have the bath mates too . I chose the glass tile that had both colors in it . I want my bathroom clean looking too, so I am going with honed Carrara marble on the floor . For the counter tops and the tub deck my GC suggested the cultured Calcutta marble, he is raving about it . He suggested using it in the shower too as a slab , so low maintenance for cleaning with no grout lines . I could use the glass tile in between two slabs to give an accent . I don't know if I helped you or not , but believe me I have your headache because after I chose the Moen faucets, I found out that some parts like the handheld shower head is plastic , and I hate that. Now I am in the quest for an all metal faucets for sinks , bathtub, and shower. Any suggestions ???

thanks to all who have posted so far, especially Eric. We can probably save/budget down the road for a kitchen redo, or do part of it ourselves. Additions would be a little harder for us except finish work (floors, tile, etc. Can do drywall even but would need to find time to do it). What that kitchen has is a U shaped layout, not too bad except there are overhanging cabinets between a small dining/family space and the kitchen. It's a counter/pass through kind of setup where someone can sit at stools and talk with the person in the kitchen....except the cabinets hang down so the person in the kitchen has to look under them. We would likely tear those out and relocate the stovetop to the perimeter wall and make that pass through an island. Then that entire space could become kitchen/dining. It is possible we could still move out a wall on that (kitchen) side of the house down the road too, we are in Hawaii so all the construction costs are much, much higher than mainland. So jealous of all the posters here who can put on a large extension for less than 50K. Plan A or Plan B will cost us about the same. We don't plan to sell and move anytime soon, but should we need to we're leaning toward sq. footage instead of just extending current bath and upgrading the kitchen. Our neighborhood is about 20 years old so people are beginning to redo those rooms as the fixtures and appliances are ageing. We redid all the appliances about three years ago with stainless finishes, new faucet/sink, and redid the countertop Corian, so the kitchen is livable - just need to clear out some clutter and make smarter usage on available storage space. We could paint or restain the cabinet doors to freshen it up. A few neighbors are creating the "big bang" kitchen now but I'm not certain a 70K upgrade will improve the value that much as a new neighborhood is planned about 5 miles away within the next couple of years. Would we love to live in a "WOW" kitchen, of course. But as with most people we have to make a decision on where it is best to spend the money for now. We could feasibly also add on a 2nd story in future years, but we prefer the single story and if we age-in-place as planned, the new bath will include wide accesses and no-curb shower.

We are finally getting around to replacing the last of the original windows in our 1960's rancher. This is a bathroom window and it is currently a small 22.5" X 21.5" obscured glass divided top and bottom. The bottom is fixed and the top is like a casement but opens up and out. It sits above the bathub/shower and is visible from the doorway. My DH is planning on tiling the tub/shower walls and I know this will be my only opportunity to change the size and shape of the window. Once that tile is up, he wont agree to tearing it down for anything! So I have to get this right. We are thinking that vinyl inside and out is a good idea because it will be wet. My question is, does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for a style and brand of window that might make a great focal point in the wall of a small (5' X 7') bathroom? The window looks out over a private backyard but it is ground level so will need some window coverings (I was thinking faux wood blinds??) for privacy. I don't want the glass totally obscured as my yard is pretty. I'd like the window to open. We live in a fairly safe neighbourhood but security is also something of a concern and we like to leave the bathroom window open now all summer. We have discussed having two or three small casements with bars between the panes to match the rest of the house. We have also considered a hexagon about 3.5' across if we can find one that opens (maybe hopper style?). We have diamond shapes set into some of our crown and door moldings so we have even discussed a diamond (or even a square turned on edge) window in that wall but how would it open? Is there even such a thing? I've looked at various web sites and though most manufacturers say they can make anything, price will be an issue, so having a custom window is probably out of the question. I'll post this in the Bathrooms Forum, too, but thought people here seem to be the window experts so .... Any suggestions appreciated.

I'd go with the obscure glass - you still get the light through the full size windows, you get the privacy for the bathroom, and the exterior of the house still looks good.