You may be suffering from sticker shock. Is replacing the popcorn ceilings the only thing you're doing in the bedroom? This is what we did for about $45,000 in our master bed and bathroom remodel (bathroom is in the process right now), using a GC and his subs. We have worked with him and his team before; obviously, we like them. DH and I are at a point where we can't/won't DIY any big project. We have spread the project over about two years. In the bedroom: repaired the subfloor, got very plush and thick new carpet and pads; skimmed and re-skimmed the walls ( a long, tedious job), and painted; replaced tinny old windows with four new Pellas, double-glazed with integrated blinds, added crown molding; moved ceiling light in sitting area and replaced it. One coat of primer, two coats of BM paint, eggshell on the walls, semi-gloss on the trim, flat on the ceiling. In the bathroom: gutted the whole thing down to the studs in the floor and parts of the wall, put in new insulation and subfloors; all new plumbing, which was a big job, as the original was so old and messed up; skimmed the remaining walls; installed new vanity with double sinks; built new shower (a combo of Daltile and Walker Zanger), with two pony walls; frameless glass shower doors with Safeguard; all new hardware (Moen Kingsley) and medicine cabinet; new sconces, and can lights in the ceiling; paintied walls and trim. Not included are the new floor (vinyl, need the softest possible for my back and legs); probably two small wall cabinets matching the vanity; a piece of Corian to cover a long shelf next to the shower; a new bathroom door, paneled to match those in the bedroom. As is clear, we did not go high-end on everything, my goal was as pretty as we could afford and easy upkeep. Have you DIY-ed a big project before? You need to have your plan complete before you begin, and have your materials chosen and ordered and timed for arrival appropriately. You need to coordinate all the sub-contractors, although the fact that you know them is good. We also know our team, but the fact that our GC can coordinate them so easily is very helpful. There is also the clean-up, which is a fairly big deal. Our old carpet, windows, shower, vanity, countertop, and all the other stuff was out the door and carted off so quickly that I barely saw it go, and the place was dusted and vacuumed perfectly. It is a very big job!

Close, but the distinctions are a bit different than that. In both lines, certain pieces have disk bottoms; these are the pieces such as saute pans and saucepans that don't really benefit from straight-gauge construction. (Indeed, conducting heat up the side is quite possibly a bad thing, not a good thing, in pans with vertical sides.) In these pieces, Atlantis uses copper-disk construction, and Apollo uses aluminum disks. In addition, Atlantis uses full-diameter disks, which prevents hot spots in the corners. In other pieces, like rounded sautueses and frying pans, both lines use clad aluminum construction that is very similar to All Clad's, expect that they use thicker aluminum. The lines also differ in the handles. Apollo has loop handles that are formed from SS bar stock, and long handles that are made from rolled SS sheet stock. Atlantis has cast SS handles, that are very attractive in design. Both lines feature the Silvinox surface treatment of the SS, which makes it harder and more chemically-resistant than normal 18/10 stainless.

weedyacres...not sure your suggestion of unmodified for both layers is correct... as stated on the schluster Ditra website they suggest using a latex modified thinset for adhering the DITRA...due to the wood underlayment absorption of moisture I presume might be different if using durarock subbase here is their quote "Remember, the type of mortar used to apply Schluter-DITRA depends on the type of substrate. The mortar must bond to the substrate and mechanically anchor the fleece on the underside of the DITRA. For example, bonding DITRA to wood requires latex-modified thin-set mortar. Additionally, all mortars (modified and unmodified) have an acceptable temperature range that must be observed during application and curing." nothing is mentioned in the section with eletric heating mats in fact latex modified thinset is listed in the materials required.

I also did my own backsplash. I had tiled quite a bit in the past, and my recommendation is to buy an inexpensive tile saw. I bought a Harbor Freight cheapie that I have used for several tile jobs. Planning your layout is the most important thing. I would NOT use mastic if you use a natural stone, as the oils in the mastic can stain the stone. Fortunately real thin set is a lot cheaper and is easily mixed with a drill and "egg beater" type of attachment. If you do decide to DIY there is not better place on the web than the John Bridge Tile Forum for advice. Also, don't let the counter top people talk you into putting in the 4" backsplash if you don't like the look. I know that a lot of people tile above the 4" backsplash, but to me it always looks like an afterthought. We lived with our unfinished backsplash for over a year and it wasn't a problem to leave it just painted drywall during that period of time. Actually, to be honest, I still have 2 small areas in the kitchen where I haven't done the backsplash yet, and we've been in the house for almost 5 years, but I don't suggest that you do that! Here's my tumbled copper slate backsplash: