"One more question-I was going to see if the builder could get another tile guy in for a consult-to come up with the plan and then this guy can follow that - is this reasonable? Somehow, I'd like someone involved that knows exactly what they're doing. this is so frustrating!! " I'm a builder, but I also do everything from framing to finish work. So I've seen this from both sides of the issue. Now I don't know your tiler, but after years of seeing pretty much all there is to see, and hearing all there is to hear, I'm more concerned with end results rather than assuaging tender personalities. The problem is not that he's working with tricky materials or with a tricky layout. You have a basic layout and a basic tile. The problem is not that "something just doesn't look right" and it's so minute, so buried within the overall aesthetic that we just cant pick it out. It's not a proportion that could have been tweaked. It's not that the golden rectangle could have been honored and it wasn't. Your installation has repeated flaws. They are all obvious. The layout is bad. Grout lines are uneven. Tiles were cut without being measured for the individual space they will fill. That's why having your builder bring in another tiler as a consultant probably won't help. This guy is ether having a rough go of life at this time, or he's simply ignorant and apathetic. His inadequacies are now a part of your house. In your bathroom. Is this what you want to wake up to and go to bed to each day? If you want to nurse him along and offer him yet another chance at redemption, it's up to you and your builder. Honestly? I'd cut the guy loose and bring in a competent tiler. From the builder's point of view, unless he's enamored with this tiler for some reason, the builder wants to get the job done in as few hours as possible. He wants to pay for the job once. Not twice, or four times. I'd put it on your builder. Simply tell your builder that based upon what you've seen, for whatever reasons, the current tiler is not up snuff for executing this job. If your builder insists that this guy be given a second chance, hey it's on your builder. But then when an outside guy needs to be brought in, that'll be on your builder too. Your concern is that the job be done properly. It's up to the builder to bring in people that do competent work. Your mantra that you need to repeat to the builder is that you want it done right; to industry standards and in a workmanlike manner. If you agree to give this guy another chance, legally you've seen the level of his work and you're accepting it. That's why your sole concern is to demand a certain quality of work, and it's up to the builder, not you, to bring in a technician capable of producing. When you agree to a certain person doing the work, you're accepting that person's ability. If they have a good day, you're fine. If they have a bad day, you're stuck. If you agree that the work be done to a certain quality level, then that's what the builder has to provide, whether it take him one try or forty tries. There's a bit of subtlety in that language, and I hate to bring it up, but I've done construction arbitration, I've been a witness in legal cases, and sometimes the minutiae is important. Not that you;re headed in that direction, but I'm tossing that out for consideration. I highly recommend that these things be put in writing. email is fine. Just get written communication going so you have a record of your concerns. The builder will probably drop the "well you know, getting someone else to come in and do the work might cost us a couple of weeks on the timeline" to try to scare you. Just give him a deadpan reply of "well you better get on the phone and start dialing now". Two day, two weeks, it seems like an eternal stoppage at the moment. But when the job is done properly, it'll have been worth it. Remember, this is business. It's not your job to coddle the incompetent. Or pay them YOUR money for work that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck for the next 20 years. If you plan on selling in a few years, it's more important. Do you want potential buyers seeing this bathroom and saying oooooohhhhhhh! or do you want them saying Ugh. You'll make money with oooohhhh. With "Ugh" you'll pay for this tile again when you have to drop your selling price. Brevity is not my strong point, Mongo

Oh my gosh, what a surprise to see my old thread pop up! It was, all in all, a great trip for them all. What worked? Just about everything . . . and thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice! ~ Sleeping arrangements: DD and 2 of the girls fit nicely in DD's room (bed, window seat bed and single mattress on floor). The two other girls slept out on our living room sofas. That room closes off with 3 sets of French doors, so they had a bit of privacy, at least. The 2 guys slept in our guest room. Bathrooms: I decided before anyone arrived that, with seven 18 & 19 year olds in one house, there would be no long baths; only quick showers. So, I put 2 wood tv tables in the bathtub with a laundry basket on each. One held big stacks of folded bath towels and washcloths. The other was for the used ones. I told them not to hang the damp ones. The nightmare of many wet towels hanging everywhere inspired that decision. Great one on my part!!! I just washed and replaced the towels every afternoon while they were out sightseeing. I also had stocked both guest bathrooms with a box of essentials: from travel-size tubes of toothpaste, deodorants, Kleenex; small combs, Tylenol, Tums, Chapstick, toothbrushes, girl essentials, sunscreen. Thank goodness, as they were pretty much all used! ~ I put a supply of local postcards, stamps and pens in each bedroom for them to send postcards quickly and easily. Also a supply of local travel books to inspire their daily outings. ~Food/Meals: as I expected, they ate like they were all starving. They loved my meals . . . even the vegetarian. I'd stocked up on enough snacks to keep them all happy. Thank goodness! ~Sightseeing: LOL LOL LOL!!! None of them had been to New Mexico before and their expectations were funny, to say the least. We have small herds of wild horses, but they're wild, not kept in pens. Our visitors wanted DD to drive them , wherever they were so that they could "pet them" and take pics! That didn't happen (LOL), but they did see some occasionally here and there. Same with coyotes. DD had to warn them not to make a big deal about any Native Americans they saw. They tried to speak Spanish to people here, which was met with patience and kindness (thank goodness!). Our chile was "too hot", but they loved exploring Santa Fe and Albuquerque. And Madrid, NM, where the movie "Wild Hogs" was filmed. What didn't work? Well, getting 7 college freshmen to agree on anything, such as where to go exploring next or what movie to watch, was a PIA for DD. One gal turned out to be a hypochondriac, which frustrated the rest. And, DS & his girlfriend decided at the last minute to cancel their hotel reservations and sleep on a queen-size air mattress in our foyer (the only place left!), as they stopped by for a few days on their way to his new job in Tucson, AZ. So, we ended up with a real houseful . . . but it was a lot of fun. Would we do it again? Yes, if DD asked. Would DD do it again? Absolutely not. She said it was fun but exhausting. This Spring Break she's bringing (just) two of her close friends/sorority sisters here to celebrate her 21st birthday. They'll dance at some of the higher end (read: safe) clubs. Shop Santa Fe and ABQ Uptown. Visit Madrid and The Tram. Eat out at some favorite spots and generally spend all the money their parents promised them for this year's Spring Break on themselves instead of an expensive hotel room. Their first choice, Austin, TX, was pretty much already booked up, as South by Southwest will be there at the same time. They were looking at $500/night for modest hotel rooms and super-inflated SbSW ticket prices! So, we'll be entertaining again, but on a much more sane level! Lynn

Yep, what Les said. Do the tufting first using a heavy thread, like upholstery thread in a 'box' pattern and then sew on the buttons in the center of the small 'box'. Done that way, they even survive the washing machine and dryer. The color/pattern mix in the room looks great - good job!

Angela, it's NIVER been one of us. It's always GW and their Internal Errors. If they would fix this, no one would worry that their carefully worded and pithy saga was GONE! When this first started a long while back, I got in the habit of Ctrl+A on my post, waiting for the error, then going back into the thread to see if I posted or not. Always did. Ironically I haven't had this issue in quite some time. I'm on my laptop. They have to post on Facebook? What happened to those of us who use their [ahem] service to communicate with each other regarding areas of mutual interest? Are they giving up on their own, advertisement-saturated method of communication? Will GW/iVillage become a Facebook clone? Or just another Blog? Someone in our restaurant's corporate office decided the most important dictum of the week was that our ties were now full Windsor, rather than 1/2 Windsor. It was wildly important that we comply immediately. And to think someone got paid for that, when we have crappy bread, kitchens too small to accommodate a $50,000.00 Saturday night, and a dishwasher that can't keep up so everything has to run through at least twice. My point... iVillage might want to consider working on and with their own systems, vs. worrying about Facebook. And, probably Twitter. Well, they seem to be twits.