That closeup helps me see what you have now. Frankly, I think it would look better if the roof wrapped across in front of the dormer and you only had a half-sized window there. The way it is now looks funny to me. I'm not sure I've ever seen a dormer quite like that before. I don't know where you're getting your windows from but, if you talk with them, I suspect you'll find that you can get an awning window that is exactly the size of the upper half of your double-hungs and they CAN also put vertical "lites" in it that match those in the top half of your other windows. Most windows these days have "simulated divided lites" anyway and you can have them put in where-ever you want them. Nobody does real divided lites anymore. Too much opportunity for air and water leakage. A casement with vertical simulated-divided-lites might be considered a "custom" window instead of a standard size - but hopefully ONE custom window won't break the bank. And if it'll make DS happy.... I don't think a half-sized window would look odd at all in that spot. It looks like you're also not putting a pediment over that one window or shutters around it. So it is going to be different from the others anyway. It'll look great as long as it blends stylistically with them. I think making it the same size as the upper HALF of your double-hungs and having the same "lites" will make it blend in quite nicely. Just be sure you specify that you want the casement window to have the same dimensions as the upper sash of your double-hungs and have the same lite pattern.

Well ... it's finished. The painting, that is. It's been non-stop painting around here for the past week. Painting around all the kitchen trim was more labor-intensive than I realized it would be, and as of this posting, I am beyond exhausted. But thrilled with the new look in the kitchen! I went to take a couple of pics, and discovered that my camera battery needs charging, so pics will have to wait for now. I wasn't sure about the BM Warren Acres when it first went up on the walls, but now that the entire space is complete, I'm thrilled with the color and don't think we could have chosen anything better. It's warm and soft and definitely provides the vintage vibe I was after, especially against the red woodwork. Think old red and green wooden handled kitchen gadgets! I have a collection of about 60 (gasp!) Mexican decorative items and themed artwork that are now going to be sold. It feels a bit like parting with old friends, but I'm ready to shift gears. DH keeps wandering into the kitchen and remarking about how open and airy it feels without so much clutter everywhere, and even he can't believe what a difference the lighter wall color makes. Pics will be coming, but for now I wanted to say thanks again to everyone for encouraging me and inspiring me! Young-gardener, Sugarberry Cottage is to die for! What a wonderful place! And Lkplatow - thanks very much for the info on the old clocks! I was just looking at one a little while ago on eBay that had been converted from electric to battery-operated, so from that I knew that it was possible. If I find an oldie that I like, I'll just need to find a local clock repairman, and I'm sure that will be fairly easy to do.

Since it sounds like the P-trap is leaking (that's the thing you call a U-bend), getting that repaired is the first order of business. The cosmetic fix is easy to do, but don't waste time on it until you get the real problem taken care of. I suggest you rip out that crappy, rotting box, which is also splitting at all the corners because whoever built it in the first place just screwed it together without drilling pilot holes. Then call in a plumber to fix the leak, and have someone build a proper enclosure. If you're really neurotic about bugs, have a piece of plexiglas cut for a front cover so you can still see the P-trap and not have to worry about a hidden leak.

There is nothing to be “fixed”. Trim gets caulked and painted. Tile wraps the corner in mirror images of a full tile, and all changes of plane get caulked. Throw away your microscope and stop expecting the sausage making ptocess to be the completed brown tasty morsel on your plate. It’s full of bloody parts and pieces. Remodeling is a messy process. This isnt finished, and he isn’t done.