You should read a link that Tango posted on February 16, 2006 about a tutorial for newbies. It's a great, basic help about hypertufa before you start; tells about recipes, forms, etc., and you can take it from there. Maybe do a few smaller troughs until you get the feel of how wet, etc. the hypertufa needs to be, and how to pack it, cure it, etc. before you launch into something the size you have in mind. Don't know if you are thinking about making it outside this time of year, but in New York it is still too cold out -- it's not going to cure propertly with these cold winter temperatures well below freezing. I think that the best way to do anything is to just give it a try, but that being said, you may find a trough the size you are talking about for your first project a little more than you bargained for. That's a lot of mixing, sifting of peat moss, tamping and packing, and it's going to weigh a ton - you won't be able to move it without the help of 6 boys and a mule. Remember, you are going to have to turn it over to get it out of the Rubbermaid mold you are thinking about using (unless you are planning on destroying the mold). You might want to think about using Portland, peat moss and perlite instead of QuickCrete. You guys correct me if I'm wrong (not that I ever have been before :)... ), but I didn't think QuickCrete was the medium of choice for hypertufa. Happy learning!!

Oh, yeah,I vote for Mexico - 19 below (not counting windchill) for the 3rd morning in a row here. The weathermen LIE!!! And I'm months away from re-planting, ARGGHHH! Glad your turtle's home tho! Sarah (I'll be okay, truelly I will...just need to take a deep breath --- I am SOOO jealous :)

Well, I posted my lights on eBay and will do Craigs List as well. Fine Art Lamps discontinued them in October/November from their Casa di Campagna line so there aren't many stores still carrying them.. Maybe that will help me sell them. Who knows? I had emailed my salesperson but didn't hear back. I'll give it a few days. That's a long shot anyway. Of course, I did not order ANY new lights yet til I am sure!!! : ) I just wish I didn't spend so much on the originals.... Nothing I can do now though- hopefully I can get most of it back!

Janefan, I am the mother of twins, too. I never forget how hard my twin pregnancy was, but I do adore my girls (4.5) despite how hard it was, so maybe there is hope that I will love my kitchen, too!!! Bellamy, I only wish that I hired a cheap GC, so at least I wouldn't be paying a fortune for every aspect of this kitchen, but it is not the case. We hired the GC used by very close friends, friends who are incredibly demanding and exacting (husband's friend from the military), who did a very large addition to their house. They could not have praised this GC more. We saw his work in person, while it was in progress, work that was done exactly on schedule, perfectly. He was the most expensive GC of all that we interviewed, but we hired him because we were willing to pay more to have a job done on time and well, and because we trusted our friends' judgment. Sometimes you can do all the due diligence in the world, and things just don't work out the way you expect. If you read my post you will see that I never said that the KD is wrong to wait, and I didn't ask him not to wait, just frustrated, mostly with the being given false expectations, and with the carpenter, who obviously has too many jobs. I do see lots of people on this board with appliances installed before the rest of the kitchen is 100% done, and I do think the KD is being overcautious to protect his butt at our expense, but I have let him run the job the way he wants in that respect. I have done a renovation before, knew it would be long and frustrating, girded myself for the length and frustration, and believe that we have been actually quite patient. Too patient in the beginning. Just wanted to vent my frustration a little. Sorry it irritated you, Bellamy.