>> I wouldn't sentence any plant to spending winter in that stuff if I had something else. Alright, good points. I repotted both into the 511 mix I had. The Makoyana had these cool-looking tubers for parts of its roots. I felt like the one on the bottom left in the photo had to go in the pruning process because that root was just way too long and I would have had to wrap it around the diameter of the pot like twice, which I understand is not a good idea. The other Calathea also had its roots pruned. Now my understanding is the plants may shed some leaves to balance the newly-smaller root systems, and to help them both recover, I bagged them both. >> AFAIK, I've never had a plant die of low humidity, even in OH, running electric heat pump or gas furnace. I've had some good, albeit limited, experiences with bagging plants. Some hoyas seem to recover after a repot better when bagged. An alocasia poly roots started jumping out of the pot just 6 days after being bagged and under lights. Finally, rooting of a long and spindly maranta vine cut up into 7 or so segments was a smashing success this summer. Granted, you rarely get a "control" plant that was NOT bagged under otherwise similar circumstances in order to compare, but the circumstantial evidence is rather strong, I'd say. But you gotta watch for mold or stale odors out of anything bagged and air the plants out often. >> Green, are you planning on placing your Calatheas on the heating mat??? Don't think I would. Well, I mentioned the mat to ask how plants could know if it is winter. I do want to use the mat for some of my plants. Calatheas should not be among them, huh? I see online mentions of them tolerating lows of 60-65. What about helping them heal faster after a repot and root-pruning - does warmth generally help plants recover? For lights, I use four 4-foot 54W 6500K T5 high output bulbs, turned on for 16 hrs a day with a timer. They do not generate much heat, but even if they did a little more of that, that'd be fine because my apartment is generally too cold rather than too hot for most plants. Plants can be very close to the light bulbs, as long as they do not touch.

Here's the thing. You need to look at EVERYTHING on the MLS in your price range. Even stuff in the neighboring towns. Since that is what potential buyers are seeing when they pull up the MLS. You may not consider ocean front or ocean view a comp. But since your house is in the same price range, it is something buyers are seeing when they pull up the MLS. Same with the new construction. It comes up on the MLS. And then the buyer thinks, "gosh I could get an ocean view. Maybe I'm willing to live in a slightly smaller house so I can sit in my backyard with a cappuccino and enjoy the view." Or they think, "wow, I could get new construction, pick out all my own finishes, and never have to worry about anything breaking. And it's right off the highway, so fabulous commute!" Just because you don't consider it a comp, that doesn't mean potential buyers don't consider it worthy of consideration. Your homes features are not on everyone's MUST HAVE list. Not everyone cares about the big yard. Lots of people don't care about being on a noisy street. Who is your target buyer? I'm guessing young family, moving further out from the city? If that's your buyer, then anything over 10k sf is a large lot. 4 bed, 2.5 baths is desired, granite/ss kitchen, separate playroom. Anything over isn't necessarily something they are willing to pay a premium for.

Oberon, thank you for responding. I really appreciate your input. FYI - The Andersen rep and customer service both tell me that the thickness of their lites is proprietary information. Laminated windows are a strain on the budget with a price almost twice that of standard windows, but it appears that I have no choice if I want to reduce noise. Would a triple pane window, with EVEN panes, take the place or even come close to the noise reduction of a double pane anealed/laminated window? I am wondering if it is possible to make an educated guess as to the STC/OITC that I need. Here is my story: My house, built in early 1050s, is 200-300 feet from a local 4-lane highway. The hwy has a posted speed limit of 40 MPH (plenty of cars go 50 MPH) and has lights which slow traffic down. There are bushes between us, and a neighbor's house partially blocks the hwy side. My windows are the originals and they do a minimally acceptable job of blocking the traffic noise from my sensitive ears. Most of the windows are wood, double hung, single pane, covered by storm windows that are closed all year. The den, which is the most exposed room, has a wall of single pane casement windows in steel frames. Each sash is a steel frame/grill that divides the glass into individual rectangles of approx 10" x 12". The den casements are painted shut and covered by storm windows all year. In the winter, there is a draft coming through and they are often wet from condensation. As part of a major home renovation, I am replacing all the original windows with casements and would like to reduce the noise more. Can you take an educated guess as to a minimum STC/OITC rating that I should look for? I am considering Anderson 400 Series or A series casements, and using the laminated windows in the more sensitive rooms - den and master bedroom. I am leaning strongly toward the A Series for two reasons: 1) The STC/OITC ratings of the A Series standard IGU are 27/23 vs the 400 Series 26/22. The ratings of the A Series .060 lami is 33/29 vs the 400 Series 31/27. 2) I visited my neighbor’s house and stood in front of his standard 400 Series casements to get a “feel” for the noise reduction and, while I did not pick up individual car noise, there was a non-stop whirring sound. I visited a friend who lives further down the same highway to get a feel for his 400 Series casements. The same whirring sound. There was once a discussion in this forum about an increase of sound in windows with equal lites. See http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2586644/noisy-andersen-windows. I suspect that my friends are having exactly this problem. I am hoping that the A Series, with a different construction and a higher STC/OITC rating, will provide better noise reduction and no whirring. Oberon, other readers, please share your thoughts and experiences. Thank you.

Thank for your comments. I don't like the look of the tall backguard, it does not go with my design. I know, sad. Jan, I believe at this point customer support is not helpful here nor will they assume liability for any changes; these require engineering. I have already studied their manual, so has my plumber. It is up to us to construct the appropriate clearance reduction method if we don't want to use the high backguard. I have also consulted with the appropriate "authorities" (mechanical code and local building inspectors) and understand that my change CAN BE a safe option, but one most people do not know is necessary. AJ Madison is selling these ranges and telling folks that the island trim is safe with tile as the only "non combustible material." The 24" bases were only mentioned as simple way to modify the cabinet design to account for the increased depth of the distance from the edge of the stove to the wall. And yes it will mean that the bases will stick out farther than the uppers. As for "never having a problem", that is fantastic and probably typical, but it only takes one time. The building inspector says sometimes when they open up the walls behind a range, they actually see that over the years with the high BTU ranges installed without proper clearance, they will see heat damage to studs and to the drywall behind the tile upon demo. Repeated damage means that it takes less heat in the future to ignite those degraded materials. Fred S kinda got to that point in this thread: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3578695/install-tile-or-range-hood-first I want the design that I envisioned, but I want my home to be safe, to myself, my dog, and my future buyers. Since I am in control of this ship (sorta kinda), I can get it done correctly with a little help from you folks. Thanks again. all the best for taking the time - andrea