I think it looks OK but you will probably topple over the bricks as you move around, in particular at the high end as you are reaching over to any plants near the corner of the 2 fences. Chance are it will topple over into any plants that are growing inside the bed there since you are moving in that direction. That would be my only concern. Otherwise, about 3 tall isn't overbearing enough to fall on its own. One way to get around it is to build the ground (and additional bricks to support it) in a kind of terrace design. For example, as you have now heard about Bartholomew, his recommendation is for beds that are about 4x4. This is so that you can reach many plants from the outside of the bed. If you split yours into roughly 4 feet (some go 3 or 5, depending on how they want to break up their bed size), then for the higher end, you will have a higher level of soil to use. Then with about a 1-2 feet path where you can access the bed on the right or the left, then start your next bed for another 3-5 feet width, but that one will have a lower level of brick wall and thus, soil depth. Judging by the number of bricks laid out, You could probably get about 2-3 beds plus a path or two in between out of that area, depending on the sizes you wanted.

1) You can brace or block the joists per standard construction, but what might be easier is to strap the bottom edges of the joists. Typical strapping is done with a 1x3, but a lot of times I'll simply use a 2x4. Run a 2x4 across the bottoms of the joists, perpendicular to the joists. Add a dab of PL adhesive and use a couple of screws at each fastening point. You have specific needs here, so spacing the 2x4s as you need will work very well. What it does is if a single joist wants to deflect downward, the strapping transfers that load to the adjacent joists as well. So it's good as a floor stiffener. For a washer/dryer set up, it also dampens the entire floor platform in terms of the possibility of the spin cycle causing the floor to reverberate. The strapping serves the same purpose as cross-bracing or solid blocking between the joists. It's code-approved, though code only requires it for 2x12 joists, with the strapping being made of 1x3, and the strapping spaced every 8'. The strapping is more effective long-term than bracing or blocking, due to fitment, installation, and shrinkage issues. 2) Do the whole floor. There are only restrictions on maximum spacing (every 8'). So if you make it every 2', or 3', or 4', no worries. Strapping is also easier because you're not wrestling with any of the utilities that take up space between the joists. 3) Your joists span 8-1/2'. For simplicity, why not do run three pieces of strapping? One at 1/4 span, one at half-span, the other at 3/4 span. Just a little over 2' spacing. 4) 3/4" ply over the diagonal boards is plenty. It does not have to be exterior grade. 5) Your floor sandwich can be made up of: -Tile -Ditra -Floor heat wires encased in SLC (no wires under the washer/dryer area through, see comments later) -Plywood underlayment covered with SLC primer -Diagonal plank subfloor -joists I usually advocate a small platform under the washer/dryer stack. It's more for damping than load spreading. I've done sandwiches of plywood/cement_board/plywood, or plywood/MLV/plywood. MLV is mass-loaded vinyl. Screw through the top layer of ply, through the middle material, and into the bottom layer of plywood to secure it together. Or just use construction adhesive. I drill a hole through the middle of the platform sandwich to accommodate the flood pan's drain line. I usually put a square of rug pad on the floor. The inexpensive, maybe 1/8" thick, rubbery mesh or open weave type of rug pad. It acts as a bit of a damper, but also holds the platform in place. I then set the platform on the rug pad. Then put the flood pan over the platform with the drain plumbed through the hole in the platform. Then set the washer in place and the dryer on top of that. I recommend you tile the entire floor, but again, no heating wires under the location of the washer. You'll be putting the sandwich platform on top of the tile in that area, and the insulative value of that platform can shorten the life span of the heating element. Pricklypear, the Ditra-XL is simply thicker than regular Ditra. It really wasn't designed for a specific tile size. It's sole purpose is to allow the thickness of "Ditra plus tile" to match up with the thickness of a typical hardwood floor.

Wow! Thank you everyone for the great birthday wishes. I have had a great day. DD had to go to Pittsburgh, so she took me with her and after her appointment she took me to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I had never been to either store. What a new and enlightening shopping experience! We selected our lunch from Whole Foods deli counter and ate there. Yum, yum, yum! Then bought a bunch of scrumptious looking stuff from each place to bring home. When we got home there was an absolutely gorgeous floral arrangement that had been delivered. It was also from DD. Yes, I have had a super, duper birthday. These KT wishes topped it off nicely.

Sorry that should be Bee's non-GLASS doors. Sorry for the confusion. Time for my mid-afternoon coffee. So you see she has kept the glass doors in one spot around the window and then non-glass doors , with a little breathing space (breezy is correct) around the range. Do you have to have cupboards above the vent hood? Are they earmarked for anything? I'm just wondering if instead of doing them, just continue the vent hood up by duplicating the framing pattern that you have below the molding and put it above the molding as well. And then cabinets, such as Bee's on either side. Just a thought. You should, while I am just wildly expressing my opinion, know that I do prefer a cleaner look. Oh and no pics because I am techno-challenged. However I did buy myself a digital camera (easy to use - photography isn't the issue) and I'm taking a course on how to download and post those suckers - so watch out come the end of November.