I have a shower with no curb -- it's designed to be a roll-in. There is a vinyl sweep on the bottom of the door, and there is absolutely no problem with water. On one side of the door we have 3" tiles (the inside the shower part) and on the other 12" tiles (the rest of the bathroom floor). You don't need a chrome strip. All it will do is get grungy. As for French doors, that's fine, if you want to spend the extra money. We have one door.

" But my husband wonders why people don't reuse them. Is there a reason?" Genera;y, it's because of metal deterioration and the unavailability of gaskiting material, remember, the contractor has liability under warranty, unless you are willing to waiver. "If we DO reuse them, how difficult is it to change the hinges and handle? The new bathroom fixtures will be a different color." Contact a local glass company.

Here's the official word from the U.S. government: "A new ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher uses less than half as much energy as washing dishes by hand. A new ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher saves nearly 5,000 gallons of water per year, compared to washing dishes by hand." Plus it saves your time, gets dishes cleaner, saves the environment, saves money etc. Check out the link below. You can buy an energy star DW new or used. I bought a 9-month-old a high-end Kenmore Energy Star DW off craigslist for less than 1/2 of retail. My old one, which was effective but a real water hog, got recycled -- my county recycles appliances. It's a win-win purchase for all involved. Luann -- right on! Saving money and conserving the environment generally go hand in hand. Here is a link that might be useful: 2007 Energy Star Dishwasher information

The issue of saving water pre-occupies us a lot these days. But water issues are now a big issue world wide. We are by no means the only country in drought. So here in our own backyards, are we saving, recycling, and/or storing water for the next few months, years or forever. Are the dams really going to fill up and if they do, when will the next drought be over? Will we blame whatever government is in power for not having the foresight to make provisions for the eventuality? In my first post on this subject(Feb 25th) I gave my opinions about wasting water and I have no wish to repeat myself. If we are intending to save water permanently then a major rethink is required by everyone including us "wise gardeners". I am actually all for city dwellers living in higher density housing. Not everyone wants a garden and if a greater number of people occupy a smaller footprint on the planet then good on them. If we all have suburban type backyards then the urban sprawl will just gobble up more and more land. One of the Aussie faults is the demand for the suburban block that more often is just reluctantly mowed on the weekend. Sadly some of the best land that supplied cities with their fresh food is now suburban blocks. I agree that the macmansions are awful but how do you legislate to stop it? To persuade people occupying the suburban sprawl to allow higher density housing is an explosive issue. So unfortunately we go on spreading out, occupying more land and cutting down more trees. All that water that flows off the streets and concrete backyards into the sea, should be retained in some way. In some new suburbs of Sydney they have built underground tanks to store some of this runoff for watering the parks. We need a lot more of this. The "experts" tell us that the recent heavy rains along the NSW coast at present are mainly due to the abnormally warm sea temperatures. Unfortunately the rain is not going too far inland although the winemakers in the Hunter Valley must be cursing as their grapes certainly do not need this rain right now. I have luckily just got extra tanks and have been running round filling them up. Goldhills : Regarding you comments on my statements about global warming. I did read what you wrote and I believe I understand you clearly. If you do not wish to continue the debate I suggest you cease ending your comments to me with statements that ridicule my comments. If the only way to deal with Global warming is to "give up their cars, grow all their own needs and hunt wildlife for food (raw as fires/smoke leads to global warming as well), live in un-airconditioned caves, give up tvs and computers" as you wrote, it does not indicate an informed person as you claim to be. These kind of statements are unhelpful. I certainly do not expect you to agree with me. I do believe we need to be pragmatic and treat our contributions seriously. If we that agree that global warming is occurring, it follows...