Chelcass, living in Phoenix, I don't have to worry about winters with my totems. And it seldom rains. But when it does, then the next day I make sure all the standing water is out of any totems. I have 17 right now, so it would not take me a "minimum amount of time" to clean them like you do yours! LOL. Plus I guess I'm lazy, its bad enough to have to wash dishes inside without washing a bunch outside. ;o) I've been using Mr Clean Magic Eraser, or SOS, on my outside ones when just the hose doesn't do good enough. I love those Magic Erasers for cleaning all kinds of stuff. Great little product! I have to be careful where I sit some of my totems cause when the sprinklers come on, several times a week pretty much year round here, the cobalt ones sure show water spots badly afterwards. Phoenix duststorms aren't my favorite thing to deal with either. Luckily just have those late summer mostly. Granny if you want that cobalt rabbit for your totem topper, I eon't bid against you and will wait for another one to come along. hugs, Karen

Excellent! Glad to hear that Crassula arborescens is a more thirsty variety. I am slowly planning landscaping part of my yard with succulents. Before I relandscape, I am in the process of trying out individual specimens to see what fares best in my climate. Sounds like Crassula arborescens might be a good landscape candidate. jonaskragebaer - I have to say, I know very little about Denmark. During your wet summers, how hot is it there? My (admittedly limited) trials with succulents show that it isn't the wet alone, but the wet+heat that does them in. Seems like succulents most hate the combination of high humidity combined with nighttime temps not dropping below 80 degrees F.

Thank you all so much, I am so happy with the outcome, it is better than I expected, now if only Fall would get here! ron6519: The outlets are outdoor rated and are below the lip of the knee-wall, everything has been inspected and signed off by the electrical inspector and the screens do protect the water from just pouring in. I will eventually put up some outdoor shutters (Bahama Shutters) that will provide protection and privacy. See example below. fit4life: Most of my inspiration and ideas came from the web (Porch Company) they are a local porch design and builder here in Nashville, TN (I have attached a link to their website)and I basically knew what I wanted but when it was being built we made changes along the way. The fireplace was identical to a page I found in a magazine, when I saw it I knew that was what I wanted. We payed the Porch Company to come out and do the design $500.00 (blueprints) with all the measurements and the architect worked with us in tweeking the plan till we had it just the way we wanted, it was great to have it on paper. Their quote for the project was going to be around 58,000.00!!!! So since we payed for the prints we started calling other contractors for comparable bids. We ended up finding one which did a beautiful job and we are very pleased. This is what we started with, so it has come a very long way. The complete project with the stamped concrete, stone fireplace, mantle, tongue and groove on the baywindow (inside)the porch, low votage lighting inside, and on the steps outside(deck)on the handrails, privacy fence on the hot-tub side and I know I am forgetting alot of other little details was around 30,000.00. Our original bid was 25,000.00 but we added the low voltage on the out side deck, rocked the back of the fireplace which was going to be vinyl siding, added tongue and groove on the baywidow which was vinyl siding and all the lights on the inside are all on dimmer switches. We also added a large transformer so that we could tie into it when we did our landscape lighting. Oh and we did Timberteck for the floor in the screened in porch, which in the original bid was going to be pine. The Timberteck about broke the bank!!! kenstl: The screens are a product that Lowes and Home Depot sells. Its a track system that is mounted on the inside of the framing of your window. With a screen rolling tool you just cut the screen to the appropriate size roll the screen into the track for a tight fit and then trim the window out. This was a great idea for us, so that if we ever had to replace a torn screen its just as easy. I was quite surprized because I wasnt sure if it would sag, but its just as tight as a real screen. I hope that I have provided some valuable information for all who are in the process of building a porch. If you should have any other questions, please ask because I dont mind sharing the info. Here is a link that might be useful: Porch Company

fairytalebaby, I will have Lemon Chiffon in my office--sorry, it is not yet painted. It is quite light and seems to reflect light. I used it because the floor is hardwood walnut and the only window in the room is on a porch so not a lot of natural light. When I painted the swatches of drywall, it looked great and although it seemed light, as soon as the hardwood went in, I knew it was the right choice. I should be able to post pics in two weeks-sorry to take so long--I'm unsure of when the painters will be there. Teresa