thanks stacey!! i never thought of shrinking the room to make it seem bigger, but bringing the wall in for the vanity makes sense because it gets it out of the middle of the room. however the lost space is not exactly usable elsewhere. it's relatively inaccessible attic back there. but deep shelves or cabinets could be useful. which do you think would seem more spacious... the shower design in your first proposal or the one in brickton's? i think either would work in your drawing, but one opens up the doorway more while the other opens up the center area more. DH has also expressed concerns about the entrance being a tunnel. it doesn't concern me as much, but i realized i have had several bedrooms in my past that started with a tunnel due to a closet or something. we've discussed the skylight tubes. they may be something we add later once the bank account rebounds. not all of the walls for the shower and toilet would need to go to the ceiling which would allow for some light as well. where the ceiling isn't sloped it is very high. another desire is to put a laundry chute in, which would have to go on the wall with the window on the right side. would having that over the toilet seem odd? it may not be possible because that is where the water supply will be, and, if the toilet is there, the drain/vent will be as well. it's definitely not a deal breaker but would be a nice bonus. i like your second option as well. i have always thought the shower should go in that corner, but couldn't make it work. we will have to consider how the plumbing will work for that. a dual use powder room is a creative idea (thanks for sharing it... i'm open to all wacky ideas), but i dont think that would work for us for a few reasons. the only two hvac vents to the room are along the wall with the door, to the right of the door. that would close off both of them. also the floor of the hallway right where the door would be has a step down... it's a crazy old house full of surprises. the step could probably be moved, but that's more work, expense, and mess. third, it bugs me to have to close two doors for privacy.

arielitas_mom, Loved your pool with Pebblefina, had only considered plaster & 3M but will definitely look at that finish, and thanks so much for your response. One other thing, did Gardner do your complete pool build or only the tile/plastering? I am a bit concerned about the payment schedule in their contract: 50% day of prep, 30% day of tile, 20% day of plaster. Is this standard? I would really want to hold final payment until the pool is filled with water and systems working. This forum is terrific and full of inspirational designs and helpful information but it really underlines the need to find good people to do the work. I have been doing searches hoping to pick up recommendations for pool remodelers in SD but most seem to be new builds. However it has been terrific to see the progress of pool builds through everyones photos - particularly enjoyed following your PB progress Katherine (sdkath)  that is one amazing pool - hope you are enjoying it and thanks for all the detailed information in your threads. But Â.. IÂm still hopeful of a few more recommendations  if anyone in San Diego has had a good experience with their pool remodel recently IÂd really appreciate hearing about the company who did the work. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for your comments Palimpsest...I'm hoping the cabinet designer knew what he was doing about the Crown Molding and that it will work. I know what you are saying about the crown molding next to the microwave, but that was a mistake he just forgot to wrap it on around when he was doing the design,as he also forgot to put it on the cabinet next to the Ref. He had already done several different ones for me that day...and I'm sure he was tired. He has designed many kitchens so keeping my fingers crossed. I have e-mailed him your concerns and asked him about it. My cabinets are already ordered so I can make no changes in the staggered cabinets. I did think about the cabinets going to the ceiling ..But I have had that for 50 yrs...20 yrs in a previous kitchen and 30 in this one....So I really wanted the staggered look...hoping the kitchen won't be too small for that look. I realize I loose some kitchen storage, but with just being 5'1" the top shelves in the cabinets were a waste to me except to keep things I never or rarely use. I will be donating a Lot of those things...I plan to eliminate a lot of things that are in my cabinets now. Also to answer the Question about How tied I am to the sink under the sink....Very...I have wanted my sink under a window ever since we moved from our first house. I loved being able to look out at something other than a wall....of course I realize I have given up prep space between the sink and stove as lavendar-lass said.....but honestly I do very little major cooking anymore. Maybe once a month we have the kids and family over and of course during the holidays. If I cooked like I use to ...then it would be much more important than it is now. But I certainly understand your concern. Thank you both for your suggestions.

Rule #1: remember you have different credit scores from different agencies. Financial institutions often have their own INTERNAL scoring system, although they will always pull your financial score from one of the 3 major agencies. Rule #2: if you can post to a forum, you can Google for information that will help you become a better-educated credit user. So please, make that effort. Credit scores are a small part of your overall financial health. I, too, have overused credit in the past and it takes both education and discipline to learn to utilize it properly. Rule #3: you don't need to be debt-free to be given a home loan, but a house is always in need of regular maintenance and your desired updating. Don't expect to always charge those future expenditures! My plumber takes a charge card, but my contractor only took checks for that five-figure MBdrm remodel, as did our roofer for his five-figure project. In general, following the FICO (the score from Fair Isaacs) is the most mainstream. Other agencies are usually within 30 pts or so of theirs, either way. This is how Fair Isaacs rates a score: What goes into a credit score? Data from your credit report goes into five major categories that make up a FICO score. The scoring model weighs some factors more heavily, such as payment history and debt owed. Payment history: (35 percent) -- Your account payment information, including any delinquencies and public records. Amounts owed: (30 percent) -- How much you owe on your accounts. The amount of available credit you're using on revolving accounts is heavily weighted*. Length of credit history: (15 percent) -- How long ago you opened accounts and time since account activity. Types of credit used: (10 percent) -- The mix of accounts you have, such as revolving and installment. New credit: (10 percent) -- Your pursuit of new credit, including credit inquiries and number of recently opened accounts. Personal or demographic information such as age, race, address, marital status, income and employment don't affect the score. (* my asterisk: credit agencies in general do not want to see more than 35% used of your total aggregate revolving/installment credit lines)