Plant a grove of 'Nanjing Beauty' bald/montezuma cypress. Water every day and fertilize monthly. You will have 40ft trees in 5 years. Maybe not but can easily get there in 10 years. My brother planted 3 ft Nanjing Beauty at my mom's last fall/winter in Houston and it's already 6 ft. Plenty of growing season left. Could be 9 feet by fall! That's 6 ft of growth! Then again, I recall reading somewhere that Montezuma cypress grew 8 ft in a year...

One more question, should I expect the contractor to provide an actual price for the demo, flooring, etc. or is it reasonable to just expect an estimate that may fluctuate based on what's found behind the walls? You need to ask the contractor what his 'reasonable' estimate is. Addtionally, you need to think through what is acceptable to YOU. The more room you have in your budget, the greater the risk that you can take to let prices fluctuate. I generally start the remodel without a firm budget and let everything fluctuate. I have done multiple large remodels in my current house. I decide for each line item if it is worth the price to me or not. My budget is quite generous by most people's standards. If you are in a situation where if you run out of money then you can't finish the house/kitchen, my way of handling the budget would not be advised. (Imagine for yourself: I moved the doorway but I don't have the money to pay for the countertop that I wanted....) If your budgeted amount is close to the contractor's original estimate, I would not let things fluctuate. The risk if too great that your house would NOT be finished. I have seen multiple situations of this in my neighborhood.

Yes, this is a timely post as I am looking at the placement (new) of three fixtures in my dining room. The room is not a self contained rectangle. It is long and narrow and will have to eating areas on either end--with ceiling fans over the tables (well, slightly off center from the breakfast nook table, but we had to line them up for visual peace). Center light is just centered in room. Anyway, now we want the dining table to be positioned differently which means the fan will not be in the middle of the table but at one end. Was thinking about having wiring moved tomorrow so it can be centered with new table position but then I remembered the other day I asked the guys if my wall mounted faucet plumbing could be lowered an inch or two before the tile went it. Sure. But it would take about 4 hour$. Forget it! We need to just move on and live with whatever inconveniences we perceive.

No matter where you buy bath accessories or how they are branded, they are all made in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam (with s small but growing nod to India and Malaysia). Even accessories that appear to have been imported from Europe most likely started life somewhere in the Orient. There are only three factors to consider when buying accessories, and none of them is brand name. 1. Material. The material from which the accessory is made should be a non-ferrous metal or stainless steel. Brass or a zinc alloy are preferred. Stainless steel is OK if it is 304 or 310 stainless - any other stainless alloy is likely to rust over time in the humid atmosphere of a bathroom. Chromed steel is to be avoided at all costs. (Take a refrigerator magnet with you when shopping locally. If it sticks to the accessory, it's steel. Don't by it.) 2. Finish. The finish on most faucets, showers, etc. is a thick multi-coat finish. On accessories, it tends to be a thin single-coat. This is not usually a problem since accessories do not get much wear and tear, but it does matter on drains. Thin finishes wear off drains pretty quickly -- especially in kitchen sinks - within five years, usually. The type of finish is also important. Electroplated and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) finishes are to be preferred. Powder Coatings and Lacquers not so much. The seller should know the type of finish used. If not, forget that company and move on to another. How do you tell if a finish is durable? You can't directly, there is no DIY test you can apply in the store. (And, any of the tests we use in the lab is likely to get you arrested for destruction of property. ) You will have to rely on the seller's word for it, plus the warranty. Warranty: (Remember Reagan's famous dictum: "Trust but verify.")The best way to verify a seller's advertised claims of durability is READ the warranty. By "read" I mean actually read the actual warranty document. Don't take terms like "lifetime warranty" loosely thrown around by sellers as Gospel. READ the warranty. A warranty for one or two years on an accessory meant to last decades means that the company does not have a lot of confidence in the durability of its product. If it had confidence, the warranty would be for a much longer period. If the company doesn't have confidence in the product, you shouldn't either. For more information, read the following. The articles pertain primarily to faucets, but much of the information also applies to showers and accessories: <a href="http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets1e.htm">Faucet Basics, Part 5: Faucet Finishes</a>. <a href="http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets1f.htm">Faucet Basics, Part 6: Understanding Faucet Warranties</a> The final factor is color matching. If you chose Chrome as your finish, matching across manufacturers is fairly easy. Chrome is chrome is chrome. There is not much difference no matter where it is applied or by whom. But, there is some. Poorly applied chrome can be a little yellowish -- a sure sign that you don't want it. For any other finish, be wary. It may match across manufacturers, but don't count on it. Oil-rubbed bronze finish (which is neither bronze nor oil-rubbed in most instances) or ORB, is a particular culprit. It varies in color from almost copper to nearly black depending on the manufacturer. Some include copper highlights to simulate years of wear (albeit not convincingly), others do not. (See the above image for examples of ORB from various companies.)