hi ctlady, we're in Michigan now, which IMHO has labor costs that are very average to other parts of the country that we've lived in. It's not high & not low. Our labor costs have come in at about 50% of the over all cost. And the reason I believe we've been able to get so much bang for our buck is because we have never been into what we call the "fluff" stuff that can nickel dime the costs up. Instead, we tend to buy materials that we like and offer good quality, stay true to what we really want in design style and try to keep things more simple. I also shop for deals, found my light fixtures at Costco for 23.00 each, negotiated a 25% discount on the tile (quartzite slate), found the faucets we wanted (Kohler Forte' single handle BN) mismarked down to 118.00 at Lowes, and got the cabinets during a 20% off sale at Home Depot. We also compromised on the fixutre finishes, opting for brushed nickle in the vanity area & chrome in shower as opposed to oil rubbed bronze which can run substanially higher (and is said to wear poorly over time) On the other hand, with the granite we actually took a sizeable hit because we had originally had leftover 1/2 slab on hold from when we bought our kitchen granite, but then fabricator went out of business, taking our 1/2 slab with him. We got a $250 deposit back that we had paid w/a credit card, but lost the discount we got for buying the two rooms at the same time. The new 1/2 slab that includes the fabrication for undermount sinks ended up costing a whopping 1400.00 because all the remnants we could find were either too small and/or not in a stone we wanted. In regards to labor, we didn't choose our contractor by bid price, but went with someone we felt we could work with the best, had the best skill set for what we needed and was willing to work on our terms. We've accepted his bids without trying to negotiate for a lower price, but have asked him to include all supplies like drywall & concrete into the cost of his bid and we've supplied tiles, fixtures & rough plumbing valves. We feel he's worth every penny as his work has been absolutely perfect so far. The only thing the labor doesn't include is the fan, trim & paint. I hope that helps -- Lukki

Hey MizLizzie and oldbat (I still love your name the best ;) ) -- thanks for the hijack and indulgence. I may try to contact Kohler then and talk to them. And maybe I should start a separate thread and solicit more info to try to figure out whether I have aberrant useage or installation or a lemon installed...? (or installer, most likely). Anyway, thanks. As for the OP, FWIW, let me just say that of all the myriad decisions over months and months and a gazillion dollars, this one was the hardest for me ... and that was before the ultimate seeming long-term, ongoing mess-up. (Course that could retroactively color that particular decision as well). I just found -- well, given hollysprings' point which I think is well-taken; I found the decision really, really hard. At once the faucets were all similar and good-enough, maybe, except then they weren't, too. And the high end ones really were ultra-nice ... and mind-bogglingly more expensive than the others ... which might have been good-enough. It is all complicated by the fact that the same manufacturer will construct units in different countries with very different innards .. and you can't see them or understand what you're getting, what you can get away with, etc... Anyway, I found this decision toughest of all. Good luck with it! I think the point about water hardness is really important as well. And water pressure. ...whew... I'm still traumatized by this decision! Back still broke, I guess you coud say... MizzLizzie: lol: " But at the end of the day, I think I will sink some serious money into either" .. cute pun.

We solved our problem in a way I've never seen done before...we contoured the window sill around the faucet. We call it our "custom" window sill!!!

I actually like the horse the best. I have these in my home: 2 clerestory windows and 2 flat spaces above the 2 closets in the entry. We choose to ignore them. We did try plants once; however the sun and heat up there made short shrift of them. i like the horse because it adds a touch of whimsy, relates to your horse painting, therefore makes the area look more like an area to display an additional part of the collection, and looks less contrived. Be aware, though, that sun and heat will damage anything you put up there, so don't use anything too precious to you.