I think it's more important to find a color that goes best with the brick, if it has to be a choice. Having the cement color look like cement is fine...and not necessary to have it match as much. I would also match downspouts and soffit to the siding...I wouldn't want the downspouts standing out as if they were trim. Instead I consider them a 'necessary evil' and want them to disappear against the siding.

Hi Janice, I too have dogs that are loved (well one of them anyway :), no rugs and constantly vacuuming fur. I have lived in a house with Western Red Cedar porches and yes the claws left marks on the wood. Any softer wood like cedar or pine will most likely end up with tell tale marks. Personally I wouldn't do pressure treated, which 98% of the time is Southern Yellow Pine, both because it is soft and treated with some pretty nasty chemicals. A sweaty dog on a hot day lying on pressure treated material will absorb the chemicals into their feet and skin. Human feet as well.... I don't have any science to back this up, and I'm sure I just made myself a target for the PT industry, but in my book common sense dictates.... If you go on our site www.soluslumber.com you can see several hardwood decking options. Give us a call and we can talk about your specific situation and see if we can come up with a cost effective solution. Hardwoods won't guarantee no marks (I've seen dogs leave marks on bluestone), but it will go a long way to helping keep your deck looking beautiful.

There are far too many hedges in the Southern California area, I think. They just get planted because they are low maintenance. Everything else will eventually wither in the yard if it is not cared for but those bushes and hedges keep on growing. I have seen some yards where, over the years and over the course of several different owners, pretty things growing in the yard gradually become replaced with ugly bushes and hedges. If I can make a suggestion, why don't you take a look at the Edible Landscaping section of this this forum? There are many bushes/hedges there that produce little ornamental flowers and are quite attractive. Hibiscus can make a nice hedge, but keep in mind it be vulnerable to white fly infestation in Southern California. If it gets 100% full sun exposure at all times of the day it is also going to need consistent watering. I'm rather fond of Australian yellow snake vine (Hibbertia scandens), it's growth habit is somewhere in-between a bush and a vine. Attractive foliage and a few cheerful yellow flowers, especially in June. Some varieties of Camellia can make a good hedge.

People talking about waterproofing that have never tiled anything. By almost every code in every state a simple plastic sheet or roofing felt behind cement board is sufficient and in some cases preferred. People hear a little information and just keep repeating it. Roll on and membrane systems were developed for high rise and steam showers set ups. Sometimes depending on the tile material allowing the wall to breathe is actually better. Not to say there isn't plenty wrong here. First off that size marble is a disaster for everyday shower use. It should be a mud job those are very heavy panels. The seams should be taped. I get the edges overlap the wet area and will be covered by a door but that is where there is a waterproofing issue. Membrane waterproofing systems are made to go over sheetrock which was the problem to begin with. In the 90's green board was touted as being waterproof which of course it wasn't. That is the entire reason for all these bathroom failures. Cement board isn't waterproof but it also will not fail if wet so you can let it get wet all day long and nothing will happen. In STANDARD shower set up in a house simple is better. Membrane set ups are not easy to use. Mfg's don't make the required thin sets to install and a lot of mixing and matching is used. Remember all those green board showers looked great till 15-20years later when they were ripped out and everybody saw all the mold and crumbling sheetrock. STOP YELLING WATERPROOFING AND READ THE PRODUCTS ACTUAL TECH SHEETS. NOWHERE ON CEMENT BOARD DOES IT SAY YOU NEED A ROLL ON OR MEMBRANE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM. I would rather an uneducated installer use a simple system then use a system they don't know and screw it up and cause more issues than are corrected.